Steacom's Computex 2023 booth was pleasantly focused, with just four major products being showcased: the SG10 (passive) gaming case, the VU1 dynamic analog dials, the FF1 small form factor (SFF) case, and the ZS800 hybrid SFX PSU. We are going to concentrate our coverage on the impressive SG10, which can cool up to 600W of thermal load without the use of any fans. Additionally, we will look at the functionality and appeal of the new VU1 e-Ink display dials.
Streacom SG10: Fanless Gaming Case
The Streacom SG10 has been on the way for quite a long time now. It was first featured in our pages in 2021, but we previously reported on the seeds from which it formed (a failed KickStarter) in 2020. While we are on the topic of dates, at Computex 2023, Streacom told us that it intended to put the SG10 into production before the end of the year.
The major attraction of the Streacom SG10 is its massive passive cooling capabilities. It is supposed to be capable of cooling up to a 250W CPU and a 350W GPU (total 600W). It looks pretty well designed too.
A major part of its visual appeal comes from the symmetrical double heatsink it wears like a crown. Through these aluminum masses are threaded copper pipes, but they aren't heat pipes — instead, they circulate liquid coolant which goes through a cycle of evaporation and condensation within the closed system. In other words, this fanless PC system largely keeps cool via a pumpless liquid cooling system. One side of the top heatsink is dedicated to CPU cooling, and another to GPU cooling. Both have their own in-out tubes and fittings (dual loop).
Inside the Streacom SG10 you can see that it features a diagonally mounted motherboard and GPU at 90 degrees to each other, forming an X core layout. While fitting the CPU cooling block is much the same as with any common AiO, the GPU is a different story. Streacom needs customers to buy a graphics card and strip away the factory cooler to fit its GPU mount and VRM clamping coolers. Due to this extra complexity it is going to release a list of supported graphics cards.
Components in the build we saw at Computex included an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU and an Asus GeForce RTX 4080. Nothing more power-hungry than the RTX 4080 is recommended (about 320W). In the demo Streacom was running the complete system was seen to be cooling a thermal load of over 660W.
We were told that the Streacom SG10 will start production this year and that we should expect a price of around $999 for the case and all the necessary cooling assemblies.
Streacom VU1: Dynamic Analogue Dials
Streacom explained that this hardware monitoring product offers customizable dials that deliver network, RAM, storage, CPU and GPU status and activity. The special sauce here is the use of an e-Ink display behind the analog pointer, so you can use software to create live analog meters for almost any measurable system variable.
The VU1's display is mono and 200 x 144 pixels. It is readable under most conditions thanks to built-in RGB lighting. Our booth visit showed that the lighting seems to come from the bottom edge, illuminating both the dial and needle.
Streacom is keen to keep the possibilities for VU1 buyers open, so it can be used in ways that are yet to be imagined. In addition to the fully customizable display, it said that the needle movement and RGB lighting will be fully user configurable.
The VU1 units will ship with the VU1 app, which offers the most common presets that the company thinks buyers will want. So, out of the box, you'll have the ability to show things like CPU/GPU temperature and CPU/MEM/NET usage. Plug-ins will add more functionality over time.
Initially, Streacom plans to sell three VU1 units plus a hub for $99. No word on when, exactly, it will be available.
