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Installation, CPU + RAM + AGP

The thing I've always had a pet peeve is installing stuff into a SFF. While it is a foregone conclusion that it's painful to do so in general, some installation procedures are just more difficult than others for whatever reason. For the most part, the procedure did not change a whole lot. As noted before, my laziness gets the better of me as I went through the installation without taking out the power supply. I've received some questions asking why I don't just take it out. The reason behind it is that since other SFFs do not require me to take out the PSU, there should be no reason why I cannot do the same with the Soltek. Had I found it to be impossible, then it may materially affect consumer's perceptions of the product. After all, the Soltek PSU is held in place by five (four back, one side) screws instead of the standard four.

First off, the heatsink:

This is where the biggest change was implemented. Although the push clip on the 3801a was fair, the clip mechanism on the 3901a is far superior. Getting the whole heatsink in will probably be the hardest part, but clipping it on is a cinch. All you have to do is make sure the hooks line up, and the swing the lever 180 degrees to secure it. Easy as apple pie (no I don't see the connection). The rest of the installation process was nowhere that easy though.

There is an inch of space between the heatsink and the power supply. Whereas previously I suggested looking at alternate heatsinks, I like the retention mechanism on this one so much that I suggest you keep it. It will save you money and frustration in the long run. For most purposes and heat considerations, this system would not be overclocked and the stock heatsink provided is fine for general purpose. The CPU fan header is in a blind spot, so you either have to take out the power supply or plug it in by feel.

Similar to the other case, the 3901a involves plugging in RAM sight unseen (unless you were bothered to remove the PSU. It's not difficult by any means - you have adequate space for some fancy maneuvering and the clips are easily audible.

As you can see, the AGP slot is on the outside, as it is for most SFFs. This automatically removes all opportunities to use a dual slot card. If you have another PCI card to install, it is suggested that you install the PCI card before the AGP, as you will have very little room to work with. Another thing of note is that Soltek includes quite a few extra pieces of electric insulation. The black areas seen on the drive cage are already covered with electrical tape. More is provided so that it can be affixed to the optical drives or whatever other metallic part that can potentially touch the back of longer AGP cards. Cabling on this system is slightly better than the other Qbic we reviewed, with the wires being better positioned and less tabs to hold it in place (greater flexibility). The tape is effectively a stopgap measure to prevent the AGP card from shorting out due to contact with the drive cage. If the drive cage was shifted inwards by even an inch, that would alleviate all graphics-related problems.