Lian-Li PC-Q02

[dm1179]

was able to build a new mini-ITX rig yesterday..

 

[dm1179]

very tiny indeed.. side by side with my Silverstone TJ08-E Evolution..

what's inside..

 

[dm1179]

built-in 300W 80PLUS SFX PSU (FSP300-60GHS)..

the rest of the pieces..

 

[dm1179]

 

[dm1179]

the side panels of the Q02 are easy to remove, no tools required.. but for the motherboard tray, you need to remove 4 small crews first..

Asrock Z77E-ITX + Core i5-2500K + 8GB RAM installed..

original plan is to use Coolermaster GeminII M4 cooler.. the motherboard tray has cut-out for easy install of cooler.. trying out the backplate, found out that it will hit 1 of the bottom chip.. darn..

reversing it will not work as the screws will not reach the backplate.. luckily, the GeminII M4 also comes with rubber post and screws so problem solved..

 

[dm1179]

looks good..

another problem presented itself, once i put the cooler fan, it already hits the PSU. thus, i cannot install the motherboard tray back to the case. the cooler clearance for Q02 is 60mm and the GeminII M4 height is 59mm.. oh, no!

i can't go fanless on this unit so have to change cooler.. Welcome the Xigmatek Praeton.. cooler total height is 45mm (30mm + 15mm slim fan)..

comparing the Praeton vs Intel stock HSF, 90mm fan vs 80mm fan..

bottom view.. 4 pcs direct-touch heat pipes + aluminum alloy fins. the Praeton supports up to 95W TDP..

 

[dm1179]

Xigmatek Praeton installed on the processor..

i used Gelid GC-2 for thermal compound..

 

[dm1179]

connecting the 300W PSU, let's try to power up outside the case.. PASS.

for this initial setup, i installed a 320GB WD Caviar Blue 2.5" HDD on the optical drive tray and 2TB WD Caviar Green 3.5" HDD at the bottom of the case..

time to put everything back inside the case..

and back on the desk..

 

[dm1179]

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

Stock voltage, everything set to AUTO.. running Prime95..

CPU-Z reports CPU multiplier is x34

RealTemp: min 44C, max 85C

HWMonitor: min 44C, max 85C

using a Power meter connected between PSU and AC outlet to measure total power draw..

AC Idle Power = 32.5 W
AC Max Power = 110 W

 

[dm1179]

now, i reduced the CPU multiplier to x26.. and used offset voltage of -0.150V.. let's run Prime95 again..

RealTemp: min 42C, max 63C

HWMonitor: min 39C, max 64C

using a Power meter connected between PSU and AC outlet to measure total power draw..

AC Idle Power = 30 W
AC Max Power = 70 W

geez, no sweat for the FSP 300W 80PLUS PSU..

i will keep this setting for now.

 

[dm1179]

the PC-Q02 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..

 

[jbdarkblue]

Can you take some pics of the motherboard inside the case without the PSU installed?

 

[pinktri]

where did you find the case? Looks great!

 

[dm1179]

@jbdarkblue: i can take photo on next weekend when i come back home.

 

[dm1179]

@pinktri: i ordered it from Hong Kong. they also have the PC-Q03 and PC-Q16 in stock.

 

[pinktri]

damn lucky you, I've been trying to find it! can you point me to a link? Thanks!

 

[M1DNY73]

Does the Xigmatek cooler cover the PCIe slot, or would there be enough room for a discrete GPU? I would be using a different case of course.

 

[dm1179]

@M1DNY73: the Xigmatek does not cover the PCIe slot. there is enough room. you can actually see it from this photo.

 

[dm1179]

@jbdarkblue: here are photos without PSU..

 

[jbdarkblue]

Thanks for the pics. That is a small case. I think they should try to make the PSU smaller. That is the only thing I don't like about it. I know Antec makes a m-itx case with an external power supply. Maybe Lian Li look into making cases with external power supplies.

 

[dm1179]

AFAIK Antec makes 65W and 90W external power bricks only for their ISK series. no 300W or 450W yet if you need them.

 

[Synomenon]

Thanks for the pics. That is a small case. I think they should try to make the PSU smaller. That is the only thing I don't like about it. I know Antec makes a m-itx case with an external power supply. Maybe Lian Li look into making cases with external power supplies.

You could use a SilverStone ST45 PSU in this case right? What more would you need? Not like you could install a discrete GPU in it...

 

[dm1179]

here's another new mini ITX case to setup..

 

[dm1179]

@Synomenon: the included 300W PSU is quite plenty. in my current setup, total system AC power consumption is just 70W max. that's Core i5-2500K running @ 2.6GHz.

 

[Diverge]

@dm1179

when you get a chance, can you show some pics of the PC-Q16 case with the PSU mounted? I'd like to see what kind of room is in there to fit (w/ modifications) HD's for a NAS.

 

[dm1179]

@Diverge: i posted in a separate PC-Q16 thread http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038794300#post1038794300

 

[Diverge]

@Diverge: i posted in a separate PC-Q16 thread http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038794300#post1038794300

Thanks for the mini review!

 

[ailean]

@M1DNY73: the Xigmatek does not cover the PCIe slot. there is enough room. you can actually see it from this photo.

Thanks for the info, looks like the Xigmatek is one of the few small LP coolers to fit this board. The review I've read rated the cooling as better then the stock intel but worse for noise (however they were OC the cpu to max it out), how did you find the noise under normal conditions? I'd be using a low TDP ivy or underclocking for my new HTPC build.

 

[dm1179]

@ailean: the Xigmatek Praeton is quiet on my setup. i can't even hear it inside the case. fan speed at 1,300~1,400 RPM @ normal load.

 

[Shaav]

If you'd removed the 2,5 HDD, would there be enough room for a double-slot graphicscard?

 

[dm1179]

@Shaav: yup, possible but you need to mod the case as there is no expansion slot.

 

[torr3nt]

Interesting question.
I am waiting for the availability to verify, considering that we need at least 4,5 cm internal from the cut of the motherboard mask.

Compliments to the author for the great review

 

[magixx]

It's unfortunate that you can't fit a good graphics card in there. Wish there were more external power supply solutions.

 

[Diverge]

It's unfortunate that you can't fit a good graphics card in there. Wish there were more external power supply solutions.

You could probably make your own external solution if you put a little time and effort into it. You can find PCIe extender cables for pretty cheap if you look, and you can just route the main desktop GPU power cables externally if you came up with an acceptable way to do it that you were happy with. Or you can just buy a case that is ready for a dual slot GPU

 

[torr3nt]

I feel that it would not be impossible to use this card for an average configuration.
I will try soon...

 

[nonesuch]

I've been curious lately about the modding possibilities with LucidLogix's Virtu MVP. (http://www.anandtech.com/show/5728/...ew-asrock-asus-gigabyte-msi-ecs-and-biostar/2) In so-called i-Mode, it virtualizes a dedicated graphics card and reroutes the accelerated graphics over the onboard video out.

With a small case like this with no expansion slot access, might it be possible to unscrew the mounting bracket from a Radeon 7750 (or similar) and install the card with no external ports showing? That particular graphics card is actually cheaper than this case, it might be a fun little experiment for somebody.

 

[vipz]

I like the idea, although the card will not fit without some sort of offset or flexible riser, given that the bracket would line up with the mobo I/O shield and the DVI out would stick out beyond that.

Unless you want to desolder the DVI out

 

[nonesuch]

That's true about the DVI being a problem. I'm not sure if something like this could reliably carry the 75 watts of PCI-e power that it needs to...any thoughts?

Assuming you wouldn't mind desoldering the DVI port, would you expect the HDMI and DP ports to be a problem as well?

Sorry your thread got a little bit threadjacked dm...this is the only place on the internet I've yet found an interesting discussion about this case!

 

[vipz]

I would expect the DP and HDMI ports to clear since those ports tend to sit behind the bracket. Maybe an Eyefinity 5/6 card would work, but I don't think there's a 75W one.

No clue about that flexible riser.

 

[Diverge]

Most decently powered GPU's arern't powered off the PCIe. They have the separate 12V 4/6/8 pin plugs from the PSU.