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Product:
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Ultra MicroFly Micro ATX Case |
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Price:
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$112 (CDN) / $99 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Ultra Products
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Author:
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Hi-TEK
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Date:
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October 12th, 2006
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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As previously mentioned, the MicroFly Micro ATX Case does includes an Ultra Products branded 400 watt power supply but
the nice thing about this case is that the PSU mount is very accommodating allowing consumers to install a full size
ATX PSU of their choice to handle the demands of power hungry components. The overall cable layout of the Ultra ULT-400P
PSU unit includes 1 x 20/24-pin ATX connector, 1 x P4 4-pin 12v connector, 8 x 4-pin connectors Molex connectors, 2 x 4-pin
floppy connectors, 2 x 15-pin SATA connectors and 1 x PCI Express connector.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The case includes standard motherboard header pins for Power LED, HD LED, Speaker, Power and Reset switch which can be
easily connected to a motherboard. Additional connections exist for mounting 2 USB cables internally as well as headers
for Firewire and the Audio cables.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Installing components into the Ultra MicroFly Micro ATX Case is a straightforward process that can be completed in less
than a few hours. To test out this case, I assembled a series of spare components which included the following:
- ASRock P4i45GV Motherboard
- Intel Pentium 4 2.4A Processor
- Asus V9520-X/TD nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Video Card
- 1GB OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Dual Channel Gold DDR400 SDRAM
- 2 x Maxtor DiamondMax 9 60GB Hard Drives
- 1 x LG 52x32x52 DVD CD-RW w/ SuperLink
- 1 x Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Digital Sound Card
- 1 x Vantec NXP-205 Fan Controller
I strongly recommend using the bundled manual as a reference since it systematically provides you the order of steps
to proceed in order to complete the installation. One problem to keep in mind with a case of this size is the heatsink
selection and height restriction. Since the motherboard tray needs to slide back into place once all the components
have been installed as a general rule of thumb your heatsink should not exceed anything higher than 3" to 4" for clearance.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Once the system was powered the first thing that you will notice is the blue illumination from the digital thermal
probe monitor as well as the Power and HD activity LED's. While running a 12-24 hour burn-in for this test unit, the
Ultra MicroFly Micro ATX Case managed to keep system temperatures at 31°C Idle and 38°C Load with an ambient room
temperature of 29°C. I was very pleased with the reported system temperatures as well as the quiet noise levels.
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Conclusion:
Improvements to first revision products is not uncommon in the case manufacturing industry and Ultra MicroFly Micro ATX
Case does a pretty good job at addressing the shortfalls in the original Apevia X-QPack. The MicroFly is packaged with a
much nicer paint finish and offers plenty of expansion room to configure any mid-level to high-end system. All the
standard features one would want in a SFF based case are packaged with the MicroFly including the front mounted ports
for USB, Firewire, and Audio as well as the digital thermal probe monitor. I love that fact that the system includes
a removable motherboard tray which simplifies the process of installing or removing system components. The three panel
case design is a huge improvement over the traditional "U" shaped external shell. I just wish that Ultra Products added more
tool-less options. Finally, one problem that the MicroFly continues to share with the X-QPack is a poorly designed
foldable handle that is included with the case. The handle doesn't feel very sturdy or strong enough to support the
weight of a fully loaded system. My best recommendation is to remove the front handle and replace it with a LAN style
carrying bag which would add much more value to this package. Overall, I was very impressed with the Ultra MicroFly Micro ATX Case
and award MTB's Seal of Approval with a final rating of 8.5 out of 10.
If you have any questions regarding this review, be sure to visit the Ultra Products
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Great paint job
- Removable drive bays
- Front USB, Audio and Firewire 1394 ports
- Supports full size ATX PSU's
- Removable motherboard tray
- Perfect for LAN events or silent computing environments
- Includes 400w PSU
- Price
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Cons:
- Carrying handle feels very cheap and flimsy
- Limited to only one thermal probe
- Chassis build quality could be improved
- Pretty large for a Micro-ATX based case
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Error processing SSI file
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Error processing SSI file
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