Streacom ST-F12CS Optical HTPC aluminum housing - silver [ST-F12CS-OPT]

With the ST-F12CB the manufacturer enters unknown terrain and presents for the first time a spacious HTPC housing for full-fledged hardware such as ATX motherboards and power supplies including massive drive and ventilation options.

With its classy design and high-quality processing, the Streacom F12C "Optical" desktop case is well-suited for multimedial environments, but its potential for powerful hardware and even water cooling also leaves many other uses. The case is made of extruded and CNC milled aluminum with 4 mm thickness, whose anodised surface is given by the sand-blasted and pleasantly matte texture a simple and timeless aesthetic. The front panel is also discreet, with an inconspicuous power button, a 5.25 SlimLine drive bay, two USB 3.0 ports, and a barely visible screen for an IR receiver.

Design and function go hand in hand with the Streacom F12C - a characteristic that goes through the entire design. Hidden on the back of the case are two turnbuckles with which the top cover can be lifted slightly and then conveniently removed to allow access to the interior. There are even large mainboards up to the ATX format as well as grown ATX power supplies enough space, the latter can be optionally decoupled from the internal air circuit.

The F12C is also capable of playing high-performance gaming graphics cards with a length of up to 31 cm. CPU coolers can use the entire height of the F12C, so even larger bolides get no space. The case, however, which is untypically large for Streacom ratios, can, thanks to a clever fastening method, be able to thrust up, especially in the equipment possibilities. All internal drives are not mounted in classic drive cages, but on modular rails, which can be fitted with fans as desired.

The strength and orientation of the ventilation in the F12C can thus be completely determined freely by the user, and the aluminum case is also extremely flexible, with a great deal of room for customization for individual adjustments. A total of eight short mounting rails are available, which can be arranged variably on the housing sides and can be used to mount various fans or HDDs and SSDs horizontally or vertically at will.

Overall, up to 12 3.5-inch or a maximum of 24 (!) 2.5-inch drives can be accommodated in the F12C according to the manufacturer Streacom. The comfortable space conditions thus enable powerful hardware, which would be cooled accordingly. Set three side fan slots - two right, one left - are available for this. As an alternative to the data carriers, fans with an 80 to 140 mm frame width can be attached to the short mounting rails, whereby their size can be determined by the user as a function of the freely selectable distance between the rails.

A further opening on the left side is reserved for the power supply and there are also three further large-area ventilation openings in the cover. All these fine mesh openings are made of magnetic and therefore easily removable dust filters, which protect the interior from dirt. In addition, there are also two long mounting rails for the cover, at the middle mesh opening of which there are either several fans or a 240 mm dual radiator for water cooling.

Technical details:

Dimensions: 440 x 184 x 320 mm (WxHxD)
Material: Aluminum (4 mm thick)
Weight: 4.4 kg
silver
Form Factor: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Total fan possible (no drive / radiator slots):
2x 80 to 140 mm (right side)
1x 80 to 140 mm (left side)
2x 92 to 140 mm / 3x 80 mm (cover)
Radiator mountings (dispensing with drive / fan slots):
2x max. 120 mm (right side)
1x max. 240 mm (cover)
Dust filter: right, left side; Cover (all magnetic, removable)
Drive support (avoids fan / radiator slots):
1x 5.25 inch SlimLine (external) up to 12x 3.5 inches (internal)
Up to 24x2.5 inch (internal)
Power supply: standard ATX (optional)
Expansion slots: 7
I / O panel:
2x USB 3.0
1x IR iris (IRRC or FLIRC)
Maximum grid length: no limitation, depending on installed fans / drives
Maximum graphics card length: 310 mm