Apevia X-QPack

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bonestonne
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Apevia X-QPack

Post by bonestonne » Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:39 pm

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The Apevia X-QPack is a Micro ATX form factor case, allowing up to 4 expansion slots, coming with a 420W Power Supply that supports 24Pin ATX motherboards.

The Power supply itself is of better quality than previous power supplies that I've received from them in other cases, such as the X-Dreamer II. Although the amperage is solid, I've yet to know how stable it is during gaming.
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+3.3V = 31A
+5V = 29A
+12V1 = 14A
+12V2 = 15A
-5V = 0.3A
-12V = 0.8A
+5VSB = 2.0A
As a second note, this power supply does have dual 12v rails, which are similarly rated, however not equal. The physical build of the PSU is sturdy with a clean glossy finish, which picks up fingerprints very easily. All cables are neatly bound right out of the box. There is also one SATA power cable on the PSU, however if you have more than one SATA drive, you'll need adapters for them.

The actual case itself is debatable as to its structure and ease of putting together though. The motherboard tray itself is made of a very weak aluminum, and does not have removable motherboard mounts. While getting the motherboard in place, I had come across a couple issues, one main issue is that the mounts were not very sturdy, and while getting screws in them, they would actually turn, which is a major downside. If I can get pictures of the bottom later, I will, but it went from the smooth bottom with a hexagonal shape to a circle, which is bad.

The removable cover of the case is also fairly flimsy when off, which I am not liking. There are two versions of each QPack, the version with plexiglas windows, and the version without. If you have the plexiglas side and top windows, be careful, because the metal is easily bent, and could lead to issues with the top and getting it back on. Each plexiglas side of the case is 1/16" thick, not the standard 1/4" that you'd find on full ATX sized cases, so I would advise avoiding letting it bump into anything with any force, as 1/16" plexiglas is much more prone to shattering during an impact. Each panel is held in place by 10 small screws, 3 on the longer sides, 2 on the smaller sides. When buying the case, I'd suggest buying a scratch removal kit, they're always handy. When putting the case top back on, be careful and keep the tabs in mind, or it will not line up properly.

The hard drive was easily installed in a removable drive tray, fitting up to two drives, however there is only one, and no room for another, however its possible to mount addition drives in 5.25" bays, so thats user dependent.

The motherboard tray is held into place by two screws on the back of the case, which makes it easy to remove, however putting it back in the case was difficult at first, but no further issues came from it. The included backplane for the motherboard was not well cut, and did not line up properly with the motherboard, so we were forced to use the one that came with the motherboard [without much complaint], however if you do buy this case, keep in mind that you may need to use a different backplate for the I/O panel.

The case front sports a nice small LCD that displays 2 temperatures, from two temperature sensors included. One is for the hard drive, the other for the processor. The cables of both sensors were very long, I didn't measure them, however a good guess is 12" for both, which is more than enough, but allowed for cable routing.

The case is cooled by a single 120mm Apevia fan, clear acrylic with 4 bright blue LEDs in it. At the moment, the loudest part of the case is the hard drive, while the top is removed and I am sitting across the room. The fan provides plenty of airflow, and the grill is actually very wide, so there is little resistance if any. The fan is 4 pin molex, not 3 Pin, so there is no monitoring it with software.

One of the main features of the X-QPack is the handle on the front of the case. This handle is much sturdier than I expected, supporting the weight of the finished computer without any noticeable flexing, however even with that in mind, I would not suggest running across a parking lot, or even walking for that matter, solely depending on that handle to support its weight for a long period of time. Solid or not, its still made primarily of plastic. The handle is then reinforced to the case via 4 screws on the inside of the front. For transportation, I would strongly suggest using the box, which has a very sturdy handle on it, but for short distances, of say a few rooms in a house or apartment, the handle is in fact up to the task.

The case itself has some one fan mount in the front of the case for an 80mm fan, however there are no grills on the front of the case to supply it with air, so its really pointless. There are grills cut in the side of the case towards the front, which allow plenty of air to flow over every part of the computer.

Your CPU cooler CANNOT exceed 7cm in height. This is included in a small reference sheet that comes with the case, however there is no instruction manual other than that. This not not exactly a computer for people who are beginners, or for people that are willing to deal with a few setbacks.

A few pictures from the build:
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This review was not done in conjunction with Apevia, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing because in building this computer for my sister, we ran into the issues mentioned, which i thought was not well documented anywhere else.

The computer that was built is a Pentium 4 Northwood core 2.53Ghz CPU with 1GB G-Skill RAM, a 160GB PATA plasma hard drive, and a Biostar P4M80-M4 motherboard. The cost of this computer [covering the prices of everything used at their time of buying is roughly $350]. CPU was found, not bought. More pictures may be added in time.

disphenoidal
Posts: 333
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:54 pm
Location: USA

Post by disphenoidal » Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:01 pm

I have an Ultra Micro-Fly, which is think is identical to this case. The problem with mine was hard disk vibration. I tried a very basic decoupling using rubber washers, but it still vibrates audibly. As this is Silent PC Review, this single problem is a big deal to me. I rest my heavy IBM keyboard on top of it, which often quells the vibrations, but not always.

mathewhayden10
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:49 pm
Location: united States

Post by mathewhayden10 » Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:59 am

hi there...

Apevia is possibly a name you will not have heard before. That's because it's the new name for Aspire corporation, which has been making cases since, well, ages. With a re-brand under the belt, we're taking a look at the new Apevia X-QPack today, which is a small form factor system designed for the DIY market.

It's slightly larger than your average SFF, thanks to the fact that it is based on the Micro-ATX standard. This means standard sized components will fit in, making for the possibility of an unusually powerful LAN gaming box.

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