Choosing a case...

[Dreaming]

I'm looking to downsize from a p180 to a lian li pc-a05b just for reference like

[jamena]

The Lian-Li PC-A05 is a good compact ATX case. Certainly one of the smallest ATX cases I've seen with good cooling in it. The only problem is that hot air can get trapped at the top, so either mod a blowhole in it or get a slot blower (which is what I did).

The PC-A05 looks very nice! ...but... The PSU being at the front scares me a little. Doesn't the PSU exhaust (and the other exhaust) blowing straight into the front door of the case severely hinder airflow? At least the back of a case is a few inches from the wall? As you said You'd be wanting some sort of venting towards the top of the case.


review here: http://www.pcdvd.com.tw/showthread.php?t=691148
don't know what it says but there's more pictures of it at least

[jamena]

Thanks for all the input guys - lots of interesting cases and suchlike out there I didn't know about, even if some of them are harder to find than others!

If you want the motherboard right now...

Motherboard in a month or so I hope! (as can the case and cpu - very few of these can be found on the £10 off google thing and anyway once the price increases it becomes a better idea to go somewhere good like scan

So far I've picked up a few things through deals and the £10 google saving ...things I figured would pretty much hold in value (note: no CPU! )
OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Memory Gold GX XTC CL5
OCZ StealthXStream 600W PSU
320Gb Hitatchi Deskstar SATA


If overclocking will be limited maybe an e6600 would be a better idea over the e4300 (and Q6600 might just be a pipe dream - one that's just too hot). They've come down in price so much ... I will start a new thread concerning the cpu/mobo in a few weeks I think, by which time I will hopefully have decided on a case and will know if I'm limited to uATX or if I can get ATX

[jamena]

You have to see this...
That Lian Li PC-A05 review with google trying to translate

"rapid installation of preventing earthquakes groove."
they must get some seriously badly vibrating hard drives over at google translators HQ
"The other side, there is enough room for Cypriots power supply line"

hehehe

explains a few instruction manuals I've had in the past

[Colossous]

Late entry !! Coolermaster Mystique ? !!

[staffsMike]

I'd be interested to see how you get on with that psu. It should be really good.

It you have doubts though the corsair 520w HX whisper is a peach.

[Gerrard]

I mentioned it another thread here recently, but if you want more information/pictures of the PC-A05, there's a rather large thread here.

In regards to the airflow at the front, it isn't that bad in my machine. The PSU doesn't get very hot, even with warm air passing through it and my hard drive operates at a temp of about 40 degrees. The front of the case gets luke warm at the exhaust, but that's about it. The slot blower does seem to shift a fair amount of hot air though and I think that's the main concern with this case, which is fairly easy to fix.

[jamena]

I mentioned it another thread here recently, but if you want more information/pictures of the PC-A05, there's a rather large thread here.

In regards to the airflow at the front, it isn't that bad in my machine. The PSU doesn't get very hot, even with warm air passing through it and my hard drive operates at a temp of about 40 degrees. The front of the case gets luke warm at the exhaust, but that's about it. The slot blower does seem to shift a fair amount of hot air though and I think that's the main concern with this case, which is fairly easy to fix.

Do you find the slot blower noisy at all? I've got a fair few quiet fans lying around that I could put to use - perhaps a modded hole in the top/back of the case somewhere rather than a slot blower. I'd have thought most of the heat collecting there was courtesy of your 8800?

actually I see there's a Lian Li BS-01 fan that is designed to bolt onto that grill above/by the PCI slots.

The system in your profile is more or less exactly what I'm aiming to build which is encouraging

Kustompcs seems to be the only place selling either of those two items in the UK though?

[Gerrard]

The slot blower is no noisier than the graphics fan (probably due to both being very similiar). I got an Antec Cyclone Blower that has a 3 speed switch, so I just leave it on the lowest setting and it still seems to dot he job. A blowhole would be more efficient, but I don't have the skills, tools or patience to mod one! Also wouldn't block 2 slots. I would agree that the heat generated is mainly from the GPU.

Kustom PCs are out of stock, however I think Advance Technologies has some in stock.

[jamena]

Late entry !! Coolermaster Mystique ? !!

I don't think it would benefit my Zen ...


Lian Li have an awful of of awfully similar cases. Scary amount of ever so slightly different choices in there! eek.

[Gerrard]

It was the G50 that actually first got my atention. It is almost identical to the PC-A05 except for placing the PSU at the back over the CPU. The side panels are even interchangeable! If I was going to watercool my CPU, I may have decided on this one instead. The V600 is a another similiar case with the PSU at the back over the CPU, but is based more on a scaled down V1000 and slightly different styling.