A Closer Look - Outside

Back to the Streacom DB4. It comes wrapped in a sturdy plastic layer, much like what you would find on new Apple products. The chassis itself is actually quite heavy for its size since the side panels act as heatsinks. As with all Streacom cases, the DB4 is immaculately manufactured, flawless right out of the box.


There are no labels, buttons, or vents to be seen. If you are looking for the power button, it can be found on the chassis' underside. A tiny icon on the aluminum base hints at where you will find it as the DB4 is cube shaped with no real front or back.


The top is covered by a solid plastic cover. I would have liked anodized aluminum to be used instead since everything else is made of some sort of metal - either steel or lighter aluminum. You may purchase a separate kit (the DB4ODD) to install a slot-loading, slimline ODD here if you like. Four black screws not only hold the cover but also the thick side panels in place, thanks to an intricate locking mechanism - but more on that later.


On the underside, you will find a black base and two nicely designed aluminum stands. These are lined with rubber pads so that the chassis does not scratch or move around while on your working surface. The two expansion slots hint at the orientation of the motherboard within the chassis. This also means that you could install a dedicated graphics card within the DB4.


The basic I/O, consisting of two USB 3.0 and the cutout for the power plug, can be found here as well. The latter is designed in a way that allows for either the ZF240 or a nanoPSU to be used. In case you are wondering: There are no audio ports here because the motherboard backplate also faces downward, so users may connect such equipment directly to the plugs provided by the board.