Cougar QBX Ultra Compact Gaming Case Mini-ITX

Product Information

They’re easy to attach with a pair of pliers by pulling them through the fan’s mount points, then pulling the other end through the side panel’s mount point. Then I realized that I didn’t need them, since the QBX’s metal chassis was had riser globes already punched out. With the ability to house a fully powered gaming computer with the latest technology, it allows the user to install up to 7 fans, thus providing the absolute best cooling on the market for a case of its kind. Cougar is a relatively young PC-gaming-gear maker based in Germany, and it has ramped up its efforts in the United States only recently.

Smaller openings also exist to the right and bottom of the motherboard area for the same purpose, none of which is covered with a rubber grommet. They mention that it looks awesome, the plastic doesn't affect how good it looks and that it's a perfect mini-itx case. Here you can see most of the planned components of the build, with the Cougar QBX already opened up. By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow and continue to bring you the latest news, reviews, and competitions. It slides back about half an inch to reveal a slim optical-drive bay, for a laptop-style slimline optical drive only (not the big, ordinary kind that goes into a desktop 5.In my scenario I want to be able to install the NH-C14S where its heatsink is placed slightly to the left or to the under of that frame to be safe. The QBX really is a great little case, with room for an incredible range of components, including multiple 120mm fans, liquid cooling, and a full-size graphics card. But the flexibility would be nice, because you could easily fit a short ITX form-factor graphics card in, leaving room for a longer PSU. COUGAR QBX comes here to conquer the world with three big weapons within its compact body: Its dimensions, its expansion potential and its unrivaled cooling.

If you put an SFX PSU in there with an ATX adapter plate you'd have a ton of extra room for cables, hoses, a reservoir, longer graphics card, etc. For one thing, it’s extremely easy to install: just push the corners down firmly for the plastic pins to snap into the slots around the socket. It doesn't have to be perfect, but even a task as simple as putting back in place the metal slab holding the drive cage can take extra effort depending on your cable routing—the SATA and power cables that plug into the drives squish against the top of the PSU. Update: I did update the cpu cooler to a 92mm Asetek AIO, the 2700x was running a little too hot for my liking or too noisy when fans ramped up.They get the job done, but they’re not as quiet or powerful as aftermarket coolers like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, and I like to have the option to overclock while keeping my CPU cool.

The first step here doesn’t change with a mini-ITX system: installing the I/O shield is simple, though not always easy. Thankfully the SF600 24pin ATX cable not too stiff to bend, to give a bit more space for the NF-A14 to fit behind the heatsink.And quiet, especially—this case is small enough to sit on a desk, and I don’t want to hear its CPU fan whirring flat-out to stay cool. However, it is hard for me to recommend one of these Fractal Design cases if you can get your hands on a Nanoxia Deep Silence case.