Product Photos – The Build and Tests
Since the DA2 V2 offers us various mounting options, I have built two options for the PC. The only difference between both of them is the way how components are installed and used motherboard. Since Streacom included info that the chassis supports DTX size motherboards but only in its default version, then I wanted to check it. In fact, it’s not possible to install a DTX motherboard if we decide on a vertical graphics card mount kit.
Shared specifications:
- Processor: Ryzen 9 5900X cooled by Enermax LIQMAX III 240 AIO
- RAM: Ballistix MAX RGB 32GB DDR4-4000
- SSD: WD SN850 500GB NVMe PCIe 4.0
- Graphics card: Power Color Red Devil RX6800XT 16GB OC
- Power Supply: Corsair SF600 600W 80+ Platinum
Different components – Motherboard:
- Standard Mount Option – ASUS Crosshair VIII Impact (AMD X570)
- Vertical Mount Option – ASUS Strix B550-I Gaming (AMD B550)
Above you can see a version with a standard graphics card mount, so an option which you can buy without additional accessories. Below are photos with the vertical graphics card mount, and the last photos show an option with glass panels. The left panel is transparent while the right one is blackened, so all less pleasant for eyes things are covered while it still keeps the style.
The Power Color Red Devil graphics card gave me an idea of the red interior and the hellish look. It’s a more classic black-red color scheme, which in the DA2 V2 looks great regardless if we pick perforated aluminum panels or tempered glass. Keeping it at lower brightness gives a mysterious look what I also like as I mentioned earlier, I’m not too fond of too flashy computers.
Let’s check some of our results in various scenarios. There has to be an explanation as, without it, results won’t be clear.
The RX6800XT graphics card has a throttling point at 80°C while the Ryzen 9 5900X at 90°C. This you have to consider looking at the results above. What does it mean? In short, it means that the temperature couldn’t go any higher while instead of that, the CPU or GPU was limiting its performance, lowering frequency and voltages.
Tests were performed in the AIDA64 CPU stability test and 3DMark Time Spy running in the loop so it could be repeatable. Additional tests were also performed in benchmarks based on popular games like Assassins Creed: Valhalla to confirm stability.
Considering the above, I highly recommend using perforated panels with higher wattage processors and graphics cards. Glass panels are good in a situation when we have a good airflow from the bottom to the top of the case.
As you can see, the best results were achieved using a vertical mount and perforated panels. This is what I recommend if you think about a monster graphics card that can go up to 300W by itself. Our RX6800XT Red Devil is designed to run up to 280W+, so it is already on the top of the most demanding cards. The vertical mount caused the heat from the graphics card to go through the radiator from the AIO cooler, causing a higher temperature of the CPU. It was still a sacrifice we could take with the perforated aluminum panels; the CPU was still keeping low enough temperature to boost its declared frequency or even a bit higher.
If we wish to use glass panels, then the vertical graphics card mount is a better idea. We can expect to keep temperatures at a still reasonable level because of different airflow even for our high-end build.
Overall results are exceptional considering what components are inside the DA2 V2 chassis. The PC is quiet but not really silent. I wouldn’t expect to keep such high power without some noise, but not much better is in ATX cases, so I can’t complain. I’m planning to adjust some details in time, but it shouldn’t affect the performance.
If you are thinking about the high-power ITX build, then the Streacom DA2 V2 chassis is on top of the list, and I can recommend it without hesitation.
