Streacom FC5 Silent HTPC Chassis Review @MissingRemote

The quest for the silent home theater computer (HTPC) is one that almost all enthusiasts have faced and either given up or achieved at some point in their life. The quest for the perfectly silent computer has gone in circles from acoustic dampening the case, to spinning down processor fans, to even using slower hard drives because the decreased speed caused less noise. We've come a long way since then, with more capable CPUs with lower thermal demands, CPU heatsink and fans (HSF) becoming significantly quieter and the growth of affordable solid state drives. Streacom has developed a series of chassis with this particular type of consumer in mind--one that fits appropriately in your AV component stack without it sacrificing acoustic levels. The Streacom FC5 hopes to achieve the goal of a silent HTPC with the usage of heat pipe cooling for the CPU instead of an actively cooled option.