I got my LianLi PC-A05B ! it's Small!

Wow, 1000 posts. I can't wait until I finish my work on my rig. I'll post pics sometime around Christmas.
 
Sorry about breaking the even 1000, but I have a cooling idea that I wanted some opinions about (from current PC-A05B owners):

I'm about to build my new system in a PC-A05B. I am planning to retain the original fan flow (albeit replace the stock fans with Yate Loons) with an intake at the rear and an exhaust near the HDD's. However, I'm throwing an 8800 GTX in there, and I understand the top portion of this case turns into an oven if not cooled properly.

I've seen several pictures showing side/top fans throughout this thread, and I had an idea:

Because air gets sucked in from the fan side of the video card and exhausted out the rear, I thought about installing both an intake and exhaust fan at the top of the case. The intake would be positioned closer to the front, while the exhaust fan would be closer to the rear/back. As such, the intake would be blowing new air into the fan side of the video card, while the exhaust would.. well, exhaust.

I've seen several guys using two exhaust fans at the top of the case, but I'd think this would create unequal pressure within the case. Using the aforesaid plan, there would be an equal amount of intake and exhaust in the case.

What do you guys think?
 
creach said:
Sorry about breaking the even 1000, but I have a cooling idea that I wanted some opinions about (from current PC-A05B owners):

I'm about to build my new system in a PC-A05B. I am planning to retain the original fan flow (albeit replace the stock fans with Yate Loons) with an intake at the rear and an exhaust near the HDD's. However, I'm throwing an 8800 GTX in there, and I understand the top portion of this case turns into an oven if not cooled properly.

I've seen several pictures showing side/top fans throughout this thread, and I had an idea:

Because air gets sucked in from the fan side of the video card and exhausted out the rear, I thought about installing both an intake and exhaust fan at the top of the case. The intake would be positioned closer to the front, while the exhaust fan would be closer to the rear/back. As such, the intake would be blowing new air into the fan side of the video card, while the exhaust would.. well, exhaust.

I've seen several guys using two exhaust fans at the top of the case, but I'd think this would create unequal pressure within the case. Using the aforesaid plan, there would be an equal amount of intake and exhaust in the case.

What do you guys think?
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I think it is a great idea with a card like the gtx. My card used to get REALLY hot (109c) until I installed the two 120's circulating around some air up there.

I have also found that removing PCI slots above the card removes even more heat that gets trapped up there.
 
I'm picking one of these up as the last peice of my new pc build. I like the small size. Should I plan on replacing the stock fan immediately? While I'm not planning on a blowhole, I will be installing one of those pci vent fans. I'm aiming for as silent as possible with out going passive cooling.

Oh.. and will the top panel from another of their cases fit? I'm not crazy about the top usb ports.
 
Hey guys I am really hesitating to choose this case, currently I got my rig @ CM stacker evo 830, highly ventilated with all those fans installed , yes 2 x intake front, 3 side, and 1 @ the rear = 6 fans! cools a Q6600 @ 3.6ghz cooled by a Thermalright ultra-120 Extreme ( dubble fan mounted), I lapped both the cpu and heatsink, during load it hits 55c coretemp, and open bench 52c. Besides this cpu I got a 8800GTS 640mb. This combination produce allot of air. Would this case handle my current rig? If I for example let some1 but 2 x120 blow holes @ the top. and perhaps . So that would be in total 4 fans.
I know it would be hotter then it would be in my CM stacker 830 evo, but lets say would it 10c hotter? I think without those 2 blow holes, just 2 fans my cpu+ gpu would be coocked?
 
Without a blow hole, I think your temps would rise significantly. As I have said numerous times in this thread, the airflow is horrendous without modification. I can drop 10C just by taking the side off the case. I have a Q6600 and a Ultra-120 extreme also. I've given up on the case and am moving to a more standard ATX case with better airflow (TJ09).
 
kirbyrj said:
Without a blow hole, I think your temps would rise significantly. As I have said numerous times in this thread, the airflow is horrendous without modification. I can drop 10C just by taking the side off the case. I have a Q6600 and a Ultra-120 extreme also. I've given up on the case and am moving to a more standard ATX case with better airflow (TJ09).
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wanna sell your old one? :) pm me.. i'm seriosu
 
kirbyrj said:
Without a blow hole, I think your temps would rise significantly. As I have said numerous times in this thread, the airflow is horrendous without modification. I can drop 10C just by taking the side off the case. I have a Q6600 and a Ultra-120 extreme also. I've given up on the case and am moving to a more standard ATX case with better airflow (TJ09).
Click to expand...

well with all the modification, it will comes near to a TJ09 price lol, as modservices are expensive, considering I need to let it done @ the UK + shipping cost allot. How does the TJ09 compare with a CM stacker 830, and the noise? Only thing I dont like about the Stacker is the noise :(
 
Got my case yesterday and it's great. Kinda big when compared to my SN95G5 :)

Is the Lian-Li Aluminum Bezel CDROM (black) C-01B covers the CD drive and make it stealth? It is hard to determine from the pic.
 
SCSI said:
Got my case yesterday and it's great. Kinda big when compared to my SN95G5 :)

Is the Lian-Li Aluminum Bezel CDROM (black) C-01B covers the CD drive and make it stealth? It is hard to determine from the pic.
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I have the bezel and its great. Gives the front of the case a really clean look.
 
antok86 said:
i was thinkin a fan controller...but mehhh..
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I've thought the same but I can't find one with a good brushed aluminum look to satisfy me.

This is the cleanest case I've ever had. Well worth what I paid for originally and with the add-ons, and I do not want to cheapen it with anything that would take away from its sleek lines.
 
aggr1103 said:
I've thought the same but I can't find one with a good brushed aluminum look to satisfy me.

This is the cleanest case I've ever had. Well worth what I paid for originally and with the add-ons, and I do not want to cheapen it with anything that would take away from its sleek lines.
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exactly! im totally the same way
 
aggr1103 said:
I've thought the same but I can't find one with a good brushed aluminum look to satisfy me.

This is the cleanest case I've ever had. Well worth what I paid for originally and with the add-ons, and I do not want to cheapen it with anything that would take away from its sleek lines.
Click to expand...

antok86 said:
exactly! im totally the same way
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i think i'm on the same page as you guys. well, a style that I like. And I agree i wouldn't want any add-ons that would "cheapen" the impressive looks. If there was an A05B without a 3.5" external slot, I would go for it. I'm in progress of building an all-black brushed aluminum rig.
 
what do you guys think of this one? if they have 3.5" that is.

41888125sb6.jpg


http://www.svc.com/zm-mfc1plusbk.html

There's quite a few here if you're considering any: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=88_253
 
gramarye said:
what do you guys think of this one? if they have 3.5" that is.

41888125sb6.jpg
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I'd love it if it didn't say Zalman. Not that I have anything against zalman, but I think it would detract. However, I'm not against buying it just to see how it looks :D
 
aggr1103 said:
I'd love it if it didn't say Zalman. Not that I have anything against zalman, but I think it would detract. However, I'm not against buying it just to see how it looks :D
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i'd love it w/o all the printed text. But i have a feeling the color in blacks would be off with the lian-li black. I like it sleek and clean, I even took off the lian-li emblem. all clean black aluminum. There should be a thread dedicated to clean and classy looking set-ups.

it's the little things that bother me, especially the logos, for example, my hard drive enclosure, it'd be so much better without the "glory" and "enermax' printed on it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...lack+3.5"+USB+2.0+External+Enclosure+-+Retail



anyway...sugar cube? < anyone had luck with that?
 
I got my case on Friday from newegg for $80!! I couldn't wait to put it all together but to my disappointment, I've found two things wrong with my setup:

1. included 120mm fans are LOUD! They spin at 1500rpm and I don't know how to 7V it. I'm going to hate having to spend $30 to get some quieter 120mm fans :(

2. My motherboard's layout does not complement the case. The CPU socket is too close to the rear intake fan. To make matters worse, my CPU's fan/heatsink isn't tall enough to take advantage of the rear intake fan. Because of this, my idle CPU temp is 42C compared to 35C in my old case (Antec Sonata II with no intake fan) Pictures are included below.

my.php

my.php



Any ideas on how I can fix my heat issue?
 
also make sure that the cpu fan and the back fan aren't fighting each other. *pushing air at each other*
 
tracerit said:
2. My motherboard's layout does not complement the case. The CPU socket is too close to the rear intake fan. To make matters worse, my CPU's fan/heatsink isn't tall enough to take advantage of the rear intake fan. Because of this, my idle CPU temp is 42C compared to 35C in my old case (Antec Sonata II with no intake fan) Pictures are included below.

Any ideas on how I can fix my heat issue?
Click to expand...

If you were looking to get a drop in temps in this case, you probably bought it for the wrong reason.

I'm sure people have gotten a few degrees decrease in temps depending on heatsink orientation, but for me I saw my idle temps jump for 36 to 39 when I moved into this case. I can tell that there's more warm air in the case now than in my previous "monster" front styled case with just a 120mm exhaust and no intake.

I dunno if anyone has tried it, but since your heatsink sits so close to the rear intake, you could try reversing the entire airflow of the case and see what happens - ie. make the rear fan an exhaust, turn your heatsink around, and make the front fan an intake.
 
Can the fan on the heatsink be flipped backwards to pull air through? Then you could just reverse the hsf and have the fan pull air through, air which is being directly pumped on it from the rear intake.

I went from the Sonata II to this case also. My cooling comments are on the previous page. I switched my ninja to push air toward the top of the case, because I have a medium speed fan blowing a lot of air directly on an open side of my HSF.
 
for that zalman controller:

If it's metal, I'd try acetone on it first (carefully!) . If you've got a woman in your life, she prly has some in the form of finger nail polish remover, unless she's picky and got the non-acetone stuff. put some on a Q-tip and I bet that zalman would come right off. Unless it's engraved / etched. Then you'd have to paint.

Alternatively, make a cover from the ones included!
 
XtuRmN8r said:
for that zalman controller:

If it's metal, I'd try acetone on it first (carefully!) . If you've got a woman in your life, she prly has some in the form of finger nail polish remover, unless she's picky and got the non-acetone stuff. put some on a Q-tip and I bet that zalman would come right off. Unless it's engraved / etched. Then you'd have to paint.

Alternatively, make a cover from the ones included!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I've never tried acetone, err nail polish remover before, I'm curious to see the results. This idea beats the sugarcube method certainly. Painting sounds a bit difficult, matching the color, I'd actually want to paint the silver to black on a lian-li case, but I'd think it'd be hard to match. Have you had any experience with either of the methods you suggested? If so, share some pics!

Also, for cooling purpose, would any of these OEM Lian Li parts help you guys?
120mm Blower, 120mm Fan duct and PSU Duct with Bracket
Lian Li BS-01 Aluminum Blower
Lian Li BS-03 Aluminum Fan Assembly
Lian Li Fan Duct
Lian Li Plus I Turbo (Rotation) Fan
A kit that includes some of the above
Lian Li Plus II Turbo Fan
Lian-Li AD-02 CPU Air Duct for 120mm Fan
Lian-Li Plus II 120mm Expansion Slot Cooling Fan w/ Adjustable Bracket
Lian-Li Plus Version Kit
 
Veeb0rg said:
also make sure that the cpu fan and the back fan aren't fighting each other. *pushing air at each other*
Click to expand...

I have the rear fan as intake and the fan on the heatsink blowing towards the front of the case so both fans are blowing towards the front.

zero2dash said:
$30?
Sure if you buy some overpriced overrated fans from NewEgg.

Get 2 Yate Loons for $3.50 each at Jab-Tech. Problem solved. ;)
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Ohh... which Yate Loon should I get? There are so many to choose from.

aggr1103 said:
I dunno if anyone has tried it, but since your heatsink sits so close to the rear intake, you could try reversing the entire airflow of the case and see what happens - ie. make the rear fan an exhaust, turn your heatsink around, and make the front fan an intake.
Click to expand...

I may try this instead, but how will this work with my PSU which is blowing air out? Actually my PSU only has a large 13cm intake fan with a honeycomb design on the side of the plug. If I use this traditional airflow setup, I'll need a quiet PCI slot cooler for the top of the case then, any recommendations? I had one a long time ago and it was LOUD.

eurin said:
Can the fan on the heatsink be flipped backwards to pull air through? Then you could just reverse the hsf and have the fan pull air through, air which is being directly pumped on it from the rear intake.

I went from the Sonata II to this case also. My cooling comments are on the previous page. I switched my ninja to push air toward the top of the case, because I have a medium speed fan blowing a lot of air directly on an open side of my HSF.
Click to expand...

Nope, the fan can only blow air towards the heatsink. I might just go back to the stock Intel HSF, but that one was kind of loud too.
 
aggr1103 said:
I dunno if anyone has tried it, but since your heatsink sits so close to the rear intake, you could try reversing the entire airflow of the case and see what happens - ie. make the rear fan an exhaust, turn your heatsink around, and make the front fan an intake.
Click to expand...

Someone's done it already and posted the results in this thread probably 20 or 30 pages back.
They had results worse than the stock config, temp wise.


tracerit said:
Ohh... which Yate Loon should I get? There are so many to choose from.
Click to expand...

The ones I linked to are the low speed version which are the quietest. Unless you want the medium or higher speed ones (which will have more noise), stick with the lows. I bought lows myself (5 total, 2 to replace the stocks, 2 for my top 2x120 radgrill mod, and 1 for push/pull config with an Ultra 120 cpu cooler).

Yate Loon is an oem manufacturer which is why their fans are so cheap. Nexus (well known for their quiet fans) buys Yate Loons, rebrands them, undervolts them to run at a slower rpm and hence quieter...boxes them and sells them retail for $15. There are other expensive fans out there like Noctua and SilenX, but truthfully Yate Loons are the best especially for the money. $3.50 for good cfm/quiet fans is a steal IMO.
 
Personally, I get the Low speed Yate Loons and use them for just about everything from my Ultra-120 to replacing my case fans. They also undervolt much better than the stock Lian-Li fans if you plan on using a controller for them. The stock Lian-Li fans make a knocking noise when they aren't running at full speed.
 
kirbyrj said:
Personally, I get the Low speed Yate Loons and use them for just about everything from my Ultra-120 to replacing my case fans. They also undervolt much better than the stock Lian-Li fans if you plan on using a controller for them. The stock Lian-Li fans make a knocking noise when they aren't running at full speed.
Click to expand...

I would think that I pay for a premium price for a Lian Li case I wouldn't have to worry about replacing the fans...apparently not. But hey, I still love the cases.
 
gramarye said:
I would think that I pay for a premium price for a Lian Li case I wouldn't have to worry about replacing the fans...apparently not. But hey, I still love the cases.
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The fans aren't terrible...they just don't undervolt well. I've never had a problem with them being particularly loud. I replace them then use the stock Lian-Li fans in other computers where I'm not playing around with fan speeds (e.g. computers for other people ;) ).
 
gramarye said:
I would think that I pay for a premium price for a Lian Li case I wouldn't have to worry about replacing the fans...apparently not. But hey, I still love the cases.
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$100 is a premium price for a LL case?

Have you looked at their other cases and how much they cost?? :rolleyes:

If you were to say spend $200+ on a V1000 and the fans were garbage, then I can see room for complaint. Hell, any case in that price range or higher - yes, by all means - complain.

But a $100 case? Come on.
$100 buys you a good case by today's standards. A few LL's, a low end Silverstone (Kublai), most of Antec's stuff...etc. (granted I really don't like any of Antec's cases *now* despite initially looking at the 900 heavily, then the P182, then the P150, then Sonata III, then 900, P182 etc etc. again and again)

Stock LL fans are decent, no one's saying they're not. I didn't have a problem with their noise; maybe I got abnormal LL stock fans or something. They looked (spec wise) similar to Yate Loons low speed D12SL-12's to me. But after buying and replacing them with D12SL-12's, the Yates move more air (despite LL's faq page on fan specs saying # wise they are similar).

I guarantee you that if you get a CM690 the fans won't be as quiet as the stock fans on this case.

My point is - this isn't a "premium" case. It's a "budget" LL case. There's nothing wrong with that; personally I think anyone spending over $100 for a computer case is overspending. To some people - it's important. Important enough to justify spending...what...$300+ on a Silverstone TJ-07 or TJ-09? Sure. Don't get me wrong - I think those are beautiful cases, I love them. If money wasn't an object I would have bought a LL V1000 case because truthfully that's what I would have loved to have. But I can't justify spending $200 on the case especially when that's more then any one given component inside of the case costs. (Granted, my budget build for next month...Jan/Feb08 going into this case...most of the parts will cost less than the case on a per-piece basis, but that's beside my point. ;) Being married and having a 3 year old daughter...other things come first and computer upgrades go on the back burner)

But $100 is not a "premium" LL case in the grand scheme of things. It is to *me* and many others who love this case, who think they got more than their money's worth...and it is true. I love this case; I cannot emphasize that enough. But you'd never catch me saying it was a "premium" case when the majority of any decent case these days runs $100 no matter who makes it.

-IMO at least.
 
great thread! The latest deal at new egg helped convince me to pull the trigger.

I took a couple days and read this whole thing.

Anyone willing to make a FAQ post/thread of all this good info? :>

I am personally debating over the various case fan upgrades and concerns over heat in the top portion of the case. Perhaps I may get a BS-01. Haven't decided yet!
 
zero2dash said:
$100 is a premium price for a LL case?
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$100 is definitely not a premium price for any case, regardless of brand. Had I known this would happen, I would have clarified, especially for you. Generally, all the Lian Li cases are fitted with their same stock cooling fans (according to an earlier phone call made). My point was, It's quite a shame that even Lian Li's more expensive line of cases use the same cooling fans as this budget case, however, they're fitted with more cooling components, thus, helping airflow and cooling in general.

zero2dash said:
Have you looked at their other cases and how much they cost?? :rolleyes:
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Yes, I have looked at other cases. In fact, I just spent $302 on one, the PC-A71B. -Not :rolls eyes:, if you must.

zero2dash said:
If you were to say spend $200+ on a V1000 and the fans were garbage, then I can see room for complaint. Hell, any case in that price range or higher - yes, by all means - complain.
Click to expand...

Regardless of the prices, my intent was to not complain. It was more of a response to how it's interesting for those that pay the "premium" price still has to tolerate with such issues/problems as above. Moreover, I think any product in any market would generally have positive and negative feedback, that is just how things are.
I, personally, have not complained, and am fine with stock cooling. Actually, everything I have is stock, and I'm completely fine with it.

zero2dash said:
But a $100 case? Come on.
$100 buys you a good case by today's standards. A few LL's, a low end Silverstone (Kublai), most of Antec's stuff...etc. (granted I really don't like any of Antec's cases *now* despite initially looking at the 900 heavily, then the P182, then the P150, then Sonata III, then 900, P182 etc etc. again and again)
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/rant?

$100 can sure buy you a lot of things, especially many of the quality cases you listed. It's quite apparent you're knowledgeable of the cases and prices in the market. thanks?

zero2dash said:
Stock LL fans are decent, no one's saying they're not. I didn't have a problem with their noise; maybe I got abnormal LL stock fans or something. They looked (spec wise) similar to Yate Loons low speed D12SL-12's to me. But after buying and replacing them with D12SL-12's, the Yates move more air (despite LL's faq page on fan specs saying # wise they are similar). I guarantee you that if you get a CM690 the fans won't be as quiet as the stock fans on this case.
Click to expand...

In the computer hardware building world, looks can be deceiving, especially with cooling hardware/components.

And to be completely honest with you, I have yet to say anything bad about Lian Li products. I think the stock cooling is fine. But really, the truth comes down to this, every comment about this case has a bias, not in a bad way at all, basically meaning, everyone's standards are different and unique. Some people in this thread are big on cooling, some don't really care and don't really worry about it; some folks like to keep it simple, while others like to add more character and necessary supplements to cater their needs.

zero2dash said:
My point is - this isn't a "premium" case. It's a "budget" LL case. There's nothing wrong with that;
Click to expand...

It's a very beautiful "budget" case indeed. I value and appreciate how great the build quality of this case is, certainly, a higher quality case one can find for that price. Then again, we all have our differences and certainly see things differently.

zero2dash said:
personally I think anyone spending over $100 for a computer case is overspending. To some people - it's important. Important enough to justify spending...what...$300+ on a Silverstone TJ-07 or TJ-09? Sure. Don't get me wrong - I think those are beautiful cases, I love them. If money wasn't an object I would have bought a LL V1000 case because truthfully that's what I would have loved to have. But I can't justify spending $200 on the case especially when that's more then any one given component inside of the case costs. (Granted, my budget build for next month...Jan/Feb08 going into this case...most of the parts will cost less than the case on a per-piece basis, but that's beside my point. ;) Being married and having a 3 year old daughter...other things come first and computer upgrades go on the back burner)
Click to expand...

I'm really glad you said "personally" because, you're right, these things you've list do apply to you, "personally." I agree, in many ways, these concerns can be considered "personal" and our personal preferences. I'm sure we all have our personal reasons to justify our needs. To some $300 would suffice, for others, not enough. I may like a $300 bigger case, but I won't spend $500+ on a graphics card, or even 2 graphics cards. But it's fine and accept it, we all have things that goes along with our own necessities.

Quite frankly, $300 for a full tower/server chassis is considered inexpensive compared to the ubiquitous over-priced server pricing in the market, that can serve the same purpose and amount of capabilities one could use it for.

I like the idea of how the case allows a lot of room to expand creativity with. For example, the PC-A71B is a big case, the multiple drive bays can add numerous possibilities such as a CD/DVD media duplicator as well as a workstation/server for video production, or just plentiful room for cooling needs and building possibilities. Again, everyone has their own personal preference in everything.

zero2dash said:
But $100 is not a "premium" LL case in the grand scheme of things. It is to *me* and many others who love this case, who think they got more than their money's worth...and it is true. I love this case; I cannot emphasize that enough. But you'd never catch me saying it was a "premium" case when the majority of any decent case these days runs $100 no matter who makes it.

-IMO at least.
Click to expand...
I definitely value your opinion and actually a part of me even regrets making such a statement as to admiring Lian Li's cases, this should not have gone this far, let alone provoke you or anyone here in anyway.

Most importantly, the statement/comment above should not have wasted any of your time. Rest assured, My sincerest of apologies. Merry Christmas.
 
No problem man, I didn't take it personally or hard or anything ;)
Everyone's got their opinion, no need to retract it or feel like you can't share yours :)
I meant no such harm :D
 
zero2dash said:
No problem man, I didn't take it personally or hard or anything ;)
Everyone's got their opinion, no need to retract it or feel like you can't share yours :)
I meant no such harm :D
Click to expand...

:D

I'm really glad we're okay. I Wish the best to everyone.

To get back on this case, let's keep those pics coming! :)
 
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