Aspire X-QPack

Posted 08/26/2005 at 8:15am | by

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A small formfactor case is like a subcompact car: It works fine until you try to fill it up. That’s likely why we’re seeing an increasing number of medium formfactor boxes—cube enclosures just slightly bigger than SFF computers that can hold more and better hardware inside.

Aspire’s X-QPack is one such enclosure that straddles the line between mini-tower and SFF. Unlike the Shuttle SB86i “bare-bones” product, which gives you a motherboard and accessories to build a system, the X-QPack is simply an enclosure that should work with any micro-ATX motherboard.

The case features a handle that tucks away when not in use. It’s supposed to make it easy to carry your system to a LAN party, but we don’t recommend you actually use it. The handle flexes when the case is empty. Drop in two 400GB drives, two opticals, and another $1,000 in hardware, and you’ve got a recipe for heartbreak should the handle snap while you’re going up an escalator.

We built up the X-QPack using an Aopen Pentium M MicroATX mobo, 1GB of RAM, a 75GB hard drive, an optical drive, and a GeForce 6800 Ultra card. We weren’t sure if the included 420W PSU could handle the load, but it worked fine. Construction was a snap thanks to the removable motherboard tray. The tray, however, is extremely easy to bend. In fact, that’s our main complaint about the X-QPack: Its thin-aluminum construction is noodle soft. When the case is screwed shut it’s structurally sound, but when the top is off it’s a flexy flier.

The X-QPack could also be improved by lengthening the entire case an inch or two. That would let you install a standard ATX PSU that offers either more wattage or a quieter profile.

In the end, the X-QPack does what it promises, but it does it with little imagination or flair.
—Gordon Mah Ung

Month Reviewed: October 2005
Verdict: 7
URL: www.asipreusa.net