Which Case: Lian Li or Silverstone?

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Mansize_tissue

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I'm building my first computer soon and i'm finding chosing a case to be the most difficult decision.

Basically, it's between the follow:

Lian Li PC-A16
Lian Li V1000
Lian Li V1200
Silverstone TJ09

I want the case to have exceptional cooling, but i'm unsure which to get. I would like to be able to add an extra 120mm fan into which ever of the Lian Li cases mentioned above, depending on what i get. However, i'd also like to have 2x 5.25" external drive bays available. So, i was wondering, if it was possible to remove the floppy drive thing in the PC-A16, if not there'll only be a single 5.25" drive bay available. I understand this would be impossible with the TJ09, since it only has 4x 5.25" drive bays, but is it possible to get a 4-in-3 HDD bay or 120mm fan mount to fit in the front of the TJ09?

I am also confused as to what the PLUS I, II, III refer to with regard to the Lian Li cases; could someone please enlighten me?

So, ultimately, which boasts better cooling (with or without an extra 120mm fan in the front, because it might not be possible with the TJ09)?

Thank you.
 
I own a V1000 Plus II so i can only give my advice on it. Im running it with the rear case fan only and the cooling is exceptional.

As far as the fitting a 120mm fan into the front bays ive measured mine with a fan centered on the last 2 drive bays and the floppy bay. I get about 4mm clearance top and bottom with about 15mm each side. So a tight fit but it should be possible.

And finally the Plus I, Plus II options each has extras added to the case. For example in the Plus II model you get:

Plus II version added with patent adjustable cooling kit helps to exhaust the heat from the VGA card effectively.

12cm ball bearing fan with air duct at the back panel inhale the cold air directly to the CPU cooler. (Rear Fan)

If im wrong please correct me but i think Lian Li only produce the v1000 with the Plus II features now and theres is no Plus I or standard.

Hope this help :)
 
Thank you for your input, guys.

If i get one of the Lian Li cases, they do a special 120mm mount thing which replaces 3 of the 5.25" drive bays. Is it possible to remove the floppy drive thing from the V1000? One more question, how come you don't use the side fan?
 
The floppy bay can be easily removed. Its held by 4 screws to the drive cage.

I dont use the side fan because im using the window panel the does not have the mesh. There are 2 types of window panel for it.

http://www.lian-li.com/product/W-V1000-s2.jpg - that

http://www.lian-li.com/product/W-V1000P-s2.jpg - and that

I have the first one so having the side fan would be pointless as there is no where to intake or exhaust air. And one thing i forgot to mention is that lian li stock fans are a tad loud. Hence why i only have 1 out of 3 running and with a fan controller
 
As much as i want the TJ09 (mainly because it looks awesome), if i add a 120mm fan i won't be able to add a fan controller in later if i chose to with an optical drive above it.

KaotiK_^, thank you for the confirmation. If i got it, i'd like to get the second side panel with the window and mesh.

Have you not considered putting an extra 120mm fan module up front, or don't your components require it?

No one likes the PC-A16, huh?
 
I did but changed my mind as i would need to buy 4 of these for maximum intake

http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...uct_info&manufacturers_id=37&products_id=3704

and i also feel that it is cool enough inside. I dont know if you already knew but the rear fan on the V1000 plus II is an intake. So if u opt to an intake fan on the front u may want to reverse this. My one and only gripe about the V1000 is the wheels. I removed mine and put low standing feet on instead although i see Lian Li do sell Black Wheels for them
 
You wouldn't need those if you didn't have an extra fan at the front, would you?

Yeah, i plan on reversing the rear fan so it exhausts air out the back. How do you have it orientated?

Does the V1000 come with feet as well as wheels?
 
Well you don't need those plates but i felt they would increase the amount of air the fans intake and the standard covers are solid aluminum ( no holes).

I have my rear fan intaking as its the only one running.

The V1000 comes with wheels. They can be easily removed by removing screws. After removing them i found the perforated bottom of the case acted like a cheese grater on my desk >.< . So i removed the feet from my old TT Swing and a few drills later my V1000 had feet :D

I took serveral pic's of the case when i got it if you would like me to PM you the links to them
 
No the V1000 bay covers are solid and not perforated.

I hope those pics can help you out a little.
 
Does anybody know where a windowed (with mesh) side panel for the V1000 can be bought in the UK? Also, is it possible to get a similar side panel for the longer V1200?
 
I haven't been able to find the window/mesh panel from any UK site so far but keep looking, if not you can always get one shipped of from the USA

For a windowed V1200 panel im not sure if such a thing exists. So far ive only seen people who have made their own and Retailers that do it themselves.

http://www.silverpcs.com/product_info.php?products_id=32 - That even has the mesh

and again these are only American sites ive seen that do it.
 
Thank you, but i don't know if'd be wise to buy from the US or not.

This sucks. It means i can either have a windowed side panel, or one with a mesh and have the fan over the graphics card. Did you get that side fan with yours, by the way?
 
Yes i did. I bought mines from www.overclockers.co.uk . They only sell the Plus II version and at the cheapest price i could find.

Shipping from America isnt as bad as you might think. Its fairly cheap and delivery times run from 8-20 days
 
I was torn between the Lian Li G70B or the SilverStone TJ-09. Both of which were around the same priced shipped in the US (to my location in WA) at around 250~. Granted, I wanted both to have side windows. Anyways, for that price, i am going with the Tj-09 in my summer build. Both are excellent cases and I just like the overall look of the Tj09 way better than the G70b, and layout of the case :D
 
the Silverston TJ109 , you will fall in love with it, lots of room and just a fantasically built case, my freind just got one and I would eat of of it :D
 
KaotiK_^, i don't think overclockers do the V1000 with the side fan any more. The only one listed has a solid side panel.

Out of the PC7 and PC-A16, which would be the better case?

Here are my options, as of now:

Silverstone TJ09 with a 3 x 5.25" Bay Adapter (with 120mm fan).
With this setup i'll have one fan blowing into the graphics card area and the other toward the CPU.

Lian Li V1000B with a side window, HDD bay adapter (with 120mm fan) and blower fan (this isn't the one which draws air out the side of the case, but out of the back instead).
With this setup, there's only one fan blowing into the motherboard area of the case, and another extracting air from around the graphics card area.

Lian Li PC7 with windowed side panel (with mesh), HDD bay adapter (with 120mm fan) and it comes with the good side fan which exhausts air out of the side of the case through the mesh.
This is a good setup because there are 2 fans blowing onto the motherboard, and another exhausting air from around the GPU. (Similar to the TJ09 setup, only with a side fan)

Lian Li PC-A16 with HDD bay adapter (with 120mm fan). I don't think there's a window panel for this model and it already comes with a blower fan.
Even though i prefer this case to the PC7, i can't have a window on it. It does, however, have a very similar fan setup, only with a different side fan which exhausts air out of the rear of the case.

Which of those options would be best? I like the idea of having a fan over the graphics card area in the Lian Li models. However, with the V1000B i'll have to get a blower fan since the normal fan you get with it won't work with a windowed panel which doesn't have a mesh to exhaust the air out of.

By the way, here's the blower fan incase anybody doesn't know what it is.


Here's the good side fan.


Gaiden133 and Krenum, how is the cooling in the TJ09? The main drawback, when compared with the Lian Li cases, is that it can't have a blower or side fan.
 
AMD_RULES said:
agreed.
I personally like the Tj07 better...that's gonna be my next case :)
Click to expand...

hyt3k9 said:
Out of the choices you listed there, I would go with the TJ09
Click to expand...

Thank, you two. Aren't the Lian Li cases better quality, though. Also, with the Silverstone cases, i don't have the option of a side fan over the graphics card area.

AMD_RULES, would you say the TJ07 is better for cooling than the TJ09? It doesn't have any intake fans at the front, does it?
 
Mansize_tissue said:
AMD_RULES, would you say the TJ07 is better for cooling than the TJ09? It doesn't have any intake fans at the front, does it?
Click to expand...
Well i dont have the Tj07 (yet ;) ), but I think it probably does since there are dedicated 120mm fans to cool the hard drives and there are two rear 92mm fans and two top 120mm fans which can also be exhaust which will certainly cool done your hardware superbly.
Personally, I find the Tj07 to have better looks and styling. It also probably has better cooling performance than the Tj09 since the Tj09 only has two 120mm fans if i recall correctly.

Either way, you can't go wrong :)

Hope this helps,
AMD_RULES

edit: the Tj07 does not have intake fans, but that shouldn't be a problem with the number of exhaust fans the case has inside
 
AMD_RULES said:
the Tj07 does not have intake fans, but that shouldn't be a problem with the number of exhaust fans the case has inside
Click to expand...

Thank you. This is all and well, but there are no fans blowing air over the components and motherboard. Gah, i really don't know what case to get.
 
You should definitely go for the TJ-07.
That's going to be my next addition for sure. :)
 
k00lance said:
You should definitely go for the TJ-07.
Click to expand...

Y'think? I don't know, though. It doesn't look much better at cooling than the TJ09, plus it doesn't even have any intake fans at the front which is a real downside, in my eyes.

I think my choice is still between the PC7, PC-A16, V1000 and TJ09.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Y'think? I don't know, though. It doesn't look much better at cooling than the TJ09, plus it doesn't even have any intake fans at the front which is a real downside, in my eyes.

I think my choice is still between the PC7, PC-A16, V1000 and TJ09.
Click to expand...

Why not put one there?
Scythe Kama Bay is pretty good for that purpose.
I simply picked TJ-07 because I think it looks better than the TJ-09.
TJ-09 looks somewhat too "plain" for my taste.
 
Yeh now that you've brought the TJ07 into it things change. TJ07 is an amazing case if you ask me but how much do you plan to spend on a case or is price not an issue? Plus the TJ07 is a full tower case where as the V1000 is a mid tower.
 
Price isn't really an issue, as long as it's under £200. (Luckily, the TJ07 is £199).

Anyway, even if i do add a 120mm fan to the front of the TJ07, it will still only be as similar to the TJ09 for cooling (since that, too, has a 120mm fan in the front of it). I'd have to add at least two 120mm fans to the TJ07, and one extra one to the TJ09, and they'd still offer similar cooling across the whole motherboard and leave only 1 drive bay free. Therefore, the TJ07 isn't really offering me anything extra over the TJ09. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

I won't have any problems fitting a Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme and 8800GTX in any of these cases, will i?
 
Right, so it looks like i'm chosing between the Lian Li V1000, Silverstone TJ09 and Stacker 832. Any more thoughts?

This rig is going to be air cooled, and it's important that a lot of cool air is blown over the motherboard. This mean, if i got the TJ09, i'd have to add a fan to the 5.25" bays, so i'll lose 3 of them. It isn't a problem with the Stacker, because there's 9 drive bays. Thanks again!
 
Go with TJ-09.
V1000 is too small and 832 is so limited.
I have 2 832's here sitting in my room because they couldn't fit my 5.25 ICY DOCK's.. :rolleyes:
 
k00lance said:
Go with TJ-09.
V1000 is too small and 832 is so limited.
I have 2 832's here sitting in my room because they couldn't fit my 5.25 ICY DOCK's.. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I'm only used them for air cooling, so this shouldn't really be a problem, right? What do you think of the Stacker 832; is the quality good?
 
Stacker 832 all the way for air cooling, you wont regret it. ;) One note though, if you do get the Stacker I suggest a non-tower cooler like the Big Typhoon, Silverstone NT-06 or Enzotech Ultra-X. That way the fan directly over the cpu in the side bracket can blow cold air right into the heat sink.

Quality is great, it's on par with Lian-Li. The case is bigger than both the TJ09 and V1000, both inside and outside.

If you want to go watercooling later on though get a V2000 or TJ07...
 
How would the Stacker 832 compare with the V1000 and TJ09 for air cooling? The latter 2 seem much better quality cases, but neither have any descent way of blow cool air over the motherboard.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
I'm only used them for air cooling, so this shouldn't really be a problem, right? What do you think of the Stacker 832; is the quality good?
Click to expand...

The quality is okay and the build design is a little tricky.
Just becareful with the bay because it won't fit any hotswaps I own.
 
k00lance said:
The quality is okay and the build design is a little tricky.
Just becareful with the bay because it won't fit any hotswaps I own.
Click to expand...

I'm going for the 830, i've decided. If i get the 4-in-3 bays made by Coolermaster they should be fine, right?

How is the build design tricky?
Also, what colour is your case? I can't deside whether to get to get the black or silver version, or whether the 832 would be a better option.
 
Most of the Silverstone cases are ugly in my opinion. The TJ-09 is the possible exception, but even then there are things about it I don't like. I can find a number of nice Lian-Li's that I wouldn't mind owning and probably would own if they actually fit my needs.

Mansize_tissue said:
I'm going for the 830, i've decided. If i get the 4-in-3 bays made by Coolermaster they should be fine, right?

How is the build design tricky?
Also, what colour is your case? I can't deside whether to get to get the black or silver version, or whether the 832 would be a better option.
Click to expand...

I can help you out here. The 4-in-3 bays are fine. They'll work perfectly, but you can only install two of them in the 830's or you'll have to use an external optical drive. I'd go with the black as the silver shows fingerprints really easily. Also go for the 832 or Stacker Evolution. The regular 830's won't accept PSU's longer than 7 inches in length. Even the PC Power & Cooling Silencer and Quad 750's have to be inverted to fit properly and they aren't much longer than standard ATX specification calls for. Sure you could cut the flange that holds the upper fan mounting bracket, but why get ghetto on a $200 case when you can just spend a little more and do it right?

Mansize_tissue said:
As much as i want the TJ09 (mainly because it looks awesome), if i add a 120mm fan i won't be able to add a fan controller in later if i chose to with an optical drive above it.

KaotiK_^, thank you for the confirmation. If i got it, i'd like to get the second side panel with the window and mesh.

Have you not considered putting an extra 120mm fan module up front, or don't your components require it?

No one likes the PC-A16, huh?
Click to expand...

I love the PC-A16 and seriously considered buying one.

I had to ditch my 830 and replace it for the above mentioned reason.
 
Thank you, Dan. It looks like i'm either getting the Stacker 830 Evolution or 832. I can't decide which door i prefer, what about you? I also can't decide between the silver and black version, if i get the 830 that is. The thing is, the black Evolution, which i think i like best, is £40 more than the 832. But, saying that, i think i'm beginning to like the silver version more. Oh, this is too hard!
 
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