Silent aluminium chassis manufacturer Streacom is now shipping their popular FC8 Alpha case with the SH2 heatpipe configuration. The move follows the latest trend in mini-ITX motherboard design where the socket is now closer to the center of the board, rather than towards the right corner.
The prior trend placed the 24-pin power and SATA ports with the chipset along the top edge, with the 4-pin ATX12V connector towards the middle back. Now, most motherboards are closer to micro-ATX and ATX layouts in terms of component placement. The 4-pin ATX12V connector is in the upper left hand corner. Meanwhile, the 24-pin power with the SATA ports are on the right side edge. The chipset is now also typically placed below the CPU socket, with the VRM running along the socket above it. All remaining headers are either above the lone PCIe x16 socket or at the top right edge.
Streacom will still provide heatsink options for SH8 and MH1 configurations if the user prefers it for their setup. Moreover, the switch to SH2 heatpipes gives the FC8 Alpha the ability to use the HT4 thermal riser. This is useful in situations where the motherboard has components that are blocking the path of the heatpipes.
Streacom FC8 Alpha Features
The FC8 Alpha uses Premium Grade (6063) 4mm-thick Aluminium and supports mini-ITX mainboards. It only measures 240 x 250 x 109mm (with feet), plus with the fanless design, it is ideal as an HTPC. It comes with four Heatpipe Direct Touch Pipes which can handle up to 65W TDP CPUs. Users can even use a 95W TDP CPU, if there is adequate airflow available.
Pricing and Availability
The Streacom FC8 Alpha units with SH2 heatpipes are already available and shipping from distributors. It can be identified by the addition of “SH2” or “CM2” on the printed product label. Users can choose between the black and a silver version, both available for £129.95 MSRP.
