Soltek Qbic EQ3702M Mini Barebone System Review - Page 3 Of 7
By Mike Chambers - January 5, 2004
ASSEMBLING THE SYSTEM
It took me the better part of a Sunday afternoon to assemble the system, although I was also taking pictures along the way. With all of the components installed, including an add-in graphics card, the system weighed around 12 pounds. The CPU, CD-ROM, and floppy drive were from an original nForce system that I have replaced with the Qbic. New components that I purchased include the memory and hard drive.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - System Components
Let's check out the cost of the system, which is based on prices at Newegg.
Note: The $265 price for Soltek's Qbic EQ3702M was based on NCIX.com's listed price of $344 CDN. A comparable mini barebone system from Shuttle, the SN412G, was selling for $290 at Newegg. I plan to follow up with Soltek in regards to the availability of the Qbic in the United States.
The Athlon XP 1800+ processor debuted over two years ago and runs at 1.53GHz and a 266MHz front size bus. The GeForce3 was NVIDIA's high-end graphics card back then and we were benchmarking IL-2 Sturmovik, Max Payne, MDK2, Quake 3, Serious Sam, and Unreal Tournament. Popular synthetic benchmarks included Aquamark, DroneZ, Evolva, and 3DMark2001.
To assemble the system, you'll need a Phillips head screwdriver to remove and secure the hard drive, floppy drive, and CD-ROM to the case rack. A flat head screwdriver will come in handy when attaching the heatsink/fan to the CPU.
The first step is to remove the front panel from the case, which is done by pressing a couple of plastic securing tabs located on either side of the case inward.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
The rack is removed from the case by removing the two screws located at the top of the case frame.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
The hard drive has been secured to the rack. The rear of the hard drive faces the right side of the case, where the I/O cable is located.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
I began removing the remaining faceplates from the rack.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
At this point, I have removed the faceplates from the rack.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
I secured the CD-ROM and the floppy drive to the rack. Note that if the CD-ROM is secured to the rack at this point, the rack will not fit back into the case. You will want to secure the CD-ROM to the rack after the rack is placed back inside the case.
Soltek QBIC EQ3702M - Assemble System
Let's leave the rack alone for now and turn our attention to the CPU. Installing the CPU was straightforward, but attaching the heatsink/fan to the CPU socket was a daunting experience that requires patience. Once you figure out how the heatsink/fan fits, you will use the flathead screwdriver to apply pressure on the heatsink/fan clamp to latch it on to the lug on the CPU socket. An example is shown in HardwareZone's review of the EQ3701M. It is possible to damage the processor should the screwdriver slip during this maneuver!
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
Whew. Time to take a break!
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
Adding the memory was a snap.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
Now we are ready to put the rack back inside the case. But if you look at the picture below closely, you will see that the rack is not going to fit. The problem is that the floppy drive cable is hanging over the memory sticks.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
The solution to our dilemma? Lay the floppy drive cable down by the side of the memory. With that quarter of an inch of space reclaimed, the rack will fit perfectly.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
The rack is in place and the CD-ROM can be installed now. After that's done, you can hook up the drive cables and power supply leads. The black strips of mylar insulation provide a barrier in the event that an add-in AGP or PCI card makes contract with the case.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
One minor adjustment was necessary as the plastic tab I mentioned earlier is not making contact with the CD-ROM's tray eject button.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Assemble System
I moved the CD-ROM forward about three quarters of an inch by using the alternate mounts on the rack.
I connected the monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, and Ethernet cable to the system, turned on the power, and the system booted successfully.
Soltek Qbic EQ3702M - Advanced BIOS Features
I rebooted and changed the BIOS device boot order sequence to use the CD-ROM first, which contained the Windows XP installation CD. I partioned the hard drive into two logical drives, installed Windows XP, Service Pack 1, NVIDIA Forceware drivers, and finally Norton Ghost, which was used to save a copy of the boot partition.
