New LianLi PC-V1000 silent case

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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shathal
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Post by shathal » Fri Apr 23, 2004 1:51 pm

200-300 dollars is a fair bit.

Fans themselves shouldn't be a biggie though. I assume that among SPCR people, those tend to get replaced "as standard".

Mind, if you already fork out that much, I'd somewhat expect quality fans in there...

Thanks for the translation :).

Project
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Post by Project » Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:13 pm

i wonder if a Zalman 7000 alcu would fit in one of these =)

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Post by bigred » Fri Apr 23, 2004 3:23 pm

wotan2525 wrote:anyone know when these cases should be out?
The Lian-Li site says mid May.

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Post by rweilacker » Sun Apr 25, 2004 4:18 pm

If anyone finds out where to order? ; let me know!
I want one.

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Post by danielvh » Mon Apr 26, 2004 8:40 am

Reviews just up @ AMD review and @ Overclocker Cafe. Looks interesting but I want the Lian-Li 6077.

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Post by bigred » Wed Apr 28, 2004 6:53 pm


Project
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Post by Project » Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:19 pm

it looks nice, but i wonder if the zalman 7000alcu fits =( doesnt look like it

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Post by jnitis » Thu Apr 29, 2004 12:13 am

Anandtech review:

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=2040

Looks like it's great for style/cooling, but slightly louder (2db) than the 6070. Hrmmmm...

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Post by utekineir » Thu Apr 29, 2004 2:29 am

besides the price these cases look sick, especially the v1100 if the intake isn't screwed. The hd's seem to be in their own isolated box that you can soundproof the hell out of while still keeping good airflow and not adding heat to the rest of the system. Dampen the hd's, maybe add a bit more foam, plenty of hd air flow from low 120 in front and low ps in back, then run wc in the top section with a rad where the exhaust should be, shrouded fan out the back. Too bad it will be about $300

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Post by luminous » Thu Apr 29, 2004 3:18 am

I've just read the reviews of this case and it looks promising. The HDD bays look like you will be able to suspend the HDD's inside them, unlike other cases where you have to use the 5 1/4" bays.

On a negative note it I don't think you will be able to use the Zalman heatpipe VGA coolers as the motherboard is upside down. Zalman's fitting instructions on their website seem to agree with me.

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Post by RaNDoMMAI » Thu Apr 29, 2004 6:00 am

Why do they have that area between the PSU and the HDDs?

in the anandtech review. it blocks off bigger PSU from fitting.

i just woke up so i probably missed something.

I dont think i like all the holes in the v-1000

Seems to me alot of dust can come in easy.


~RaNDoM

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Post by Rusty075 » Thu Apr 29, 2004 6:46 am

ADMIN NOTE: For continuity, I've copied over the comments that Edward and I made in a parallel thread...just to keep all the comments in one place:
Edward Ng wrote:Post subject: AnandTech reviews the Lian-Li V1000...

...supposedly exclusively, right here. Availability in the second half of May.

From what I can tell, it will be hell trying to hide the power and PATA cables in this thing (look at that tiny oval hole for running the cables!), but the separate air channel for the HDD and PSU beneath should prove interesting from a cooling standpoint. I very much like the side panel locking rail mechanism.

Also, according to Kris Kubicki, "Overall, the entire chassis is well built and much stronger than any aluminum casing that we have seen in the past." This would lead me to believe that perhaps this enclosure stands a ghost of a chance of being somewhat quieter than your average aluminum case, but we have to see for ourselves how much sound all those holes allow through the case. Maybe they can be sealed, however, but I don't see how they can be sealed without something sticky that will collect dust like crazy!

Mr. Kubicki says it's quiet, particularly considering the holes, but he's no SPCRer, so let's see how things pan out when it finally comes out next month!

-Ed
And then from your's truly:


Mr. Kubicki also says that he considers 2 medium-flow 120mm fans to be insufficient for case cooling, so I'll take his acoustic impressions with a very large grain of salt.

But from a design point of view it's....interesting. Some really nice points, some downright goofy.

The PSU is goofy: While it looks like they've created a duct across the bottom, containing the PSU and HDD's, they really haven't. The HDD's are blocked off from the PSU by a wall. (the wall that gave him trouble while installing the over-sized PSU) So the HDD's are cooled by the 120mm intake, and the PSU draws its air in from the bottom of the mobo component, through the slot for the cables, or through the holes in the bottom of the case.

I was wondering how long it would take for a G5 clone to arrive....but I figured ThermalTake would make it first.

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Post by Edward Ng » Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:14 am

Yeah, my bad; I somehow missed Kris' release of that article yesterday (man, how the hell did I miss that?!?), and decided to post a new thread, perhaps to get more people's attention in regards to this case, without realizing that someone else had already posted prior in this older thread.

-Ed

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Post by Rusty075 » Thu Apr 29, 2004 8:03 am

Don't feel bad Ed, MGP just did the same thing:
MGP wrote:Hey, checkout Lian-Li's new case design (both exterior and interior). Anandtech posted a review of it today:

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=2040

This all-alumninum bad-boy includes room for two 120mm fans -- perhaps one of the best things about this case other than the fact that Steve Jobs is probably shitting a brick right now (or not ) is that the rear 120mm fan exhaust is positioned virtually right next where the CPU would go...for all you Dell-wannabes and CPU ducters out there, be sure to check it out!

....

As you can see, Lian-Li has redesigned the case's interior with the placement of the PSU at the bottom and the PCI slots at the top (looks like ATX flipped upside down )

...

Oh, and I just noticed one bad thing: the machine-stamped fan grills are WAY TOO restricted! Maybe a little modding would do the trick.
(posted just the text, the images can be found in anand's review.)

EDIT: In an (probably vain) attempt to avoid more confusion, I've changed the name of this thread to reflect the correct model name, and I've deleted the parallel threads.

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Post by powergyoza » Sat May 01, 2004 3:21 pm

Man, that partition between the PSU area and the HDD area is downright idiotic. So is the restrictive rear vent in the MB area. If they're gonna copy a G5 can't they do it right? And look at the WTX spec for good measure.

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Post by luminous » Sun May 02, 2004 1:57 pm

Nice work Rusty - its nice to have all the relevant info in one topic

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Post by bigred » Sat May 08, 2004 1:40 am

I wonder if LL's projection that these cases will be available "After Mid of May" will hold up? I really want to get my hands on a PC-V1100.

Does anyone have an opinion on using this case with a SilentMaxx 350 Fanless PSU?

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Post by Ephemeral » Mon May 17, 2004 10:11 pm

CoolerGuys and pctoys have the 1000/2000 in stock now it seems.

I'm still looking for a vendor carrying the 1100 or 2100 models though (the ones with a door). If anyone finds them please post...

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Post by MikeC » Mon May 17, 2004 10:44 pm

It is interesting but looks seriously flawed to me.

Anandtech's review tested the case with:

AMD MP2100
Seagate Cheetah 10000RPM
Inno3D GeForce4 Ti 4200
TTGI 4 Fan 520W

Only the Cheetah is at all hotter than normal, and it's just 20W or less. The rest are all cooler than even mid-level components today. And that TTGI PSU has four fans.

With the board being upside down, there are definite thermal limitations -- such as the CPU heat rising up towards the VGA, and rising VGA heat having nowhere to go. Put in the components that were in the ARM Systems Powerhouse P4-3.2 system, and this baby could turn into a furnace.

And I totally agree with Powergyoza's comments. (where ya been old timer?)

To take a Bluefront PoV, does this thing have any filters? It sure looks like it needs 'em.

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Post by Ephemeral » Tue May 18, 2004 12:15 am

Note it looks like all 5 models have the rear of the case perforated to the very top (so even with the active fan being at the middle of the case, any rising heat should be able to escape by convection and prevent a significant furnace effect). While this may not give ideal airflow, I'm guessing it would not count as a grave flaw either. Hopefully field reports will start coming in soon :).

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Post by daba » Thu May 20, 2004 7:10 pm

I love the V-1000b. Lowest I've seen it for is ~$200.

Gonna get it at the end of the summer or year (when it's a little cheaper, hopefully).

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Post by freddec » Wed May 26, 2004 12:11 pm

I like these cases.

I like the separation between the psu and the hdd. the psu is autonomous; sucking air from the floor through the bottom grill. In classic atx, the psu get the hot air from the cpu: too bad.

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Post by bigred » Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:01 am

In a new review of the v1000, there was a pic that the writer took that gave me some concern.
http://images.gruntville.com/images/har ... 0/LL30.jpg
In that pic it shows the Heatsink awefully close to the bottom of the mobo area. Could pose a problem for some people.

Review link.
http://www.gruntville.com/reviews/cases ... /index.php

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Post by MikeC » Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:13 am

bigred wrote:In that pic it shows the Heatsink awefully close to the bottom of the mobo area. Could pose a problem for some people.
Yup, looks like a dumb design flaw, especially in a case that is obviously trying to woo the "power user" market who want fast hot CPUs and BIG heatsinks. You'd think the marketing guys would have been all over the tech team on this during product development. Amazing that such simple things can be overlooked in a case being sold for that much $$! :roll:

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Post by Edward Ng » Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:35 am

Actually, from the looks of it, there's a possibility that the Hyper 6 would just fit, and by the orientation on this mainboard, you could even use dual 80s in push->pull. The best part? It's so close to the floor that if it breaks off it won't clobber anything on its way, "down!" :lol:

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Post by bigred » Tue Jun 01, 2004 3:32 pm

MikeC wrote:Yup, looks like a dumb design flaw, especially in a case that is obviously trying to woo the "power user" market who want fast hot CPUs and BIG heatsinks. You'd think the marketing guys would have been all over the tech team on this during product development. Amazing that such simple things can be overlooked in a case being sold for that much $$! :roll:
You really don't like this case much, eh? :)

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Post by MikeC » Tue Jun 01, 2004 3:51 pm

bigred wrote:You really don't like this case much, eh? :)
Well, I don't have a special problem with this particular case. per se. I admit to being a nitpicker when it comes to pricier products. If this was on a $50 case I'd shrug... but it's not. And it is a simple thing, a small thing, but a significant thing - if you want to use it as a "power" case.

There's dumb aspects in most of the stuff I've reviewed for SPCR -- and most things made by people. Including me. :roll:

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Post by bigred » Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:24 pm

I agree, for a company like LianLi its an un-characteristic mistake.

davidstone28
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Post by davidstone28 » Mon Sep 20, 2004 10:46 am

I have a V2000. Here are my comments:-

1. The wires from the front USB/firewall do not reach the motherboard properly - they're too short. Bit of a design glitch. Needs to be rectified in any revised version.

2. Airflow throughout the case is poor. The rear case fan has a incredibly restrictive grill (same grill as the holes on the front of the case). Cutting it out would be fairly easy but you would need a dremel (don't think tin snips would work).

3. Airflow to the HDDs is quite good but could be better - simply because it blows across the width of the HDDs and is HDD mouting rack which restricts airflow. To be fair this is the same problem as with alot of cases eg. Sonata, BQE etc which have sideways mounted HDDs. Also there is no through passage for air to travel from the front of the case to the rear of the case (there is a vertical pannel blocking things off). With a single drive HDD temps are 31C, two drives, 37C. Drives in the middle HDD bay do not appear to get much air (too far away from front fan) and run considerably hotter. It's a shame Lian-Li didn't put a 2nd lot of fan mounting holes in this area between the HDD racks and rear PSU compartment.

4. The case "hums" more than a steel case. Call it chasis resonance or whatever but you only have to put your hand on the case to feel the vibrations throughout the chasis. AcoustiPack would probably help in this regard.

5. The HDD mounting system is poor. Screws are stiiff and don't slide the drives in and out as well as a rail mounted system.

6. Noise wise the case is much poorer than a Sonata. Sound leaks, particularly from the HDDs and seems to transmit itself into the chasis. If you have noisy HDDs and want a quiet system, this case is not for you. The Sonata with AcoustiPak is much better - HDD noises are muffled very well. Front door of the Sonata also helps. In my Sonata (Acoustipack), I can't hear the Samsung Spinpoint at all. In the Lian-Li, I can.

7. Oversized CPU heatsinks may not fit - would be very near to the middle panel.

Okay, here's are a few good points:-

1. It's big. Alot of room to play with.

2. HDD cooling is better than the Sonata.

3. If you have a fanless PSU, removing the rear panel helps negates any extra heat created by the PSU - the PSU has room to 'breathe'. Otherwise not removing the panel results in huge system temp increases because the air has nowhere to go except up towards the motherboard / CPU etc. Removing the panel allows air to escape. The seperate 'air zones' or compartments is definitely a bonus in this regard. I suspect the effect would not be as great on the V1000 though as it has a smaller / more enclosed PSU compartment.

All in all, I'm a little bit disappointed with the case. Improvement for the future could include:-

a. Rubber grommeting the HDD mounts to reduce vibration.
b. Rubber grommeting the side panels to reduce vibration.
c. Stick on a front door with side vents and rubber seals to keep the looks but reduce the noise from the HDDs (the V1100, V2100 doesn't have this).
d. Having a blow hole (with optional flap) on the side of the case near the HDDs to allow air to blow along their length rather than their width.
Last edited by davidstone28 on Mon Sep 27, 2004 12:48 am, edited 7 times in total.

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Post by teejay » Mon Sep 20, 2004 11:22 am

Just thought I'd add a contribution (I have a V1000). I agree with some of davidstone28's negatives, but I'll throw in my own opinions along the way:

1. wires fron the front USB/firewire are long enough in the V1000 - but just barely;
2. rear case fan is very restrictive, I dremeled that out right away. Also did away with the included fan "shroud" as it raises case temp about 4C.
3. IMO HDD's are cooled sufficiently. Mine stay below 35C (both Dtemp and temp probe) which is fine by me;
4. It definately hums & vibrates: you hear and can feel this clearly. I believe it can be dampened though;
5. hdd mounting works fine but transfers just as much vibration as regular screw-mounting;
6. sound leaks from the hdd section but the hdd compartment can be padded quite easily. It's suspending or "soft-mounting" the harddisk which poses the real problem;
7. On my board (Asus A7N8X deluxe) the cpu heatsink barely clears the middle divider.

I would like to add some negatives:
1. cable management is difficult and a clean look nigh impossible;
2. the inverted motherboard places many onboard connectors a long way off (like SATA: I needed 1m cables);
3. hot air tends to collect at the top of the case, back-top grille not withstanding.

Some additional good points:
1. The included adda fans work perfectly with PWM; they are way too loud at 12V though;
2. I love the "standard" psu duct and the separated "thermal zones": cpu is definately a lot cooler than my previous case;
3. room for extra devices like my T-Balancer (I only have 2 harddisks so I can use the entire 2nd harddisk "bay");
4. air intake through the open front seems to work well;
5. Looks. Sorry, doesn't make it any more silent, I know....

Things I will try on this case at some point in time:
1. really sealing of the various sections (mobo, hdd, psu);
2. inverting the airflow (I've read about that somewhere on SPCR: using the back fan as an intake, perhaps ducting it to the cpu heatsink);
3. suspending or soft-mounting the hdd's (not sure how yet, not much room in the V1000, but ideas are forming). Then again, maybe I should just dump the Maxtors (from a pre-SPCR era).

Sorry for the long ramble, perhaps it will help some of you out there who are considering this case. Despite the negatives, I am very happy with it. For me it is a new step towards silence... and it just looks great. Or did I mention that already? :D

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