Cougar QBX Ultra Compact Gaming Case Mini-ITX

Product Information

Aside from some minor adjustments from the QBX version, the dimensions and overall look is exactly the same except looking like swiss cheese. Let’s not forget the “smart TV” HTPC style systems that are growing in popularity, especially for those who want to take PC gaming to the big screen, so there’s certainly a lot of scope for a compact chassis that can still hold some great hardware. I would hope an updated version of this would include changes for a more friendly watercooling/custom loop option. I know it's ugly, I know I cut the case, the motherboard doesn't meet the mounts and I need to 3D print a corner cover (prototype next to it) but I put a full micro ATX mobo and Psu in a mini itx case. So today we are putting the QBX to the test to see for ourselves where the new case excels and where it falls short.

To prevent this, QBX supports enormous amounts of storage so that you can put all your games, music, movies and whatever you want inside it. Born in Massachusetts and currently occupying his time in Michigan (with previous stints in California and West Virginia), Paul is an avid Boston sports fan who bleeds green for his Celtics. After I decided to use the Cougar QBX, from there I start to try to find any informations as many as possible from its specs, what's the biggest components it can take based on its official specs, until to finally I found the untold specs that this case hides inside itself, and then I saw a wider choices of components to keep me consistent with my initial idea. The bottom fans have only a minuscule intake area at the back of the case, propping it up to create some breathing room is a must. Then you’ve got people like myself who have a smaller system in the extra room to work on quietly, space is limited there, so a compact desktop system comes in handy.Then I took off the GPU shroud only to have the GPU heatsink left with 2x 120mm fans below it, but the GPU temps gone mad, it reached its maximum thermal limit at 92C and crashed the system. Anyway, Im still waiting for the custom cable to arrived in next few days, and I'm really curious how the RX5700 and RTX Super will be. I'm dare to delid a CPU and put liquid metal in it, but I never get the convenience to use any liquid coolers inside a PC.

Turns out, it didn’t—it’s 160mm long, which is a common ATX form factor, but the QBX only supports 140mm power supplies. I’d recommend a SFX PSU as it gives you much more space to work with, but a small ATX modular one would probably be fine. The components easily fit inside the QBX and the modular cables help with the limited space, but the stiff ATX cable could not be easily routed behind the motherboard tray. Recommend doing this first, particularly if you are installing an 80mm at the front as after you put the PSU in, you won't be able to get to it anymore. As you may have noticed on the last slide, the cables from the power supply extend downward, right into the space where a full-length graphics card will go.You can also fit water-cooling solutions, a standard ATX power supply, and an optical disc drive inside the QBX, though as we'll discuss a bit later, there are caveats to certain component selections due to the size of the case. There aren't any flashing LEDs or other design choices that scream, "Hey, look at me…I'm a gaming PC! Space for cables is limited although considering you can fit a full size NVIDIA 3x series into the case this is not a biggie. It appears like I have enough room to fit a full sized 240mm AIO in the front of the power supply if you remove the hard drive mounts from the metal frame.

Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Tested before joining the PC Gamer team in 2014. The layout is smart for the most part, although the radiator mount and cable management are lacking in execution. there's always one thing that utterly ruins the case, requiring some extreme modding and wasted time to work around.

For reference, these were the Phantom 410, Phantom 630, Guardian 921, and the very recent Noctis 450. Then I realized that I didn’t need them, since the QBX’s metal chassis was had riser globes already punched out. The company however produces more than just keyboards and mice, having diversified towards PC power supply units and cases. Today we’ve got their latest mini-ITX chassis, the QBX and it promises to be a competitive gaming chassis for the small form factor market. Meanwhile even if the PSU is exactly 140 mm long, as recommended, if there are modular cable connectors near the left side of the PSU, they will limit the length of the graphics card.