Anyone tried this case? It looks better than PC-101 and it does more on harddisk noise.
http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/ ... PC-B20.htm
Lian Li PC-B20
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Longwalker
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 2:35 pm
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Longwalker
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http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1011&pageID=2838
The door is a little restricting but the main case is pretty open.
Isn't really wide open--like this--a bad idea for noise, though? Any grill that lets a lot of air in is also going to let noise out.
The door is a little restricting but the main case is pretty open.
Isn't really wide open--like this--a bad idea for noise, though? Any grill that lets a lot of air in is also going to let noise out.
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Chris Chan
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- Location: Michigan
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Longwalker
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JJ Magneto
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I got mine like a few days ago. I like it's silent operation. Not SUPER silent as advertised tho. Problem was with installing my Scythe Ninja Plus. I took out the slideable mobo tray, installed the cards & CPU & Ninja, but had probs putting it back into the case. Had to take the fan out. However, I could "force" the heatsink in, but I don't think it's a good idea. Installing the heatsink inside the casing itself can be tricky. I suggest installing it first before installing the PSU.
Speaking of which, my Tagan Easycon took a little bit of pressure to get it in & a lil paint got scratched off the PSU, but no big worries, since it's barely noticeable, especially since the PSU is blocked off from side view with the aluminum thingy.
This thing has got lots of sound dampening foam all over. Even in places you would not notice immediately once you open the casing. There's lining of em near the top of the inside, on the sides on the front, and a motherload on the side panels, of course.
It's really silent, unless you put your ear out at the back, since I've got 4 fans blowing air out there (I'm including my Geforce & PSU ones since I can hear them loud and clear). Yep, I reversed the Lian-Li CPU cooler fan to exhaust air since I am blowing air towards the back of the case thru the Ninja. But you could hear a lil bit noise on the front tho if you increase the speed of the front fan to "Hi".
My main gripe tho is with installing my DVD drive. Had to open the stupid front, with stupid screwdrivers, which is pretty stupid since at the back, everything is thumbscrewed. But I guess pleasing aesthetics was more important than practicality. Once in the nightmare didn't stop. The tool-free installation could work if I were to install the drive on it's own, but since I also installed Lian-Li's silver bezel (which makes the outer design look a lot nicer and cleaner, you might want to get it too), I had to push the drive back a lil, and lo and behold, I had to use the screwdriver! Again! Woohoo!
Anyhow, I'm really happy with the case.
CONS:
Stupid front drive installation
Front fan can be a lil noisy if set to "Hi"
Swinging door can't be reversed (unless you happy to do lots of screwing and removing and reinstalling some sound dampening rubbers)
8800 GTX WON'T FIT (unless you remove the hard drive tray thingy). My GTS could barely fit in. Actually I'm, not too sure about this, since I had to insert my PCIE power connector to the end of it.
PROS:
Relatively quiet (depends on what you got inside, I guess)
Looks great
Not too heavy by itself (my Tagan pretty much screwed it up)
Nice hard drive slidable thingamajig
It's quite cheap compared to other high-end Lian-Li midtowers
Oh yea, I forgot to mention that the Ninja does fit in, but only after I took out Lian-Li's CPU air duct mechanism. Piece of cake to do it tho. But what a waste of good solid aluminum.
Speaking of which, my Tagan Easycon took a little bit of pressure to get it in & a lil paint got scratched off the PSU, but no big worries, since it's barely noticeable, especially since the PSU is blocked off from side view with the aluminum thingy.
This thing has got lots of sound dampening foam all over. Even in places you would not notice immediately once you open the casing. There's lining of em near the top of the inside, on the sides on the front, and a motherload on the side panels, of course.
It's really silent, unless you put your ear out at the back, since I've got 4 fans blowing air out there (I'm including my Geforce & PSU ones since I can hear them loud and clear). Yep, I reversed the Lian-Li CPU cooler fan to exhaust air since I am blowing air towards the back of the case thru the Ninja. But you could hear a lil bit noise on the front tho if you increase the speed of the front fan to "Hi".
My main gripe tho is with installing my DVD drive. Had to open the stupid front, with stupid screwdrivers, which is pretty stupid since at the back, everything is thumbscrewed. But I guess pleasing aesthetics was more important than practicality. Once in the nightmare didn't stop. The tool-free installation could work if I were to install the drive on it's own, but since I also installed Lian-Li's silver bezel (which makes the outer design look a lot nicer and cleaner, you might want to get it too), I had to push the drive back a lil, and lo and behold, I had to use the screwdriver! Again! Woohoo!
Anyhow, I'm really happy with the case.
CONS:
Stupid front drive installation
Front fan can be a lil noisy if set to "Hi"
Swinging door can't be reversed (unless you happy to do lots of screwing and removing and reinstalling some sound dampening rubbers)
8800 GTX WON'T FIT (unless you remove the hard drive tray thingy). My GTS could barely fit in. Actually I'm, not too sure about this, since I had to insert my PCIE power connector to the end of it.
PROS:
Relatively quiet (depends on what you got inside, I guess)
Looks great
Not too heavy by itself (my Tagan pretty much screwed it up)
Nice hard drive slidable thingamajig
It's quite cheap compared to other high-end Lian-Li midtowers
Oh yea, I forgot to mention that the Ninja does fit in, but only after I took out Lian-Li's CPU air duct mechanism. Piece of cake to do it tho. But what a waste of good solid aluminum.
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Longwalker
- Posts: 53
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JJ Magneto
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:32 pm
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Longwalker
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 2:35 pm
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JJ Magneto
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:32 pm
Some pics, just in case you're interested.
Last edited by JJ Magneto on Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hey, I also got my Lian Li PC-B20 a few days ago and it sure is an aesthetically beautiful piece of work. I must have spent an hour just marvelling at the finish (mine is the matte black with silver curve) and the great sliding motherboard tray (the main reason why i got the case).
The door is also nicely engineered and solid to the touch (the other main reason for my purchase). Previously my Antec Solo served me well but i sure wished it had a removable motherboard tray and a door!
However, upon installing everything, the expected silence was, frankly speaking, NOT so silent due to 2 main reasons, one of which is Lian Li's fault and the other is more the fault of my new power supply .. the Coolermaster iGreen 500W.
Firstly, the 80 mm fan at the back is CRAP. It exhibits annoying ticking noises and did not help with CPU temps either in exhaust mode or intake mode. REMOVING the fan actually LOWERED the CPU temps!
Incredible.
I use the Noctua NH-U9 heatsink with a Zalman 90 mm fan attached and removing the 80 mm back fan actually LOWERED the CPU temps by as much as 4 deg C. IMO it is more of a hindrance to airflow than a contributor to it. And the ticking sound became grating after a while to the point where it spoilt the SILENT aspect of the case. It probably should have been a larger fan and definitely a different make.
The air guide is also quite redundant when using a custom heatsink for the CPU like the Noctua.
The Coolermaster powersupply is a most regrettable purchase solely due to the noise emitted by the fan inside. This fan is a noise pig and it had to be removed and replaced with a slower fan (I replaced it with a Glacial Tech Silent Blade 0.2 amp..the stock fan is a crappy 0.47 amp model)
This was done by cutting wires and soldering the 2-pin connector to the Glacial Tech fan's molex connector.. molex connector goes in the bin.
As an aside.. why don't ALL fans standardised to 3-pin connections at the very least? Having 2-pins for PSU's and 3-pin or 4-pin for non-PSU applications seriously BLOWS.
Anyways, it is now as quiet if not quieter than the Antec Solo which is no slouch in the quiet department (it is now housing my 2nd PC using the same components with a Silverstone PSU ..the 50EF..a PSU i can't praise highly enough) and it looks more beautiful to boot.
Oh and one more thing, BEWARE of getting video cards with massive coolers on it for this case. I made the mistake of getting the Powercolor 1950 pro which has the massive cooler on it .. it rendered the Lian Li case side fan unusable. This is not Lian Li's fault imo since the Powercolor card cooler is truly BIG and juts out where the side case fan would have been. The cooler however is very efficient and quiet so it is a trade off tht is acceptable.
The other thing with the Lian Li case is that the hard drives HAVE to be mounted only one way..with the connections pointing towards the left side looking from the front. I had the idea of reversing it and connecting them from the right side for better cable gami.. NADA... the motherboard was in the way. If only the HDD module was situated a little more towards the left ...it would have enabled the choice of mounting in either orientation.
The HDD module assembly however works very well with the rubber rings system and is as quiet as the Solo suspension system imo. It probably is more durable due to the dread of the Solo suspenders snapping. I have to point out that it has not snapped as yet in my Solo case but the dread is there.. heh
Oh.. and one last thing.. The 5.25" devices that I installed.. mobile racks and DVD writer did not install square with the hole in the door. They were short of a few cms but the door itself covers it all up so it is no biggie. It sure would have been nice for them to line up though i must say.
As for using the screwdriver for a majority of the build, I can't say that it is that problematic..I have always thought the idea of building a computer with a minimal use of the screwdriver is rather far fetched and not THAT important in the consideration for case purchases.. However.. each to his own in this regard.
Components used in my build include the Intel Bad Axe rev 3.05 mobo, E6600 COnroe CPU, Noctua NH-U9 heat sink + Zalman 90 mm fan, Powercolor 1950 pro, ComProv TV Tuner card, 2 GB Corsair 667 RAM, Coolermaster iGreen 500W, 2 SATA and 1 PATA mobile racks, Pioneer DRV-111 DVD writer and a cantankerous ATI x550 cheapie video card which i have failed to get working with the 1950 pro.. (I require 4 monitors and it just won't boot into windows whenever i enable the x550.. don't know why yet..hmm) and 3 internal WD250 GB JS series.
Temps are as follows (ambient 20C) in idle/net surfing mode
CPU 45C
HDDS average 45 C
Internal Temp 45C
1950 pro 45C
And i connected the CPU fan and the front 120 mm fan to the Lian Li fan controller set at LOW.
PSU voltages appear to be rock solid but i have to give it more time to see if this PSU exhibits the rock sild stability of the SIlverstone that i have used for a while already.
regards
Runn3r
The door is also nicely engineered and solid to the touch (the other main reason for my purchase). Previously my Antec Solo served me well but i sure wished it had a removable motherboard tray and a door!
However, upon installing everything, the expected silence was, frankly speaking, NOT so silent due to 2 main reasons, one of which is Lian Li's fault and the other is more the fault of my new power supply .. the Coolermaster iGreen 500W.
Firstly, the 80 mm fan at the back is CRAP. It exhibits annoying ticking noises and did not help with CPU temps either in exhaust mode or intake mode. REMOVING the fan actually LOWERED the CPU temps!
Incredible.
I use the Noctua NH-U9 heatsink with a Zalman 90 mm fan attached and removing the 80 mm back fan actually LOWERED the CPU temps by as much as 4 deg C. IMO it is more of a hindrance to airflow than a contributor to it. And the ticking sound became grating after a while to the point where it spoilt the SILENT aspect of the case. It probably should have been a larger fan and definitely a different make.
The air guide is also quite redundant when using a custom heatsink for the CPU like the Noctua.
The Coolermaster powersupply is a most regrettable purchase solely due to the noise emitted by the fan inside. This fan is a noise pig and it had to be removed and replaced with a slower fan (I replaced it with a Glacial Tech Silent Blade 0.2 amp..the stock fan is a crappy 0.47 amp model)
This was done by cutting wires and soldering the 2-pin connector to the Glacial Tech fan's molex connector.. molex connector goes in the bin.
As an aside.. why don't ALL fans standardised to 3-pin connections at the very least? Having 2-pins for PSU's and 3-pin or 4-pin for non-PSU applications seriously BLOWS.
Anyways, it is now as quiet if not quieter than the Antec Solo which is no slouch in the quiet department (it is now housing my 2nd PC using the same components with a Silverstone PSU ..the 50EF..a PSU i can't praise highly enough) and it looks more beautiful to boot.
Oh and one more thing, BEWARE of getting video cards with massive coolers on it for this case. I made the mistake of getting the Powercolor 1950 pro which has the massive cooler on it .. it rendered the Lian Li case side fan unusable. This is not Lian Li's fault imo since the Powercolor card cooler is truly BIG and juts out where the side case fan would have been. The cooler however is very efficient and quiet so it is a trade off tht is acceptable.
The other thing with the Lian Li case is that the hard drives HAVE to be mounted only one way..with the connections pointing towards the left side looking from the front. I had the idea of reversing it and connecting them from the right side for better cable gami.. NADA... the motherboard was in the way. If only the HDD module was situated a little more towards the left ...it would have enabled the choice of mounting in either orientation.
The HDD module assembly however works very well with the rubber rings system and is as quiet as the Solo suspension system imo. It probably is more durable due to the dread of the Solo suspenders snapping. I have to point out that it has not snapped as yet in my Solo case but the dread is there.. heh
Oh.. and one last thing.. The 5.25" devices that I installed.. mobile racks and DVD writer did not install square with the hole in the door. They were short of a few cms but the door itself covers it all up so it is no biggie. It sure would have been nice for them to line up though i must say.
As for using the screwdriver for a majority of the build, I can't say that it is that problematic..I have always thought the idea of building a computer with a minimal use of the screwdriver is rather far fetched and not THAT important in the consideration for case purchases.. However.. each to his own in this regard.
Components used in my build include the Intel Bad Axe rev 3.05 mobo, E6600 COnroe CPU, Noctua NH-U9 heat sink + Zalman 90 mm fan, Powercolor 1950 pro, ComProv TV Tuner card, 2 GB Corsair 667 RAM, Coolermaster iGreen 500W, 2 SATA and 1 PATA mobile racks, Pioneer DRV-111 DVD writer and a cantankerous ATI x550 cheapie video card which i have failed to get working with the 1950 pro.. (I require 4 monitors and it just won't boot into windows whenever i enable the x550.. don't know why yet..hmm) and 3 internal WD250 GB JS series.
Temps are as follows (ambient 20C) in idle/net surfing mode
CPU 45C
HDDS average 45 C
Internal Temp 45C
1950 pro 45C
And i connected the CPU fan and the front 120 mm fan to the Lian Li fan controller set at LOW.
PSU voltages appear to be rock solid but i have to give it more time to see if this PSU exhibits the rock sild stability of the SIlverstone that i have used for a while already.
regards
Runn3r
Runn3r, thanks for all the info. I am especially glad to hear that it can be made to be as quiet as the Antec Solo, which is the other case I am considering.
Do you think replacing the 80mm exhaust fan would be a viable alternative to just removing it? If so, which fan would you recommend?
Also, if you had to choose another power supply, which one would you choose?
Do you think replacing the 80mm exhaust fan would be a viable alternative to just removing it? If so, which fan would you recommend?
Also, if you had to choose another power supply, which one would you choose?
Hi Relleum
After a few more days of using the case WITHOUT the 80 mm fan AND removing the grill attached to it, i can safely say i did not miss it one little bit.
We got a bit of a heat wave here in Perth Australia, where temps are not coming down from the high 20's C and occasionally approaching the mid 30's and the CPU temp have been averageing just under 50 C with fan settings at LOW.
I did think i could replace the 80 mm fan with some other fan but the screw holes would not fit a 90 mm , let alone a 120 mm fan, i dont think.
Besides, i am not sure i want to take out my Dremel and start cutting away at this work of art...
However, the Noctua heat sink does allow another fan to be installed and i have ordered another 90 mm fan to do just that. Perhaps that might lower the cpu temps a touch. Also i require one of those multi fan connectors to molex adaptors, as the Lian Li fan controller only allows 2 fans to be connected (atm the front fan and the cpu fan is using the controller). With the adaptor, perhapos i can get away with 3 fans being controlled by the controller.
As for Power supply recommendation, after replacing the stock coolermaster fan with the slower rated Glacial Tech, it is now very very quiet. It is running rock steady through my digital TV watching, mp3 playing, Need For Speeding, currency trading through multiple monitors, mega file transferring through the various mobile racks installed and dvd burning... all at pretty hot Perth temps and all without a hitch.
Sooo... I can recommend the Coolermaster PSU but only if the stock fan is removed and replced .. heh
I think from now on any PSU i get MUST have a fan that runs around 0.2 Amp .. probably the main reason for the slow speed and hence relatively inaudible noise. With Active PFC PSU's .. they have probably got better and more overrated components with greater heat tolerance..so why not use it .. isay?! heh
The other PSU that i have is a Silverstone 50EF .. older one than the current versions going arond ... but prob the same parts etc.. It is also rock solid but slightly more noisy but way less than the coolermaster with its stock fan. It is also one of the cheapest around!
When my 90 mm fan arrives (also another Glacial Tech hydro bearing thing...) i will post a pic of it installed.. so that the Noctua heatsink has 2 fans instead of one. By then i should also have another one of those 1950 pros to run crossfire (i highly recommend the 1950 pro .. averaging 45 C and quiet as a mouse) and my system will be very much loaded...
As it is atm , it is actually queiter than my Solo due to only using one fan at the front and one fan at the CPU. In my Solo case, i was using 1 fan at the front, 1 exhaust fan (that Tri Cool thing), and 1 cpu fan.
Also , the aluminium is much cooler to the touch than the steel of the SOlo. If only i had an airconditioner in here.... hmmmn....
regards
Runn3r
After a few more days of using the case WITHOUT the 80 mm fan AND removing the grill attached to it, i can safely say i did not miss it one little bit.
We got a bit of a heat wave here in Perth Australia, where temps are not coming down from the high 20's C and occasionally approaching the mid 30's and the CPU temp have been averageing just under 50 C with fan settings at LOW.
I did think i could replace the 80 mm fan with some other fan but the screw holes would not fit a 90 mm , let alone a 120 mm fan, i dont think.
Besides, i am not sure i want to take out my Dremel and start cutting away at this work of art...
However, the Noctua heat sink does allow another fan to be installed and i have ordered another 90 mm fan to do just that. Perhaps that might lower the cpu temps a touch. Also i require one of those multi fan connectors to molex adaptors, as the Lian Li fan controller only allows 2 fans to be connected (atm the front fan and the cpu fan is using the controller). With the adaptor, perhapos i can get away with 3 fans being controlled by the controller.
As for Power supply recommendation, after replacing the stock coolermaster fan with the slower rated Glacial Tech, it is now very very quiet. It is running rock steady through my digital TV watching, mp3 playing, Need For Speeding, currency trading through multiple monitors, mega file transferring through the various mobile racks installed and dvd burning... all at pretty hot Perth temps and all without a hitch.
Sooo... I can recommend the Coolermaster PSU but only if the stock fan is removed and replced .. heh
I think from now on any PSU i get MUST have a fan that runs around 0.2 Amp .. probably the main reason for the slow speed and hence relatively inaudible noise. With Active PFC PSU's .. they have probably got better and more overrated components with greater heat tolerance..so why not use it .. isay?! heh
The other PSU that i have is a Silverstone 50EF .. older one than the current versions going arond ... but prob the same parts etc.. It is also rock solid but slightly more noisy but way less than the coolermaster with its stock fan. It is also one of the cheapest around!
When my 90 mm fan arrives (also another Glacial Tech hydro bearing thing...) i will post a pic of it installed.. so that the Noctua heatsink has 2 fans instead of one. By then i should also have another one of those 1950 pros to run crossfire (i highly recommend the 1950 pro .. averaging 45 C and quiet as a mouse) and my system will be very much loaded...
As it is atm , it is actually queiter than my Solo due to only using one fan at the front and one fan at the CPU. In my Solo case, i was using 1 fan at the front, 1 exhaust fan (that Tri Cool thing), and 1 cpu fan.
Also , the aluminium is much cooler to the touch than the steel of the SOlo. If only i had an airconditioner in here.... hmmmn....
regards
Runn3r
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nightmorph
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:07 am
Update to my Lian Li build
Just got the extra 90 mm fan and proceeded to load it as a 2nd CPU fan.
Tried it for a couple of hours and woe is me... it made temps HIGHER!
LOL
I can only think of a couple of reasons why this would be:
1. 2nd Fan (pulling air out of heatsink) actually BLOCKS airflow from 1st fan (pushing air into heatsink)
2. Ambient temps currently around 30 deg C reduces the effectiveness of 2nd fan. With 2nd fan installed, CPU temp is around 51 deg C... WITHOUT 2nd fan, it was around 48 deg C. All other conditions being equal including only trading software loaded and running... and the odd browser open. The push-air fan was connected to the fan controller, while the pull-air fan was connected to motherboard fan connector using a Zalman half speed/resistor connector.
So, I have decided to leave it at just the ONE CPU fan. Now perhaps I might have to reconsider a way to mount this extra 90 mm fan that i have where the exhaust hole is, though for the life of me i cant think how i would be able to do it without drilling at least a couple of holes.
As for your comments nightmorph, I humbly bow to your expertise as it is probably from a greater experience base than mine. I have only 2 cases, the Solo and the Lian Li and that is probably minimal compared to what you have at hand
regards
Runn3r
Just got the extra 90 mm fan and proceeded to load it as a 2nd CPU fan.
Tried it for a couple of hours and woe is me... it made temps HIGHER!
LOL
I can only think of a couple of reasons why this would be:
1. 2nd Fan (pulling air out of heatsink) actually BLOCKS airflow from 1st fan (pushing air into heatsink)
2. Ambient temps currently around 30 deg C reduces the effectiveness of 2nd fan. With 2nd fan installed, CPU temp is around 51 deg C... WITHOUT 2nd fan, it was around 48 deg C. All other conditions being equal including only trading software loaded and running... and the odd browser open. The push-air fan was connected to the fan controller, while the pull-air fan was connected to motherboard fan connector using a Zalman half speed/resistor connector.
So, I have decided to leave it at just the ONE CPU fan. Now perhaps I might have to reconsider a way to mount this extra 90 mm fan that i have where the exhaust hole is, though for the life of me i cant think how i would be able to do it without drilling at least a couple of holes.
As for your comments nightmorph, I humbly bow to your expertise as it is probably from a greater experience base than mine. I have only 2 cases, the Solo and the Lian Li and that is probably minimal compared to what you have at hand
regards
Runn3r