still working on my v351 build with on a EG45M-UD2H and a Q9550. With stock heatsink and fans, I was seeing core temps of around 76C running Prime95 and the system was loud.

I replaced the stock heatsink with a Minja + 92mm Nexus DF1209SL-3PWM. I positioned the Nexus at the rear of the Minja, pulling air through the heatsink and exhausting out the rear panel perforations. The front 120s in the case are blowing right on the heatsink, so it seemed like a good idea. It barely fit back there right above the rear connectors of the motherboard... and I mean barely.

I also took out the rear 80mm that came with the case and replaced it with another 92mm Nexus PWM.

I now see core temps around 54C with Prime95. Satisfied, well almost.

I'm going to create a new backplate for the 92mm fan. The existing piece of metal limits airflow and is perforated for 80mm. This should be easy enough.

I'm also going to drill several more rows of perforations in the rear of the motherboard tray to allow more airflow from the 92mm on the Minja to exhaust better out the rear of the case.

Still trying to figure out what GPU to put in here... not liking the intel integrated solution. Would like a 9800 series at least, 2xx series even better, but am worried about noise!

I'm loving this case... fits perfectly on my bookshelf. Pics to follow!

(check newer posts in this topic for updates)

I ended up moving the 92mm CPU fan to the front of the Mini Ninja. It ran 6C cooler in the back, but it hit against the connectors on the motherboard, causing a hummm.



In order to get the drive bezel to fit, the blu-ray drive must be recessed into the case .5". Unfortunately, the slots for the drive are not deep enough. A quick turn with Dremel and I extended the top groove all the way through so I could fit a thumb screw. I didn't want to touch the bottom slot, as cutting it through would severely weaken the cage. I chose thumb screws for mounting, as once the power supply is installed, it would be impossible to remove the drive with a screwdriver. With thumb screws, I can use a small set of pliers to remove the screws if necessary.



Sadly, the Lian Li aluminum drive bezel is not compatible with the v351, so we get even more problems. I had to cut the tabs off, and shorten the arms by .25" for it to fit. Now with no way to mount the unit, I ended up using 3M 2lb. double sticky adhesive strips for a semi-permanent mounting solution.




Completed build. The drive bezel really looks good... much cleaner than the logo-graffiti'd front of the LG blu-ray drive. Here you can also see the blue LED power switch (in real-life, it is nowhere near as bright... this is a timed exposure), and the reset switch is also the red LED HDD indicator. The motherboard EG45M-UD2H has the "Phase LED" feature that shows CPU loading with green - yellow -red LEDs. These match up nicely with the perforated grill in the side of the v351. The grill is glowing red as I have folding@home [SMP] currently running. When gaming, I usually get yellow glow. Low CPU usage is green. This is a nice feature that makes me smile when I look down at the case.



Finished build in it's home. Really looks sharp on the bookshelf. System is near silent at 1m, even under load. I say near silent as I can hear a rushing sound caused by the stock 120mm's. They will be replaced with silent alternatives soon enough. Blu-ray drive is audible when it spins up due to vibration transmitting into case. I'm planning on fitting rubber grommets and screws in the future to help isolate the drive from the case.

How come you didn`t configure the fan to pull through the cooler?

It`s a sweet case and I like how there`s just enough clearance for the minja. It looks very neat in the bookcase.

And one more question, the keyboard is rather nice, which one is it?

/edit: I just read that the fan was bumping against the board. Perhaps a piece of foam in between would solve the humming problem?

Keyboard is from an HP Wireless Elite Desktop. I love the keyboard for it's large keys and simplicity... The mouse that comes with the kit is meh... It lacks side scrolling, absolutely dominates batteries, and has a very audible "click" when depressing the left or right buttons... the loudest ever.

I tried placing a piece of felt between the CPU fan and the rear motherboard connectors to eliminate the hummm. It muffled it, but I could still detect it at 1m away. A larger piece of foam would probably work, but then I'd have to remove the fan clips and use zip ties to attach the fan to the Mini Ninja. Or go back to the stock 80mm.

It did seem to streamline the airflow much better with that fan on the back, exhausting right out the rear grill. After moving the fan to the front and 2 hours of load, case temps rose from 42 to 48, and CPU cores went up from 54 to 60 . (This is on a Q9550 2.83 OC'd to 3.11). This is still well under Q9950 throttle temp of 95-100C, so I'm not worried at all. I'll probably push the clock up and keep the cores under 70.

I'm guessing there's probably some turbulence between the 120 and 92, being different cfm rates and so close together. And I can't feel air rushing out the rear grill like I could when the fan was back there. Future experiments for sure!

Hi Joe!

Great review – I have a V351 and am awaiting the "insides".

One question on the bezel. Did you use bezel with Part # C-02B, i.e. Lian Li's "Universal Black Bezel"? I also have info from my local supplier that it, er, actually isn't universal so I guess that's the one you used.

I'd like to get your look there on the side, looks great, and agree I about the DVD bezel – even if Lian Li's has to be made to fit :=)

I'm also thinking of installing dust filters though – at least on the two 120 mm fans. Will you be using filters in your new fans?

I can't help but notice The Book Of The Dead. nice build!

Yes, that is the C-02B Black Bezel. When cutting it down, you'll be cutting mostly plastic (easy) but also two aluminum tabs for about 1/4". And yes, I *need* filters for the fans. When I replace the stocks, I'll fit some!




Funny how the Book Of The Dead even eclipses the V-351!

Joe – many thanks for the info.

My local dealer has the bezel so I'll be ordering that soon. For the fans, I'm going to try AC Ryan black mesh FanGuards.

Now all I have to do is try to resist getting a Noctua CPU cooler. They look so great – but are so expensive.

Anyway, probably best to build and see what's what to start with. I have no real overclocking planned (since I have no experience with it), so the stock cooler might be OK... or something like a Xigmatek Cobra.

And still ten days 'til everything gets here...

Yesterday I bit the bullet and added the silent cell 9800gt even though I didn't know for sure if it would fit.


Wow... that is a tight fit. Only a sliver of clearance. Yikes! With the 120 right up front, and the 92mm exhaust up top, I should have a steady airflow over the card for silent and cool video!


I also removed the 92mm on the front of the Minja and placed the 80mm on the back. Full temps to follow!

Great pics! I was toying with the idea of the Silent Cell but opted for a lower-powered Zotac "Eco" because of the wattage draw (about 60 W vs. 100+ for the GigaByte). The Zotac has no power connector at all (so theoretically could only draw 75 W absolute max. via the PCIe slot.

In fact I went all Eco on this build – what with SSD drive, i5 CPU, etc., etc.

But I might change my mind if the fan's noisy. :=)

Oh, and I just noticed I ordered what seems to be the exact same DVD drive.

Silent cell doesn't run as cool as I thought it would. Under 100% folding load, I hit an overall high of 79C. I thought the 120mm being right next to the card it would cool a bit better. Then again, I don't know the normal operating temperature of this card, so maybe this is normal? Time to search the internet.

Ok.... latest update. I haven't had time to research 120mm, so I'm still using the stock intakes. I did put them on series so at 6V they are now much, much quieter.

I also took the original 80mm exhaust fan and am running it at 5V attached to the silent cell. It is inaudible, but pushes just enough air to keep the silent cell at 65C full load.

I'm still running a noisy 92mm PWMs for the exhaust, but have them limited with SpeedFan at a max of 55% (1300RPM). With the side panels on (now covered in AcoustiPack), I have a silent computer. Late at night, however, I can hear the upper frequency of the 92mm PWM. It must be replaced soon. Need to do some research on silent PWMs....

Full load temps after several simultaneous hours of Folding@home SMP and GPU clients. Processor is OCd to 3.11GHz:

Core0: 67C 100%
Core1: 65C 100%
Core2: 67C 100%
Core3: 68C 100%
GPU: 65C 100%
HDD: 48C
Case: 46C

Estimated PPD: 6212.58


I'm loving the silence!!!

Just wanted to post an update, now I have finished my Lian Li build (for now at least).

Specs:

Intel i5-750
4 GB Corsair XMS3-10667 DHX Series
Intel X25-M Postville G2
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4
Zotac 1024MB 9800GT Eco Edition
Xigmatek Cobra HDT-D984 Heatpipe Cooler (with Crossbow adapter)
Noctua 92 mm NF-B9 fan

After the initial build I was fairly happy -- especially since this is my first build for many years and all the cables seem to have changed!

But I did notice that the fan that came with the Xigmatek cooler was very loud, especially at higher RPMs.

Since I don't overclock or do much heavy CPU work (hence the i5) I opted to replace the fan with a Noctua 92 mm at lower RPM. (I had even toyed with the idea of their CPU cooler, but it was really very expensive and didn't really justify the price.)

But the fan ... well, this is a quality piece of kit. It also comes with two adapters -- low-noise and ultra-low-noise -- which act as voltage reducers, I guess (the effect is to cut the RPM, also when under the control of the MB). I opted for the low noise adapter and the fan is simply inaudible, even when I do stress the CPU a bit (e.g. running folding@home for a while). It's actually a 3-pin fan but works fine with this Gigabyte motherboard (which can control fans either by voltage or PWM).

The loudest fan would now be the Zotac if I really stress it (modern games on high graphics) but I can live with that since when gaming there is plenty of noise from my speakers/headphones anyway. I might actually need to cool it if I game regularly since it runs pretty hot (the fan is a little on the small side to be honest).

Other than that, I also installed dust covers on the 2 120 mm fans. These were termed "Alumino Fan Filter" (at least here in the EU) and are black, slightly convex affairs. I'll make some pictures if anyone's interested, since they match the fans perfectly (and are dead easy to fix, since the Lian Li fans are just push-in/pull-out and are not secured to the case by screws). They also have the plus of ensuring the many front-side cables behind the front fans cannot now get caught in any way, which I was a little worried about.

I guess if I really wanted to go even more "silent" I could install ultra-low-noise Noctua 120 mm fans in the front, and I might just do that, since I am so impressed by the CPU fan. The spec on one of their latest fan models is as follows: 500 RPM, 5 dB(A), 38.2 m³/h. You pay 20 EUR a fan to enjoy these kind of figures...

One great thing about the whole setup is the low power draw. About 60-80 W under normal usage (i.e. lots in memory but no great CPU/GPU drain).

That's all from me for now, then. As said, if anyone wants any pics or more info, let me know.

@JoeTheZombie - Nice build dude. I am considering that motherboard and was wondering if you could tell me if it allow under volting in the BIOS? I have an e5200 that runs stable @ 0.9750 V even though the stock VID is 1.2875 V. Under volting it drops the temps by about 20 C.

Please let me know and thank you very much! Also, where did you purchase it and how much did you pay? Amazon has them now for $128.

So these green/yellow/red LEDs are hardwired to the MB? Do they just work or do you need to run some Gigabyte software for them to work?

Undervolt is possible, but I haven't used this feature. I see in BIOS CPU Vcore can be adjusted from .50000V to 1.60000V in .00625 increments.
I purchased the board from newegg on a sale at 109 with free shipping.



Yes, they are incorporated directly on the motherboard. You do have to install the Gigabyte DES software to set the LEDs on. However, after initial setting, you don't have to actually use the software anymore...

Thanks for the info. Guess those phase LEDs only with under windows.

The machine sounds awesome. I'd be interested in pics if you have some handy. I'd like to see how all that fit in the case.

I'm trying to find the filters you used. Are they like this?

Joe,

Ran across your thread doing a google image search of all things, and glad I did.

I am contemplating building my first (yikes!) PC, a HTPC. Ive spent many weeks learning about PC builds, HTPC, components, etc. I have almost finalized my build list utilizing the v351, mobo, BluRay, and CPU that you have in your system. Uncanny.

Anyway, the part I am stuck on most is CPU cooling, and your comments above are very helpful. I plan to use the HTPC for HTPC use *only* - no gaming or hardcore video work. Basically, I am tired of paying "the man" (Time Warner) $100/month for basic cable when I barely watch any TV, NetFlix and HULU should sufffice. Thus I also plan to include a TV tuner and buy a set top antenna (I live in Manhattan with oodles of station transmitters within 5 miles).

Anywho, I am really stuck on the cooling aspect. I wonder, given my planned use, how hardcore I need to get. I was also worried when you talked about the bezel situation, as I have no means to modify anything (cutting, etc.) (I live in a 400 sq/ft apartment with very limited tools, and besides, I am not terribly handy in that respect). I figure at least initially I can leave the DVD bezel off as that side of unit wont be very visible in my bookcase.

Can you postulate what level cooling may suffice for my limited HTPC use (no gaming)? I was almost set on the Scythe Big Shuriken cooler, but dont know if it will fit on this mobo, esp given that aluminum piece on the mobo sticking up that says "GIGABYTE" on it. I also plan to use, at least initially, just the on board graphics and audio.

Since this is my very first build, I am trying to do as much research as possible, and your insight to my situation would be appreciated!

Oh here is my tentative component list, compiled after a lot of research, but forgive me if there is something glaringly wrong here!


Case 104 SDM Lian Li v351
BluRay 115 TD LG CH08LS10
CPU 249 TD Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
RAM 86 NE Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5
HDD 110 TD WD Caviar Green 1.5TB
SDDx1 160 TD OCZ OCZSSD2-1VTXT30G Vertex Turbo
MoBo 125 AMZ GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-UD2H
TV tuner 119 NE ASUS My Cinema EHD3-100
PSU 80 TD Ultra X3 ULT40073 600-Watt
Cooler ??

Well, the stock intel cooler will work fine for cooling alone... The reason for large heatsinks is so we can run silent fans at low RPM for very quiet systems. With the mini-ninja, I can run the CPU fan at 900RPM, which is basically inaudible.

I don't know if the Big Shuriken will fit either.

One thing you might want to make sure you have is 90deg SATA cables as PCI cards can block the connectors.

That tuner card looks interesting... I think I'm going to get one.

Thanks Joe,

I will get some of those cables. I am going to wait til the holiday craziness is over to get my stuff for the build - I might also score a few sales as well. My budget is $1200 (therefore system pays for itself in 12 months) and I am right on target, a few sales would be nice.

Yeah I dont know much about tuner cards, but I think this card and an antenna will allow me to get OTA channels for the 25 or so that are available in my area. It may be futile - cant hurt to try (I watch about 6 TV programs a month on TV, so at $100/month for basic cable, thats over $15 per epidsode, which is more than a theater ticket even in NYC ($13)!

Maybe this cooler would be a nice fit.

Well, sorta. You have to have Windows initially to turn the feature on using the software. Once on, I can boot into OSX and the LEDs still work.

corsair h50 would fit?
very nice sff btw =)

Just wanted to add that the Silent Cell 5750 will fit with a little bending and pressure. However, one of the heatpipes may end up rubbing against the chassis. Based on how I got the Silent Cell in there Im sure the passive 5750 by PowerColor won't fit in there without case modification.