SFF.Network Streacom Launches the DA2

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[bubbl3]

Ah, I get it now. You use your BC1 Mini really as a test bench to test components before putting them into cases.

Are you going to put the system shown in the pics into your DA2?
I ask because I find it interesting that the NH-U9S is oriented 'upward' (ie blowing air up to the case top when situated inside the DA2). I have not seen many people doing it this way. I saw one such setup in a Chinese forum but the guy latter changed back to blowing air out via the case rear.
So, I would be really interested to see your thermals, especially the RTX 2080 FE is exhausting air inside the case.

Yes that will go into the DA2, I figure changing the orientation later won't be the end of the world (would have to swap to different ram in that case), will report on thermals later today/tomorrow.
If the 2080Ti gets too hot, I could actually move it to liquid with a Kraken G12 and a corsair 120mm AIO, we'll see ,wouldn't be the first time I run the CPU on AIR and the GPU on liquid

 

[brt02]

Uhm, I've only done a handful of builds in the past, but that much thermal paste is way off, isn't it?

Yes it's too much. But it's better than too little and most of the excess will be pushed out, so temperatures will be fine. Just more to clean up.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3346-thermal-paste-application-benchmark-too-much-thermal-paste

TL;DR: It's fine, unless you apply thermal paste to the socket as shown in the b-roll. Then it's really not fine.

 

[bubbl3]

Ok, build completed, wasn't the easiest build ever, here is the parts list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/jgpdWD

A few known issues:

1. The motherboard standoffs needed to be re positioned, easily done using the included allen key.
   
   
2. As noted by someone in this thread, the Corsair SF600 power button conflicts with the PSU mount frame, it can still be mounted fine with some attention, here some pictures:
   
   
3. As someone else noted, the displayport cable can't be inserted properly and this is because there is a gap between the GPU (2080 Ti) and the frame, also the gpu would fit properly only after I loosened up couple of screws of the back frame next to he slots, I re tightened them afterwards. I had to cut part of the displayport connector shielding to be able to connect it, you can see pictures here:
   

For the rest the build looks quite clean and I am also happy with temps, the vertical placement of the CPU cooler was a good bet, here some pictures and benchmarks (all stock, memory DDR4-3200, at 3466 would crash Superposition, will play with OC later) (PS: 10cm sata cables really helped with cable management):

 

[brt02]

I had all those issues except for there was no gap between the GPU and case.

With me, a new displayport cable with a normal sized plug would fix that issue, but I've already cut that plug back so I haven't bothered testing it.

Build looks good.

 

[bubbl3]

I had all those issues except for there was no gap between the GPU and case.

With me, a new displayport cable with a normal sized plug would fix that issue, but I've already cut that plug back so I haven't bothered testing it.

Build looks good.

Thanks! I reseated the motherboard and GPU a few times, I think must be a combination of untested GPU+mobo and the stanoffs being repositioned, regardless, it works well so don't care

 

[Sirex]

Finally got my case yesterday and I have to say it's pretty interesting to build in.
But I feel the flexibility and size comes with a prize of no clear airflow path, which in my current configuration has resulted in too high thermals. Worst case we are talking up into low 90s CPU temp and up to 80 GPU temp with case being worryingly warm to the touch.

For moving air I'm using an hybrid graphics card, NH-U9S with one fan and a low profile 92mm fan, as shown in the picture.


Airflow wise I tried:
- Input from the front side GPU rad, through the CPU tower and out the back. This works just decent with no GPU load, but CPU gets toasty when the rad is pulling inn already heated air.
- Reversed by pulling fresh air from the back, through the CPU tower and out through the front side GPU rad. I hoped some cool air would bypass the CPU tower, but GPU temps was 20C higher and now I'm pulling in unfiltered air.
- Input both from back through CPU tower and from GPU rad, letting air escape out back and top filter. Everything generally toasty and noisy.

With included universal brackets it is also possible to mount a low profile fan over the MB which might possibly help. But I currently only have one low profile fan which I'm using in the back.

Maybe I'm just expecting too much putting an air cooled i7 9700k and hybrid 1080 ti into this case. What do you think?

 

[bubbl3]

Finally got my case yesterday and I have to say it's pretty interesting to build in.
But I feel the flexibility and size comes with a prize of no clear airflow path, which in my current configuration has resulted in too high thermals. Worst case we are talking up into low 90s CPU temp and up to 80 GPU temp with case being worryingly warm to the touch.

For moving air I'm using an hybrid graphics card, NH-U9S with one fan and a low profile 92mm fan, as shown in the picture.


Airflow wise I tried:
- Input from the front side GPU rad, through the CPU tower and out the back. This works just decent with no GPU load, but CPU gets toasty when the rad is pulling inn already heated air.
- Reversed by pulling fresh air from the back, through the CPU tower and out through the front side GPU rad. I hoped some cool air would bypass the CPU tower, but GPU temps was 20C higher and now I'm pulling in unfiltered air.
- Input both from back through CPU tower and from GPU rad, letting air escape out back and top filter. Everything generally toasty and noisy.

With included universal brackets it is also possible to mount a low profile fan over the MB which might possibly help. But I currently only have one low profile fan which I'm using in the back.

Maybe I'm just expecting too much putting an air cooled i7 9700k and hybrid 1080 ti into this case. What do you think?

I think CPU wise your temps are not surprising, but 80C for a an hybrid GPU is way too much, my hybrid 1080ti never went over 65C. I mean my 2080Ti FE went to 81C after 32 minutes of CPU+GPU stress test in the DA2!

 

[Sirex]

I think CPU wise your temps are not surprising, but 80C for a an hybrid GPU is way too much, my hybrid 1080ti never went over 65C. I mean my 2080Ti FE went to 81C after 32 minutes of CPU+GPU stress test in the DA2!

It only went to 80 when it reused hot air from the CPU, normally it goes to 60. So GPU temps are not the big issue, but rather CPU temps. I'm not comfortable with 90C on stock clocks.

Maybe dual fans on CPU cooler like you did would help.

 

[tinyitx]

.....
Maybe I'm just expecting too much putting an air cooled i7 9700k and hybrid 1080 ti into this case. What do you think?

A hybrid card (not to mention it is a powerful card too) is a rare bird to put in this DA2 cage.
I can think of 2 possible improvements:-

a. use a single 120 AIO for the CPU cooling. So, the rad will sit next to the rad of the hybrid card. Or,

b. orient the NH-U9S vertically so that it is exhausting air upward. This position might let it intakes more fresh air through the ventilation holes of the side panel (instead of intaking hot air from the GPU rad). This is worth a try since no additional hardware needs to be bought. In addition, the case might now be in positive pressure. So, you might try removing the top side air filter (so that there is less resistance for hot air inside the case to escape), after confirming air is moving out of rather than going in via the top side.

And, you might want to go through the Ncase M1 thread to look for hints of improving your thermal. M1 and DA2 share very similar internal airflow design. So, what people have tried with a hybrid GPU + air cooled CPU inside a M1 might be helpful to your situation.

 

[tinyitx]

Uhm, I've only done a handful of builds in the past, but that much thermal paste is way off, isn't it?

Yes, it is a little bit too much, in the sense that the paste is too thick.
Sometimes, I would use the 'pea' approach. Sometimes, I would use a small piece of plastic (eg the tool that came along with Gelid GC-Extreme or just cut up an expired credit card into a small strip for the job) to manually spread the paste all over the CPU lid, to make sure the entire CPU surface is covered. Of course, the paste film is very thin, avoiding excess paste being squeezed out.

 

[Sirex]

A hybrid card (not to mention it is a powerful card too) is a rare bird to put in this DA2 cage.
I can think of 2 possible improvements:-

a. use a single 120 AIO for the CPU cooling. So, the rad will sit next to the rad of the hybrid card. Or,

b. orient the NH-U9S vertically so that it is exhausting air upward. This position might let it intakes more fresh air through the ventilation holes of the side panel (instead of intaking hot air from the GPU rad). This is worth a try since no additional hardware needs to be bought. In addition, the case might now be in positive pressure. So, you might try removing the top side air filter (so that there is less resistance for hot air inside the case to escape), after confirming air is moving out of rather than going in via the top side.

And, you might want to go through the Ncase M1 thread to look for hints of improving your thermal. M1 and DA2 share very similar internal airflow design. So, what people have tried with a hybrid GPU + air cooled CPU inside a M1 might be helpful to your situation.

The bird was born to fly.

One of the benifits of the M1 is that you can mount dual fans at the bottom, which solves a lot of air intake issues.

Your tip with vertical tower orientation without top air filter actually dropped the temps with around 5 to 10 degrees. Still not quiet and cool though, and I feel the case looses some of it's elegance when you can look into it without the top filter attatched.

I originally wanted dual 120 rads for CPU and GPU, but without more long universal brackets included I went with the rad/air combo. Can't seem to find anybody selling the brackets seperatly, but maybe Streacom will later, or maybe it would be possible to use a bracket like the M1 has for mounting two seperate rads side by side. Have to look more into this.

 

[bubbl3]

The bird was born to fly.

One of the benifits of the M1 is that you can mount dual fans at the bottom, which solves a lot of air intake issues.

Your tip with vertical tower orientation without top air filter actually dropped the temps with around 5 to 10 degrees. Still not quiet and cool though, and I feel the case looses some of it's elegance when you can look into it without the top filter attatched.

I originally wanted dual 120 rads for CPU and GPU, but without more long universal brackets included I went with the rad/air combo. Can't seem to find anybody selling the brackets seperatly, but maybe Streacom will later, or maybe it would be possible to use a bracket like the M1 has for mounting two seperate rads side by side. Have to look more into this.

I wish we had more brackets, would buy at least 2 additional vertical ones, it would make 2x120 rads or 2x120 intake fans configs possible.

 

[tinyitx]

...
I feel the case looses some of it's elegance when you can look into it without the top filter attatched.
....

There is a way, sort of, to retain its elegance so that you cannot look into the case with the top filter removed.
DA2 was designed to allow the motherboard be installed upside down (ie inverted).
It was explained in the User Manual. You simply flip the back panel of DA2 around.
The end result is:- the originally top filter (that was removed) now goes to the bottom of the case. So, it is much harder to look into the case.
If you do adapt this approach, please post a few pics as I like to see how it looks.

 

[tinyitx]

I wish we had more brackets, would buy at least 2 additional vertical ones, it would make 2x120 rads or 2x120 intake fans configs possible.

It is really up to Streacom. I think, you guys owners should make this wish known to Streacom.
Streacom is supposedly coming up with other accessories for DA2 (eg TG side panel, vertical GPU mount IIRC).
And I think it is not hard at all for the factory to produce some extra side brackets as accessories.

 

[tinyitx]

Just come across this thread in reddit.
A DA2 owner is planning his build and guess what, he is planning to use two 120 AIOs.
Looks like he will discover he needs an additional pair of side brackets.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/acsb1w/streacom_da2_build_in_progress/

 

[bubbl3]

Just come across this thread in reddit.
A DA2 owner is planning his build and guess what, he is planning to use two 120 AIOs.
Looks like he will discover he needs an additional pair of side brackets.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/acsb1w/streacom_da2_build_in_progress/

I was planning a similar build with the 2700X and the 2080Ti, he will not just need an additional set of vertical brackets, he will also need to trim the Kraken G12 as the bezel with the NZXT logo cut out will not fit (too tall once installed).


I was actually considering building an horizontal bracket to mount fans/radiators by dremeling something like this:


If the 2 vertical brackets are installed far enough, you can then mount 2 home made vertical ones to fix fans/radiators to.

 

[ShaMana]

I received my case yesterday finally. Didn't have much time but started the build. While building experience all the aforementioned issues and several more. I realized can't accommodate the 3.7 or even a 2.5 drive in the case because of the 240mm AIO i wished to use. Also because of all the cabling from the PSU, I need to bend the tubes so much, that honestly makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Everything is packed and bent to hell and im currently researching a good AIR alternatives for the 9700k so i can replace the AIO and actually have my drives in. Any suggestions?

I'll post my build soon but for everyone else if planning to use an 240 or 280 AIO it worth considering low profile fans. You'll most likely need the space

Additionally the FTW3 doesn't fit too well but i'll get more details in this when i finish up the build.

 

[bubbl3]

I received my case yesterday finally. Didn't have much time but started the build. While building experience all the aforementioned issues and several more. I realized can't accommodate the 3.7 or even a 2.5 drive in the case because of the 240mm AIO i wished to use. Also because of all the cabling from the PSU, I need to bend the tubes so much, that honestly makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Everything is packed and bent to hell and im currently researching a good AIR alternatives for the 9700k so i can replace the AIO and actually have my drives in. Any suggestions?

I'll post my build soon but for everyone else if planning to use an 240 or 280 AIO it worth considering low profile fans. You'll most likely need the space

Additionally the FTW3 doesn't fit too well but i'll get more details in this when i finish up the build.

The Noctua U9S seems to be a good solution, I also oriented it to exhaust on top and works very well:

 

[ShaMana]

So here is my build log part 1, there will be part 2 some day when i have the time and more pictures from the current state


The case works open now but here are some thermals. All fans are running on stock curves and I haven't done any OC to any component yet. The GPU runs a little toasty for my taste and i don't know why... yet.

CPU (irrelevant but still): Idle 27, Gaming Load: 60, Synthetic Load: 80
GPU: Idle 50, Gaming Load: 69, Synthetic Load: 79
MB: Idle 40, Under Various Load: Max 50

Current Air coolers considering:
Noctua U9S - As suggested by bubbl3
be quiet! Dark Rock TF - Seems like a decent choice that should be able to fit

I would love to keep the X52 but I can't figure out how to do so even with one 2.5 drive

To be continued

 

[brt02]

The AIO is a tight fit even without a 2.5in drive in place, but i wouldn't say it was cause for concern. I assume you've tried fitting it with the tubes coming out the opposite side of the case to the SSD?

The way i have my cables managed allow me to have a longer GPU installed with no problems. Maybe it's just a case of revisiting your cable management?

How have you installed your fans onto your radiator? Pull intake or push exhaust?

Not sure about the standoffs. I have now installed the correct ones from Streacom and have had no problems. The ones i used originally were too short and i had issues with ports not lining up with the backplate. So might be an idea to make sure they are properly screwed into their brackets?

Some of your problems might lessen once you approach this again, with the experience you now have of building in this case. I know it helped me, you can see how much better my build was in the second set of pictures i uploaded. I felt pretty much the same as you after my first attempt.

@tinyitx suggested looking at Ncase M1 builds for air cooling ideas, which makes a lot of sense, @bubbl3 seems to have gone for a good approach.