One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

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N-K
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:23 am
Location: Finland

One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by N-K » Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:27 am

I made a horrible mistake and bought Crysis3 for 5€. The AMD 7850K just didn't seem to run it smoothly enough so I just HAD to upgrade.

Since I already had a picoPSU 160XT, I planned to re-use it and make low power set that would be more powerful than my previous one. First, I planned to use my old Cooltek Mini Cube but it was too small for a quiet graphics card.
The parts are now:

Lian Li PC-Q01
Gigabyte Z97N-Wifi
Pentium G3258 (OC'd to 3,5GHz and undervolted ATM)
Arctic cooling Freezer 13 Pro with Noiseblocker eLoop PWM fan running 430-660rpm.
EVGA GTX 750 with AC Accelero S1
G.Skill Ares 2133MHz 8Gb kit from my old build
PicoPSU 160XT from my old build
Samsung 850 Evo 250GB SSD

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Looks good to me.

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I lined the case with some sound dampening foam. It's not too dense, but it surely does help. That side panel actually extend to the top and is just one piece of aluminum. Makes it really easy to work with this. There's some foam over the cooler and under it to create this "wind tunnel" effect. All the air the fan blows should go straight outside while creating negative pressure inside the case drawing all air from the bottom of the case and through the GPU cooler.

The case isn't actually deep enough for Accelero S1 cooler but since I already had one lying around, I just cut about 15mm off the end and barely got it to fit.
That black thing hanging from the back is the power connector for PicoPSU. Didn't bother drilling a hole for it.

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That AC cooler is pretty old and I used it with my old i3 2100 build a few years ago. I've never used the original fan but now when I tried it, it didn't even work at all.
Swapped that fan for a Noiseblocker eLoop PWM fan. It has the best sound of all fans on low speeds (no sound at all). I've tested tons of fans and this is the best so far.
I had another fan on the bottom but after some stress testing I found out that it isn't actually needed. There's plenty of airflow for this build like it is.
That fan runs at about 420rpm on normal use and about 660rpm while gaming. Speedfan controls the speeds.

The temperatures are better than expected.
CPU idles at 37C and GPU at 30C (ambient about 23C ATM)
Load temps are about 65C on both. GPU maybe a bit lower.
Power consumption was about 120W under gaming. I could've overclocked CPU and GPU more to gain more power but I just don't need it right now so I left them at this.

I have to say this was quite a success as the computer looks good, is inaudible and plays games at good enough fps for me.

Abula
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Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by Abula » Sat Apr 04, 2015 12:18 pm

Pretty nice build, congrats.

Something that would complement it is a PSU cover, if you can find it, Lian Li Vented Power Supply Bracket Cover - Silver

Zenphic
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Location: Quebec, Canada

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by Zenphic » Sat Apr 04, 2015 7:03 pm

Superb build. Lots of performance for such a small power footprint. That picoPSU is impressive.

N-K
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:23 am
Location: Finland

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by N-K » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:15 am

That PSU cover isn't necessary. I'm not looking at the back of the computer after all. Airflow is better without it as well.
I guess I'd have to do something about it if I get a cat or something.

The PicoPSU is nice, but there have been a couple of problems with it. The adapter from 4-pin to external connector is really badly soldered. (the one that's hanging outside the case)
At one point the computer started to crash while gaming and I tested all the components and didn't find what's faulty. It was one of those ground cables that was loose from that adapter.
Soldered it back and everything worked fine.

Actually, the same happened just a few minutes ago again. It was the other ground cable this time. Just soldered that back as well.

eqc.liu
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by eqc.liu » Tue Apr 07, 2015 12:26 pm

Very nice build! It's pretty similar to mine in a Lian Li PC-TU200.

In my build I have the single fan in the front, blowing on both the cpu and gpu cooler (750 Ti w/ an S1 Plus). How does the graphics card do with no air flow?

Also one suggestion is to put some electrical tape around the pico-psu wire that you zip tied to the case. I didn't at first and started to see some scrapes and wear on the wire.

xan_user
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Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by xan_user » Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:31 pm

Nice. this has been my basic layout in most of my builds over the last few years.

N-K
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Location: Finland

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by N-K » Thu Apr 09, 2015 12:44 pm

No problems with the graphics card. It's simply amazingly energy efficient and doesn't heat at all.
While the card itself doesn't get too much airflow, most of the air that goes through the case comes from the bottom passing through the Accelero S1.
I could make a bigger hole on the bottom and put a dust filter there but I'm not sure if I should bother.

I guess I could've gone with GTX 750ti and a smaller case.

eqc.liu
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by eqc.liu » Sat Apr 11, 2015 1:01 pm

I see, I didn't notice you blocked off the front at first. I might have to try that with mine! Currently I can really hear the front fan when it speeds up during gaming.

Buur
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Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2015 3:50 am

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by Buur » Tue Jun 09, 2015 3:58 am

Hi!

Just using this thread to ask a couple of questions about the Lian Li Q01, as I dont find that many ppl that have used this case. I am planning to use it with my g3258 and use a spare Sapphire 7850 (fits, 207mm). I will probably downvolt/clock both cpu and gpu and the GPU will not be used that much as it is a TV rig rather than a gaming rig. It is not intended as a performance computer but primarily for HTPC use.

I wonder about the noise levels of this case. What can I expect?

I also wonder about the PSU, is it possible to use SFX in this case? I dont seem to be able to find the answer to this. I plan to use Be Quiet 400w SFX if possible.

I am trying to make up my mind whether I should go with the Lian Li (i prefer the design, it looks awesome) or the Cooltek Jonsbo U2 or the Cubitek Mini Cude. Those two cases have support for 120mm fans, though they are a bit bigger. The U2 is approximately 16 liters, the Cubitek 19, whereas the Lian li is approx 13.

http://www.cooltek.de/en/powered-by-jon ... 0/u2?c=269
http://www.cubitek.com/products/mini-series/mini-cube

Thankful for any advice!

quest_for_silence
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Location: ITALY

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Jun 10, 2015 12:57 am

Buur wrote:I wonder about the noise levels of this case. What can I expect?

If you will ever game, not a that much comfortable one, and anyway it will likely run rather hot always: that case has virtually no exhaust (and barely no intake).

Frankly, for an HTPC, I'd resell that Sapphire and I'd use a totally different GPU (50-70W TDP at most), even better, whether you can afford the relevant expense, I'd use a fresh IGP solution like the new Broadwell-C. Alternatively, like the OP did, I'd buy an Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Plus (but you need to mod it, as the OP did) and strap on it.

BTW, given that you should own it, can you check whether SpeedFan may control its fans?

Buur wrote:I also wonder about the PSU, is it possible to use SFX in this case? I dont seem to be able to find the answer to this. I plan to use Be Quiet 400w SFX if possible.

Whether it has an adapter plate (like most of the Silverstones), yes: but do you actually know that PSU?

Buur wrote:Thankful for any advice!

Fractal Design Node 304.

Buur
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2015 3:50 am

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by Buur » Wed Jun 10, 2015 1:22 am

quest_for_silence wrote: Frankly, for an HTPC, I'd resell that Sapphire and I'd use a totally different GPU (50-70W TDP at most), even better, whether you can afford the relevant expense, I'd use a fresh IGP solution like the new Broadwell-C. Alternatively, like the OP did, I'd buy an Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Plus (but you need to mod it, as the OP did) and strap on it.

BTW, given that you should own it, can you check whether SpeedFan may control its fans?
Thanks for your answer! Unfortunately I cant afford a new processor. Besides, I already own the g3258.

I believe I can control the fans of the sapphire, if thats what you are asking (sorry I am not so experienced when it comes to this :)). I have used MSI Afterburner on earlier builds to turn them pretty off much in passive mode (e.g. active them above 40C).

Perhaps I should not use the sapphire at all, as I intend to use steam in-home streaming primarily anyhow. I would still like a case though that supports a PCI card, just to make it future proof in case I would like a GPU or perhaps a TV card or so.
quest_for_silence wrote: Whether it has an adapter plate (like most of the Silverstones), yes: but do you actually know that PSU?

Besides from reviews, no. I intend to use it as I can get hold of it rather cheap (25 euro's).
quest_for_silence wrote:Fractal Design Node 304.
I like and dislike the fractal. Its decent, silent and so on, so it has its obvious advantages. But its too long for my taste. It looks a bit like a brick :P

What do you think of the Jonsbo U2 (Rosewill/Cooltek)? The guys at quietpc.com use it for their silent cubes.

Thanks!

N-K
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:23 am
Location: Finland

Re: One fan ITX gaming with Lian Li, G3258 & GTX 750

Post by N-K » Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:27 pm

I personally wouldn't use a hot GPU + normal / SFX PSU combination with this case.
It would be hard to get all the heat out of the case. A reference style GPU cooler could be decent at getting the heat out, but that wouldn't be quiet.
Normal or SFX PSU will limit the CPU cooler height, making it noisier. It would also be fighting for the air with the PSU fan.
G3258 is fairly low power, so using that with a quiet SFX PSU could be an option, but only with a low power basic GPU.

This case is great, but I just wouldn't use it with a normal PSU. With PicoPSU (and any combination of components that work with that) it's fine.

That Jonsbo U2 would be much better with a SFX psu & high TDP GPU. I'd still modify the intake a bit and make a bigger hole in the bottom.

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