A Closer Look

Taking a first look at the Streacom NC1, it quickly becomes apparent that the unit is probably the most elegant and intricate NUC chassis out there. While you can get your hands on other passive cases, this one weighs in at 650g and is fairly compact. Everything except its two side panels are out of aluminum. While Streacom could have used aluminum for those pieces, they chose to go for black acrylic instead, which allows you to install an internal antenna for wireless connectivity without suffering a signal loss.


The chassis' entire front is solid. Those looking for Streacom branding in this area will not find it. Streacom's reason is simple: it allows the company to approach system integrators who can then put their own brand on fully assembled computers. All the NUC motherboard's ports have been cut straight out of the aluminum plate, with white print to tell which port is for what once the board has been installed.


As mentioned previously, both side panels are out of acrylic. They are thick and dark, so you will not see any of the unit's internal components once fully assembled.


A single opening in the front allows for the motherboard's front-mounted USB plug to be used. This is a nice approach as such connectivity is rather important, and both users who do not have the onboard USB header because they took the board out of a retail NUC (like us) or those who buy the board in bulk will have the I/O in the end. Streacom embedded it within the device's cooling fins. It presses down on the NUC board's button, which is the same approach as in Intel's retail NUCs.


To access the interior, you will first have to remove the bottom by unscrewing four screws. Pluck the separate pieces of the chassis apart afterward. Streacom's modular approach gives the company the ability to offer updated front and rear panels for future NUC releases. The company could also simply sell separate panel kits to give existing NUC users an easy upgrade path without buying another chassis. As you can see, the power-button implementation is simple but very effective.