[section_title title=Packaging]Packaging
Starting with the packaging, Streacom have gone with a very simplistic black design with the Streacom logo across the middle and the model number in the bottom left hand corner (FC9); very elegant and straight to the point.
The rear follows the same all-black design as the front, upon opening the box itself, I was greeted with a very nice protective foam which is much nicer than polystyrene in my opinion; the slight noise of polystyrene makes my back bone cringe!
Inside all that foam we have the accessories box which of course follows the same design as the external packaging. In here you will find all the required accessories to not only navigate the FC9, but install it too!
Upon removing the user guide which is placed neatly in the top reveals the plethora of accessories and parts needed to not only install a system into the FC9, but also cool the chosen CPU via its passive cooling system. Inside the box is:
1 x Full passive cooling system including AMD & Intel mounts
4 x Copper heat pipes for cooling system
2 x Tubes of thermal paste
2 x Mounting clips for heat pipes
Numerous rubber pads for installation
Lots of thought has been put into the FC9 and its installation process although I would have liked to have seen the pipes come pre-attached to the case mounting blocks; the quality and look of the packaging is nothing short of sublime!
For the purpose of the review, Streacom also sent us in one of their NANO150 150w small form factor PSUs so we could demonstrate and test with the FC9 chassis. The packaging of the NANO150 follows the exact same professional and stylish design as the Streacom FC9 and that is certainly a good thing.
The power supply itself is small form factor meaning it is designed for small HTPC cases like the FC9 which we are currently reviewing. It has all the regular gubbins associated with a power supply of this size including a Molex connector, SATA power connector and of course a 24 pin ATX power/4 pin 12v CPU connectors to provide power to the motherboard and CPU socket simultaneously.
Overall if the FC9 chassis itself is a reflection of the packaging and layout of the accessories, it should do pretty well indeed.
[…] June 19, 2014What can I say? The Streacom FC9 isn’t just a fully functioning and elegant HTPC case; it is a lot more than that! With it’s fantastic performance, superb build quality and its attention to detail, it is no wonder that the Streacom FC9 has literally cleaned house in this review. – read the full review […]