Print this article

Apevia X-QPack2


Date
: 05/31/07 – 02:58:03 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cases

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
: Apevia

Price
: $98.99 @ Newegg w/ Window

Ever since Shuttle released their barebone systems inside a cube case I have always been interested in them. The fact that so much technology can be crammed inside such a small box has always intrigued me. Times have changed since the very first Shuttle system and now more and more end users are able to build their own custom cube machine with the help of companies like Apevia with products like the X-QPack2.

The Apevia X-QPack2 is the follow-up model to the original X-QPack. While I've never had the opportunity of using the original QPack, I'm very interested in seeing how the X-QPack2 stacks up to my other cube case experiences.

Page 2 : Package & Contents

Apevia has faith in their packaging department as I received the X-QPack2 without any additional protection. As you can see in the photo below, the case has had its fair share of bumps and bruises from its journey. On the front side of the box we see an example of what the case looks like, the model of the case and an image of how the carrying case handle works.

The top of the box has a handle to make carrying easy.

On one side of the box we have a list of features and a picture of the case's front, side and top. The features are pretty good for a cube case, but there's always room for improvement. Whether or not there's room in the case is a different matter. I would have liked to see Apevia squeeze in two 120mm fans in this revision as opposed to a single 120mm and a 80mm.

On the other side of the box Apevia shows which models are available, six different colors and two without windows. I have been told that two more color themes have been added to the line up.

This wraps up our exterior look of the package and as we pull out the case we can see why Apevia decided not to double package the case. There is at least 3/4" of Styrofoam at the end to separate the cardboard and the case itself.

There aren't a whole lot of additional accessories provided by Apevia; we have a power cord, a manual and a bag of screws.

For a case without special features, like a VFD, a simple manual explaining how to install your motherboard, hard drive and optical drive is more than sufficient. Let's move onto the exterior of the X-QPack2.

Page 3 : Exterior

I was quite excited to get started with the X-QPack2 as it's been at least a year since I've got the chance to play with a cube case and they are always a unique experience. The first thing I did with the X-QPack2 was remove it from the plastic bag for a photo session.

Starting at the front of the case we see there is room for two 5.25" optical drives and a 3.5" external drive. Along the left and right edge of the case is a metal mesh to provide airflow into the case and add a certain element of style.

A standard feature for the X-QPack2 is a pair of thermocouples and an LCD to display the temperature. This is a great feature for cube cases as the temperature inside will be warmer than in your standard ATX case. Below the LCD and 3.5" drive bay is a handle for carrying the case around followed by the front I/O ports and power buttons.

The handle is spring loaded and further extends out when you pick it up. Even when a system is completely installed, the handle has no problems supporting the load.

Rotating the case onto its side we have the first of 3 windows. We once again see perforations on the case to allow fresh air to pass into the case.

The other side of the case looks identical.

As does the top of the case…

If you're not a huge fan of windows, Apevia offers two models (black and white) without the three windows.

At the rear of the case we see the 120mm fan, 500W power supply, motherboard I/O panel and four expansion slots.

Flipping the box over we have a fairly plain looking bottom with 4 rubber feet.

Surprisingly, each foot provides excellent slip resistance on all the surfaces I've tried. This includes a painted wooden table, a glossy finished dining table and a laminated desktop surface.

In order to change out the stock 80mm fan or unplug some of the front I/O features, the front bezel has to be removed. The bezel is held on by two screws under the interior drive cage and by 6 plastic clips. Should you remove the bezel for whatever reason, make sure you put the two screws back in. If you don't, don't plan on using the handle as the clips will not support the weight of even an empty case!

Page 4 : Interior

To gain access into the interior of the case, three screws have to be removed from the back in order to slide the outer panel off.

Once the shell has been removed, you can peel off the plastic wrap protecting the Plexiglas. This makes the appearance of the case a lot sharper.

Upon close inspection of the rivets holding the Plexiglas in place, I was disappointed to see the quality of work. In the photo below we can compare the quality of a good rivet and a bad one.

A clean rivet goes right through, locks itself into place and leaves no slag around.

A poorly anchored rivet doesn't hold the Plexiglass in place and creates a sharp edge.

This is a huge no-no in my books. Apevia is going to have to do some QA/QC checks on their manufacturer.

As we move along in the review, I took this simple photo of the power supply label to give you an idea of what it will be capable of. For a cube machine, 500 watts will be more than enough. If you manage to get yourself a SLI-based mATX, you'll need to swap out the WIN-500PS for something a little stronger. The X-QPack2 supports any standard ATX power supply.

Situated beside the power supply at the rear of the case is the 120mm fan. Sadly there is no information on Google about this particular fan model, Apevia HA1225 or E255983.

At the front of the case, below the drive cage, is a similar fan but only 80mm in size. I still think Apevia should have put in a 120mm fan instead. Sacrificing the little used 3.5" external drive would have been worth it for me.

Beside the front 80mm fan is an access-hole for the front I/O cables to pass through. If you see the screw above the access hole, that is one of two screws that need to be removed in order to take out the front bezel.

Running along the entire length of the case is a quarter inch aluminum rod to help distribute the weight of the case. Through the entire of the case we have such devices, either to hold up the hard drive/optical drives or to support the weight of the power supply.

Despite having all of these obstacles, the X-QPack2 seems fairly roomy for a cube case. The big question will be what kind of heatsink will fit inside the case.

With that said, it's time to install a system.

Page 5 : Installation

The very first thing I did with the X-QPack2 was to pull out the motherboard tray, which is held on by 2 screws. It's been a very long time since I've seen a case with a motherboard tray but with the design of the X-QPack2, this is an absolute must have feature. Trying to screw in six or seven motherboard screws on the inside of this case would be no easy task.

Once I had the motherboard tray out, I anchored my fully assembled motherboard and slid it back into position.

The motherboard tray follows a few tabs along the base of the case to ensure it's positioned in the right spot and stops at the end.

Of course, it's never as easy as you want it to be. The height of the OCZ Tempest made it a fraction of an inch too tall.

I tried assembling the fan after taking it off and sliding the motherboard tray in, but there just wasn't enough space. I ended up going back to the stock AMD heatsink for thermal testing. However, I was able to install my Thermalright HR-01 which is a huge plus in my book. I have not been able to find any case that would accept this tall passive heatsink.

Once the motherboard was in place, I went ahead and installed one of my hard drives. The hard drives are held in place by two upper screws.

The drive cage is held onto a support frame by 2 screws.

Lifting the entire hard drive cage out allows me to attach some screws to the other side of the hard drive and secure the optical drive to its cage.

With the motherboard, hard drive and optical drive in place, all that was left to do was some wiring. The Apevia included power supply has been custom designed so the cables can just reach their intended areas. The two SATA power connections can easily reach both hard drives but stretching the cable to power one optical drive and one hard drive is no easy task. There are only two SATA plugs whereas there are
six
4-pin molex connectors and two FDD connectors. With the way technology is shaping out, this power supply will not be suitable for upcoming systems. I would have liked to see four SATA power connectors, two 4-pin molex connections and one FDD power connector. If Apevia really wants to be ready for the future, the 6-pin PCI-E power should also be replaced with an 8-pin. That or both can be added. The usual 24-pin main power connector, 4-pin auxiliary connector is also a must.

Now that my connections have been made, the system has been assembled. I pluged in the power to the back of the case and she booted without an problems.

Page 6 : Testing

Whenever you go from a large case or no case to a small case, the temperatures are going to go up. There's no way of avoiding it unless you have enough fans that'll make your case fly. I was expecting a fairly large increase in thermal performance when I went from no case to cramming everything into the X-QPack2. In the no case situation, your hard drive can be isolated so it doesn't affect the motherboard or CPU temperature, this is not the situation with the X-QPack2.

To compare the thermal performance between case and no case, I used my Biostar TA690G as the bench rig.

The motherboard, CPU and hard drive temperature was monitored through SpeedFan and Biostar's temperature monitoring program. The key will be to look at the difference in temperature and not the numbers itself, the
Delta Temperature
was determined by having the X-QPack temperature and subtracting the No Case temperature away from it. The system will be loaded for 3 hours, temperatures recorded, and then left to idle for an hour before the idle temperatures were recorded. This process was done three times and the average will be used for the review.

The noise level generated from this case wasn't terrible, but it was certainly audible. The 120mm and 80mm fan certainly make a buzzing sound but it's nothing I haven't been able to sleep through. My Antec tri-speed fans are definitely quieter than these but the Antec Fusion is in a very different price bracket.

One of the neat features found on the X-QPack2 is the CPU/Hard drive temperature probe. You can use this to monitor different temperatures around your case, not just the CPU and hard drive. One thing I would have liked was for Apevia to include an on/off button so I can turn off the LCD at night just before I go to sleep.

Page 7 : Conclusion

The X-QPack2 has been a fun little case to work with. I've held a number of mATX cases and this is the first one that I know have that can support the HR-01 CPU cooler. The other models have always had some support structure over the top of the CPU socket area or a power supply. While not every HSF combo will fit in this case, I think it fares better than most.

As good as the case may be, it's not 100% perfect. There's still the little QA/QC issue identified with the window that nags in the back of my mind. If you went with the windowless model, then you're home free. Aspects like the removable motherboard tray, carrying case and multiple storage capabilities make it a wonderful little case that should be on your list to consider for mATX machines.

Advantages

Removable motherboard tray
More space above CPU socket than most cube cases
Lots of expansion room

Disadvantages

QA/QC with window mounting
Could future-proof the included power supply much better

Overclockers Online would like to thank Apevia for making this review possible.