It's very clean, but $250 seems a bit steep for a case that doesn't even have a built-in IR receiver and forces you to use a slot-loading drive (i.e. a more expensive one).
My Antec Micro Fusion 350 may get a little loud at times (three case fans + power supply fan) but it blends well with my other HT gear, and gives me a useable LCD screen and IR receiver. It also comes with a power supply and cost me less than half of what the MSRP is for the cheapest of these offerings by Streacom.
I dig that setup as well, but I'm curious what usefulness the LCD screen is for you? I've been intrigued by it before but never could find a reason to use it.
To tell the truth, with the rising support for HDMI / CEC, IR remotes have almost become unnecessary in any modern HTPC build / setup. With the Pulse-Eight USB CEC adapter, it has been ages since I used the IR MCE remote supplied with my HTPC (as I end up using the TV remote more often for controlling the HTPC).
By the way, Streacom website indicates support for IR receiver, it is just that it is not bundled (I think they have the remote / receiver combo as a separate piece).
Pulse-Eight USB CEC adapter won't turn on your computer from off or hibernate. Most computers support wake up by USB, but not power on by USB.
On the other hand, iMon IR receivers (which is what Antec integrates into their cases, and rebadges as accessories) connect to your ATX PSU directly, and run off the +5 VSB rail. Thus, you can use them to turn your computer on remotely.
I have the iMon system in a Thermaltake case. I find that the only use for it is to make it look like a piece of AV equip. My remote is so bad (the one I have is almost 5 years old so they may make them better by now, but they look like the same unit) that I had to replace both the receiver and remote with a Microsoft OEM one that works great. Also, the info displayed on the VFD is too small to read from 10 feet that it is useless. Looks good, but I would not spend money on one in the future. BTW, I don't turn mine off because it is also a DVR system for the whole house so the power on feature (that only works with the iMon remote) is of no use to me either.
Agreed :) It has been a long time since I switched off my HTPC.. At the max., I put it in sleep mode.
However, there is another option if you are in a household with smartphones / tablets. There is bound to be a wake-on-LAN app to enable turning on the machine over the network.. But, yes, integrating that with the rest of the remote control is probably not there yet.
Also, for the OP.. Streacom indicated that they could have shaved $100 off the price if they had used an ordinary aluminium chassis instead of extruded aluminium. [ Just wanted to present both sides of the story, and in the end, it is for the readers to decide :) ]
A Consumer IR (CIR) capable system can also turn on or off the system via the IR remote control. It isn't available on very many motherboards, but the excellent Intel Media Series all seem to have it. I have the DH67CF (m-ITX) and it works great. The more recent 77 series boards (such as the m-ITX DH77DF) also have the CIR feature.
One entire side seems to have underutilized the heat dissipation fins. They should design it with the option for an internal PSU mounted against the unused side there. I much prefer to have a nice secure, three-prong cord coming into the computer with no external power brick, than to have a prone-to-slip-out loose cable connected to an external power brick.
I asked Streacom about this, and they indicated that in their tests, up to 120W TDP processors had no problems getting cooled with just latching on to one side of the chassis. Once we get one in hand, it will be easier to see how effective this is.
They have also not provided details of the various PSUs compatible with the FC9 and FC10. We will know more about them at Computex, I believe.
Streacom just mailed in with further clarifications.
All the PSUs on the site listed as compatible are non-power brick models. They apparently mount on the chassis. We will know how exactly this works at Computex.
The 'underutilized' heat dissipation fins are apparently meant for GPU cooling. Nice touch there, I didn't think of that aspect. Again, we have to see how the execution goes.
Hmmm, have they changed the design from the picture? Because in the back of the unit, I don't see any cutout for a rectangular 3-prong power cord. But there is a small, round hole that looks suspiciously like a feedthru for an external power brick coaxial power jack.
On second glance, the small circular hole looks to be in the center of a faint rectangle that might be the right size for a 3-prong power receptacle. It will be interesting to see a picture with an internal power supply installed.
It is a PC case with a fanless heatsink for the CPU integrated that actually weights over 5 kilos. If it would had also included a fanless PSU (which usually weight over 3 kilos), it would have been the dreamed fanless portable PC many of us has been dreaming on.
At 5 kgs and needing extra 3 kgs it is still far from being a "portable" solution for mobile needs. The good thing is that manufacturers seem to realize what us buyers are asking for. Why microATX or miniITX teamed wit fanless??? Only because looks minimal and noise won{t bother... households. This is mainly intended to consumer markets. And -eventually- will appeal to professionals (sound and video studios) the few that actually which don't require extra powerful CPUs (over 120w), And so misses the wide professional markets that TODAY are needing a noiseless (fanless) powerful (micro-ATX and since recently able mini-ITX) but mobile solution, hopefully being rack-able. This mobile PCs could be fit with a well chosen 95w CPU. I am thinking on the new 2 cores, 4 threads Ivy bridge's with high standard and Turbo boost frequencies, since most of the on-the-go professional Audio/video software suites tend to process large audio or video files using as much as 2 cores.
Well, seen in this picture, it seems indeed that the PSU is integrated and exposing a simple power cord plug (I hope the link will be ok otherwise copy paste):
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Spivonious - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
It's very clean, but $250 seems a bit steep for a case that doesn't even have a built-in IR receiver and forces you to use a slot-loading drive (i.e. a more expensive one).My Antec Micro Fusion 350 may get a little loud at times (three case fans + power supply fan) but it blends well with my other HT gear, and gives me a useable LCD screen and IR receiver. It also comes with a power supply and cost me less than half of what the MSRP is for the cheapest of these offerings by Streacom.
mepenete - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
I dig that setup as well, but I'm curious what usefulness the LCD screen is for you? I've been intrigued by it before but never could find a reason to use it.ganeshts - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
To tell the truth, with the rising support for HDMI / CEC, IR remotes have almost become unnecessary in any modern HTPC build / setup. With the Pulse-Eight USB CEC adapter, it has been ages since I used the IR MCE remote supplied with my HTPC (as I end up using the TV remote more often for controlling the HTPC).By the way, Streacom website indicates support for IR receiver, it is just that it is not bundled (I think they have the remote / receiver combo as a separate piece).
Odeen - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
Pulse-Eight USB CEC adapter won't turn on your computer from off or hibernate. Most computers support wake up by USB, but not power on by USB.On the other hand, iMon IR receivers (which is what Antec integrates into their cases, and rebadges as accessories) connect to your ATX PSU directly, and run off the +5 VSB rail. Thus, you can use them to turn your computer on remotely.
Just something to consider. :)
erikstarcher - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
I have the iMon system in a Thermaltake case. I find that the only use for it is to make it look like a piece of AV equip. My remote is so bad (the one I have is almost 5 years old so they may make them better by now, but they look like the same unit) that I had to replace both the receiver and remote with a Microsoft OEM one that works great. Also, the info displayed on the VFD is too small to read from 10 feet that it is useless. Looks good, but I would not spend money on one in the future. BTW, I don't turn mine off because it is also a DVR system for the whole house so the power on feature (that only works with the iMon remote) is of no use to me either.ganeshts - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
Agreed :) It has been a long time since I switched off my HTPC.. At the max., I put it in sleep mode.However, there is another option if you are in a household with smartphones / tablets. There is bound to be a wake-on-LAN app to enable turning on the machine over the network.. But, yes, integrating that with the rest of the remote control is probably not there yet.
Also, for the OP.. Streacom indicated that they could have shaved $100 off the price if they had used an ordinary aluminium chassis instead of extruded aluminium. [ Just wanted to present both sides of the story, and in the end, it is for the readers to decide :) ]
Mugur - Tuesday, May 29, 2012 - link
XBMC Android app has WOL. XBMC also allows Sleep, Power Off etc...somedude1234 - Monday, May 28, 2012 - link
A Consumer IR (CIR) capable system can also turn on or off the system via the IR remote control. It isn't available on very many motherboards, but the excellent Intel Media Series all seem to have it. I have the DH67CF (m-ITX) and it works great. The more recent 77 series boards (such as the m-ITX DH77DF) also have the CIR feature.The motherboard comes with a CIR header and you have to purchase a CIR capable receiver separately. These aren't very common either, but I found mine here: http://shop.inteset.com/Products/13-4-in-1-backlit...
With a fast SSD for the OS, it's about 7 seconds from pressing the power button on the remote to the XBMC screen.
jwilliams4200 - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
One entire side seems to have underutilized the heat dissipation fins. They should design it with the option for an internal PSU mounted against the unused side there. I much prefer to have a nice secure, three-prong cord coming into the computer with no external power brick, than to have a prone-to-slip-out loose cable connected to an external power brick.ganeshts - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
I asked Streacom about this, and they indicated that in their tests, up to 120W TDP processors had no problems getting cooled with just latching on to one side of the chassis. Once we get one in hand, it will be easier to see how effective this is.They have also not provided details of the various PSUs compatible with the FC9 and FC10. We will know more about them at Computex, I believe.
ganeshts - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
Streacom just mailed in with further clarifications.All the PSUs on the site listed as compatible are non-power brick models. They apparently mount on the chassis. We will know how exactly this works at Computex.
The 'underutilized' heat dissipation fins are apparently meant for GPU cooling. Nice touch there, I didn't think of that aspect. Again, we have to see how the execution goes.
jwilliams4200 - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
Hmmm, have they changed the design from the picture? Because in the back of the unit, I don't see any cutout for a rectangular 3-prong power cord. But there is a small, round hole that looks suspiciously like a feedthru for an external power brick coaxial power jack.jwilliams4200 - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
On second glance, the small circular hole looks to be in the center of a faint rectangle that might be the right size for a 3-prong power receptacle. It will be interesting to see a picture with an internal power supply installed.Nexing - Tuesday, May 29, 2012 - link
It is a PC case with a fanless heatsink for the CPU integrated that actually weights over 5 kilos.If it would had also included a fanless PSU (which usually weight over 3 kilos), it would have been the dreamed fanless portable PC many of us has been dreaming on.
At 5 kgs and needing extra 3 kgs it is still far from being a "portable" solution for mobile needs.
The good thing is that manufacturers seem to realize what us buyers are asking for.
Why microATX or miniITX teamed wit fanless??? Only because looks minimal and noise won{t bother... households. This is mainly intended to consumer markets. And -eventually- will appeal to professionals (sound and video studios) the few that actually which don't require extra powerful CPUs (over 120w),
And so misses the wide professional markets that TODAY are needing a noiseless (fanless) powerful (micro-ATX and since recently able mini-ITX) but mobile solution, hopefully being rack-able.
This mobile PCs could be fit with a well chosen 95w CPU. I am thinking on the new 2 cores, 4 threads Ivy bridge's with high standard and Turbo boost frequencies, since most of the on-the-go professional Audio/video software suites tend to process large audio or video files using as much as 2 cores.
crisliv - Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - link
Well, seen in this picture, it seems indeed that the PSU is integrated and exposing a simple power cord plug (I hope the link will be ok otherwise copy paste):https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3014411966...