Viewing page 6 of 6 pages.
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Streacom FC8 Evo is a compelling product that stands out with its attractive
and compact form factor. It is compatible with off-the-shelf desktop processors
and motherboards, and it supports a slim optical drive, a pair of hard or solid
state drives, a low profile expansion slot, and USB 3.0. If that isn't enough
already, its price tag puts it over the top — £104 is downright
cheap for a case of this type.
However, the FC8 Evo doesn't deliver everything it promises. We were surprised
with how fast and loose Streacom played it when determining its maximum TDP
claim of 95W. Physically, it seems obvious that the cooling system is less capable
than that of the FC5
OD which is rated for only 65W (though that case has now been re-spec'd
for up to 73W TDP processors). It handled our 65W quad core Ivy Bridge test
chip well enough except when we applied a synthetic load (Prime95) that pushed
our system's power consumption close to 100W AC. To play it safe, we would recommend
only dual core processors in the 35W to 65W range.
This limitation still offers a satisfactory level of performance for most users, especially in today's CPU climate. The same could not be said three or four years ago, but today's low power chips pack some serious punch. Ever improving processor technology and affordable cases like the FC8 Evo and Akasa Euler may help passively cooled cases and systems break out of its niche.
Our thanks to Streacom for the FC8 Evo case sample.
Streacom FC8 Evo is Recommended by SPCR
* * *
Articles of Related Interest
Akasa Euler Fanless Thin ITX Case
Intel Next Unit of Computing (NUC)
Kit DC3217BY
Giada A51 Mini PC
Jetway
AMD G-T40E Fanless Barebones Nettop
Logic
Supply LGX AG150 Fanless Mini PC
Streacom FC5 OD Fanless HTPC Case
* * *
Discuss
this article in the SPCR Forums.
| Help support this site, buy from one of our affiliate retailers! |
|
