APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-QPACK-NW-BK/420 Black Computer Case

Comment:
Just completed my first HTPC build. Picked this case randomly mainly for size. I found it well built, easy to assemble in and all all in all a good buy. What I didn't like was a severe lack of clear instructions it comes with a tiny instruction sheet unfolds to the size of index card very limited info. Online info is not much better but I got through and every thing is up and running fine. Looks good and is very quiet

Comment:
Have Had is working as a home server case for a couple months. On UPS but Power supply has held up. Running a Atom Dual-core on it so not that high a load. The Case Cover is a little flimsy, as long as care is used it's fine. Everything fits well, and Airflow seems well. I would call it a

Comment:
I bought two of these a few years ago on special. I thought they were cool looking. Problem is the power supplies have failed in both of them, in one of them twice. Power supply in first one was DOA. It's replacement died a couple years after that. The second unit had to have its power supply replaced too about a year ago. Very expensive to replace because you have to buy from Apevia, nobody elses will work. You really shouldn't buy this box.

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I have another micro ATX case similar to this one but by a different manufactuer. As it turns out this one isn't nearly as nice. I expected a bit more from this case for the the $89 I paid for it. The top and sides slide off as one piece which is fine but it's so flimsy that putting it back on takes some patience to line it up so it all slides together. A better design (like other my other case) would make it much easier without any additional cost. The biggest disappointment was the power supply. It has only ONE SATA device power plug. The rest are all 4-pin Molex type. So...if you want to add more than one internal SATA device you'll need to buy one or more 4-pin Molex to 15-pin-SATA power adapter cable. I can't believe NO ONE mentioned this in any of the previous reviews...it's critical. The LCD temperature display stopped working after less than a month. I highly don't recommend this case. Spend a little bit more (or keep looking) and get a better case.

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This case is a marvel of compact parts placement and quite convenient to use. It is made of very light gauge aluminum and is a little more flexible than I am comfortable with until it is buttoned up. I bought 2 samples and the front panel temp. display did not work fully in either one, This is a feature with little value to the user unless overloading and overclocking are the order of the day. In that case a larger case would be better anyway. Another minor annoyance was a system fan with a 4 pin Molex connector which could not be plugged into the motherboard monitor connector.

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Bought this case in june 2006, the PS went out last week. Hard to find exact but I found some for 65$ canadian bucks. Airflow is not it's best point but with an aditionanl fan on top (DIY) it goes super coold even with RAID disks and a fanless video card. Space is very calculated but I managed to change the OEM CPU fan for a Blue-Orb. Go for it if design and space is for you.

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I bought this box 2 years ago, the power supply just went out and I can't find a new one because it's a special size (4.5 inches deep) so an $85 case is going into the trash. Not to mention poor air circulation, a total pain to build unless you have little tiny hands and I really like the noisy fan, the whole neighborhood can hear this thing. It may look good but form follows function and this thing ain't got no function. Never again for this company. By far the worst box I ever purchased.

Comment:
everything fit very well. With just a little extra effort i was able to make this case into a tiny little powerhouse. If size is an issue this is the case for you. No overheating problems. The cover is only flimsy when you have it off, very solid when fully assembled.

Comment:
this case is a good case for the price. the power supply is decent, and it actually has good airflow. i replaced the stock 120mm fan with a 2200 rpm fan, and you can feel the air being pulled from the front from about 3 inches away. i have a phenom II x4 overclocked to 3.5 GHz and it keeps it under 140F under full load.

Comment:
Very Cheaply made, its sad. And Has horrible airflow. may have a 120 mm fan in the back but it barely moves any air so this case heats up like an oven. I have an AMD Athlon 64 x2 and it nearly overheated because of this case. it never had a problem till I started using this case. and it puts the hard drives close together in a small space so they got so hot you couldn't stand to touch them. This case is for low end systems.

Comment:
This isnt the worst case I've ever purchased but I will say that if I would have been able to see how flimsy it is in person prior to purchasing it I would never have bought it. Aside from being made from flimsy materials this case isn't that bad. Everything fit into the case nicely.

Comment:
Case looks good, temp LCD is nice. It's aluminum. The power and reset buttons operate without hanging or sticking. I like the 120mm fan on back, it also has a place for one in the front, but I just use the one in back. It provides adequate air flow. I like the slide out MB tray. The metal seems a little thin, but once the cover is on it seems to be sturdy with no torque or twisting. One must be careful when choosing a heatsink for the CPU, there is not enough room for most of the bigger heatsinks. Do not use the long type CD/DVD burners, they will intefere with the PSU, which sits directly behind in the back. I used the modular 420 watt PSU, but you can use a ATX PSU. If you use a ATX PSU, you should connect your cables to the back of your CD/DVD before mounting the drive as it will be too close to the back of the PSU. You must also be cautious when choosing video cards. You must be thoughtful of space constraints when using this case, after all it is a micro ATX case

Comment:
Nice chassis, looks great. However, the hardrive support bar sits right over where most CPU's go, restricting which cooling syncs and fans you can use, effecting CPU cooling. There is not quite enough space to fit my new ATI HD4870 video card into the expansion slots. And, the pins on the cable for the front audio jacks are reversed compared to my Intel DQ965GF's Ouput pins.

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hmm i had troble instaling but fits grate im my room.

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Overall, a great looking and functional case for most setups. It's small and attractive enough that I don't have to hide it and can just keep it on the desktop. Nice that it handles 5 drives and 4 expansion cards, too! The temperature gauge is a nice touch, the handle is handy to have, the three screws to take off the cover are easy to get at (and have a slit that lets you use a coin if you can't get a good enough grip with just your fingers). I only have two complaints: sometimes it doesn't boot at first so I need to hit the reset button, and the front USB ports don't always work at full USB 2.0 speeds. Other than those two small things, it's a GREAT case, for a wicked price.

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Great Case. I've been please with it. Here is my set up for those shopping (the PS unit was enough to power all this and leave just enough room for installation): AMD 3800 EVGA Socket 939 SLI MicroATX Board EVGA 7300 GT 512 SLI (only have single card) NEC DVD RW/ CD RW Burner Maxtor 320 gb HD w/ Antec HD cooler Ultra 7 card reader/ Floppy combo I kept the stock fans it does a great job. I'm in Afghanistan and I'm able to keep the unit in the 20's Celcius.

Comment:
Good looking case. Like the slide out motherboard, slide out hard drive holders. Dual temperaure display is informative. Sensors are flat foil that attach well with silicon cement. Lots of cooling and still manages to run quietly. Built in power supply works well. Don't use the carry handle.

Comment:
Did not include any manual, but doesn't take a genius to figure out. Looks nice as they say, but is very thin material. The PS is quieter than my cpu fan, and once back panel fan is on, even less noticeable. I think removing some of the back panel fan grill with some diagonal cutters will decrease wind noise even more. It is tight to fit, and you have to leave the HD mounting till last, which means changing or adding a drive bay item will mean removing the HDs. Full size cards do fit which is bonus, and I got an audigy and mid-line vid in without issues. You won't get 3 cards in unless they are all nic cards. Front panel is nicely done, and the thermocouples worked well. Nice touch there. In all, not 5 stars due to thin materials.

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When I built my gaming rig, I went with this case in the event I wanted to go to a LAN party. Currently, my system is running an AMD Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4GHZ, 4 gigs of RAM, nVIDIA 7300GS, and a 400 gig hdd. A few things I would like to touch on. The handle isn't weak. That isn't the word to describe it. The hand isn't robust. You can easily carry the case around with it (I do all the time), but it DOES have a cheap feel to it because it is rather thin. Don't be afraid to use it. It won't break. I didn't have any issues with the temperature gauge for the HDD and the processor. The company does tell you to tape the probes which does sound a little hokey. I followed the company's recommendation and taped them and everything is working just fine. The case is nice because it has 4 expansion slots, far more than most small form factor cases. They usually have 1-2. Word of warning, make sure you get a low profile video card. Had to find that out the hard way.

Comment:
Overall this is a great case. It looks good, and all components fit well. For those who hate bulky stuff, this is definitely an option to choose form. Two things I didn’t like about it though: 1- Weak handle. I don’t see myself using it because if it breaks (which seems likely to happen), the whole look will be destroyed. 2 - The HD thermometer didn’t work from the very beginning, so it was useless. They also suggest (in the manual) to TAPE! it to the surface of the HD (and for the CPU one, to tape it to the CPU fan)… which sounds very wacky to me…

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Nice, compact case with a pretty quiet fan and good power supply. No regrets.

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Great case for tight spaces. Good ventilation and room to grow.