Wait 'til you see the Bent Motherboard... - Streacom DB1 Max
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Try FreshBooks free, for 30 days, no credit card required at freshbooks.com Get your custom pre-built PC with NZXT BLD: nzxt.co The Streacom DB1 Max is a teeny tiny case with BIG dreams – can it FANLESSLY dissipate the 65 watts of heat it claims? Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com Buy Streacom DB1 Newegg: geni.us Buy ASRock thin-ITX motherboard Newegg: geni.us Buy AMD Ryzen 7 5700G Amazon: geni.us Best Buy: geni.us Newegg: geni.us Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. ► GET MERCH: lttstore.com ► AFFILIATES, SPONSORS & REFERRALS: lmg.gg ► PODCAST GEAR: lmg.gg ► SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: floatplane.com FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE --------------------------------------------------- Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: @LinusTech Instagram: @linustech TikTok: @linustech Twitch: twitch.tv MUSIC CREDIT --------------------------------------------------- Intro: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High Video Link: youtube.com Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi Artist Link: youtube.com Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa @mbarek_abdel Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0 geni.us CHAPTERS --------------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro 2:23 Components 5:17 Build 6:19 Cooler adventure 7:15 Thermal paste intensifies 9:17 Instructions unclear: motherboard taco 10:14 Stress testing 12:28 3 weeks later 13:15 Stress testing... again 14:43 Closing remarks
The video opens by introducing the Streacom DB1 Max, a compact, fanless PC chassis that aims to dissipate 65 watts of heat without active cooling. The host explains the core novelty: using both sides of the case as heat sinks for the CPU/APU, which increases total heat dissipation from 45 to 65 watts but creates a challenge because the heat must travel to the opposite side of the chassis where the cooler is not directly facing. The early portion focuses on the decision to use ASRock X300TM-ITX thin mini ITX motherboard and the implications of its limited IO and RAM options, including sodim memory and dual HDMI ports with one inaccessible due to the form factor. The build sequence is laid out, highlighting careful assembly necessities such as applying thermal paste, mounting a copper shim, and the awkward process of aligning a tiny cooler inside a six-liter case. The segment ends with a discussion of price expectations and the notion that assembling this compact, passive system is part engineering feat, part puzzle, and part endurance test for the builders.
Topics · technology · computer_hardware · small_form_factor · passive_cooling
Questions answered
- What is the Streacom DB1 Max trying to achieve with its cooling strategy?
- It uses both sides of the chassis as heat sinks to passively dissipate heat from an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G APU, aiming for 65 watts of thermal load without active fans.
- Which motherboard and memory choices influence the build?
- The build uses ASRock X300TM-ITX thin mini ITX motherboard with sodim laptop memory and two HDMI ports, one of which is accessible, plus two M.2 slots for storage.
- What performance issue did they encounter during testing?
- The motherboard throttled severely under synthetic loads, indicating VRM cooling was inadequate in the passive configuration, even before the case reached its thermal limits.
- Did changing components help with the thermal problem?
- Testing with a different motherboard and a more capable Intel i5-10400 setup reduced throttling but did not eliminate the thermal constraints inherent to the passive design.