Aspire X-QPack: A Lanparty Dream
by Joshua Buss on July 2, 2005 1:15 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Benchmarking - Sound
One of the biggest complaints with smaller form factor PCs is that a lot of them incorporate the usage of small, whining fans. Luckily we can safely say that the X-QPack does not fit this stereotype. To measure the Aspire enclosure we held a sound pressure level sensor twelve inches away from the closed case with our test bed installed and running. Take a look at the level compared to some of the other cases we have reviewed recently.
44dBa is a fantastic number for a smaller case (though there is still room for improvement). To put the number into perspective, the sound meter actually never dropped below 39dBa just sitting still our test lab, meaning that a computer built in this case could quite well be drowned out entirely by other background noises. In fact, we're quite sure we were mainly hearing the sound of the older hard drive more so than the two fans in the X-QPack. The 120mm's fan noise is much more pleasant too compared to the higher-pitched noise that smaller fans tend to make. If one demands the absolute quietest from their pc though, they could even replace this 120mm fan with a different one, or simply to add a fan controller so they could gain control over how fast the fan spins and further lower the operating noise.
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R3MF - Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - link
#52 -"I second (or third or fourth or whatever) the call for some words of comparison to the Antec Aria (it's the only other mATX standard cube case, right?); I can see this offers more bays and a bigger power supply, but what else?"
add the Silverstone SG01 to that comparison too.
and have a part two article looking at high-end mATX motherboards.
that would be ace!
Noriaki - Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - link
Hey is the 420W PSU that comes with this case 20pin or 24pin main connector? And I know it matters less, but does it have the 6pin PCIe connector?sprockkets - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
FSP or Fortron Source Power and it's varients are one of the best.johnsonx - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
I second (or third or fourth or whatever) the call for some words of comparison to the Antec Aria (it's the only other mATX standard cube case, right?); I can see this offers more bays and a bigger power supply, but what else?Also, for everyone talking about the power supply not being standard, I don't think anything prevents you from installing a normal depth ATX power supply, as long as your optical drives are not overly long; most of the newer optical drives are pretty short.
Finally, I do agree about the window. Couldn't they offer a windowsless variant? Cases with windows are just toys to me.
IronChefMoto - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
I'm not real happy that it has a non-standard PSU -- one of the things that worries me about long-term ownership of my Shuttle SN85G4V3 XPC. The advantage with a DIY mATX box like this SHOULD BE the replaceability of parts. Of course, Antec screwed themselves in the ass with their proprietary Aria PSU in the same way.I'm also not keen on the windows. Windows are nice on a large tower where you can clean up your case (when you have the room too). Windows on something like this is akin to showing off a really unkempt closet full of pack rat stuff.
Nice review, by the way. Would love to see a comparison if and when the Antec Aria II comes out.
Pannenkoek - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
[OT] Thanks Kristopher, I missed those comments. Odd that that would be possible, but I appreciate the protection of their sources by editors in any case.R3MF - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
[edit]with the price difference i could even afford to stick the SST VFD panel in the spare 5.25" bay for use in a HTPC!
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R3MF - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
@ 44 (re: SST SG01) -i agree that SST cases are overpriced, but it is very affordable compared to a shuttle.
my SN25P cost me £285
by comparison:
SG01 = £100 (or thereabouts)
NF4 mATX M/B = £60 (tho i would pay more for a better baord)
400W Akasa ATX2.01 PSU = £40 (yeah, sure i need more, not)
Via ENVY PCI soundcard = £25
TOTAL = £225
looks pretty affordable to me.:)
i only wish there were some high-end mATX motherboards to put in it. i repeat; come on MSI/Abit/DFI/Asus, show us what you can do.......
Tujan - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link
Dont know if that was a positive on a different full size power supply. Or the same positive for a full size DVD player.Too Im not fully convinced of the carrying copacity used from the handle of this m-ATX case.
I think that this case however has been the best looking m-atx alternative out there for a few months running. Everytime I look at Newegg.com they are sold out of them.
If used one of those ATX 2.0 w detachable wiring would be a super setup.
Surprising other m-atx manufacturers don't have something like this on a melt already. There are several M-ATX Intel that can run dual-core with this case.Hard to find on the web though. Certainly the m-atx AMDs would go well with it.
Would get one to carry it around.Looks really good,. Nothing beats its value cost. I would trade out the power supply for one I listed,if it fit.
All sorts of colors too.
Tujan - Monday, July 4, 2005 - link