Micro-ATX Cases - Shoebox Showdown
by Joshua Buss on January 2, 2007 12:40 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
PC Design Lab Qmicra - Exterior
U.S. based PC Design Lab has only one case to their name so far, and its name is the Qmicra. The case, just like the company, is different from just about everything else out there. When talking to PC Design Lab, one this is for certain - this company is very serious about creating the highest quality product possible, period. Citing poor layout designs and sometimes downright shoddy workmanship as motivations for designing a better small form PC case, designer and company owner Dave LaLopa made it clear that the Qmicra does many things unconventionally in the interest of making a superior final product.
The Qmicra's construction is considerably different from pretty much anything else because its strength comes from the exoskeleton - not from any internal bracing. When fully assembled, one feels confident that the computer could take a serious amount of abuse without the internals suffering much damage. Entirely manufactured and assembled in the USA, the case is also a fine example of what high-quality craftsmanship entails.
As for the external styling of the case, the Qmicra understandably takes most of its cues from the currently popular minimalist philosophies. The front is just solid brushed aluminum with an eighth-inch thick sheet of Plexiglas in front for the glossy sheen and added protection. Two 5.25" and one 3.5" external bays offer the typical "upper limit" drive flexibility for this size system, and only the essential power and reset buttons are present. Even the almost-always-present front-mounted ports are missing, but the 3.5" bay would be perfect for those that feel they are absolutely critical. We were told that newer versions of the case will have nicer looking reset buttons that better match the theme and current power button (center). At the bottom of the front panel are two perforations for the front 80mm fan intakes.
Matching the two front intake positions are the two 80mm rear exhaust vents, allowing for a generous amount of airflow for any case in this class, especially taking into account the full-sized power supply as well. Notice how the mounting points for the power supply are perfectly symmetrical too, so there is no concern that flipping a PSU upside down will make it less stable. Instead of a recessed motherboard, the Qmicra positions the board as rearward as possible, with the expansion card mounting tabs actually sticking further beyond the rest of the rear of the case. The perfectly centered power supply mount makes the case not only look nice but also allows for the distinctive rounded top corners.
Together, the four thumbscrews pull the front and rear plates to just the right position using the two long aluminum rods. The five-sided, one-piece cover seals against the rest of the case thanks to a soft rubber strip and is held firmly in place by both the pressure from the rods and the four unique screw-in feet.
The fit and finish of the Qmicra is certainly as high-quality as any other case we've ever dealt with. Every part feels solid and well-made, and the fit of each part couldn't be better. The brushed aluminum finish itself is fantastic - it's not prone to fingerprints, yet it can still be cleaned easily if needed. It's anodized so it won't make things dirty by simply rubbing against them, and it's just thick enough to be strong without adding weight - an empty Qmicra is feather light. More information on the Qmicra is available on PCDL's website.
U.S. based PC Design Lab has only one case to their name so far, and its name is the Qmicra. The case, just like the company, is different from just about everything else out there. When talking to PC Design Lab, one this is for certain - this company is very serious about creating the highest quality product possible, period. Citing poor layout designs and sometimes downright shoddy workmanship as motivations for designing a better small form PC case, designer and company owner Dave LaLopa made it clear that the Qmicra does many things unconventionally in the interest of making a superior final product.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
The Qmicra's construction is considerably different from pretty much anything else because its strength comes from the exoskeleton - not from any internal bracing. When fully assembled, one feels confident that the computer could take a serious amount of abuse without the internals suffering much damage. Entirely manufactured and assembled in the USA, the case is also a fine example of what high-quality craftsmanship entails.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
As for the external styling of the case, the Qmicra understandably takes most of its cues from the currently popular minimalist philosophies. The front is just solid brushed aluminum with an eighth-inch thick sheet of Plexiglas in front for the glossy sheen and added protection. Two 5.25" and one 3.5" external bays offer the typical "upper limit" drive flexibility for this size system, and only the essential power and reset buttons are present. Even the almost-always-present front-mounted ports are missing, but the 3.5" bay would be perfect for those that feel they are absolutely critical. We were told that newer versions of the case will have nicer looking reset buttons that better match the theme and current power button (center). At the bottom of the front panel are two perforations for the front 80mm fan intakes.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Matching the two front intake positions are the two 80mm rear exhaust vents, allowing for a generous amount of airflow for any case in this class, especially taking into account the full-sized power supply as well. Notice how the mounting points for the power supply are perfectly symmetrical too, so there is no concern that flipping a PSU upside down will make it less stable. Instead of a recessed motherboard, the Qmicra positions the board as rearward as possible, with the expansion card mounting tabs actually sticking further beyond the rest of the rear of the case. The perfectly centered power supply mount makes the case not only look nice but also allows for the distinctive rounded top corners.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Together, the four thumbscrews pull the front and rear plates to just the right position using the two long aluminum rods. The five-sided, one-piece cover seals against the rest of the case thanks to a soft rubber strip and is held firmly in place by both the pressure from the rods and the four unique screw-in feet.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
The fit and finish of the Qmicra is certainly as high-quality as any other case we've ever dealt with. Every part feels solid and well-made, and the fit of each part couldn't be better. The brushed aluminum finish itself is fantastic - it's not prone to fingerprints, yet it can still be cleaned easily if needed. It's anodized so it won't make things dirty by simply rubbing against them, and it's just thick enough to be strong without adding weight - an empty Qmicra is feather light. More information on the Qmicra is available on PCDL's website.
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chucky2 - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
:) Just asking...AlexWade - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
Dear Anandtech staff:Please do more case reviews.
Signed,
Everyone
microAmp - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
I'd like to see them do a review using video instead of text & pictures. I saw one other website do that and it's make a world of difference. Wish I could remember what site it was. :(JoshuaBuss - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
Besides placing an excruciating load on the web servers, I think highly-detailed pictures are better than videos at least in terms of seeing exactly how things look. It's hard to get colors just right in videos, and resolution is normally low enough that some fine details are lost.. I can see where you're coming from though and we'll definitely consider it.. actually seeing things in motion can help get a better feel for some things.mino - Thursday, January 4, 2007 - link
Maybe host them on YouTube ? and consider them just a bonus to regular review...JoshuaBuss - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
Copy that.. ;)In all seriousness, you can expect this section to get a lot hotter soon.. I just finished my last semester of coursework.. w00t.
SonixSquad - Wednesday, September 7, 2011 - link
Just wanted to post my experience having built my girlfriend a system about 5 years ago using the Antec Aria case.I remember it being a pain as it was so cramped and my first (and only) sff build but I got there and it was adequate. I managed to install the board without removing the PSU.
Once I started to monitor temps (was only using stock cpu cooler at the time) I realised it would need some sort of additional cooling intake and the supplied blower was a bit too loud for our liking.
Eventually I found the best air intake solution (without actually modding the case) was to just put a 120mm fan sitting next to the graphics card pulling air in from the rear.
Anyway, back to today 2011 and she still likes the case but the system needs an upgrade so I was looking at parts and having come across this article and seen the Zalman in there snugly fitting with a few mm clear of the PSU I decided to get the newer Zalman CNPS8000A which is low profile and supposedly quiet. I'll post back if it doesn't fit but I think I am going to have to remove the PSU this time around as this cooler needs to be fitted via backplate so it will have to go on before the board is in the case.
This time round she is getting an i3 2100 cpu which should run a lot cooler than the last AMD x2 one and so I'm hoping it will run a lot quieter aswell.
My criticisms about the case would be the same as noted by others. Very cramped and with a lack of decent routing the air circulation is bad. I would have appreciated some thought given to front air intake even if they didn't supply a fan but just somewhere to put one.
Also the PSU only comes with one SATA connector so I will have to get a molex to sata converter so I can power 2 sata devices.I also had some issues with the front audio inputs, at some point they stopped working properly and I still don't know why.