Aspire X-QPack: A Lanparty Dream
by Joshua Buss on July 2, 2005 1:15 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Cooling
The X-QPack relies on an all-exhaust system to keep the computer cool. The main component is a semi-transparent blue LED 120mm fan.
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Larger fans allow for more air to be moved at lower noise volumes, so this is definitely a good sign that this will probably not be too noisy of a case.
The power supply has an internal 80mm fan set to exhaust as well, so these two fans working together will simply attempt to suck all of the hot air out of the back, and by creating this negative pressure inside the chassis, bring cooler air in through the perforations on both sides of the case.
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Something else to keep in mind when it comes to cooling in this case is that there simply isn't enough clearance for some of the larger heatsink/fan combos for CPUs out there. Our test bed has a Zalman CNPS7000cu heatsink/fan and it fits with only about half an inch of clearance when sliding the tray back into position.
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Construction
Overall we are very happy at the way the X-QPack is put together. Parts such as the motherboard tray and hard drive cage are made with aluminum to help keep the components cool and the case light, yet there are enough supporting rods and beams throughout the case to keep it very sturdy. Here are the two main supports for the power supply, one of which also helps to hold up the 5.25" drives.
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And here you can see how the long rod will help keep the case's front or backs from flexing under the strain of holding up the power supply.
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Looking from the other side you can see the rolled edge for the hard drive support beam and how this will also help support the drives.
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Lastly, we considered the construction and design of the front-mounted carrying handle, and in practice it is easy to use, solidly built, and still manages to look good when collapsed.
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dderidex - Thursday, July 21, 2005 - link
Came across this and was wondering on this one...Anyone know if a 7800GTX can *fit* inside it? I know that was a problem with a lot of the Shuttle boxes.
jndietz - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
I barely fit my 6800 GT in my X-Qpack. Granted, I had to put the card in while the motherboard tray was half in, half out, I did get it in. You would probably have an even harder time getting the 7 series in there. Great case though, power supply is a lot more solid than people believe it to be. I've got juice going to my DVD+/-RW, 36GB Raptor, 200GB Hitatchi, floppy, BFG 6800 GT. Great case, great buy.Gioron - Saturday, July 9, 2005 - link
"Power Supply Spec.+3.3V +5V +12V -12V -5V +5VSB
20A 25A 20A 0.8A 0.3A 2.0A "
66W 125W 240W 9.6W 1.5W 10W
Straight addition of the watts on the +3.3, +5 and +12 volt rails makes for 431 watts. With the incidentals added in its around 450W. There's no way this thing can actually give 420W total at any one time. Definately a dodgy power supply since the straight addition is too close to the specs. I'd guess its more along the lines of a 350W power supply, and I consider the fact that they're lying as a bad sign for reliability.
However, that being said. You're not likely to ask this thing to put out 420W, especially on a small case like this. Its probably a servicable power supply if you only ask for 300W from it, and thats what most people need. I'd rather they didn't lie about the specs, but thats all too common recently.
Jynx980 - Friday, July 8, 2005 - link
That carpet makes me want to ralph. Put it on a table or something.stromgald - Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - link
Although I haven't done or seen a comparison between the Aria and the X-qpack, from this review and reviews of the Aria, I think that the Aria can be quieter but generally runs hotter. The Aria is slightly smaller and also has a custom strangely shaped 300W PSU that probably cannot be swapped out. Some users have also complained that the Aria PSU ramps up pretty loud under heavy load. But that may be compensated by the special double aluminum/plastic case material which dampens sound very well. I found an old review of the Aria which reports 50ºC idle and 65º under load.leousb - Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - link
Has Anand released any mATX MoBo review (shootout)?? Thx (links appreciated)SonicIce - Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - link
1st!!!!!!!! wait aw man :(ElFenix - Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - link
all that cable clutter really makes one wish it came with a set of cables.anyone else think case windows are getting played out?
JNo - Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - link
I agree on needing to know more about what microATX boards are out there, which was one thing that made the Aria uninteresting when it came out (no NF3 mATX boards existed so what was the point if you wanted decent A64 setup?). That's the major drawback in fact - even if the Foxconn is a decent mATX NF4 board now, when the next socket type comes out, owners of this and Aria will be probably be waiting 6+ months before they can upgrade - how frustrating....IronChefMoto - Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - link
Commenting on mATX motherboards -- it would be nice to know if and when Socket 939 mATX motherboards are going to become a wee bit more abundant. Or are manufacturers holding off on mATX models in anticipation of changing socket setups next year?If I wanted to build an mATX setup with the Socket 754 processor I have now, I'd be fine. If I wanted to go to Socket 939, however, I'd be hard pressed to find a decent selection of Socket 939 motherboards.
IronChefMorimoto