Soltek QBIC EQ3702M
Stephen Cooper, January 12th, 2004
..:: QBIC EQ3702M Exterior ::..
The Soltek QBIC 3702M is available with two different case designs, as far as overall appearance goes. The model that we received for review was that of the mirror finish design. This design features a black, brushed aluminum casing for the top, and sides of the chassis, while the front panel is manufacturer from plastic, and is held on by four small tabs similar to many of the Antec line of casings. The 3702M is also available with a standard aluminum finish which does not feature any of the mirror finish furnishings that can be seen with our review sample. Both of these units are quite attractive, and would easily be capable of garnering some attention. The only downside to the way these two units are built is that the front panel, since it is made of plastic, can be scratched very easily. I would’ve preferred to see this portion also be manufactured from aluminum, not only for stability and build quality, but for added looks and preventative measures against the type of scratching that we encountered.
The various drive bays that are on the front of the unit are made from plastic, and feature a mirrored finish which adds to the overall flavor and attractiveness of the 3702M. If we take a look at the 5.25 in. bays, we’ll see that each has a single, round button built into the bottom right hand corner. This allows for stealth drive installation as the button protrudes back into the case a ways, and will extended enough to open and close a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. The only problem is that drives which do not feature the typical rectangular drive opening might not work with the way this system is set up. The way the 3702M is set up for stealth drives is that when the button to open the drive is pressed, the CD-ROM will eject and push out of the front bay. Since the bay is attached via two springs, it simply folds down until the drive is closed, where it will immediately close again due to the tension on the spring. Simple, effective, now if only it worked with all drives and not only a few.
If we take a look towards the bottom of the front portion on the 3702M, we find the large power button, a single small LED, and the small Reset button. The small LED seen here is for HDD activity, while the power LED is built into the power button. On the model we had, this LED is orange, while on the Aluminum model it is blue in color. In order to access the various front panel connections, al you need to do is press down on the corner of the bay where it has an array of small dots, and the door will pop down giving easy access to several ports. Here, we can connect several devices such as a microphone, headphones, USB and IEEE1394 devices, and even a digital audio connection. Each of these connections is easily accessible, and is also stealthily hidden due to the design of the 3702M.
As far as airflow goes for cool air to be drawn into the casing, both sides of the case feature several breathing holes along the bottom edge, roughly running the length of the case, and around and inch high. There are also several breathing holes located along the bottom of the unit towards the front edge of the casing. These will allow cool air to be drawn in from under the case, where it will be then pulled over the memory, hard drive, and chipset heatsinks before it is blow out the rear of the case by one of the system fans. These holes should allow for a good amount of cool air to be drawn into the case, and then accelerated throughout keeping the system running as cool as possible. The real strength of the 3702M’s cooling system lie within, which we will be covering shortly.
Lastly for the exterior features of the 3702M, we must take a look towards the rear of the unit. Here, we can see that the motherboard utilized by the 3702M allows for Dual Monitor outputs, S-Video, IEEE1394, USB2.0, Ethernet, and of course the audio and PS/2 ports. The black casing is attached to the unit via three large thumbscrews, which will allow for easier access to the core components when needed, while the AGP / PCI lock is quite unique. I have seen this type of design used on some other SFF PC’s, and it is quite effective. In order to install, say, an AGP graphics adapter, the user would need to first remove the main screw, push and fold the holding brace back into the case, install the graphics adapter, and then push the brace back out, fold it down, and complete the install process by replacing the mounting screw. This setup does take a try or two to get used to, but once you do become acquainted with the setup, it can be worked with effortlessly.
In the center portion of the back panel, we can see that there are two ports available for mounting a parallel and MIDI game port to the rear of the chassis. These two ports are optional, and do not come with the unit as a stock item. If you need these features, make sure you opt in for the unit that does come along with these added ports. Along the extreme left hand edge of the back panel we can see the exhaust port for the large cooling fan housed within the system that is used as a part of Soltek’s IceyQ cooling system. Now that we’re familiar with the exterior of the Soltek QBIC 3702M, let’s see what the interior has to offer.
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