Apevia X-QPack 2 Aluminum Case

Admin - 2007-08-08 08:18:24 in Cases
Category: Cases
Reviewed by: Admin   
Reviewed on: August 21, 2007
: Apevia
: Apevia
Price: $96.99

Introduction:

SSHH! Now if you promise not to tell, I’ll let you in on a secret. Like any enthusiast, when we build or upgrade our systems, either our wives or girlfriends get the hand-me-downs. Even though we feel that we are being generous, they still consider it a second hand product. It doesn’t matter that the case, video card or processor you gave her was once the best on the market, it’s still a hand-me-down. Well I found a solution to the problem. Apevia (formally Aspire) is producing a compact case called the X-QPack 2 and it comes in an assortment of different colors. Including pink. So what I did was, I got the pretty pink case, just for her. Now since she has something that she can relate to and it is hers, I could basically replace any component and not have to deal with the "all you give me are hand-me-downs" effect.

"Apevia Corporation is the new name for Aspire International Corporation which was established in March 1999. Due to lots of confusions between Aspire cases, Acer's Aspire Notebook systems and Aspire Credit Cards, it was decided to change the name to Apevia Corporation in June 2006. With the strategy of standing behind its customers to ensure their total satisfaction, Apevia has been working closely with its customers and focusing on providing innovative quality PC products and services to keep up with the fast changing market. Today, Apevia is one of industry leaders for PC chassis."

 

Closer Look:

I guess I left the garage door open the day the case was delivered, as the UPS driver placed it on top of the washing machine, so it was the first thing I saw when I walked out of the garage door. My first impression was "wow, this is small". Then I picked it up expecting something a little heavier and almost flung the case right out of my hand. The case and packaging was a total of ten pounds. Nonetheless, the packaging did catch my eye. The two broad sides of the package have pictures of people enjoying the concept of the case and the bottom right hand corner actually shows that the case can be transported easily by its handle.

 

 

On the narrow sides of the package, you will find the the features of what is inside and the opposite side contains pictures of the different colors the case comes in. Of course, this one is Pink.

 

Closer Look:

The Case:

The case is constructed of aluminum and only weighs about 10 pounds empty. The front bezel is pink and contains a handle for carrying, LEDs, two USB ports and one IEEE 1394 port. The rest of the case is black. There are three see-through side windows and the rear of the case has four expansion slots.

 

 

 

 

Working Components:

Taking off the top of the case reveals the working components of the chassis. There is an aluminum rod that helps support the Power Supply and for stability, there are also aluminum rails.

 

 

Closer Look:

Working Components:

A removable motherboard tray is supplied for easy installation. The chassis comes complete with one rear 120 mm UV sensitive LED fan and the front of the chassis has an 80 mm UV sensitive fan. Included is a 500W standard size Power Supply that houses a 120 mm fan as well.

 

 

 

 

 

The hard drive tray is removable and can hold up to 2 hard drives. You will also need to remove it to install your CD/DVD ROM drive.

 

 

The front Bezel can be removed by unscrewing the two fasteners inside the chassis and gently pushing its four tabs to the side. Taking a closer look at the bezel itself, you will see the blanks to add two CD/DVD ROM drives and one floppy drive. The handle is constructed of steel and is spring activated to automatically retract. All your connectors for the power panel are attached to the rear of the bezel and include the USB, IEEE 1394, temperature probes for the CPU and Hard Drive and a power cord for the LEDs.

 

Installation:

A great plus for this case is its removable motherboard tray. Due to the support rails and close working quarters, it would be almost impossible to screw the motherboard on and even attach the stock heatsink. Once you remove the motherboard tray, installation is simply screwing the motherboard to the tray, attaching the CPU and heatsink and any installing any expansion cards. Once that is complete, slide the motherboard tray back into the chassis, making sure that it slides inside the retention clips. Once it is secured, there are two screws at the rear of the chassis that need to be re-inserted. Secure them and you're ready to proceed to the next step.

 

 

 

 

Next, you will want to install your CD/DVD ROM drive and floppy if you choose to use one. If you install the hard drive bracket before installing these, you will not be able to screw them in, because the holes to fasten them lie behind the hard drive tray. I will show the installation without the bezel attached, but if you do not remove the bezel, all that is required is removing the dummy blanks to open the slot. Once you choose which slot you are going to use, slide the drive in and fasten it to the chassis.

 

 

The hard drive tray will accommodate two hard drives. For this, there are two screw holes on each side, to fasten the hard drive to the plate. Once you have fastened the hard drive, you can then place the tray back on to the chassis and fasten it using the two screws provided.

 

 

The case does come complete with an LED display and temperature probes, but I chose to forgo placing one on the CPU and am using them on my hard drives. After attaching all the connectors and plugs to your motherboard and drives, you are ready to place the panel back on the case and boot your computer.

 

 

Specifications:

Model No.

X-QPACK2-PK/500 (w/ 500W PSU) or X-QPACK2-PK (w/o PSU)- Power supply is optional for European market 

 
Case Material

Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel
Color
Black/Pink
Main Board

Standard Micro ATX / Baby AT
Window

Acrylic window panel (3 sides)
Power Supply

ATX 500W power supply (Power Supply is Optional for Europe) 
-1*120mm built-in UV blue fan
-Wire management:all wires are sleeved
-Standard size:150 x 145 x 86 mm (W x L x H)

Power Supply Spec
AC INPUT
115V/230V - 60/50Hz
DC OUTPUT
+3.3V
+5V
+12V1
+12V2
-12V
-5V
+5VSB
500W

Max
Combined
Watts
25A
30A
16A
18A
0.6A
0.6A
2.6A
500W
Power Supply Connectors
  • 1 x 24pin Main Power (20 + 4 pin)
  • 1 x 12V (P4)
  • 6 x Peripheral
  • 2 x Floppy
  • 2 x SATA
  • 1 x PCI Express
 
Drive Space

2x5.25" / 1x3.5" / 2x3.5" (hidden)
Motherboard Size

up to 9.6" x 9.6"
Expansion Slots
4
Front Panel Switch

Power / Reset
Front Access Ports

2 x USB 2.0, 2 x Audio, 1 x Firewire
Cooling Fan Space

1 x 120mm UV Blue LED Fan - rear (included)
Front Thermometer
1 x LCD
Front Fan Controller
N/A
Led Display

Power / HDD
Shipping Weight
11 lbs
Dimensions

(DxWxH) 14.7" x 11.2" x 9"
Cu'ft

1.52 (Container: 20'-660 units, 40'-1370 units, 40'HQ-1575 units)

 

Features:

Testing:

To test the case, I've taken off the temperature probes and am using them for ambient front and rear of case, for case temperatures. I will be using an infra red probe, as well as the normal temperatures reported by case probe and giving the average from them. (ex, infra red 34C, temp probe 36C temp = 35C.) All temperatures will shown in celcius.

 

Testing Setup:

 

Temperatures:

The temperatures below will reflect the temperatures measured at idle and 100% load, at both stock speed and with an overclock of 3.075GHz. All measurements will be taken in celcius.The top graphs will be at stock speeds and the bottom graphs will be at overclocked speeds.

 

 

Hard Drive:

There were no variations in temperatures between stock and overclocked speeds, these temps reflect the temps of the hard drives when being used, HDtune was used to stress the hard drives.

 

 

 

Testing:

Motherboard:

 

 

 

 

 

CPU:

 

 

 

Case Temperatures:

 

 

 

The motherboard and case temperatures ran within one Celsius of each other, which is well within a good margin of error. Due to the clearance of the inner support rails of the case, I was forced to use a stock heatsink and I did not have a low profile after-market one. With just a slight overclock, the CPU temps at 100% load were almost 60C. So, if you are planing to overclock, I definitely suggest purchasing a low profile after-market heatsink.

Conclusion:

Well I’m happy because my girlfriend is happy. She loves the case because it’s pink, it’s petite and doesn’t take up a lot of space. I’m not too happy about having to go out and purchase a new desk so she can display it, but all-in-all, it was worth it just seeing her smile and knowing that maybe it’s nice to think of her every once in a while when it comes to computer hardware. It would be nice if other manufacturers picked up on this - there could be a market for it and it will keep us men in the good graces of our loved ones, so that we can go out and do what enthusiasts do ... UPGRADE!

The case itself is constructed well and is quite sturdy. Just be careful removing the panel, as it is a tight fit and you could easily scratch the acrylic windows. Inside temperatures are stable and lower than some full-sized cases I have used, but they could have made the stabilization rail a little thinner in the area of the heatsink, so that you can use a decent after-market heatsink. If this were possible, I feel that CPU temperatures would lower considerably. I also liked the fact that the case is very quiet. It is almost inaudible from five feet away.  If you have limited space, this case will fit almost anywhere without being a nuisance and since it is so light, you won’t break your back moving it.

It doesn't have to be Valentines Day, an Anniversary, or a special occasion to do something nice for your partner. As a result, you might even get more than a kiss, hug and a smile!

 

Pros:

 

Cons: