Apevia X-QPack 2 - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 5th Dec 2007, 03:49

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...via_x-qpack2/1

Another day, another Micro ATX case with a slightly unwieldy and annoying name - or can the X-QPack 2 prove itself to be something a little special? We find out in our comprehensive review...

Spaceraver · 5th Dec 2007, 04:48

Tim, as a frequent user and visitor i advise you to get some sleep. i know first hand that there is always the urge to finish everything up before going to bed, but sometimes it must delay for those 8 hours.

Tyinsar · 5th Dec 2007, 05:09

I built a system in one of these cases and honestly thought it wasn't a bad case for the price. Sadly M-ATX cases usually get the same treatment from manufacturers as M-ATX boards - they are seldom flagship products.

Nature · 5th Dec 2007, 06:18

Is there a Matx case that you would give to someone you like?

CardJoe · 5th Dec 2007, 07:24

The V350 at least looks nice but, really, I'd just give someone a mid tower case and tell them to stop whining. I'm still impressed by the CM 690 and it's pretty cheap, so that would be my choice.

Woodstock · 5th Dec 2007, 07:27

i wouldn't say no to hourbeforedawn's project F.E.A.R

Nature · 5th Dec 2007, 10:40

What's the nicest HTPC case on the market? Something silent with good ventilation.

Naberius · 5th Dec 2007, 10:49

I think the king of SFF cases is still the Silverstone Sugo 01, bit pricey though.

Tim S · 5th Dec 2007, 10:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spaceraver

Tim, as a frequent user and visitor i advise you to get some sleep. i know first hand that there is always the urge to finish everything up before going to bed, but sometimes it must delay for those 8 hours.

Heh, that's what happens when one can't sleep. I tried to get to sleep at about 10pm in order to wake up at 6am... that didn't happen last night.

yakyb · 5th Dec 2007, 11:06

looks like i made a good choice spending the extra on a silverstone sugo

RotoSequence · 5th Dec 2007, 11:13

So... did you like it?

Jalada · 5th Dec 2007, 11:38

I've built a Linux workstation out of one of these (I wanted something small to be easy to carry around, and I wanted something slightly showy), and I agree, the build quality of it is pretty rubbish, everything is fairly flimsy. However now that it's built I'm not going to change anything in it, and it works well for what I need. The handle does feel flimsy, but I haven't had it break on me. I also was lucky in that nothing really bent for me, so installation was fairly easy for me. A modular PSU would be useful for it though. Also, the windows are very easily scratched.

Da Dego · 5th Dec 2007, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakyb

looks like i made a good choice spending the extra on a silverstone sugo

Yeah. Honestly the Sugo series by Silverstone is about the only mATX line worth purchasing right now. Which is actually quite a shame, as they are expensive and I don't think they're that fabulous (at least by Silverstone standards). But, they are the best of the best in a niche market. My vote? Just buy a Shuttle, or build a case

fathazza · 5th Dec 2007, 14:56

ive got a thermaltake lanbox lite which is pretty good, even if it is made by thermaltake....

kgwagner · 5th Dec 2007, 22:29

I've used a number of SFF cases, including the Lian Li PC-V300, Aspire X-Qpack, Antec Aria, and Thermaltake Lanbox Lite, and quite honestly, none of them are any fun at all. But, the way I look at it, you only build them once. It's not like a goofy keyboard, monitor, or mouse that you're constantly interacting with and suffering any inadequacies they may have.

The worst part of any of them is if you have to work on them once they're assembled, to either repair or upgrade a part. In all cases, there's an order to assembly that really has to be followed because often one thing makes another inaccessible. That means you may have to disassemble half or more of the case to get at some buried part. It can be a real pain in the shorts.

jodah175 · 6th Dec 2007, 03:20

I built my g/f's comp using the X-Qpack (first version) and yes, it was somewhat flimsy. but nothing 'rattles', nothing bent, nothing was razor sharp.

I just built my friend a comp using the X-Qpack 2. same thing as the 1st version, just with an added 80mm fan and new front face. nothing rattles, nothings bent. maybe you just got a case that barely made it through quality control? i dunno.

perhaps you (Mr. Martin) were in a bad mood?

Tyinsar · 6th Dec 2007, 06:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgwagner

I've used a number of SFF cases, including the Lian Li PC-V300, Aspire X-Qpack, Antec Aria, and Thermaltake Lanbox Lite, and quite honestly, none of them are any fun at all. But, the way I look at it, you only build them once. It's not like a goofy keyboard, monitor, or mouse that you're constantly interacting with and suffering any inadequacies they may have.

The worst part of any of them is if you have to work on them once they're assembled, to either repair or upgrade a part. In all cases, there's an order to assembly that really has to be followed because often one thing makes another inaccessible. That means you may have to disassemble half or more of the case to get at some buried part. It can be a real pain in the shorts.

Hit the nail on the head.

Welcome to the forums.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jodah175

I built my g/f's comp using the X-Qpack (first version) and yes, it was somewhat flimsy. but nothing 'rattles', nothing bent, nothing was razor sharp.

I just built my friend a comp using the X-Qpack 2. same thing as the 1st version, just with an added 80mm fan and new front face. nothing rattles, nothings bent. maybe you just got a case that barely made it through quality control? i dunno.

perhaps you (Mr. Martin) were in a bad mood?

No offence intended to the review staff but I think they get a little used to the high end parts that most of us can't justify buying. Sometimes it comes across like a car reviewer who's used to testing high-end cars who's suddenly asked to review a more common mid-range car - they usually hate it.

HourBeforeDawn · 6th Dec 2007, 06:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodstock

i wouldn't say no to hourbeforedawn's project F.E.A.R

Well thank you for your kind words, ya it was tough fitting all that into that case but I must admit, although I agree with the comments that updating a SFF case, especially in my situation would be a royal pain in the ass, I wont see myself needing to upgrade for a while ^_^ but ya after building that SFF, I am in love with them, I think my HourBeforeDawn MM Cube case once done will be my last large case and that Im going to stick with Mid-Tower or Smaller cases. ^_^

For those who are curious about my project, heres the link
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=133154

Now back to this case, I would have to agree that this case has a horrid design to it, lol I wonder if they will attempt to make a water cooled version like they did with the last model, I would say look at TT or Silverstone if you want a SFF case, but I really wish Motherboard manufactures would pay more attention to the SFF market, I want some better boards, boards with Quad support and at least dual x16 support >_<

Tim S · 6th Dec 2007, 07:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyinsar

Quote:

Originally Posted by jodah175

I built my g/f's comp using the X-Qpack (first version) and yes, it was somewhat flimsy. but nothing 'rattles', nothing bent, nothing was razor sharp.

I just built my friend a comp using the X-Qpack 2. same thing as the 1st version, just with an added 80mm fan and new front face. nothing rattles, nothings bent. maybe you just got a case that barely made it through quality control? i dunno.

perhaps you (Mr. Martin) were in a bad mood?

No offence intended to the review staff but I think they get a little used to the high end parts that most of us can't justify buying. Sometimes it comes across like a car reviewer who's used to testing high-end cars who's suddenly asked to review a more common mid-range car - they usually hate it.

I don't think that is the case at all... look at the CM 690 we reviewed the other day - it's 2/3 the price of this and we loved it! If anything, this case just makes the CM 690 look about 10 times better. We loved Enermax's budget case as well, because it had solid build quality and a reasonable set of features at a good price. We had a lukewarm response to the 8600/2600 cards and told everyone that the best buy was the X1950 Pro because the DX10-ness was just a checkbox that you'd never be able to use and performance was sub-par on the new cards.

We've told you to buy P35 boards unless you need dual graphics support, because the performance difference between X38 and P35 is nothing in single card mode and DDR2 performance is slightly below par across the board. Additionally, with P35 you'll get roughly the same overclocking capabilities as you will with X38 and you'll be saving yourself a decent chunk of money. The IP35 Pro is one of the best P35 boards out there and it's well under £100 - we continue to recommend it, even despite it being a budget board in relation to some of the X38 boards coming out at the moment.

We have always called it as we see it, regardless of how much it costs. The build quality on the case we were sent was at least as poor as the original QPack, which we still have in the office. The problem is when we reviewed the original, we said that the build quality was its major downfall and that hasn't been improved upon with the newer version.

It's very easy to get jaded by the slew of high-end products we get to see, but one thing that I constantly ram home is the question of value - is there value in spending £X on something when a different product that's much cheaper does almost the same. It's the key thing I ask anyone writing for me to consider: what are you getting for your money?

CardJoe · 6th Dec 2007, 07:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by jodah175

I
perhaps you (Mr. Martin) were in a bad mood?

Actually, I was really happy to take a break from reviewing games for a few days. Crysis et al are great, but occasionally I need a break. I also got the sequence of pieces to be installed down on the first try so, although it was a hassle to repair etc, I at least didn't get all the way through and have to start over.

I tend not to get used to high end stuff as, for every good case/game/peripheral that comes in, I get a crap one which I try but don't review (seems odd to some of you, but question if you'd really want a review of Pro Cycling Manager or Happy's Falling Star when you could read about Bioshock or UT3) or which I give a bad review to. I try to stay as balanced as possible without turning Zen.

Ultimately, we have to judge the case against all the other cases in that form factor and price range - there are better cases for the price.

5th Dec 2007, 03:49	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Apevia X-QPack 2 http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...via_x-qpack2/1 Another day, another Micro ATX case with a slightly unwieldy and annoying name - or can the X-QPack 2 prove itself to be something a little special? We find out in our comprehensive review... __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

5th Dec 2007, 04:48	#2
Spaceraver Weekend Junkie Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kolding, Denmark Posts: 1,307	Tim, as a frequent user and visitor i advise you to get some sleep. i know first hand that there is always the urge to finish everything up before going to bed, but sometimes it must delay for those 8 hours. __________________ "Faith: not wanting to know what is true." - Friedrich Nietzsche. "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Seneca Last thing I remember, I was drinking this glowing green sht out of a test tube and dancing like a bstard.

5th Dec 2007, 05:09	#3
Tyinsar 6 screens / 1 card Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: AB.CA Posts: 2,005	I built a system in one of these cases and honestly thought it wasn't a bad case for the price. Sadly M-ATX cases usually get the same treatment from manufacturers as M-ATX boards - they are seldom flagship products. __________________ It's not about how life treats you, it's about how you treat life.

5th Dec 2007, 06:18	#4
Nature Supermodder Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jinan, China Posts: 417	Is there a Matx case that you would give to someone you like? __________________ Peace, Love, Empathy, Respect, Generosity, Smiles, and Hugs

5th Dec 2007, 07:24	#5
CardJoe Player Character bit-tech Staff Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 8,010	The V350 at least looks nice but, really, I'd just give someone a mid tower case and tell them to stop whining. I'm still impressed by the CM 690 and it's pretty cheap, so that would be my choice. __________________ this is joe's non-bit-tech blog

5th Dec 2007, 07:27	#6
Woodstock So Say We All Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Posts: 1,657	i wouldn't say no to hourbeforedawn's project F.E.A.R __________________ Hell hath no fury like a hippo with a machine gun.

5th Dec 2007, 10:40	#7
Nature Supermodder Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jinan, China Posts: 417	What's the nicest HTPC case on the market? Something silent with good ventilation. __________________ Peace, Love, Empathy, Respect, Generosity, Smiles, and Hugs

5th Dec 2007, 10:49	#8
Naberius Multimodder Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Posts: 193	I think the king of SFF cases is still the Silverstone Sugo 01, bit pricey though.

5th Dec 2007, 11:06	#10
yakyb CK is God!!! Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,074	looks like i made a good choice spending the extra on a silverstone sugo __________________ Gaming Box:: q6600 @3.0 :: 9800gtx :: Abit IP35 :: 4gb :: 1.4TB :: akasa eclipse :: Win7 Development:: PhenomII 955BE @3.2 :: 4200 :: asus M4A785 M Evo :: 1.25TB ::Win7 Media Centre :: q6600 @3.0 :: x1950pro :: asus p35 epu :: 8gb :: 320 GB :: Lc17B :: Win7 server:: I7 860 :: p55 gd65 :: 3450 :: 8 TB :: 8gb :: Rebel 12 :: server 2008 R2

5th Dec 2007, 11:13	#11
RotoSequence Lazy Lurker Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 'States Posts: 4,533	So... did you like it? __________________ Technology Schmecnology

5th Dec 2007, 11:38	#12
Jalada What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: UK Posts: 15	I've built a Linux workstation out of one of these (I wanted something small to be easy to carry around, and I wanted something slightly showy), and I agree, the build quality of it is pretty rubbish, everything is fairly flimsy. However now that it's built I'm not going to change anything in it, and it works well for what I need. The handle does feel flimsy, but I haven't had it break on me. I also was lucky in that nothing really bent for me, so installation was fairly easy for me. A modular PSU would be useful for it though. Also, the windows are very easily scratched. __________________ Life in Hex - Podcast from two UK geeks about anime, tech, and gaming. Main Rig: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Socket 939, 2GB DDR-400, 200GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA, XFX nVidia Geforce 7900GT Extreme Edition, Creative Soundblaster XFi Platinum, housed in Antec Sonata. Server: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Socket AM2, 2GB DDR2-667, 80GB WD Caviar RE IDE, 3x250GB WD Caviar RE IDE in 500GB RAID5, 3x250GB WD Caviar RE SATA in 500GB RAID5, LVM to 1TB, housed in Coolermaster Stacker STC-01.

5th Dec 2007, 14:56	#14
fathazza Freed on Probation Join Date: May 2002 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 3,110	ive got a thermaltake lanbox lite which is pretty good, even if it is made by thermaltake.... __________________ I may be fat but at least I am not Ginger "The President is no longer a cross-eyed Texan warmonger, unelected, inarticulate, who epitomises the arrogance of American foreign policy" - Boris Johnson

5th Dec 2007, 22:29	#15
kgwagner What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 5	I've used a number of SFF cases, including the Lian Li PC-V300, Aspire X-Qpack, Antec Aria, and Thermaltake Lanbox Lite, and quite honestly, none of them are any fun at all. But, the way I look at it, you only build them once. It's not like a goofy keyboard, monitor, or mouse that you're constantly interacting with and suffering any inadequacies they may have. The worst part of any of them is if you have to work on them once they're assembled, to either repair or upgrade a part. In all cases, there's an order to assembly that really has to be followed because often one thing makes another inaccessible. That means you may have to disassemble half or more of the case to get at some buried part. It can be a real pain in the shorts.

6th Dec 2007, 03:20	#16
jodah175 Wannabe Modder Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 92	I built my g/f's comp using the X-Qpack (first version) and yes, it was somewhat flimsy. but nothing 'rattles', nothing bent, nothing was razor sharp. I just built my friend a comp using the X-Qpack 2. same thing as the 1st version, just with an added 80mm fan and new front face. nothing rattles, nothings bent. maybe you just got a case that barely made it through quality control? i dunno. perhaps you (Mr. Martin) were in a bad mood? __________________ so many ideas, so little time (and so little cash! )