The BC1 Mini is considered to be the best open test bench for SFF PC enthusiast, content creators and consumers. The BC1 Mini v2 uses the familiar form factor from the original BC1 Mini, and has been re-designed to be more environmentally friendly, robust & functional. The BC1 Mini v2 is available for purchase via QuietPC
SPECIFICATIONS
| DIMENSIONS | 230 x 190 x 8mm (L x W x H) Assembled Height: 78mm |
| MATERIALS – TABLE | 100% AL5052 Aluminium (Heavy Duty) |
| MATERIALS – SCREWS | 100% SS304 Steel |
| TABLE FINISH | Sandblasted 80 Grain, “White Mate”, “Black”, “Titanium” Anodising |
| MOTHERBOARD COMPATIBILITY | Mini ITX / Mini-DTX |
| MOTHERBOARD STANDOFFS HEIGHT | 25mm |
| RUBBER FEET | Yes (Generation 2) |
| FANS / RADIATORS SUPPORTED | 260, 240, 170, 140, 120, 92, 80, 60mm |
| 2.5 / 3.5″ DRIVE SUPPORT | 2x 2.5″ |
| PSU SUPPORT | SFX / SFX-L |
| KENSINGTON LOCK | Yes |
| BRACKET DESIGN | Dual-Mount (Generation 2) |
| LOAD CAPACITY | 15 kg per table / 4 kg spread on two brackets |
BOX CONTENT
OVERVIEW
The BC1 Mini v2 doesn’t feature physical instructions, as Streacom has opted for modern approach using digital PDF. The box has also been redesigned to be more environmentally friendly than its predecessor. Instructions can be found here.
The BC1 Mini V2 features improved rubber feet which are larger and closer to the edges for better stability. The PSU can also be mounted on either side instead of just one with v1. They also added the ability to stand vertically and additional hand grips, however these are not features of BC1 Mini v2.
BUILD
The BC1 Mini v2 can support 240mm radiators and 320mm graphics card as used in our test system while remaining stable. However, it’s best suited to smaller hardware such as 120 / 140mm radiators and GPUs upto 210mm in length.
| MOTHERBOARD | GIGABYTE B660I AORUS PRO DDR4 (paid link) |
| CPU | Intel 12700K (paid link) |
| CPU COOLER | EK AIO Basic 240 (paid link) |
| GPU | RTX 3070 Ti (paid link) |
| PSU | SilverStone FX600 (paid link) |
| RAM | Crucial Ballistix, 16GB (2x8GB), 3600MHz, CL16 (paid link) |
| STORAGE | 1TB M.2 NVME (paid link) |
| AIO FANS | 2x Noctua NF-A12x25 chromax.Black (paid link) |
POWER SWITCH SUPPORT
One welcomed change over BC1 v1 is the inclusion of 12mm PC Vandal Switch mounts on v2 models. Note: 12mm Vandal Switch not included.
POWER SUPPLY SUPPORT
The BC1 Mini v2 suffers from the same power supply compatibility issue as BC1 Mini v1. Corsair SFX power supplies are still not suitable for use with the BC1 Mini v2 by default, due to the power switch location and/or BC1 Mini power supply mounting points. The power supply can only be mounted fan down, this leaves no room underneath for airflow. This may affect other SFX power supplies from SilverStone, EVGA, CoolerMaster, Seasonic etc.
| POWER SUPPLY | COMPATIBLE |
| Corsair SF450 | N |
| Corsair SF600 | N |
| Corsair SF750 | N |
You can use spacers to circumvent this issue, but requires longer screws & spacers that are not included with BC1 Mini. Streacom are working on designing longer screws to help with power supply compatibility.
CONCLUSION
The BC1 Mini v2 is masterpiece in size, build quality & engineering. The anodised finish is superb, but keep in mind that black colour is more prone to fingerprints and marks and will be more noticeable than on the silver or titanium colours.
The only issue we encountered was the limited power supply compatibility, more so; lack of power supply compatibility data available to end user from Streacom or sales partners. This would have helped customers choose the compatible power supply without having to worry about fitment issue after the purchase.
Comments 2
What about mounting a Corsair SF PSU fan facing down but with some 6x taller rubber feet?
I like this “case” so much that I am probably going to get it just to be able to have a proper testbench, even though I know that I will use an SF750.
Another thought I had was that it would be an even sweeter product if the regular BC1 and this mini could be combined into a single product so that you had the choice of setting up an ATX or ITX open build. That would sell like hotcakes Streacom! Get on that!
Author
According to Streacom, you can use longer screws and washers to allow the PSU fan to face up. I only found this out after I’d finished and sent the BC1 Mini v2 back. I’m hoping to get this back in for fully water cooled open air build. Yes, you could also raise the bench with custom feet which would resolve the issue.