Cougar QBX Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 26.10.15
The QBX from Cougar appears to be a rather interesting mini-ITX case. Despite the small size it offers plenty of space and flexibility on the inside, which means you can install high-end graphics cards as well as an ATX supplies - according to the specs. Therefore this small cube could be perfectly suitable for HTPC builds and apart from that you could even create a very small LAN party rig. Last but not least also the price is very interesting as well.
Rating |
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Cooling |
Features |
Layout |
Build Quality |
Value for Money |
| Pros |
+ Good
compatibility for watercooling
+ Dust filters |
+ Compatible with ATX PSU
+ ODD Slim |
+ Interior
space
|
+ Good build quality |
+ Well priced |
| Cons |
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- Cable managment not easy to do |
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Preview
Specifications
| Model: |
QBX |
| Case Type: |
Mini tower |
| Dimensions: |
178 mm (W) x 291 mm (H) x 384 mm (D) |
| Material: |
Steel |
| Color: |
Black |
| Drive Bay: |
5.25": |
Slim ODD |
| 3.5": |
1 |
| 2.5": |
4 |
| Expansion
slots: |
5 |
| Form factors: |
mini-ITX |
| Cooling: |
Front: |
1x 80mm |
| Rear: |
1x 90mm (included) |
| Top: |
2x 120mm |
| Bottom: |
2x 120mm |
| Side: |
1x 120mm |
| Link to the product: |
Cougar QBX |
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Features
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Product overview
Overview |
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| he Cougar QBX is a small case designed for mini-ITX motherboards and high-end graphics cards. Unlike most PC cases, there are no openings and at the same time the front and the outer body is very smooth and made of plastic. Only the bottom panel and the two side panels features a mesh, which helps realizing decent cooling. On this model, the I/O connectors have been located
at the right front profile and it includes two USB3.0 ports and the classic 3.5mm audio jacks. Despite the small size of the QBX, this case is offers space for an ATX power supply with up to 140mm and a high-eng GPU measuring up to 350mm in length. |
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Installation
Overview |
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| The QBX from Cougar is amongs the smaller mini-ITX cases we have tested so far. Despite the its compact dimensions there is a lot of space available on the inside. The motherboard is placed vertically with the sockets facing up while the power supply is to be put in the front part of the case. As far as the storage is concerned, you can equip the QBX with up to one 3.5" HDD and up to four 2.5" devices. All HDDs are positioned on slides which
can be attached at the bottom and the top of the case. Despite its very small dimensions of 178 x 291 x 384 mm, the QBX allows installing high-end graphics card and small-sized ATX power supplies. For our test system, we used a fully modular 600W SFX PSU and there was no issue.
Unfortunately we had to use on a SFX PSU due to size too restrictive from Cougar, since the average dimension of a ATX power supplies of medium wattage is around 150 or 160 mm, a size not compatible with the QBX. Due to the size of the case, it is not necessary to use a low profile CPU cooler since the QBX is compatible with punchy CPU AiO watercoolers. The installation is not as easy as
with an ATX case but putting the components in place is still reasonably simple. One thing that really helps is that few side panels can be removed, which allows for good access to the interior.
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Ventilation options
Overview |
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| Despite the fact that this case is very small, there is space to install a number of fans. Focusing on the most classic format (120mm) you can install a pair of fans in the bottom, top and the sides of the case. Although there are this many slots for fans available you do want to check closely if everything fits, especially if you choose a motherboard with large heatsinks or even an all-in-one watercooler. |
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Temperatures
Overview |
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For testing purposes we're using an ASUS P8Z77-I ITX motherboard, an Intel Core i5-2500K CPU, which receives cooling through a Kelvin S24 cooler as well as a Club3D R9 290X royalAce graphics card. To put the CPU under full load, we're running prime95 for 10 min and in the case of the GPU we use Furmark also for 10 minutes. After these ten minutes, we're going to write down the temperatures. The ambient temperature is close to 24°C. |
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All noise dampening panels installed |
Idle (°C) |
Full (°C) |
|
Intel Core i5-2500K |
37 / 36 / 35 / 38 |
58 / 61 / 61 / 59 |
| Club3D R9 290X royalAce |
37 |
79 |
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Less is better |
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Conclusion
Overall the QBX from Cougar is a very good case. The QBX is a gaming solution designed for those who wish to have a very compact gaming PC case, which is compatible with high-end components. The interior space available ensures good compatibility with even AIO coolers. We appreciate the very small dimensions of this case, but at the same time there is space for a high-end, dual-slot graphics cards. Despite fact, that an ATX power supply with up to 140mm length can be installed, we can't really say, that it's compatible with proper ATX power supplies, since decent models measure at least 150mm. For our test we have used an SFX power supply.
The internal layout has been very well thought by Cougar. This is actually something, which is highly recommendable for a manufacturer. When there are such small cases, it's a must to clearly structure the interior, otherwise installing hardware will be a rather annoying process. In addition there is a slot-in-ODD slot on the front part of the chassis. Concerning layout and compatibility we have we could possibly criticize. Only the regarding the outer shell of the case we would love to see higher quality plastic.
The Cougar QBX is available on Geizhals and prices start at 46 Euro excluding shipping costs. The price is highly competitive and we were surprised to see that even our very large Radeon R9 290X could be fitted without an issue. Naturally with a high-end graphics card and a 240 mm radiator inside you will be not able to install all the storage drives due to the limited space, which makes it recommendable to first have a look at the components you plan to equip this case with. If you are looking for a compact case suitable for LAN parties this is a great choice. Although this is not a flawless case we award it with
5 stars out of 5. This is down to the fact that the mix of price, quality, features and space available is unmatched - until today.
