Looking for ideas - new case

Brian_B

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So my current build is in a Lian Li Lancool 215.

I do not recommend that case.

I'm looking to replace it.

I've got an ATX motherboard and 2 240mm radiators.

The computer currently lives up on my desk behind my two monitors (corner desk) - as such, some optimal combination of small footprint and low noise would be desired. No big EATX cases, nothing bigger than the current mid-tower style I have. A cube style would probably work well. I'm tempted to lay the tower over on it's side and go back to the old PC style cases that lay horizontal - that would work pretty well back in the corner too.

Any thoughts? I've taken a quick look but haven't picked any favorites yet - there are no shortage of mid-tower cases that would work, that part is overwhelming. Cube style - not so many that will support dual radiators that I saw just from a glance.
 
I have only two real search recommendations - find something that is easy to work on, i.e. doesn't sacrifice external volume for a cramped interior, and find something that allows you to position your AIOs as either both intake, or both exhaust.

Note that you generally don't want to put an AIO radiator horizontally (flat) on the bottom of a case, with the pump oriented above it, so this makes the above trickier than it sounds at first.

Might look at Hyte's Y40 and Y60 cases as an example, where you can put intake in the bottom and use the side and top fan mounts as exhaust, or if you don't mind using an open chassis, something like Thermaltake's P3 Pro.
 
LazyGamer said:
Note that you generally don't want to put an AIO radiator horizontally (flat) on the bottom of a case, with the pump oriented above it, so this makes the above trickier than it sounds at first.
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Yeah this is where I'm getting hung up, making sure this will work.

My current case has the rads mounted front and top, both as intakes - trying the positive pressure thing, but I don't think it really does all that good - that or I just have so many dogs and cats and dust that it doesn't matter so much. It's always a constant struggle keeping filters clean, and the insides of the case aren't that much better off for it.

Open Chassis - I like the idea, but with 3 cats, it's a no-go in my house right now.

I know I have threatened to make a wooden PC case, or at least take an open chassis and somehow integrate it into my desk - still tempted, but free time is the constraint right now.

I would just live with the current Lian Li - I mean, it works... I was never in love with it though, and it had 2 big 200mm intake fans along the front - one failed a while back, and the second is starting to go (big fans seem to be more prone to bearing issues). The cost to replace those fans with something decent puts me within spitting territory of just getting another case outright - and getting something a bit better built and that I'm happier with.

With a radiator just behind those failing fans, the case still has air flow. I know a lot of people would cringe at having rads acting as intakes, but overall temps stay pretty decent, even with the missing 200mm fan in the front - since the CPU and GPU are getting cool exterior air, and the SSD/RAM are probably the only other things I really need to worry about too much inside the case - and none of those seem to get too warm.
 
Brian_B said:
2 big 200mm intake fans along the front
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Noctua makes 200mm fans - cheaper than a new case, and probably quieter at this point? Just make sure you can fit 30mm thick fans (double check the thickness specs to be sure).
 
I have used the Phanteks P600S and the NZXT H7 Flow with great results. Not totally sure how they measure up in size to the Lian Li 215 you currently have. Both of these cases have been up on my desk as well. Both are considered to be mid towers.
 
Niner51 said:
have used the Phanteks P600S and the NZXT H7 Flow with great results.
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Thanks, the NZXT had made my short list looking around last night. Hadn’t looked at the Phanteks yet but will take a peek
 
I love my case... but I like my cases big... those itty bitty cases with no room for rads... are toys made for boys... ok it didn't work. But I tried.
 
Speaking of putting it in your desk... I've been quite happy with the Lian Li DK-05FX myself...
 
Well...I wouldn't recommend the Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic XL. I thought it was super cool at the time and its easy enough to work in. However, you are limited in terms of radiator space and the **** thing rattles like hell. I suspect a lot of cases with glass panels do.
 
Dan_D said:
Well...I wouldn't recommend the Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic XL. I thought it was super cool at the time and its easy enough to work in. However, you are limited in terms of radiator space
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I don't know how the new O11 Evo XL does, but I did start to feel cramped in the non-Evo XL when building my first loop. Has had me flirting with an open chassis since, like the Thermaltake I linked above.

But also just using a MO-RA and calling it done, with plentiful QDCs and maybe two pumps to overcome the additional restriction.

Dan_D said:
...and the **** thing rattles like hell. I suspect a lot of cases with glass panels do.
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Can't say I've noticed that on my copy, but it's perhaps a newer batch?
 
My current rads are AIO style, I haven't done a custom loop in probably a decade. That doesn't change much - other than the tubing being a fixed length and not needing a reservoir someplace.

I will say the O11 popped up on my radar, but I saw that it was the "new" steel Lian Li, not the older Aluminum, and that immediately turned me off, as that's the same crap my current Lancool is and I hate it.

Right now the short list is:
Fractal Designs Define R5, R6 or R7 Compact (not exactly sure what the differences here are yet)
NZXT H5 Flow


I do like the look of the Fractal Design North as well, but I think the Define would be quieter, and the case sits behind my monitors, so it wouldn't get shown off.

And I love the Hyte Y60, that was a good suggestion, I just think that case would end up being too wide to fit. The Y40 is a possibility though - it looks really similar to the H5 Flow.
 
LazyGamer said:
I don't know how the new O11 Evo XL does, but I did start to feel cramped in the non-Evo XL when building my first loop. Has had me flirting with an open chassis since, like the Thermaltake I linked above.

But also just using a MO-RA and calling it done, with plentiful QDCs and maybe two pumps to overcome the additional restriction.


Can't say I've noticed that on my copy, but it's perhaps a newer batch?
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I think it has to do with my water pump and distribution plate setup. I think that's the cause of it.
 
Dan_D said:
I think it has to do with my water pump and distribution plate setup. I think that's the cause of it.
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The cheapo front-panel pump mount / distro / reservoir I ordered from Malaysia has actually worked out pretty well, though limited re-use is an obvious downside to those. I assume you've tried dampening gaskets and so on?

Brian_B said:
I hadn't see this before - that thing is a beast. It puts the old Koolance Exos systems to shame.
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Best one is the 420 variant that comes with 200x4 mounting, and their fan power splitter designed specifically for using four 200mm Noctua fans. You'd have to really overload a loop (i.e., an HEDT CPU and a handful of Quadros) to overpower it, assuming you could keep the room its in cool too!
 
LazyGamer said:
I don't know how the new O11 Evo XL does, but I did start to feel cramped in the non-Evo XL when building my first loop. Has had me flirting with an open chassis since, like the Thermaltake I linked above.
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My new(ish) computer is housed in the EVO and I really have no significant complaints. Plenty of configuration options depending on how you build it, and fairly well engineered. I have mine stuffed with an EATX motherboard and two 360 AIO radiators (cpu and gpu). A minor nit is the motherboard's cable connection edge (and cables) slightly overlaps in front of the side radiator but I'm sure that condition doesn't restrict airflow enough to make much difference. An ATX motherboard would have plenty of room. It was a small chore routing cables to the hidden backside, but even that was able to be accomplished with planning and a small dab of determination. I got the extra USB ports to mount on the underside, and they've proven to be handier than the non-expanded port configuration for how I placed the setup. The other minor nit is based more on my physical setup than the case itself (more on this below).

I, too, prefer a corner desk, and mine has a hutch with cabinets to the right and left of the monitor space. This means the size and number of potential monitors is limited. My old setup had my computer case on top of the hutch back behind the monitors and sounds similar to how @Brian_B described his setup. But the hutch top is not very wide, and the new EVO is. So I have it on top of one of the cabinets instead of behind the monitors. To make a long story short, the result is that the back of the case (where all the cables plug in) is exposed and is a bit unsightly. Fortunately it sits just beyond my peripheral vision so I don't notice it much and now I'm used to it. It won't win any beauty contest, but that isn't why I bought it in the first place.
 
I would normally put my case under the desk back in the corner, that was my original intention when I moved the desk in this room -- but the dogs have taken that area up as their nap time spot, and anything down there gets covered in dirt/hair and has a high chance of getting unplugged. So the computer didn't stay down there long.

Also, it made under the desk really F'n hot and sweaty gaming junk is a real thing. I had half a mind a few years ago to do what Zath with his rig recently -- one of the walls is adjacent to a bonus room, right where a TV hutch is, and it wouldn't take much to just put a passway through the wall and set the rig up in the other room. But to get there you have to go down one set of stairs and up another, and that didn't sound like the best idea after I thought about it some more.
 
LazyGamer said:
The cheapo front-panel pump mount / distro / reservoir I ordered from Malaysia has actually worked out pretty well, though limited re-use is an obvious downside to those. I assume you've tried dampening gaskets and so on?
Click to expand...
Honestly, I've just dealt with it. I hadn't really thought about it.
 
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