Reddit reviews Cougar Case QBX

Cougar QBX

https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6

Yes, a lot of the good cases are even cheaper than those giant towers.

Core V1 Snow Edition Also available in black.

Cougar QBX More ventilated "Kaze" version also available.

Raijintek Metis

Core 500 This is the one that I am currently using, and I have an i7-8700, GTX 1070, 4 drives, good temps and fan noise is lower than whispers. You can't tell it's on unless you look at it on the ground. I bought this case when it was $55.

I've built in all but the Cougar QBX, which is a Hardware Canucks Damn Good Award winner. There is a limit to how much power you can squeeze into it, but guess what? Newer generation processors and GPU's are so energy-efficient and run so cool that the ceiling is always quite high. These cases are all ~$50. People who are downvoting me, people who are Mini ITX "denialers" are running on old and outdated information.

So like I was saying, most people have absolutely no need to not build mini ITX if they aren't going a K processor. The majority of people buying K processors don't even need it, and are wasting money by "futureproofing".

If you want a similar case but you're trying to work with a budget, the cougar qbx is similar. http://smile.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6

this is one of those cases that ive been thinking about leveraging to get into the world of sffpc's. (that and im waiting for that new ncase store to open...)

Try the cougar qbx
I'm pretty sure it's filtered but I can't see very well on my phone

Cougar Case QBX https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZV5YKY6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ugM-zbNVYY2Z8

It's the Cougar ITX Case: https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cougar+itx+case&qid=1562950545&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Alternatives are Silverstone Sugo SG13, Fractal Design Core 500, or some Cooler Master ITX cases which should be around $50/£50 or whatever your currency is. Most fit an atx psu (but itx mobo) and some like the Fractal Design Core 500 even fit a Cooler Master 212 Hyper EVO though you will need a low profile cpu cooler for some of those cases. Most are quite affordable and 3-5 years old.

https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6

TLDR: Have decided to build a photo/video editing PC in a Cougar QBX case - i think I've got half the parts decided, but they need a sanity check and some recommendations to fill gaps. Aiming for max £1200 / $1500.

Following my last starting post, it became clear that my idea of mounting a somewhat high performance machine behind my monitor wasn't really going to work. Similarly the smallest cases that could practicably work e.g.: Node 202, were going to be a pretty tight fit and need some pretty active temperature management and construction handiwork which is a it beyond me. I think the QBX probably just about qualifies as SFF though, so would be really grateful for any further advice :)

Having spend most of the last day reading about all number of cases, I think the QBX Cougar case is my best bet. Attracted by the NCase M2, but the price was a bit steep for me and I can't afford to wait for order fulfillment.

I considered AMD vs Intel. I think I'll be mainly doing things that don't benefit from multi-cores, so have decided to go for intel.

I have the following parts picked out already, grateful for any suggestions for those, there are also some gaps. Really grateful for build suggestions on the following:

Motherboard: The one selected is one that was put forward in another thread. I'm not really clear what makes that particular motherboard a good or bad choice. It is described as 'gaming' but gaming won't be a primary feature of the machine - but if it means decent sound and graphics card support great.

Case: Couldn't find the QBX case on PC Part Picker - but I'm going for this: https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6

CPU cooler: Not sure what will fit given the case being small-ish, have noted down Pallas 140mm Low Profile CPU Cooler and Noctua NH-D15 in my research but what would you recommend?

RAM: I want 16GB, but how much does the brand (or speed?) matter?

GPU: I think I want a Geforce 1060 with 6GB memory, but which variant. This seems quite important for the machine, some of the other threads on Reddit talk about having a 'blower' model in the QBX case - likewise heard they can be noisy. Thoughts appreciated, but if the case can include any alternative cooling I might consider it. Don't care about asthetics, do care about noise/heat.
Storage: Will the SSD selected happily work with the motherboard slot?

Power supply: Again, going off another recommendation in a QBX thread in that the SFX PSU with adaptor fits well and gives more space inside. Happy for other suggestions though.

Monitor: Lots of photographers have recommended the Dell monitor listed. Again, will consider others but would like something that is a well supported recommendation for my price point.

Keyboard/Mouse: Want wireless variants, but don't need anything super special.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $306.89 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus - STRIX B250I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard | $108.99 @ SuperBiiz
Storage | Western Digital - Blue 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $89.88 @ OutletPC
Storage | Western Digital - Red 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive | $133.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | Corsair - SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply | $119.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $89.89 @ OutletPC
Monitor | Dell - U2717D 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor | $427.91 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1287.54
| Mail-in rebates | -$10.00
| Total | $1277.54
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-13 17:07 EDT-0400 |

No, I don't think the case market leaves a lot to be desired. I think you need to look harder.

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-c-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352085

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-define-r6-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352089

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-s2-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352101

https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-eclipse-p600s-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811854081

https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-0037-00039

https://www.newegg.com/black-orange-be-quiet-silent-base-800-atx-full-tower/p/2AM-0037-00044

https://www.amazon.com/Phanteks-Eclipse-Silent-Anthracite-PH-EC416PSC_AG/dp/B01BLYB5HK?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6

https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Sound-Dampening-Sound-Dampened-Reversible/dp/B07SWXBZLN

http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-Shift-Air.html

http://www.sliger.com/products/cases/ (all can be configured without windows)

There's also the Cougar QBX which I personally do not own but it looks like a pretty amazing budget-friendly alternative to the NCase M1. https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6

Price History

• Cougar Case QBX   ^PureLink
  CamelCamelCamel - [Info] │ Keepa - [Info]
  
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A few others worthy of mention

Cougar QBX

https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=cougar+mini+itx+case&qid=1563110712&s=gateway&sprefix=cougar+mini+itx&sr=8-2

InWin Chopin

https://www.amazon.com/InWin-Chopin-Mini-ITX-stickers-Aluminum/dp/B01N091225/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=inwin+case&qid=1563110797&s=gateway&sr=8-6

Silverstone Milo ML05 (similar form factor)

https://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Acrylic-Mini-Itx-Center-ML05B-USA/dp/B07PLB3JR2/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=silverstone&qid=1563110881&s=gateway&sr=8-11