Verdict: A great little system, packing plenty of features and performance into a tiny package
At first sight the Qbic is reminiscent of a seedy nightclub, thanks to its mirrored fascia. It would only need a few spotlights, a dry ice machine and maybe some of the latest tunes from Ibiza to set the scene.
Inside lies a Soltek SL-B8E-F motherboard, based on the Intel 865G chipset. This is similar to the 865PE but with integrated Extreme 2 graphics. Now the name may well have extreme in it but as it happens, it isn't particularly extreme at all. A description could include the word extreme but the next word wouldn't be nearly so complimentary. However, the board also has an AGP 8x slot so you can install a single-width card like a Radeon 9800.
The board will support Pentium 4 chips running with an 800MHz FSB, but if you don't have the latest 3.2GHz Hyper-Threading monster, all is not lost as 400 and 533MHz FSB CPUs are also supported. To back up the rather meaty processor support you can also run the memory in dual channel mode. Fill the two memory slots with sticks of PC3200 memory and you'll be set for optimal performance. But if you're just looking for a low-cost, discreet machine then you can use cheaper PC2700 memory instead. With two well-placed S-ATA headers and two very slightly obscured EIDE headers you can attach more drives than there are bays in the case too.
That said, there are more drive bays in the Qbic than in most SFF (small form factor) systems. There are two 3.5in bays and two 5.25in external bays, which is an impressive amount of space given the small dimensions. One of the 3.5in bays is internal, while the second is stealthed into the fascia. Both of the 5.25in bays are stealthed and full length, with only the slightest overlap above the internal exhaust fan.
It's a tight squeeze to get everything in, as we found out when we first stuffed our test components into the system. Everything has its place and the pre-routed cables make sure you put it there, as we found out after screwing the hard drive in the wrong way round. As a result, it didn't have a Molex connector handy to plug into.
Although mounting space is at a premium at the front of the case, the area around the CPU is totally free. Since the system doesn't come with an integrated heatsink for your processor the space is much needed. Soltek advises that the system is designed for a stock Intel cooler, which when fitted leaves a comfortable two-finger gap between the top of the HSF and the PSU, with an exhaust fan to suck the heat straight out of the case.
Performance is a mixed bag. Using the Intel onboard graphics the Qbic performed abysmally in our 3D tests, lacking enough power to complete the Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory benchmark without a total lockup. Slip in a Radeon 9800 though, and it produces an admirable 40fps at 1,280 x 1,024 with 2x AA and 4x AF. In other tests it fared well too, scoring a quick 1.43 overall. Most importantly for many people, it's very quiet. While we were only running it with an Intel stock HSF, a single DVD/CD-RW and one HDD it was almost totally silent. The only real noise was when the optical drive was spinning; if you took the CD out you would barely know the Qbic was on.
CONCLUSION
The Qbic is a great little system, packing plenty of features and performance into a tiny package. In fact, I'd quite fancy having one so that I can occasionally switch off my screaming behemoth of a desktop machine. I even got to like the cheesy mirrored fascia, although Soltek also makes a brushed aluminium model. SFF city, here I come.
