Verdict and Conclusion
Modders who are in to watercooling will love this chassis. Some of you may not like the style or design of the Stream 2 … but for me, I absolutely love it. The chassis is light-weight thanks to its Aluminum alloy construction and build quality is surprisingly very good … much better than I expected. The Aluminum frame structure feature a “hollow” design for coolant flow. Yes, the coolant DOES flow through inside the Aluminum frame!
But here are some words of advice … since the the chassis is made from Aluminum, ideally you don’t want to mix copper and Aluminum in the same loop. Galvanic corrosion might occur. In other words, we recommend to use only Aluminum components in your loop, like radiators and waterblocks.
I think ID-Cooling has done a great job with the Stream 2. The open air design of the chassis offers plenty of room, allowing you to access all areas of your system. This is particularly useful when you are adding and installing your watercooling components.
There are a few things you need to be aware of … the chassis does not support full size ATX motherboards, only micro-ATX and mini-ITX are compatible. You’ll also need to be careful with the two glass panels and the Aluminum bracket/plate which holds the fan and PSU … we found them to be bend a little when a large force is applied. Apart from that, everything else is perfect.
The ID-Cooling Stream 2 Chassis is available in Black, Blue and Red flavors. Our review sample is blue, which we requested specifically for our project build (full build log coming soon).
The chassis will cost you around USD $399 from NewEgg. It’s not exactly a price that can be taken lightly, considering you can get the Thermaltake Core P3 for around USD $120-150. It’s still way cheaper than the InWin D-Frame which cost around USD $1,200-1,400. In my opinion, I think it’s worth every penny. Just look at this chassis … it looks AMAZING! Buy now – https://goo.gl/BexT4Z
Pros
- Aluminum alloy construction
- Good build quality
- Tons of options for watercooling
- Great looks
- Available in Black, Blue and Red.
Cons
- Does not support full size ATX motherboards
Final Words:
If you’re in to watercooling and want a good quality open air chassis, that’s within your budget, then the ID-Cooling Stream 2 will be your best choice. I love the fact that the “hollow” design of the chassis allows coolant to flow through, inside the Aluminum frame. Seriously, I only have three words for you. Buy it now!
