Streacom BC1 Open Benchtable Review: Open-Source Open-Air PC Building Done Right

Our test build consists largely of the same components used in our Killer E2500 NIC review. In total, we have the MSI Z170A GAMING M6 motherboard, an Intel Core i7-6700K with a Silverstone Argon Series AR01 air cooler, 16GB (4x4GB) of EVGA SuperSC 2800MHz DDR4 RAM, an EVGA GTX 970 SSC 4GB, an EVGA G2L fully modular LED-lit 850W PSU, a Micron 1100 M.2 SATA 500GB SSD boot drive, a Intel 520 Series 2.5” SATA 240GB SSD, a Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB HDD, and - of course - the Streacom BC1 Open Benchtable.

There’s really no better way to describe the building process than to show you. As a result, we held a livestream of our initial impressions and a quick spare-parts build on Twitch back on November 20th. Check it out... 


If you aren’t able to sit through the hour-long build, don’t worry, we’ll break it down.

BC1 Frame Assembly

First things first, pop out the legs and secure them at either end. Take care to ensure the embossed line at the bottom is facing out at both sides. This will orient the legs correctly to mount the power supply, which we overlooked in the livestream. The legs can be finger tightened, though for increased stability we do suggest a screwdriver here, if possible.

Power Supply

With the frame in place, mount the PSU with three #6-32 thumbscrews. Now is also a good time to pre-route power cables. Thanks to the risers, you will have about an inch to snake them beneath the motherboard, if desired, for a cleaner result. If a radiator or fans are to be added, you will want to remove and affix the mounts for these now as well.

Motherboard

There are eight pushpin style standoffs for the motherboard, so you will also need to use one of the standard threaded standoffs as well in a typical ATX build. Position the standoffs according to your motherboard’s form-factor and then drop the motherboard in place.


The pushpins already do a good job of holding the board snugly, but you can drop a M3 thumbscrew in the threaded standoff for extra security. Note - some CPU coolers require a backplate to be installed prior to securing the motherboard.

Drives

To install 2.5” and 3.5” drives, remove the PCI card supports from the bottom, one pair per drive. The revealed slots become the mounting points for the drives. 


It does not appear to fit two 3.5” drives, but a 2.5” and 3.5” drive do fit side by side with a small gap.

CPU, GPU and RAM

CPU and RAM installation is very straightforward, as one would imagine. The only consideration would be affixing the mounts for a radiator, if needed.


For the GPU, first identify which PCI slots will be occupied. Then, install two threaded style standoffs, each paired with a PCIe post. Leave the top nut off and drop in the graphics card, using the nut to secure it in place.


Depending on your cables, you may need to “cheat” and only use one PCIe post - we didn’t have any issues fitting cables with both posts installed.

Cable Routing

As previously noted, cables can be tucked between the motherboard and horizontal frame of the BC1. Use a gap in the frame to drop down to the PSU and drives. If well routed, the entire build can be picked up and moved without fussing with drooping cables, but your mileage may vary. Velcro and zip ties are your friend, if cables won’t hold in place on their own.