Silverstone vs Lian Li

Ward · Post by **Ward** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:54 pm

I have a general request for feedback in the System Advice forum, but I have a pretty specific question about cases. My previous systems, which are about five years old and soon to be replaced, used the Antec P180 case. While I was happy with the cases from a noise and heat perspective, I was disappointed with them from a weight and aesthetics perspective. I find a lot of the aluminum cases from Silverstone and Lian Li to be very attractive, and considerably lighter, but I have no first hand experience with either manufacturer.

I am very interested in people's views/recommendations on black aluminum mid tower cases from both Silverstone and Lian Li. I prefer clean lines, and have looked at cases like the Fortress 2. I was actually pretty set on that one except for the 180mm fans in the bottom of it. I don't like the idea of having fans in the case that I can't replace easily if they are too loud for my liking (or fail for some reason).

Also worth noting, I plan to replace all of the stock fans in whatever case I buy with Nexus fans pretty much right off the bat, so what I am most interested in is a case that has good quiet potential with limited modding and also decent airflow, as I plan to set it up as a quiet gaming rig. For reference on how much heat I plan to be generating in the case, I intend to use an AND Phenom 965 BE (C3) chip and a mid level 5xxx series Radeon card. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

ces · Post by **ces** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 5:05 pm

What size motherboard?

Ward · Post by **Ward** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 6:22 pm

Standard ATX. Right now I am planning on using the GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA-UD5.

Ward · Post by **Ward** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 1:19 pm

Okay, since everyone is not rushing in all at once to offer up opinions on their favorite cases, perhaps I can get an opinion on the following setup:

LIAN LI PC-B25F case with the three 120mm fans replaced with Nexus Basic fans, and the two 140mm fans replaced with Yate Loons on Fanmates.

Barring obstructions it seems like this should give me enough airflow to keep the setup cool. If anyone has experience with this case I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

mozartrules · Post by **mozartrules** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 3:27 pm

The Fortress FT02 is a great case if you are OK with the size (it is huge) and weight (heavier than I thought it would be). It does look fantastic though and I loved working with all that space after an HTPC build in the Grandia GD04 (the limited depth of that case makes it hard to fit the cables well).

I wouldn't worry about the 180mm fans since Silverstone sells replacements if you need them. Their position means that you barely hear them.

My focus was on a quiet PC (it is under my desk and the rule is simple: I should not be able to detect whether it is on by listing) and I don't have a lot of hardware in it. I run the 180mm fans on low, replaced the top fan with a PWM fan which runs at 300rpm most of the time and didn't even bother putting a fan on the Thermalright MUX 120. CPU temps on a i5-660 are 42C after running multithreaded Cinebench for an hour.

Ward · Post by **Ward** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 3:32 pm

That's very encouraging to hear about the 180mm fans. I appreciate the post and I think that is the most information I have seen so far about someone's experience with the Fortress 2. Did you go with the window or windowless model? I am curious if the window affects the acoustics. I guess FT02 is back on my short list...

judge56988 · Post by **judge56988** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:32 am

I have a Lian Li PC-7+ and a Silverstone FT01. The FT01 build is not finished yet.
They are both high quality cases although the Lian Li probably has the edge in that it has a more robust feel to it.
I am using the stock fans in the Lian Li, mounted using Acoustifan silicone gaskets, the mesh filters have been replaced with vacuum cleaner filter material and the rear fan guard has been removed. The front intake gets a constant 5v, the rear exhaust is controlled by Speedfan and rarely gets above 550rpm. The Athlon X4 620 is cooled by a Mugen 2, it's fan also being controlled by Speedfan; it too rarely spins faster than 550rpm. The Corsair VX450 PSU is installed with thin high density foam between it and the case, it's fan is the nosiest component in the system. Graphics is Sapphire Vapor-X 5750 with the fan running at 20% normally. The HDD is suspended using elastic from the local sewing shop and is inaudible. The case feet have been replaced with soft silicone Acoustifeet.
There are no vibrations or rattles at all. In normal use the machine is inaudible (to me) unless I put my ear next to it.
I stressed the CPU by running Prime 95 for an hour - the temperature stabilised at 45c with the CPU and exhaust fans spinning at 900rpm and 600rpm respectively. Ambient is 18c - 20c.

I am of the opinion that with a little modding, almost any quality case can be used to build a near silent PC, providing that quiet components are used.

I have no experience with Antec cases so cannot offer up any comparisons - I would not buy a case with a door or one that had a plastic front!

mdrumt · Post by **mdrumt** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:31 pm

If you are worried about weight then the Fortress 2 wont solve that, its made of steel.

Fortress 1 is all aluminium but also has the 180mm fans.

I've never built a Lian Li PC but in the flesh they are very impressive cases in terms of quality.

+1 Lian Li PC-B25F

you also might want to have a look at the PC-B10, for what its worth it does have some sound absorption pre-installed.

You could look at Noctua fans, they also have 140mm fans, as do Scythe.

Cheers

Ward · Post by **Ward** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:43 am

Thanks judge56988 for the information about the sturdiness of the Lian Li case. I think that cinches up my decision to go with Lian Li over Silverstone. They both make lovely cases, but one of the things that always bothered me about my Antec P180, other than the excessive weight, is the fact that the frame is prone to shifting at odd angles. I definitely prefer a fairly rigid case.

Thanks mrdrumt for the information about the Fortress 2. I had not noticed it's weight (33 lbs?!?!?) but that definitely puts it out of contention. I am leaning strongly toward the PC-B25F at this point, but I am still keeping an eye on some of the other Lian Li offerings.

I appreciate all of the information so far, it's definitely helping a lot in the decision making process.

As a bit of an afterthought, looking at the PC-7B+ also got me looking at the PC-A05NB. I have used mid towers, but never a mini tower before. It appears to have similar dimensions to the mid tower cases from Lian Li, but is 4 inches shorter or so. Anyone have any experience with how cramped this model might be to work in?

mynameisyoung · Post by **mynameisyoung** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:11 am

Actually the FT-02's fans can be replaced easily. Apparently the mounting is for 140mm fans, which there are plenty of, and some decent ones as well.

But since it mounts on 140mm you can always use an adapter. Here's a link to an example: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1429251&page=43

If I were to replace my p182 today, I think I'd probably go for the FT-02, it's the only case I'm interested in at all, when all things are taken into account (cooling, noise, looks), only thing holding me back is the steep price.

Ward · Post by **Ward** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:05 am

Thanks everyone for the input. I found out recently that Lian Li is releasing their USB 3.0 cases on April 20th, so it looks like I am waiting a bit longer.

sibosdad · Post by **sibosdad** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:21 am

While you seem to have already decided on Lian-Li (and I love the look of their cases too and that a few have USB 3.0!), thought i'd put a word in for the FT-02. I have 4 desktops at home now, and the FT-02 is my favorite. I had always tried to get the mid-tower or HTPC designs b/c I prefer the looks of smaller cases, but was drawn by the reviews of the FT-02 and the looks, though I also think it's too big. It happened that I have a desk without sides and decided using that huge case to block my ugly wires would be good

The FT-02 as I have mine set up is NOT silent, it's just very quiet. I had an Antec Solo more quiet before, but then it cant' match the airflow and cool temps of the FT-02. Now the Solo, used by my kid, is louder b/c found sometimes it shut down during gaming (he put a more powerful graphics) so I had to increase the case fan speeds. So I have the FT-02 with a 860i and 5850 and the temps are great, and very quiet but not silent. I now appreciate why many others like large cases b/c working in them is so much better, eg better than the Solo.

I did not like that the FP was dated--not even eSATA, but decided to just add a 5.25 FP from Lian-Li. I have the same plans for USB3.0--I'll just replace my FP once cards come out with USB3.0 with internal connectors rather than at the back of motherboard

My next upgrade build (my daughter's PC) I plan to try out a Lian-Li aluminum case though!