Streacom Announces DA2 Version 2 ITX Chassis

[Uskompuf]

Streacom have recently announced an update to their DA2 ITX chassis which they claim should offer greatly improved cooling performance. The DA2 Version 2 features upgraded back and side panel ventilation which should allow for greater airflow through the chassis. The case features updated acrylic panels which allow for additional fan mounting options. The rear panel now features a larger PCIe card opening and improved power cable routing that improves compatibility with large CPU coolers. The case is advertised as being optimal for RTX 30 series founders cards due to its non-conventional design and impressive airflow.

The chassis can support Mini-ITX and Mini-DTX motherboards with room for dual-slot PCIe device. The DA2 V2 can accommodate up to a 145 mm tall air cooler or a 280 mm radiator for CPU cooling. The case can hold up to 3x 3.5" drives or 6x 2.5" drives and features a single front USB 3.0 Type-C connector. Streacom also offers a variety of upgrades for the chassis including the DA2 Vertical GPU Kit, DA2 Glass Side Panel Kit, and USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2. The DA2 Version 2 comes in black and silver color options and will be available at selected retailers starting the second week of October with complete availability expected by the end of November. Pricing was not announced.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[$ReaPeR$]

It's ideal for the 3000 series card but I'm not so sure it's ideal for the rest of the components..

Edit: still like the looks of it, especially in black.

 

[Caring1]

"The DA2 Version 2 features upgraded front and side panel ventilation"

Looks like a solid front panel to me, how is that improved ventilation?
So many wasted opportunities with this case, no vertical GPU mount, no top mount Radiator etc.

 

[Uskompuf]

"The DA2 Version 2 features upgraded front and side panel ventilation"

Looks like a solid front panel to me, how is that improved ventilation?
So many wasted opportunities with this case, no vertical GPU mount, no top mount Radiator etc.

It was the back and side panels that received upgraded ventilation, the post has been updated.

Streacom offers a variety of upgrades for the chassis which include the DA2 Vertical GPU Kit, DA2 Glass Side Panel Kit, and USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2.

 

[Caring1]

Streamcom offers a variety of upgrades for the chassis which include the DA2 Vertical GPU Kit, DA2 Glass Side Panel Kit, and USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2.

Upgrades that should be included as standard.
Also now I see the two versions side by side I'm not sure how adding more holes but making them smaller makes the ventilation better either, wouldn't the area be the same?

 

[Fouquin]

Streacom, not Streamcom.

Edit: Fixed now.

 

[maxitaxi96]

Dumping the majority of heat from a 300Watt GPU into the PSU for exhaust?? They can't be serious...

 

[Vya Domus]

Dumping the majority of heat from a 300Watt GPU into the PSU for exhaust?? They can't be serious...

The PSU can probably be put up-side down. At least I think so.

 

[Raendor]

Dumping the majority of heat from a 300Watt GPU into the PSU for exhaust?? They can't be serious...

Uneducated comment.
1) The gpu back fan exhaust only a part of the heat
2) Only part of that already partial heat goes ito psu
3) PSUs are generally tolerant to lots of heat and used as another exhaust point in small chassis.

 

[Valantar]

Uneducated comment.
1) The gpu back fan exhaust only a part of the heat
2) Only part of that already partial heat goes ito psu
3) PSUs are generally tolerant to lots of heat and used as another exhaust point in small chassis.

Weeeelll ....
1) The GPU inner fan will be exhausting the majority of the heat due to the severely restricted airflow of the fan closest to the PCIe bracket (the inner fan has very little airflow restriction, the rear one blows straight into the PCB at close range, forcing the air to weave its way out through dense fins. The inner fan will thus have a lot more airflow than the rear one, and will thus be responsible for removing the majority of heat from the heatsink.
2) That is true. Still not good, though.
3) While it is somewhat true that this is done, it's not a good idea, and the first part of this sentence is flat out false. The majority of PSUs out there are only rated for operation at 40°C ambient/intake air temperatures (which obviously doesn't mean ambient outside of the PC case, but the temperature of the PSU's air intake), with the best ones being rated for 50°C. That is not "lots of heat" in a small SFX PSU, and the air coming off a 70+°C GPU will easily exceed 40°C. Thus exhausting a power hungry GPU even partially into your PSU can cause it to run out of spec, potentially causing instability or premature wear. The PSU will also run less efficiently as hotter PSUs always lose efficiency. Capacitors don't deal well with high temperatures, so the risk of them wearing out prematurely is significant even for good quality parts.


Still, this looks like an overall decent upgrade to a good SFF chassis, and hopefully people are still able to squeeze crazy amounts of stuff inside. The new panels still look too restrictive for me, but at least they are less restrictive than the previous iteration.

 

[maxitaxi96]

Uneducated comment.
1) The gpu back fan exhaust only a part of the heat
2) Only part of that already partial heat goes ito psu
3) PSUs are generally tolerant to lots of heat and used as another exhaust point in small chassis.

Uneducated comment, my a**...

1) sure it partialy pushes hot air outside. But thats only true for this hybrid solution or for blower cards... most designs just dump the hot air into the case so other fans have to carry the hot air outside. Optimisticaly 50% of the heat load gets exhausted by the left fan ok? For this RTX 3080 thats still 150W for the inside of the case (think GTX 1060-1070).
2) you are right. but what does it matter? Hot air blown into your PSU is just a bad idea. why do you think the go-to solution for PSUs is to pull air from outside the case (bottom of case, fan downwards)?
3) which in and of itself is a really bad idea when most PSU are rated for a maximum ambient temperatur of 40°C... (e.g. https://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/1254)

im sorry but i cant wrap my head around this. why would you defend this design choice? I get that SFF is complicated thermally but there are so many good designs out there that dont stress your PSU as much as this one does

The PSU can probably be put up-side down. At least I think so.

i hope so, but then the picture is misleading.

 

[Chrispy_]

They're not unwelcome changes but realistically anyone buying a DA2 is putting two 140mm intake fans at the bottom and two 140mm exhaust fans at the top. For such a small box any other cooling is completely superflous.

 

[micropage7]

personally i don't like hanging psu like that, although it's fine but i prefer something else that more solid

 

[Caring1]

I want one, just so I can modify it and make it like it should have been from the start.

 

[m9eyNqp9]

They bought me by adding "RGB Lighting: Seriously ? No!" in their spec sheet.

 

[MDWiley]

For how expensive these cases are, there’s no excuse for an acrylic panel instead of TG, especially with cases like the Coolermaster NR200 in the market now. Yes, I’m aware it’s different for CM since it’s a bigger company, but if I’m dropping $200-$300 for a case it better have TG and excellent ventilation.

 

[Raendor]

Uneducated comment, my a**...

1) sure it partialy pushes hot air outside. But thats only true for this hybrid solution or for blower cards... most designs just dump the hot air into the case so other fans have to carry the hot air outside. Optimisticaly 50% of the heat load gets exhausted by the left fan ok? For this RTX 3080 thats still 150W for the inside of the case (think GTX 1060-1070).
2) you are right. but what does it matter? Hot air blown into your PSU is just a bad idea. why do you think the go-to solution for PSUs is to pull air from outside the case (bottom of case, fan downwards)?
3) which in and of itself is a really bad idea when most PSU are rated for a maximum ambient temperatur of 40°C... (e.g. https://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/1254)

im sorry but i cant wrap my head around this. why would you defend this design choice? I get that SFF is complicated thermally but there are so many good designs out there that dont stress your PSU as much as this one does


i hope so, but then the picture is misleading.

Because I deal a lot with sffpc and had many of those cases out of curiosity, currently running Ncase M1 and Sliger Conswole. The sff community is also big enough to have tested the impact of exhausting some of the hot air via PSU (e.g. in SG13). What I wanted to stress was that in this case and with this gpu design, you won't have any dramatic negative effects on your PSU, because there won't be that much air to suck into to begin with (thanks to how 3080 cooler is designed) and because for any good PSU it'll be a minor temps increase to withstand. Though you made it sound like the end of the world.

 

[maxitaxi96]

Because I deal a lot with sffpc and had many of those cases out of curiosity, currently running Ncase M1 and Sliger Conswole. The sff community is also big enough to have tested the impact of exhausting some of the hot air via PSU (e.g. in SG13). What I wanted to stress was that in this case and with this gpu design, you won't have any dramatic negative effects on your PSU, because there won't be that much air to suck into to begin with (thanks to how 3080 cooler is designed) and because for any good PSU it'll be a minor temps increase to withstand. Though you made it sound like the end of the world.

I understand the concept. I also don't think it's the "end of the world", but i would rather have a slightly warmer case interior than stressing the thing in my PC that supplies voltage to my other component and therefore has the ablity to take them with it when it dies. It's a tradeoff that i would not be willing to make, but if it served you (or anyone) well i'm not going to stop you as long as you don't kill your PC.