Cougar originates from Germany and originally specialized in advanced computer peripherals. During the past few months we have looked at several of their high end peripherals and mice. The company however produces more than just keyboards and mice, having diversified towards PC power supply units and cases. Cougar however is not particularly well-known for their cases, even though they have nearly a dozen designs available. One of their most recent releases is the their first Mini-ITX case, the QBX, which was unveiled at Computex and even won a design & innovation show award in the process. This is the case that we will be reviewing today.

Cougar's marketing is making some very bold claims regarding the performance and capabilities of the QBX. "Powerful Graphics". "Massive Storage". "The Best Cooling of Its Class". And then we notice a $53 price tag, which makes everything sounding a little bit too good to be true. So today we are putting the QBX to the test to see for ourselves where the new case excels and where it falls short.


11.2 oz Coke can for size comparison

Cougar QBX
Motherboard Size Mini-ITX
Drive Bays External One slim ODD (slot-loading only)
Internal 1 × 3.5"
4 × 2.5"
Cooling Front 80 mm (optional)
Rear 92 mm (included)
Top 2 x 120 mm (optional)
Sides 120 mm (optional)
Bottom 2 x 120 mm (optional)
Radiator Support Front -
Rear -
Top -
Sides Up to 240 mm (only one 120 mm fan)
Bottom -
I/O Port 2× USB 3.0, 0× USB 2.0, 1× Headphone, 1× Mic
Power Supply Size ATX
Clearances HSF 105 mm
PSU 140 mm
GPU 350 mm
Dimensions 291 mm × 178 mm × 384 mm
11.46 in × 7.01 in × 15.12 in
Prominent Features · Expandible: Powerful Graphics
· Expandible : Massive Storage + ODD
· The Best Cooling of Its Class
Price $53 incl. shipping

Packaging & Bundle

Cougar supplies the QBX in a relatively small (but tall) box that hints the proportions of the case. The artwork of the box follows the orange/black color theme of the company and is mostly based on pictures of the case itself. The main features of the case are clearly printed on the sides of the box. Inside the box, the lightweight case is well protected with Styrofoam and wrapped inside a nylon bag.

The bundle supplied with the QBX is very basic, which was not unexpected considering the retail price of the case. Inside the small cardboard box we found only a very basic leaflet with installation schematics, black screws and mounting hardware, two small cable ties and one nylon filter for a 80 mm fan. 

The Exterior of the Cougar QBX Case
Comments Locked

42 Comments

View All Comments

  • zodiacfml - Monday, November 16, 2015 - link

    Good job. I also love the conclusion which includes this " one that experienced builders should find rewarding."
  • akdubya - Thursday, November 19, 2015 - link

    Very happy with this case. It's perhaps overkill for my ultra-low-power NAS/Media Server/HTPC project but I just couldn't resist. The internal power cable comes in handy when you're going the PicoPSU route and want to mount the power brick inside your case. My original plan was to buy some econobox to hide away in my media center but this beauty sits right out in the open.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now