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Lian-Li PC-Q16

D

dm1179

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 4, 2011
Messages
90
a new case to try-out..

PC-Q16_Box1.jpg


PC-Q16_Box2.jpg
.
 
nvm i guess this is a multiple-post review judging by the Q02 one. carry on. :)
 
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the motherboard tray and HDD cages are all removable so easy to install the board and HDD. the PC-Q16 can house 1 x 3.5" and 3 x 2.5" HDD.

the PSU can be removed through 4 thumbscrews. no tools required. such as the case with PC-Q02, the Xigmatek Praeton is a perfect cooler to fit this case.

PC-Q16_Inside2.jpg


PC-Q16_Inside1.jpg


fast forward.. all components back inside. used a few cable ties for wire management..

PC-Q16_Inside4.jpg


PC-Q16_Inside3.jpg
 
similar to PC-Q02 and PC-Q03, the PC-Q16 has 2 front USB3.0 cables with male ends, designed to be plugged from the rear USB3.0 ports. there is a hole for the USB3.0 cables at the back of the case..

PC-Q16_Back.jpg


i had ordered a USB3.0 converter to plug those directly to the motherboard..

USB3_Converter.jpg


the PC-Q16 comes with FSP 300W 80PLUS PSU. Model Number: FSP300-60GHS. this is the same PSU model used by PC-Q02 and is also utilized by Silverstone SUGO series.

PC-Q02-5.jpg


PC-Q16 side-by-side by PC-Q02..

PC-Q16_Q02.jpg
 
looks really elegant..

PC-Q16_1.jpg


time to do temperature readings.. note, ambient temperature @ 24C..

CPU multiplier to x26.. offset voltage of -0.150V.. then run Prime95..

Z77CPU-Zx26.jpg


RealTemp: min 30C, max 59C

PC-Q16RealTempx26.jpg


HWMonitor: min 31C, max 59C

PC-Q16HWMonitorx26.jpg


over-all, switching to PC-Q16 lowered the max temp by 4-5C compared with readings from PC-Q02. thanks to the front 140-mm PWM fan.
 
my conclusion will be similar to PC-Q02:

the PC-Q16 is well suited for 65W TDP processors or lower..

if you will use 95W TDP processor like me, you may need to undervolt and/or underclock your processor to lower the temperature.. use appropriate low-profile CPU cooler that suits your particular requirement.

or if your a hobbyist, you may mod the casing to your liking..

both cases are great and offer their own own advantages. which case is right for you? i'll let you decide for yourself. :)

other consideration:

if you need expansion slot (single) for video card, you could choose PC-Q03 or PC-Q15 instead.

but if you need expansion slot (dual), then you have to go with their older brother PC-Q11.
 
How noisy is that SFX PSU? is the fan always on?

If the PSU is binned and replaced with a picoPSU, what size CPU heatsink might fit? I was wondering if an HR02 might be squeezed in (as the HR02 is offset from centre/)

I also wondered if the the 3.5" cage could be removed and the 2.5" attached directly to the top frame? although it wouldn't be a bad compromise to just use 2.5" storage with an adapter in the 3.5" cage.

Looks neat anyway, still waiting for them to show up in Europe - a couple of stores have product pages up, but no ETA.
 
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@IanM:

i can't hear the PSU fan at all so i have to say it's really quiet. yup, it is always on.

with the PSU attached, you can use CPU cooler height up to ~57mm to ~58mm. the spec says 60mm but i had tried a Coolermaster GeminII M4 (height = 59mm) and it still hits the PSU.

with the PSU and 2.5" HDD cage removed, you can use CPU cooler height up to ~80mm.

the 2.5" HDD cage cannot be directly connected to top frame. it only attaches to the 3.5" HDD cage.
 
Interesting stuff, thanks dm1179. I think this could work for what I want to do, but it will need some modding so I won't be in any hurry to get one...
 
What cooler is in the picture?

if you will use 95W TDP processor like me, you may need to undervolt and/or underclock your processor to lower the temperature.. use appropriate low-profile CPU cooler that suits your particular requirement.
Click to expand...

Here is mine, been @ 100% load for a year now i think. 2500k is a good undervolter. sorry, bad picture. just click an zoom :D

 
dm1179 said:
i can't hear the PSU fan at all
Click to expand...
new question for you - can you get post the full spec of the PSU?

fan size?
fan RPM range?
80 plus - presumably basic level? or Bronze?

Thanks!
 
@dm1179

Would you be interested in doing a little test for me?

I'm curious if 4x 3.5" HD would fit in the place of the stock mounting brackets and have clearance of the motherboard you are using. It's it's possible to unscrew the stock 3.5" mounting bracket, and just see if a stack of hard drives fits in there it would be greatly appreciated. You don't even need to have any space between the drives, I'm just curious of the clearance, if any, with them all on top of one another in relation to the motherboard.

I really want to see if I can turn this case into a replacement for my Synology DS411+. I want something with a little more power for transcoding movies with Plex, but in similar size to the synology. The PC-Q16 would be perfect in size.
 
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Diverge said:
@dm1179

Would you be interested in doing a little test for me?

I'm curious if 4x 3.5" HD would fit in the place of the stock mounting brackets and have clearance of the motherboard you are using. It's it's possible to unscrew the stock 3.5" mounting bracket, and just see if a stack of hard drives fits in there it would be greatly appreciated. You don't even need to have any space between the drives, I'm just curious of the clearance, if any, with them all on top of one another in relation to the motherboard.

I really want to see if I can turn this case into a replacement for my Synology DS411+. I want something with a little more power for transcoding movies with Plex, but in similar size to the synology. The PC-Q16 would be perfect in size.
Click to expand...

orgasmic idea: if you take out the front fan and stand your drives up with the plugs up top, then you could probably fit about 6 or 7 drives across the front, then put a couple 100mm (or a 100mm and a 92mm) fans behind them but above the ram for cooling. this is of course assuming you have 3.5" between the very front and the mobo. youd have to cut off that ~.5" tab on the mobo tray and probably use right angle sata connectors. :D
 
An alternative to all that, if the stack of hard drives didn't fit would by getting rid of the SFX PSU and going with a pico. would leave a lot more room along the top of the case for a bunch of HD's.

edit: I just ordered one from newegg.. guess I'll find out if there is any way to fit at least 4 x 3.5" HD's.

edit2: I like the form factor and looks of this case a lot. But the 2 glaring design flaws are:

1) 300W SFX PSU - this is total overkill on a system that doesn't even have a PCIe slot accessable for a GPU. Could have gotten away with a picoPSU or other custom variant and created a lot more room for HD's. the most power you need for a system in this case is 150W... and that is if you can squeeze in 4 x 3.5" HD (which use about 7 watts each). So 30 watts for 4 HD's, 65W for a sandy or ivybridge PSU, and a 10W (or whatever it is that the actual motherboard components might draw).

2) there is enough space for a PCI slot in the back of the case - single slot. I may even mod mine for one to fit a tuner card.
 
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using a Power meter connected between PSU and AC outlet to measure total power draw..

FSP 300W 80PLUS PSU

AC Idle Power = 30 W
AC Max Power = 70 W (running Prime95 on 4 cores)

160W pico PSU

AC Idle Power = 25 W
AC Max Power = 55 W (running Prime95 on 4 cores)

this shows that pico PSU is more energy efficient.

aside from energy savings you get, using this cute PSU free up more space in you casing. when using mini ITX case specially, this could give you an opportunity to improve case air flow, use a higher/bigger CPU cooler, or add more hardware inside.
 
Hey do you think if you look out the drive bays that I rad would fit in the front? I would love to put a watercooled gpu in this, its so tiny! Just think of a full covered block on a gtx 670 with a i5 2500k in this little guy! Would also get the new modular 450w Silverstone psu.
 
Is this currently for sale anywhere in North America?

Are there any Mini-ITX Intel i3 motherboards that feature Dual-Link DVI output? Or is that a limitation of the Integrated Intel GPU?

Would something like the ATI Radeon HD 5450 fit in this case [if no intel mobos currently support Dual-Link DVI]? I would like to use this case with a 2560x1440 monitor.
 
The newegg page for that cooler says it's 90mm tall, but judging by the pictures it's much shorter, can you clarify that coolers height please?

Thanks!
 
The same way they shrunk down PC-Q11 or PC-Q07 to PC-Q02/3, they should do with the PC-Q25.

I want one for a server, needs at least 2, pref 4 really 3.5 HDD bays. Shouldn't be a big deal... There's still inefficiency in space they can capitalize on.

Man I want to like this case. It's like a mini server case, which is what I want, but what kind of server case only makes use of a SINGLE 3.5" HDD?
 
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dm1179 said:
using a Power meter connected between PSU and AC outlet to measure total power draw..

FSP 300W 80PLUS PSU

AC Idle Power = 30 W
AC Max Power = 70 W (running Prime95 on 4 cores)

160W pico PSU

AC Idle Power = 25 W
AC Max Power = 55 W (running Prime95 on 4 cores)

this shows that pico PSU is more energy efficient.

aside from energy savings you get, using this cute PSU free up more space in you casing. when using mini ITX case specially, this could give you an opportunity to improve case air flow, use a higher/bigger CPU cooler, or add more hardware inside.
Click to expand...

What the... ? How is it possible that the difference is so big? Yeah, I get that the pico unit is more power efficient but, that much? You have a 30-35% power consumption decrease @ load, which is insane.
 
Hey there!

do you think it would be feasible to add another 3.5" hdd under the first one, removing the 3x2.5" tray? if so, how would you do it?

Thanks!
 
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