A Closer Look

To reveal the insides, simply remove the two thumb screws and take off the cover. The case integrity is implemented with two rods which are placed on either side within the case.


The new X-QPack2 can still take two hard drives, which are placed in a similar tray as is the case in the predecessor. The internal layout has not really changed much in the X-QPack2. The front still holds two 5.25 inch drive bays and a single 3.5 inch bay. Apevia has improved on the screw holes to secure any drives. This improves compatibility and is a necessary change, as the drive is not pushed in as far as in the original X-QPack.


We mentioned the rear fan before and it is identical to that of the X-QPack with blue LEDs and a Molex connector. It would have been great to see the use of a mainboard header, as the fan is fairly loud. Apevia managed to place another, smaller, 8 cm fan in the front of the case, but it also uses a Molex connector.


The front ports are connected with the usual connectors. There is only a single audio connector, with the label "AUDIO". No mention anywhere wether this is an AC '97 or HD AUDIO connector, which was also a problem with the original X-QPack2. The mainboard connector for power and LEDs are kept in a refreshing white and work flawlessly with the MSI mainboard we used. The LCD power is supplied via a Molex connector and the two diodes are labeled "HDD" and "CPU" respectively.


Just like the first X-QPack, the second iteration has the same mainboard tray. It is secured by two normal screws. It would have been great if Apevia would have used thumb screws here.