Micro-ATX Cases - Shoebox Showdown
by Joshua Buss on January 2, 2007 12:40 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Ultra MicroFly - Interior
The biggest difference between the MicroFly and the X-QPack is that the three side panels are separate rather than one large piece. This makes opening up the MicroFly a little easier, but makes the end result feel just a tad less sturdy. Additionally, the case is about an inch deeper than the X-QPack and the original Chenming, making the overall working conditions inside more spacious.
The same horizontal cylindrical brace holds the front strongly to the back of the MicroFly's left side, and the case suffers from the same slightly unsupported PSU mount. Notice that it does contain an extra 80mm fan for intake in the front.
Only the top panel is secured with the single rear screw (which should have been replaced by a thumbscrew in our opinion, though end-users can do that on their own); once the top is removed both side panels lift up and out. When totally opened up, it's easy to see the removable motherboard tray.
The dedicated hard drive cage holds two drives, but a third and even fourth could be put in the external bays if desired. The hard drive cage can be totally taken out too, just like the motherboard tray. We did have a little difficulty with the mobo tray's sliding - it was kind of stiff and the easily bent thin aluminum tracks didn't help, but it worked well enough.
The biggest difference between the MicroFly and the X-QPack is that the three side panels are separate rather than one large piece. This makes opening up the MicroFly a little easier, but makes the end result feel just a tad less sturdy. Additionally, the case is about an inch deeper than the X-QPack and the original Chenming, making the overall working conditions inside more spacious.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
The same horizontal cylindrical brace holds the front strongly to the back of the MicroFly's left side, and the case suffers from the same slightly unsupported PSU mount. Notice that it does contain an extra 80mm fan for intake in the front.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Only the top panel is secured with the single rear screw (which should have been replaced by a thumbscrew in our opinion, though end-users can do that on their own); once the top is removed both side panels lift up and out. When totally opened up, it's easy to see the removable motherboard tray.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
The dedicated hard drive cage holds two drives, but a third and even fourth could be put in the external bays if desired. The hard drive cage can be totally taken out too, just like the motherboard tray. We did have a little difficulty with the mobo tray's sliding - it was kind of stiff and the easily bent thin aluminum tracks didn't help, but it worked well enough.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
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shenoyh - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
Just curious..there seems to be enough space and screw-holes for a regular ATX motherboard ...though it would be a tight fit.JarredWalton - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
If it can fit a regular ATX board, it would no longer be a micro-ATX case - at least, that's how I see it.OrSin - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
How can you do a M-ATX review and not have the Sugo in it. Its price is nice and workmanship on par with the Qmicra. With the huge difference in pricing I would think even full systems can be reveiwed.JarredWalton - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
Generally, we review what we get. If Sugo wants to send Josh a case for review, I'm sure he would be happy to include it. Obviously, a look at three cases is not going to be a comprehensive roundup, but it's virtually impossible to include every potential candidate in an article.KingDaPuma - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
Great review. Thanks. I note that the cases were tested with the GeForce 6600GT. Will any of the new DX10 cards (GeForce 8800, ATI R600, etc.) fit within any of these SFF cases?blinkin2000 - Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - link
The 8800GTX Fits but you must cut a hole for power connectors and you loose the lower 5.25" bay, but it fits.blinkin2000 - Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - link
in the microflywilburpan - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
If I read your review correctly, it looks like the main source of noise was from the power supply fan. Would it be possible to replace the fan to try to cut down on the noise? Failing that, are these power supplies proprietary enough so that they can't be swapped out?mpc7488 - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - link
From the Microfly Final Words: "If you want to use a different full-size ATX PSU, you can get the case only for as little as $50."IMO, accepting a full-size ATX replacement is a huge plus for this case. Everyone I know with a Shuttle cube has had a power supply fail in 1-2 years, they're not that cheap to replace, and output capacities are very limited.
Schmide - Friday, January 5, 2007 - link
Agreed, However I got this case and the funny thing is the X-connect doesn't fit in this case. Aren't these the same brand. Lollerskates...