# [Official] Lian Li Mini-Q Case Owner's Club



## esseun

Here's mine:



Lian Li Q11b
-Zotac H55 ITX
-Intel Core i3 550 (Clarkdale)
-2x 2GB G.SKILL RAM
-Corsair H50 pulled by Noctua 140mm fan
-Silverstone SFF 450W
-MSi Hawk Radeon 5770
-Samsung 1TB Spinpoint 7200rpm
-Samsung 22X DVD-RW with Lightscribe


----------



## funfortehfun

Cool beans 

Added.


----------



## Gabe63

My Q11B with my just installed Silverstone 450w modular PSU. Case was moded for a lower fan to feed the GPU, sound dampening material, and fan controllers on the back. HDD cage was made shorter for 1 HDD.


----------



## funfortehfun

C'mon, we need more people! I know there's plenty of people out there!


----------



## H4rd5tyl3

Thinking about getting a Q07 or Q11 or Prodigy for my next build. Can you take out the whole 5.25 bezel on the Q11 (with the cd driver button) out and replace it with a bay res if wanted? Wanting to put a cpu block and gpu block for this build too, so I'm still unsure if the Lian Li's will provide enough room.


----------



## esseun

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *H4rd5tyl3*
> 
> Thinking about getting a Q07 or Q11 or Prodigy for my next build. Can you take out the whole 5.25 bezel on the Q11 (with the cd driver button) out and replace it with a bay res if wanted? Wanting to put a cpu block and gpu block for this build too, so I'm still unsure if the Lian Li's will provide enough room.


I have a Q11 and there is definitely not enough room for a cpu AND gpu block. The biggest rad you can fit on this thing is a 140mm (a really thin one ~25mm with a fan) if you're not doing any modding to the case. Q07 is even harder to deal with (no fan mounts). As far as the 5.25 bay tray, I think you can take the whole thing out.


----------



## funfortehfun

The PC-Q08 is better for water cooling, though you're still better off with a Prodigy.


----------



## minnus

Ahh, I have a Q11 and Q08, but since I suck at taking pictures, you'll just have to take my word for it, lol


----------



## Shaav

Here's a link to my old PC-Q11: click



And here comes my new gaming-PC, the PC-Q02: click


----------



## stealthybox

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shaav*
> 
> Here's a link to my old PC-Q11: click
> 
> And here comes my new gaming-PC, the PC-Q02: click


Cool builds dude.
Looks like a neat club.


----------



## Gabe63

Rear fan controller mod and bottom mount fan to feed GPU, I have a Noctua on order to replace the Zaleman fan. Box said the fan was quiet, fan disagrees.


----------



## funfortehfun

Woop woop another owner! 

I'm seeing that the PC-Q11 is quite popular...


----------



## wyjeba

My very old ITX build (Q07):


----------



## Balu2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shaav*


I would like to build a NAS. I want to use a Raid 1 with two 3.5" hdds. Therefore I want to ask the Q02-User if it's possible (enouth space) to use a elastic band like the Sharkoon Vibe Fixer to mount one hdd on the top (instead of the 5.25" slimline). Is there enought space between the power supply, Motherboard etc.?


----------



## cowsgomoo

I have the Lian Li PC-q18.


Crossing posting from another thread:
http://www.overclock.net/t/541767/club-for-those-with-beastly-matx-itx-rigs/4740#post_18310221

Lian Li Q11b looks so good... Wish I had used that


----------



## funfortehfun

Jahu! A new member!

I was ready to abandon this club! D:


----------



## stealthybox

Very cool stuff in here.


----------



## cowsgomoo

How are the temperatures of the Q11?
I really like how it takes up so little horizontal space and can still fit an AIO water cooler.
My Q18 is large in comparison and can't fit a Corsair Hxx without taking off the HDD cage.


----------



## funfortehfun

At HardForum they have a huge thread just for the PC-Q11. Read it here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1523097


----------



## Machupo

Shaav,

Any buildlog on your PC-q02 gaming rig? I just bought one of these and am kicking around some mods for the case; wondering if you have any do's and don'ts


----------



## Machupo

never mind -- saw your build log over at computerbase.de









Cheers!


----------



## tlxxxsracer

Someone with a Q07 mind helping me on measurements?

Is there enough room to mod the back/top of the case to mount a sfx 450 psu in a regular horizonal position off-center at the top above the i/o shield? Having the intake fan at the top and exhaust out the back? 
Where the blue box is.


----------



## Shaav

I think this link might help you: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=21998604


----------



## OverClocker55

Wow cool cases. So small


----------



## Machupo

I've got a PC-Q02 mod ongoing







(dual PCIe slots)

Metal fab is done, but now it's on to custom wiring ... going to be fun working in such a tiny case!

Here's the log: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1730666


----------



## Nejihyuga

I've ordered the parts for my PC-Q11 to my littlesisters Christmas present.
Spent a fair amount of time selecting the best parts for a facebook nympho with a hang to play a few games.

Lian Li PC-Q11B Mini-ITX Cube Black
ASUS P8H77-I
Silverstone SST-ST50F-P
SilverStone SST-PP05 Short cable set
Intel Core i3-3225
Corsair Vengeance Series Blue DDR3-1600, CL9 - 8GB Kit
Intel 330 Series 2,5 Zoll SSD, SATA 6G - 180GB
EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti, 1024 MB DDR5, PCIe 3.0, Mini-HMDI, DVI
NOCTUA NH-L9i Low profile CPU cooler - LGA115x (NH-L9i)
NOCTUA 140x140 NOCTUA NF-P14 FLX rt ( (NF-P14 FLX)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit, OEM (english)
ASUS DRW-24B5ST 5,25 Zoll SATA - black

Total was 6727 DKK wich is 1145 USD.

So i'll submit some Pictures when i get all the parts home and put together.


----------



## Okasha

I have the PC-Q08 running for a couple of weeks now. Sound and heat production is OKE at idle, but sounds like an airplane while gaming







The problem I hope some of you guys can help me with is the aftermarket cooling question. I understand that the normal choice (Shuriken big2) will interfere with the PCI-E slot which I use with a HD7870.

My setup is; Asus P8H77-I, Intel I5-3450, 128SSD and Asus HD7870 DirectCUII.

Now I am thinking of replacing the CPU cooler with the Noctua NH-L9i, which I think is pretty expensive, but receives a very good review here:

http://www.rwlabs.com/article.php?cat=&id=744

Am I missing good alternatives here?

The most noise comes from the HD7870. The directCUII cooler is silent at idle, but when you start gaming it will surprise you with vacuumcleaner like noises. The space from the bottom to the HD7870 is limited though, so I can imagine that not every cooler will fit, or will work optimal due to the small space between the "floor" and the fan.

What are your experiences? Tips and advices are more than welcome


----------



## funfortehfun

Woohoo, more members! Always nice to see them, considering I almost abandoned this thread. D:

Anyways, my final picture of my PC-Q11B build:


----------



## sonofsam0981

Wow...not an owner of a Q series case, but considering it as my main box and moving my V354 to my living room.


----------



## mulac

I've been a proud owner of a Q11 for over a year now as a very solid box for my HTPC setup.

Recently I've been looking to do a bit of an upgrade and give it more "oomph" into something I can use more roundly to playback 1080p high def videos and do some gaming.

My current "want" spec sheet looks like this:

4GB DDR3 Corsair RAM
ASRock Z11E Itx mini mobo
Intel Core i5 3570k
Corsair 450w psu
Lian Li Q11 Black

Any thoughts on the above? Also kinda struggling for a graphics card that will fit in there and give me "Decent" performance for relatively little cash - ie: the latest GTX or 670's are nowhere near my radar :









Oh and first post as a member on here!


----------



## 66racer

Here is a Q-11A build I did for a friend earlier this year based around an FM1 llano A8-3870K






Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## indorill

Hey Guys,

I just got a PC-Q09FN, and I will be putting an a10-5800k into it sometime in the next week or so. I had a question about this case though. What is up with these pass through USB cables? Has anyone found a replacement kit other than the UC-01 adapter?


----------



## awlllwa

Hey guys,

Just joined up as i have a PC-Q case for a new build. Just received the case today hopefully the rest will show up tomorrow, i will post up picks when its all complete.

CASE LIAN-LI | PC-Q18A R (Qty: 1)
VGA PNY GTX670 2GB RT (Qty: 1)
HDD SEAGATE 1T ST1000VX000 7K 64M (Qty: 2)
MEM CORSAIR CML16GX3M2A1600C10 (Qty: 1)
ODD BLU-RAY COMBO LG | CH12LS28 R (Qty: 1)
SSD SAMSUNG 840 120G MZ-7TD120KW R (Qty: 1)
CPU INTEL|CORE I5 3570K 3.4G 6M R (Qty: 1)
FAN CORSAIR | H80I R (Qty: 1)
OS MICROSOFT WINDOWS 8 PRO 64-BIT % (Qty: 1)
MB GAIGABYTE|GA-Z77N-WIFI Z77 1155 (Qty: 1)
PSU SILVERSTONE | ST45SF-G 450W RT (Qty: 1)

Seeing as the size of the Corsair H80i is a bit big, and i want to keep the integrity of the HDD trays, i will have to do some fenagaling to get everything thing to fit and be cool while OC'd.
Hopefully will have it all together for pics this weekend. Wish me luck.









Been a long time lurker of this site, so im happy to finally join.

Aaron

EDIT:
Parts arrived. I've already got a new PSU mount designed that will allow me to install the SFX PSU horizontal, give me an extra space for a 80mm exaust fan, and buy me the room for the H80i. Just need to remove a little metal from the case and to cut the new mount plate out of plate aluminum at my machine shop and i can get moving. About to order white leds and white sleeving to match everything up on the inside, as i made sure and buy all black hardware. Going to use the space provided for the fan control switch to control the interior lighting. Black/White/Raw-Aluminum shoud work well together.


----------



## mulac

So I've had a nightmare time with my new HTPC build.
Been using the ultra awesome Lian Li Q11 the past year with a simple but slow build but upgraded my parts this week to the below:

Silverstone Strider Plus 600W ST60F-P
Corsair Force Series GT 60GB SSD
G.Skill Ares F3-1600C9D-8GAO 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 3470
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB OC

Much speedier!

After spending a good 3hrs putting it all together, cleaning out the case etc I tried fitting the PSU into it and...it didn't work.
So this Q11 case is definately far too small for a decent sized PSU - to the point where i'm currently looking like this:



Last night I ordered a Fractal Design 304 Node case which will fit all the parts and looks a bit better.

Anyway, just a word of warning - I do have the HTPC up and working with Win7 and holy **** is it fast!


----------



## funfortehfun

Sorry guys for not updating the OP in such a long time, it's been updated for those with pics! 

indorill - Here's a silverstone one from Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812162012R - you can get the non-open box version too

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812162012

mulac - sorry for the late reply, but if you want a modular SFF PSU, you could have used the Silverstone ST45SF-G:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256084


----------



## ClaggyPants

Just orderd a pc-q11b which should be here tomorrow. Can't wait.


----------



## funfortehfun

It's a great case, you'll love it!


----------



## ClaggyPants

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's a great case, you'll love it!


Have to agree, it took me a couple of hours to get the donor pc stripped and get all the parts transferred across to the new case but I love it. small, perfectly formed and much quieter than the case I was using before. Temps aren't amazing but then I wasn't expecting them to be given the form factor. Just need to find a suitable quiet power supply and possibly a new heatsink as I'm using the stock intel cooler for my 2500k. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears.


----------



## funfortehfun

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ClaggyPants*
> Have to agree, it took me a couple of hours to get the donor pc stripped and get all the parts transferred across to the new case but I love it. small, perfectly formed and much quieter than the case I was using before. Temps aren't amazing but then I wasn't expecting them to be given the form factor. Just need to find a suitable quiet power supply and possibly a new heatsink as I'm using the stock intel cooler for my 2500k. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears.


pics plz!


----------



## ClaggyPants

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> pics plz!


No problem, I'm just trying to figure out how to convert the raw files from my camera.


----------



## funfortehfun

You can use the Adobe DNG converter, then use Photoshop to touch it up here and there and export it as a JPEG. At least, that's how I do it. Somewhat overcomplicated. XD


----------



## ClaggyPants

Thanks. I've gotten them converted now using Nikon NX viewer. Brought them to work this morning thinking I'd be able to upload them on my lunch hour only the corporate internet access wont allow me to upload. Looks like I'll have to wait until tonight now


----------



## ClaggyPants

PICS!

Might have to look at a different solution for the SATA cables.


Kind of cable management


Next to iPad for size comparison.


That awkward moment when you realise your shiny new case has warped.


Hope to get a new PSU. The Coolermaster GX550 is far too loud. Looks like Seasonic will be getting more of my pocket money soon


----------



## funfortehfun

Nice!

Here's what I did for the SATA cables:



As you can see in the picture, the SATA cable goes under the motherboard. The standoffs are so high that you can route plenty of cables under there.

For hard drives, you could try and use a right angle SATA, but I'm not sure about the power cable...









Edit: here's what OC Maximus did:



Build log here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1145099/project-lian-li-pc-q11/


----------



## ClaggyPants

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> Nice!
> Here's what I did for the SATA cables:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1108169/
> As you can see in the picture, the SATA cable goes under the motherboard. The standoffs are so high that you can route plenty of cables under there.
> For hard drives, you could try and use a right angle SATA, but I'm not sure about the power cable...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: here's what OC Maximus did:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1331463/
> 
> 
> 
> Build log here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1145099/project-lian-li-pc-q11/


Thanks for that - although this means I need to tear it down again this weekend.


----------



## Hsien

Hey guys, I've been planning another compact gaming rig for my client build offerings and the PC-Q11 just hits the sweet spot aside from the sst fortress 03 mini.

Planned components:

Procie: Intel Core i5 3570/AMD FM2 A10 5800K BE
Mobo: Gigabyte H77N-Wifi/Asrock FM2 A75M-ITX
PSU: Silverstone SF45ST-G 450W SFX 80+Gold
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3 8GB 4GBx2Kit 1600 CL 9 with Jet Black Heatsink
SSD: 1x Crucial M4 128GB/250GB (included or optional depending on the client)
HDD: 1x WD Caviar Blue 500GB/1TB 7200 (included or optional depending on the client)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X40 or Corsair H90 (If Available and IF cheaper) is this possible? 140mm would provide much needed airflow but I'm not too sure about the rad..originally planned on the Corsair H60 2013 but it's been hell trying to find a flat 140-120 fan adapter locally...
VGA: Palit GTX660 (or 660Ti, 670 single fan rear exhaust design; Brand preference again depends on the customer as long as it's a rear exhaust type so as no to suck the heat of the HDD, which will be placed at the rear part of the case, so as not to intake too much much heat)
ODD: DVD or BD depends on the client

would really want some help regarding the CPU cooler bit, would love it to be liquid cooled. Hope someone could shed some light if 140mm rad is ok.


----------



## funfortehfun

I'm not exactly sure about compatibility with AIO coolers with the PC-Q11. However, many users at HardForum have modded their cases to fit them.

The H50 will probably fit though without much effort.

Flip through the pages on the following thread:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1523097


----------



## huguberhart

Hey club! Could have interested a bit more in the development of the new cases...
http://tw.page.mall.yahoo.com/item/p024729380530
Somebody should have told them that we need two slots!


----------



## funfortehfun

Doesn't seem to be on the official Lian Li site yet, good find!


----------



## Hsien

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> I'm not exactly sure about compatibility with AIO coolers with the PC-Q11. However, many users at HardForum have modded their cases to fit them.
> The H50 will probably fit though without much effort.
> Flip through the pages on the following thread:
> http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1523097


Okay thanks, maybe I'll post my query there and hope someone could shed some light on the liquid cooling setup without having to mod the case







I thought of another setup wherein I'll be replacing the 140mm fan with a Bitfenix Spectre Pro LED 140mm which has mounting holes for both 120mm and 140mm. I'll be mounting the H60's rad on the 120mm holes of the fan, hoping it's possible.


----------



## Machupo

Finally finished Neutronium, my gaming rig (2560x1600) crammed into a PC-Q02
















It took most of a year, but it was well worth it!

Shaav, I'll get that thermal data for you as soon as I can


----------



## 66racer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Machupo*
> 
> Finally finished Neutronium, my gaming rig (2560x1600) crammed into a PC-Q02
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It took most of a year, but it was well worth it!
> 
> Shaav, I'll get that thermal data for you as soon as I can


Looks GREAT! 650ti? Man when asus releases their mini gtx 670 you can upgrade to that too for SOLID gaming at that rez.

Edit:
VERY impressed on the gpu cooler transplant, noticed the power connectors after I posted and went to your build log haha very impressive build


----------



## Machupo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *66racer*
> 
> Looks GREAT! 650ti? Man when asus releases their mini gtx 670 you can upgrade to that too for SOLID gaming at that rez.
> 
> Edit:
> VERY impressed on the gpu cooler transplant, noticed the power connectors after I posted and went to your build log haha very impressive build


eVGA 4GB GTX 670 w/ a Japanese Zotac Twincooler (for those that didn't follow over to the build log)









Yeah, it's totally crammed in there, but seems to be doing well on the shakedown cruise. I might need to remove the filter elements because it gets fairly loud under full load (but that also might be just a PWM setting issue).


----------



## funfortehfun

Awesomesauce, added! 

My dream is to have an ultimate PC-Q02B rig.


----------



## nardox

Anyone use a Q18 here? Considering an ITX build, but I got 4 3.5 HDDs and a 2.5 SSD, and I am wondering what's the longest graphic card I can fit into the Q18 if I am using all the HDD slots... (also considering the TU200







)


----------



## funfortehfun

Probably the same length as the maximum PSU clearance, so that should be 160mm. Unfortunately, this means the new GTX 670 Mini from Asus still won't be compatible. I need verification on this, however.

The PC-Q08 will certainly support the GTX 670 Mini, however.


----------



## nardox

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> Probably the same length as the maximum PSU clearance, so that should be 160mm. Unfortunately, this means the new GTX 670 Mini from Asus still won't be compatible. I need verification on this, however.
> The PC-Q08 will certainly support the GTX 670 Mini, however.


Do you have to remove the bottom HDD cage on the Q08 to install longer video card? The top HDD cage by itself doesn't look that sturdy lol...

However the thing I really don't like about the Q08 is that it does not come with hot swap HDD...


----------



## Smanci

PC-Q11 owners here?
How should the PSU be mounted? Intake from the cpu area or from the side?


----------



## Garamek

I decided to splurge a little on a good case for my first mITX build, so I went with the PC-Q11. I am very satisfied with the results; it's big enough to allow for decent airflow (with the right components) but small enough to sit comfortably on display on my desk. I highly recommend it to anyone out there who might be wondering if it's worth the pricetag.

Overall setup:



CPU: Intel Core i5-3570S
MB: Zotac H77ITX-B-E
RAM: 2x4GB Corsair Ballistix Tactical DDR3-1600 8-8-8-24
GPU: Sapphire HD 7750 1GB GDDR5
SSD: Mushkin Atlas 120GB mSATA
HDD: WD Scorpio Black 2.5" 750GB
ODD: ASUS 24X DVD±RW
PSU: SilverStone SFX 450W
WiFi: Intel Centrino 6300N

Some pics of the spaces inside the case:







I went with the SFX power supply and 2.5" hard drive primarily out of concern for maximizing airflow, but they also make everything look a little more organized on the inside.

I've seen a lot of mods of this case online. I'm thinking about adding in a card reader slot at some point, if I can figure out exactly how. Might possibly have to tear apart a USB reader.


----------



## funfortehfun

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Garamek*
> 
> I decided to splurge a little on a good case for my first mITX build, so I went with the PC-Q11. I am very satisfied with the results; it's big enough to allow for decent airflow (with the right components) but small enough to sit comfortably on display on my desk. I highly recommend it to anyone out there who might be wondering if it's worth the pricetag.
> 
> Overall setup:
> *snip*
> CPU: Intel Core i5-3570S
> MB: Zotac H77ITX-B-E
> RAM: 2x4GB Corsair Ballistix Tactical DDR3-1600 8-8-8-24
> GPU: Sapphire HD 7750 1GB GDDR5
> SSD: Mushkin Atlas 120GB mSATA
> HDD: WD Scorpio Black 2.5" 750GB
> ODD: ASUS 24X DVD±RW
> PSU: SilverStone SFX 450W
> WiFi: Intel Centrino 6300N
> 
> Some pics of the spaces inside the case:
> *snip*
> 
> I went with the SFX power supply and 2.5" hard drive primarily out of concern for maximizing airflow, but they also make everything look a little more organized on the inside.
> 
> I've seen a lot of mods of this case online. I'm thinking about adding in a card reader slot at some point, if I can figure out exactly how. Might possibly have to tear apart a USB reader.


Nice case! 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Smanci*
> 
> PC-Q11 owners here?
> How should the PSU be mounted? Intake from the cpu area or from the side?


Intake should face the CPU area IMO. That'll help suck air out of the system by pulling hot air from the CPU area through the PSU out the case.


----------



## xSDMx

Two questions about the PC-Q18:

Is it possible to remove the front mounted HDD bay?

Will a 140mm CLC fit on the front and rear 140mm mounts?

Is there anyway to mount a 3.5" HDD on the bottom of the PC-Q08?

Will the Q08 fit a 2.5" drive that is 15mm in height underneath the optical drive? I know 9.5mm fits, but I do not know about anything greater.


----------



## LTC

So I'm in the position right now, where I need to find a mini-ITX case, so obviously, I'm looking at the Lian-li range







However, I don't know what to get, I will be building a little system, however it should be able to fit a reference 6950 in it. What are your suggestions?


----------



## funfortehfun

The larger cases, e.g. PC-Q08, PC-Q18, PC-Q25, will fit without a compromise.


----------



## LTC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> The larger cases, e.g. PC-Q08, PC-Q18, PC-Q25, will fit without a compromise.


Thanks, however I want the most compact solution also. I don't need a DVD drive, so the 5.25 slot is useless for me


----------



## funfortehfun

The most compact PC-Q solution is at ~20 liters, which is quite large.

Sizes of PC-Q Cases (in liters):


> PC-Q28: 23.886075
> PC-Q18: 21.064150
> PC-Q08: 21.301680
> PC-Q25: 20.393520


Other cases such as the Node 304, SG08, and Array R2 are smaller than the above but can still fit a reference HD 6950 without modding. You can go visit the uSFF/SFF Club for more info.


----------



## LTC

So look what just arrived! Pretty excited to get a build going with this case!









http://s224.photobucket.com/user/jacobtc/media/IMG_20130614_142944_zps2c96d554.jpg.html


----------



## Buildmeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LTC*
> 
> So look what just arrived! Pretty excited to get a build going with this case!


omg that case looks amazing! ive been looking for builds with this bad boy and haven't found any. Please let us know how it goes


----------



## LTC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Buildmeister*
> 
> omg that case looks amazing! ive been looking for builds with this bad boy and haven't found any. Please let us know how it goes


I will! I'm going to visit my parents this summer, so I'm going to build this little ITX system, for easy transport. The only thing I need now is a motherboard and a CPU


----------



## DcW-Ch2

My Lian Li PC Q 11 Mod *Project: Lian Li Mini Component (Minimalist) *


----------



## tigim101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DcW-Ch2*
> 
> My Lian Li PC Q 11 Mod *Project: Lian Li Mini Component (Minimalist) *


That is absolutely beautiful, whered you get that zotac twin cooler 670?!?!?!!?


----------



## funfortehfun

Outstanding work! Added!


----------



## pcoutu17

I'm considering either the Q11 or Q08 for my first SFF build. I'm pretty dead set on a GTX 770 as my gpu, so it seems as if the Q11 is out of the question and the Q08 sounds like it will just barely fit it. I'm worried that either A) it won't actually fit even though it should on paper, or B) there will be some heat/space issues because of the tight squeeze. Are there any other small Lian Li cases that might work, or any evidence of the GTX 770 working in either of the two listed cases?


----------



## DcW-Ch2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tigim101*
> 
> That is absolutely beautiful, whered you get that zotac twin cooler 670?!?!?!!?


Thank you, I ordered it from my friend who is in japan right now...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *funfortehfun*
> 
> Outstanding work! Added!


Thank you








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pcoutu17*
> 
> I'm considering either the Q11 or Q08 for my first SFF build. I'm pretty dead set on a GTX 770 as my gpu, so it seems as if the Q11 is out of the question and the Q08 sounds like it will just barely fit it. I'm worried that either A) it won't actually fit even though it should on paper, or B) there will be some heat/space issues because of the tight squeeze. Are there any other small Lian Li cases that might work, or any evidence of the GTX 770 working in either of the two listed cases?


I'm sure on 770 won't fit on the q11.. Make sure you leave atleast 5mm clearance on your gpu


----------



## lootbag

Finally joining the club with my modified Q11, build in progress!
Should I start a log?


----------



## tigim101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lootbag*
> 
> Finally joining the club with my modified Q11, build in progress!
> Should I start a log?


YES PLEASE, There are so many sweet looking water cooled Q cases here, why havent I looked in this thread before. I wish I had the money and time to build one of these, curse being a poor college student. Amazing photo btw.


----------



## lootbag

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tigim101*
> 
> YES PLEASE, There are so many sweet looking water cooled Q cases here, why havent I looked in this thread before. I wish I had the money and time to build one of these, curse being a poor college student. Amazing photo btw.


Build log here --> http://www.overclock.net/t/1413838/build-log-lootbox-15l


----------



## Kurio

Hey. LIAN LI MINITOWER PC-Q02B is the smallest of them all? Which card can i fit here actually. gtx 650ti? cheers


----------



## void

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kurio*
> 
> Hey. LIAN LI MINITOWER PC-Q02B is the smallest of them all? Which card can i fit here actually. gtx 650ti? cheers


You know the Q02 has no expansion slots right? Depth is slightly shorter than the Q03 at 200mm so should be able to squeeze in a 180mm GPU.


----------



## Kurio

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *void*
> 
> You know the Q02 has no expansion slots right? Depth is slightly shorter than the Q03 at 200mm so should be able to squeeze in a 180mm GPU.


Daamn.... I see there is no fan there either.

Lian Li PC- Q11 is the only one with fan and space for card? I want it small as possible with power...


----------



## Kurio

As I can see PC-Q03 is the smallest of them all after looking on dimenions, is that true?


----------



## void

You could mod in expansion slots. The Q03 is not too much bigger and has a single slot.


----------



## Kurio

Well, I see.

I am thinking about Q02 since I dont really need any card since my 3570K got HD4000. The only thing is that I dont know which CPU cooler I can fit, since I am going to run a overclock. I know Noctua have coolers, but are they to big. I need a slimfit cooler or something atleast. http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/cases-cooling/cooling/noctua-nh-l9i-1138956/review

Or do any people know a slimfit cooler which I can overclock with. If that doesn't exist I am sure I can get a H60 or something in, but man it's going to be tight.


----------



## Kurio

Yolo, ordered a Q02 with ASUS P8Z77-I DELUXE and H100i.

Why ppl ask? Since I can oooo


----------



## void

Keen to see some pictures once you build it.


----------



## Teamocil

Been using a Lian-Li PC-Q16b since last November. Originally wanted to build something small and was trying to track down a PC-Q05b in Canada but could only find the silver one, so I decided to go for the Q16b for the interim.





lian-li PC-Q16b
i3-3225, stock cooler
Intel DQ77KB
2x4GB 1866 sodimms (MB identified the speed but only runs them at 1600)
Intel 330 SSD 240GB
W8Pro 64bit

Stock intel cooler will not fit with the lian-li PSU so I have a very empty PC...Motherboard is using a dell 65W laptop adapter. Stock front cooler is on the noisy side (i'm very picky).

Was planning on doing some tweaking to this setup (noctua cpu cooler, etc) but I somehow got my hands on a Lenovo M92P tiny earlier in the year (got it for a relative) and was amazed by it, waiting for Haswell version M93P which will replace this.


----------



## Sand0oski

Just got my Q27b in the mail today! I'm thinking about modding the interior layout a bit so it's set up like an FT03 mini, with the Silverstone ST45SF psu on the bottom, and either a tower cooler or my H70 mounted on the top.


----------



## Unstealthy

Loving this thread and very proud of what I will be building. I currently have an Unraid server and a gaming PC that are both on 24/7. Both very large (Norco 4220 & Antec 900-2). Goal was to combine this into a tiny, singular system still with an optical drive.

Received my beautiful Li-ion case last week and the remainder of my parts today. Will be creating a mini ITX gaming server using the following parts:

CORSAIR CX500M 34.99
Samsung 840 256gb SSD 149.99
*LIAN LI PC-Q08B 87.99*
ESATA -> SATA Cable 1.69
Optical DVD Burner Drive 21.99
ARCTIC Alpine 64 GT Rev. 2 CPU Cooler 6.99
G.SKILL (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) 66.99
AMD A10-6700 125.00
*ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 89.00*
*ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini 269.99*
x6 4tb Seagate Hard Drives 899.94

Windows 8.1 & Flexraid Pro for a 20TB parity protected array

In bold are the main parts that make this build possible. Without the existence of all 3 of these I wouldn't be able to get the frame-rates, internal SATA slots, or SATA ports necessary for such a build.

I have modded all of the cables to make this a clean tight fit (pic below). I will not be overclocking so all I wanted was a cheap silent cpu fan for the 65w processor. heatsink did not fit so I had to do some cutting. More pics to come.

Side Note...
It's too late now but does anyone know of a z87 mini itx board with 8 sata ports (no split ports). I couldn't find one leading me to have to go with FM2 (only 8 SATA board I could find in existence).


----------



## funfortehfun

Haven't seen many GTX Minis around here


----------



## 66racer

Like they were made for lian cases


----------



## Unstealthy

Mini is an amazing card. Was debating waiting for the 760 mini thinking I could get cheaper and performance is similar but $269.99 after rebate a 670 mini was too good to pass up. Also have the "Fractal Node". POS is 1/2" short with the Mini w/ 6 x3.5" HDD. 39.99 after rebate. Looks good but didn't fit the bill for my needs. I'll resell or build for someone else.

Currently painting HDD drive cages and fan bracket now. Waiting to do the top optical/SSD bracket as I pre-installed everything already. Pics don't do justice but everything seems to be looking good. I taped off all the ares that rub and are hidden when removing the drive bays as to not scratch paint job once done (pics below). Was gonna do some spot color in blue but decided to go with an "all black everything" design.

Question: What would be your best recommendation for an all black, front 140mm fan (no LED's) for $12.99 or less after shipping? Looking for low DB but good enough CFM for the case. Links would be helpful.


----------



## Unstealthy

She is up and running. I've set the ram timings, updated all firmware/drivers, and installed updated versions of all programs from old PC.

Here are some of the pics of the final build before hard drives (still waiting on 2 more 4tb hard drives and will be installing all at once:


Video card installed with modified 6 to 8 pin short cable


Inside of case without drive cages installed


Painted drive cages


Front fan installed on painted bracket


How she looks right now with drive cages installed (no drives)

Left to do:
receive all 6 4tb hard drives
disassemble and paint optical drive cage and optical drive casing to give it the "all black look"
Reassemble with all drives and the custom SATA cable I made (wiring will be on the front in case drives need to be changed out.

I will do final wire management at this point. Even so, it looks pretty clean now with the modified black cables. Once the drives are in it will hide everything to the right. I hate how the main 24 pin has color but it's just too much work to replace for a case without a window (future modification maybe). Does anyone on here have or have a pic of a Q-08 with a window?


----------



## lvlrdka22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Unstealthy*
> 
> It's too late now but does anyone know of a z87 mini itx board with 8 sata ports (no split ports). I couldn't find one leading me to have to go with FM2 (only 8 SATA board I could find in existence).


I'd just get one that has a mini PCIe slot, and use a SATA adapter.
Why not port multipliers? There's a 1 to 5 on ebay. If you're worried about hitting the speed limit, just do 1 to 2 per port.


----------



## Unstealthy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lvlrdka22*
> 
> I'd just get one that has a mini PCIe slot, and use a SATA adapter.
> Why not port multipliers? There's a 1 to 5 on ebay. If you're worried about hitting the speed limit, just do 1 to 2 per port.


I had this at one point but if you use the esata or mini pcie slot it uses up a SATA port (sata 3 & 5 correspondingly I believe) so it's still limited to 6.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157374

During my research I had read this and it obviously misled me:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1781107/internal-port-multiplier-sata-iii.html

I researched what you were talking about and found this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-To-5-SATA-2-0-Port-Multiplier-Card-3Gbps-SATAII-Riser-card-/281143606093?pt=US_Internal_Port_Expansion_Cards&hash=item417576fb4d

It seems very interesting but is only SATA2 and I could not find one for SATA3. Either way speed would most likely not be a bottleneck considering I would not be using SSD on it and flexraid does the parity at a set time and not during initial file transfer.

I want to try one of these out as it overcomes the sata limits on using a mini itx board with many hard drives and a high powered graphics card. Maybe another build in my unused node. Anyone used one before or can you link to a SATA3 non pci-e port multiplier?


----------



## lvlrdka22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Unstealthy*
> 
> I had this at one point but if you use the esata or mini pcie slot it uses up a SATA port (sata 3 & 5 correspondingly I believe) so it's still limited to 6.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157374
> 
> During my research I had read this and it obviously misled me:
> http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1781107/internal-port-multiplier-sata-iii.html
> 
> I researched what you were talking about and found this:
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-To-5-SATA-2-0-Port-Multiplier-Card-3Gbps-SATAII-Riser-card-/281143606093?pt=US_Internal_Port_Expansion_Cards&hash=item417576fb4d
> 
> It seems very interesting but is only SATA2 and I could not find one for SATA3. Either way speed would most likely not be a bottleneck considering I would not be using SSD on it and flexraid does the parity at a set time and not during initial file transfer.
> 
> I want to try one of these out as it overcomes the sata limits on using a mini itx board with many hard drives and a high powered graphics card. Maybe another build in my unused node. Anyone used one before or can you link to a SATA3 non pci-e port multiplier?


If you don't need the mini PCIe wireless card, replace it with a SATA one, that'll give you 8.
Guy's clearly wrong.
Yeah, that's the one. I'd get it from a more reputable seller though, like microsatacables. Yeah, I can't find any SATA 3 either.
The half mini PCIe I'm using is PM9172 and has 2 SATA 3 ports. You can try the PM1061, which should be a newer version of mine.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PM1061-SATA-to-mini-PCIE-Adapter-/321177918086?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac7b21a86http://www.ebay.com/itm/PM1061-SATA-to-mini-PCIE-Adapter-/321177918086?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac7b21a86
I should mention, mine uses the Marvell 88SE9172, that one is ASMedia ASM1061.

It's either that or multipliers unfortunately. You need to make sure that the board supports multipliers as well, if you're using on-board. The mini PCIe I linked supports multipliers itself.

I just took a look of the back of your board, apparently there's an mSATA port there. If you want, try to see if it actually supports mini PCIe (mine does) by moving the wifi card there and see if BIOS detects it. If so, you can actually get total of 4 extra SATA ports without wifi, or 2 ports and wifi.
I went with the latter.


----------



## Unstealthy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lvlrdka22*
> 
> If you don't need the mini PCIe wireless card, replace it with a SATA one, that'll give you 8.
> Guy's clearly wrong.
> Yeah, that's the one. I'd get it from a more reputable seller though, like microsatacables. Yeah, I can't find any SATA 3 either.
> The half mini PCIe I'm using is PM9172 and has 2 SATA 3 ports. You can try the PM1061, which should be a newer version of mine.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/PM1061-SATA-to-mini-PCIE-Adapter-/321177918086?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac7b21a86http://www.ebay.com/itm/PM1061-SATA-to-mini-PCIE-Adapter-/321177918086?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac7b21a86
> I should mention, mine uses the Marvell 88SE9172, that one is ASMedia ASM1061.
> 
> It's either that or multipliers unfortunately. You need to make sure that the board supports multipliers as well, if you're using on-board. The mini PCIe I linked supports multipliers itself.
> 
> I just took a look of the back of your board, apparently there's an mSATA port there. If you want, try to see if it actually supports mini PCIe (mine does) by moving the wifi card there and see if BIOS detects it. If so, you can actually get total of 4 extra SATA ports without wifi, or 2 ports and wifi.
> I went with the latter.


Awesome. Thanks for the info and the link. Will be trying this in the future.


----------



## cgg123321

Spoiler: Hidden to keep things tidy



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Unstealthy*
> 
> Loving this thread and very proud of what I will be building. I currently have an Unraid server and a gaming PC that are both on 24/7. Both very large (Norco 4220 & Antec 900-2). Goal was to combine this into a tiny, singular system still with an optical drive.
> 
> Received my beautiful Li-ion case last week and the remainder of my parts today. Will be creating a mini ITX gaming server using the following parts:
> 
> CORSAIR CX500M 34.99
> Samsung 840 256gb SSD 149.99
> *LIAN LI PC-Q08B 87.99*
> ESATA -> SATA Cable 1.69
> Optical DVD Burner Drive 21.99
> ARCTIC Alpine 64 GT Rev. 2 CPU Cooler 6.99
> G.SKILL (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) 66.99
> AMD A10-6700 125.00
> *ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 89.00*
> *ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini 269.99*
> x6 4tb Seagate Hard Drives 899.94
> 
> Windows 8.1 & Flexraid Pro for a 20TB parity protected array
> 
> In bold are the main parts that make this build possible. Without the existence of all 3 of these I wouldn't be able to get the frame-rates, internal SATA slots, or SATA ports necessary for such a build.
> 
> I have modded all of the cables to make this a clean tight fit (pic below). I will not be overclocking so all I wanted was a cheap silent cpu fan for the 65w processor. heatsink did not fit so I had to do some cutting. More pics to come.
> 
> Side Note...
> It's too late now but does anyone know of a z87 mini itx board with 8 sata ports (no split ports). I couldn't find one leading me to have to go with FM2 (only 8 SATA board I could find in existence).






Good stuff, keep the images coming! I am very close to buying a PC-Q08 and I'm curious as to how your build goes.

Have you ever considered the PC-Q25 or another lian li itx case?


----------



## veryoldfart

PC-Q02A on it's way. Can't wait!


----------



## veryoldfart

No.
The PC-Q02 is smaller. Comes with it's own 300W psu.
I believe it may have been discontinued, but is still out there. 300w can be pretty limited, but for my photography needs it should be great. I just have to keep the pwoer needs down on the gpu, but not much is needed for photgraphy. Little baby can sit right up on the desk and keep me company.


----------



## veryoldfart

Really, your biggest constraint will be on your gpu power requirements, as the Q02 only has 300w.


----------



## thierry

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sand0oski*
> 
> Just got my Q27b in the mail today! I'm thinking about modding the interior layout a bit so it's set up like an FT03 mini, with the Silverstone ST45SF psu on the bottom, and either a tower cooler or my H70 mounted on the top.


Hi Sand0oski,
Did you build your Q27?
Do you have some pictures?

Thanks


----------



## Sand0oski

I did end up building the Q27. It's been a great htpc so far. I ended up using a Thermalright axp-200 which looks great in the case but BARELY fits with the HDD mounted on the bottom lol. I can take some pics when I get home. I also ran out of heatshrink while sleeving the 24pin







and then i noticed some of the sleeving coming out


----------



## thierry

Thanks!

I'm currently thinking and searching all info, for the Q07 or Q27 for a quiet build.
Simple i3-4330, SSD, no optical drive.
With a tower cooler like Thermalright HR-02 Macho and external picoPSU + brick.

I can't find so many build pictures and many logs on the net, about the Q27. Is it too new? or not enough used? or users don't like it?


----------



## Sand0oski

It is a relatively new case, it came out earlier this year, in like April or May-ish. I haven't really found any build logs for it either, but it seems like Lian Li build logs have really became rare in general







. It's a good little case, and the reviews I've read have given it good reviews, like Tweaktowns review. I could take it apart and post a little build log if you think it'll help out in your decision making. I've got the Asus H87-i plus, i5-4430, 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance low profile, Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W modular psu, and a 2tb hdd.


----------



## thierry

Oh. You don't have to take it in pieces just for me. No problem.
It's already good info that you gave the components. It gives good idea. Thanks.


----------



## 1keith1

Here's mine put together!

Lian Li PC-Q02B

i5 4570
Asrock z87E-itx
Scythe Big Shuriken V2

Oh and I fit an AMD 7750 into it.





Only taking up as much space as necessary.


----------



## Smanci

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *1keith1*
> 
> 
> 
> Here's mine put together!
> 
> Lian Li PC-Q02B
> 
> i5 4570
> Asrock z87E-itx
> Scythe Big Shuriken V2
> 
> Oh and I fit an AMD 7750 into it.
> 
> *Snip
> 
> Only taking up as much space as necessary.


That case... I just want to own that little thing even though I've no use for it


----------



## ejohnson

This seems like a good place to ask this.

I am building a tu-100 and want to put something into the disk drive location, but not a disk drive... I have no use for another hdd either... anyone know of some sort of controller, display, switch pannel, or something neat that I can put into that spot?

I would love to find a water cooling res that fits into the slim ODD slot, but I double there is one premade.


----------



## thierry

I have seen the cool red Lian Li, when searching some pictures of Q02 or Q07 builds.
But I don't find any model in red, currently sold. (at least not anymore the Q07, here in Austria)

Are they only producing the red and blue, on limited editions?


This aluminium red is just so sexy!!







My wife would get jealous


----------



## void

I don't think they were an official strictly numbered limited release like the copper models but I do think Lian Li produce much smaller quantities of their coloured variants so sometimes they can be hard to find.


----------



## Sand0oski

Some actions shots of my Q27.


----------



## Smanci

Just gotta say that case looks a thousand times better than in the images on LiLi's website


----------



## Sand0oski

Thanks man


----------



## ejohnson

Just waiting for my new psu to show up.


----------



## 1keith1

What graphics card is that which is so short?

I like to know which ones are compatible with my case.


----------



## ejohnson

Running a evga 650ti ssc. Fits perfect with the radiator in there.
here it is next to a gtx555


----------



## abdultaiyab

Heres my Q07 build









I3 2120
Asrock Z77E
Kingston 8GB DDR3
ID Cooling IS 60 Heatsink/Fan
XFX 6670 1GB GDDR3
ThermalTake 550W PSU
Kingston V300 120GB SSD
Toshiba 500GB HDD

Added some case feet and blue led lighting at the bottom


----------



## cab2

Here are mine, Q11 and Q03, both with picoPSU.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=66864


----------



## Smanci

I'm interested in the temperature readings and different cooling configurations since it can be quite tricky to cool these little boxes silently yet effectively. So, post your HWMonitor readings!








Here's mine pretty much as hot as it gets after a round of 64p conquest in Battlefield 4, and also 5 minutes of idling on desktop. Ambient around ~ 20°C
GPU stock, CPU undercloked to 2,8Ghz (since the Gigabyte board doesn't offer undervolting options







). One 1150rpm Gentle Typhoon @5V outside the case pulling air out from the PSU and from back of the case, and there's one Akasa Apache 140mm PWM in the front pulling air out of the case. Stock Intel HSF.
I consider adding some thin sound dampening material on the inside to get rid of some high-pitched noises from the CPU cooler and later, get some another Z/H77board with undervolting options to be able to run the CPU @ stock clocks without a ridiculous noise. OR I could buy the Cooltek U2 that I really like, but since it's not Lian Li I suspect I won't be going for it.


----------



## Deaam

Can i join?

Its my PC-Q08 mod!


----------



## soundx98

excellent attention to detail! love the color contrasts and Bit logo


----------



## Deaam

Yeah, i think that logo fits there nicely


----------



## funfortehfun

Wow, that looks great!


----------



## SmokinWaffle

A well done thread. It's now *[Official]**!*









I own a Lian Li myself (the mATX snail one,







), and they are beautiful cases. My next build if I go ITX will 100% be in a PC-Q30.


----------



## aerial

Let me join the club.

Lian Li Q06b, Asus p8z77-i deluxe, i7 2700k @ 4.8ghz, gtx670 @ 1250/7600
cpu: Megahalems + 2 gelid slim fans, gpu cooler - gelid icy vision

Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/ae1337/LianLiQ06bITX (32 photos)

10 random pics:




Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## Qtrmeg

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aerial*
> 
> Let me join the club.
> 
> Lian Li Q06b, Asus p8z77-i deluxe, i7 2700k @ 4.8ghz, gtx670 @ 1250/7600
> cpu: Megahalems + 2 gelid slim fans, gpu cooler - gelid icy vision
> 
> Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/ae1337/LianLiQ06bITX (32 photos)


OMG, I love that! Who needs a case with a window?


----------



## 66racer

Some nice builds guys!


----------



## hampurista

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Qtrmeg*
> 
> OMG, I love that! Who needs a case with a window?


I would love it if Lian Li built a case that small for picoPSU powered SFF PCs.
Maybe a slim drive or no ODD at all, a bit smaller measures and everything should fit in fine, even with a SFX.
They have to get over their fixation on 5,25" ODD drives.


----------



## 66racer

Yeah; I have an external drive when I need to use one but if a case has a drive, I feel compelled to occupy it with a drive lol but since switching to the lian li t60 I finally ditched a drive.


----------



## Xylene

I started working on a PC-Q07B box last night, pictures and more to come.

For now,

i5 2400S (stock cooler, working on lowest possible under volt)
8GB GSkill 1600mhz RAM (which this board will only let me run at 1333mhz max)
AsRock H77M-ITX
OCZ Agility 3 60GB
Toshiba 5200 RPM 750GB 2.5"
Dynex 520w PSU (with all but 2 SATA, 24 pin, CPU 4 pin and PCI-E 6 pin cut off and all cables shortened)

Coming soon, EVGA 650 Ti 1GB.


----------



## soundx98

sounds like a killer little system.


----------



## Xylene

Just finished my PC-Q07B:

i5 2400S @ 2.6ghz 0.94v (undervolted on stock cooler)
AsRock H77M-ITX
2x 4GB GSKill RipJaws X 1600mhz @ 1333 8-8-8-24
OCZ Agility 3 60GB
Toshiba 750GB 2.5"
Dynex 400w PSU with all unneeded cables cut off, others shortened
EVGA 650 Ti 1GB

I cut the hole for the second PCI bracket a little too big, but whatever, it's on the back.


----------



## cab2

@Xylene

It's tough making straight cuts with a dremel huh?


----------



## Xylene

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cab2*
> 
> @Xylene
> 
> It's tough making straight cuts with a dremel huh?


It is. The screw that holes that wheel on kept ramming into the bracket where the PCI card screws into, which made things kind of a pain.


----------



## Jimhans1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xylene*
> 
> Just finished my PC-Q07B:
> 
> i5 2400S @ 2.6ghz 0.94v (undervolted on stock cooler)
> AsRock H77M-ITX
> 2x 4GB GSKill RipJaws X 1600mhz @ 1333 8-8-8-24
> OCZ Agility 3 60GB
> Toshiba 750GB 2.5"
> Dynex 400w PSU with all unneeded cables cut off, others shortened
> EVGA 650 Ti 1GB
> 
> I cut the hole for the second PCI bracket a little too big, but whatever, it's on the back.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Nice looking build, and GREAT LOOKING video card


----------



## Xylene

Just got a beast mode upgrade. i5 3450. FREEEEEE. Got a scrapped Dell XPS with it in there, which also has a Radeon HD 7570 1GB GDDR5, 8GB of 1600mhz RAM, which will make a great HTPC card. It's complete except hard drive. I tossed the 2400s in the Dell and it'll be my new bedroom HTPC.


----------



## nitromullet

Some cool builds in this thread. I'm interested in possibly getting a PC-Q18, and mounting a Corsair H90i in the front. Does anyone know if the hot swap drive cage is mounted with screws or rivets?


----------



## Qtrmeg

I have a Q25 , which is very similar, and most of those things are riveted on.


----------



## nitromullet

I've been digging through more pics... It looks like the cage is screwed to the case in the front and riveted to the optical bay, which is screwed into the case at the top edge. To just remove the cage without the bay, the rivets would have to be drilled.


----------



## Qtrmeg

Ya, so just drill them out. You won't be wrecking anything.

I like the Q18 case a lot, it was on a very short list of cases I was looking at.


----------



## timdenby

Quick question, does the ASUS GTX 770 fit in the PC-Q28 case?


----------



## Sand0oski

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *timdenby*
> 
> Quick question, does the ASUS GTX 770 fit in the PC-Q28 case?


I'd imagine it would. It's only 279mm long and the case supports up to 290mm.


----------



## timdenby

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sand0oski*
> 
> I'd imagine it would. It's only 279mm long and the case supports up to 290mm.


Cool, just looking at that particular case as it is perfect for a LAN rig. I have a Corsair C70 with SLI 770s but would like to make a portable gaming rig for when I visit home and when I go to LANs, during which I can simply borrow one of the GPUs from my main rig and use it in an ITX system. Though I may have to mod the case with some perforations in the case floor for better cooling.


----------



## bim27142

Subscribing to this thread as I plan on doing a "how small can I go" project... and I intend to get Q02 or Q03 if I can find them locally.

While back-reading, is there anyone around here that is able to put in a GPU on a Q02? Say a 750 Ti or 650 Ti?

Thanks!


----------



## hampurista

Shaav from German Computerbase forum made some cuts and put a HD 5770 inside a Q02.
I think he mentioned somewhere that he took it apart again as his rig didn't run as he would have liked it to perform but I'm not sure about that.

Machupo, too, made a great mod of the Q02 (also here).


----------



## Smanci

I think, if it's possible to somehow fit a small ATX psu in the Q02, you could achieve a pretty quiet and powerful build. i3 or an undervolted i5/77Xeon + 750Ti don't really produce that much heat. Even a picopsu might be enough to power them.


----------



## RonindeBeatrice

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SmokinWaffle*
> 
> A well done thread. It's now *[Official]**!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I own a Lian Li myself (the mATX snail one,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ), and they are beautiful cases. My next build if I go ITX will 100% be in a PC-Q30.


So you're the guy who bought the second one of these.









I've been seriously considering going itx lately, but am having a difficult time justifying moving from a 6 core 1366 to a 4 core 1150 build.


----------



## Jimhans1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RonindeBeatrice*
> 
> So you're the guy who bought the second one of these.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been seriously considering going itx lately, but am having a difficult time justifying moving from a 6 core 1366 to a 4 core 1150 build.


Besides overall performance increase? I loved my 1366 hardware, but even the 1155 IB killed the 1366. Just do it, and have no regrets.


----------



## Qtrmeg

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bim27142*
> 
> Subscribing to this thread as I plan on doing a "how small can I go" project... and I intend to get Q02 or Q03 if I can find them locally.
> 
> While back-reading, is there anyone around here that is able to put in a GPU on a Q02? Say a 750 Ti or 650 Ti?
> 
> Thanks!


The Q02 case is shorter than the Q03 case in a bad way, you will need to raise the motherboard to even fit a graphics card. Then you eliminate the slim drive, so why even buy a case with one? The Q02 case is also much much narrower, so you can't upgrade to an effective CPU cooler, and these cases run hot.

On the other hand I just built a Q03 and if I ever needed a graphics card I would use the 750TI. One you can adapt to a single slot, and cut the bottom of the case for the air intake. It would probably help the overall cooling in the case by adding the GPU.

This is what I cobbed together >>>

Q03 Build...so far

Prime95 got the CPU up to 85C with the stock cooler so you can see why I wouldn't recommend a Q02 build unless you are determined to get very small. The Zalman Quiet version cooler lowered the CPU to 75C, which I'm fine with, but I'm sure the Zalman Extreme version would lower the temps a couple more degrees, (with a little more noise). Actually, now that I think about it, the Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme has the be the most effective low profile cooler made.

Anyhow, I guess the point I am trying to make is you can build a Q02 with many struggles, and have to make compromises, or use a Q03 and make a minor mod to the bottom of the case. The Q03 already has the single slot and room below for the double slot card.


----------



## bim27142

Thank you for the feedback! Very much appreciated... Well, I just kinda like how small Q02 is...


----------



## SmallCase

Hi guys,

Great thread. Research is ongoing but I've got to the point where I could really use the opinions of those who have already gone where I plan to go. Having had my eye caught by the minimalist fascia of the pc-q25, decided it was too deep, picked my jaw up after I created a life size cardboard mock up of the pc-q03, and shed a tear when I realised that since the entire project started with the need for a new graphics card it probably wasn't going to work out between us I've alighted on the pc-q33 as the almost perfect combination of shallowness, and plain looks.

Now there are in theory 2 'R9 270' based graphics cards which will physically fit in to the case. XFX produce a couple of variants which they claim to be 220mm long, the exact stated maximum length the case will take. I've never had a problem with XFX, but I do have concerns about the fit, plugs extending over the back of the board etc. Powercolor make a couple of boards that come in at 198mm, which leaves a little more room to breathe. Processor will be a Haswell i3.

I'm assuming (hoping) that since the gpu will basically just be venting straight out the mesh side of the case I'm not going to have a great problem with cooling, as long as I don't jam it up against a wall? Does this seem reasonable? Is it even worth considering the XFX card, or should I just play it safe and get the powercolor?

Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks.


----------



## Dark

Here's my last HTPC build, Q12b with an AMD 7850k and Dominator 2000mhz memory.


----------



## Yannich

Hey People out there,
i want to submit my system








it's a Lian Li PC Q02A modded to fit a GTX 750 ti. I removed the optical drive panel and replaced it for an perforated metal plate. Hope you like it









Quote:


> Subscribing to this thread as I plan on doing a "how small can I go" project... and I intend to get Q02 or Q03 if I can find them locally.
> 
> While back-reading, is there anyone around here that is able to put in a GPU on a Q02? Say a 750 Ti or 650 Ti?
> 
> Thanks!


Yes i have one







I will update the pictures so you can see it from the back


----------



## Tomv9

Hello I live in Canada and would like to know if it is possible to buy these cases in Canada and if it is where would I have to go to get it?


----------



## abdultaiyab

Try ncix....I believe they carry Lian li cases


----------



## Tomv9

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *abdultaiyab*
> 
> Try ncix....I believe they carry Lian li cases


Thanks, but I tried ncix and they don't have any. I saw some one newegg.ca but they dont have the pc-q02 or q11


----------



## abdultaiyab

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tomv9*
> 
> Thanks, but I tried ncix and they don't have any. I saw some one newegg.ca but they dont have the pc-q02 or q11


Oh ya my bad...they do cubitek products...also worth checking out imo


----------



## kaivorth

Just discovered these cases. I'm obsessed.

What one is the best for me you think? I want one as small as possible

Q02, Q07, Q06, Q11

Will have a 270X, ITX mobo, 1 Hard Drive, 1 SSD

I don't need an optical drive if that matters
I can get a SFX PSU if needed
I can ditch the hard drive if I need to

I REALLY wanted the Q16, but no expansion slot for a video card


----------



## abdultaiyab

Q11 is your best bet mate...you also should consider as the smaller you go on the case and with those GPU specs you ll need good airflow...no point having to buy a powerful GPU only for it to throttle itself down cause of high temps


----------



## kaivorth

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *abdultaiyab*
> 
> Q11 is your best bet mate...you also should consider as the smaller you go on the case and with those GPU specs you ll need good airflow...no point having to buy a powerful GPU only for it to throttle itself down cause of high temps


I would of course get some nice fans, long as they have mounts.

I found the volume of the cases I was interested in

Q03 7.83 x 9.65 x 8.27 = 624.88
Q07 8.19 x 7.60 x 11.02 = 685.93
Q08 8.94 x 10.71 x 13.58 = 1300.25
Q11 7.87 x 10.23 x 12.83 = 1032.94
Q18 7.83 x 11.42 x 14.37 = 1284.95

The Q11 is a good deal bigger than the Q03 and the Q07. Q03 has no usb3.0









I did want more of a shoebox case than a cube too. Ugh decisions. Looks like the Q07 or the Q11 if I want something a tad bigger. Any other cases worth looking at?


----------



## hampurista

Both the Q01 and the Q33 are a nice choice though their exteriors both kind of cater the same tastes. Still their interior designs are far from similar.
If you want to go a bit bigger consider the Q25 (w/o ODD) or the Q28 (w/ ODD) and remove the drive cages. The Q27 is an update to both the Q07 and Q11 introducing some new features.

Though if you want to go for a showbox why not choose the TU-100 (only SFX PSU and slim ODD) or TU-200 (ATX PSU and 5,25" ODD)? Of course they are both rather un-minimalistic in terms of exterior design but really nice cases.


----------



## kaivorth

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hampurista*
> 
> Both the Q01 and the Q33 are a nice choice though their exteriors both kind of cater the same tastes. Still their interior designs are far from similar.
> If you want to go a bit bigger consider the Q25 (w/o ODD) or the Q28 (w/ ODD) and remove the drive cages. The Q27 is an update to both the Q07 and Q11 introducing some new features.
> 
> Though if you want to go for a showbox why not choose the TU-100 (only SFX PSU and slim ODD) or TU-200 (ATX PSU and 5,25" ODD)? Of course they are both rather un-minimalistic in terms of exterior design but really nice cases.


The minimilastic approach was the whole idea behind the build. Time to keep searching


----------



## abdultaiyab

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kaivorth*
> 
> I would of course get some nice fans, long as they have mounts.
> 
> I found the volume of the cases I was interested in
> 
> Q03 7.83 x 9.65 x 8.27 = 624.88
> Q07 8.19 x 7.60 x 11.02 = 685.93
> Q08 8.94 x 10.71 x 13.58 = 1300.25
> Q11 7.87 x 10.23 x 12.83 = 1032.94
> Q18 7.83 x 11.42 x 14.37 = 1284.95
> 
> The Q11 is a good deal bigger than the Q03 and the Q07. Q03 has no usb3.0
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did want more of a shoebox case than a cube too. Ugh decisions. Looks like the Q07 or the Q11 if I want something a tad bigger. Any other cases worth looking at?


Have you looked at cubitek cases?

http://www.cubitek.com/products/mini-series/mini-cube

Or Jonsbo

http://jonsbo.com/en/products.html


----------



## iFreilicht

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kaivorth*
> 
> The Q11 is a good deal bigger than the Q03 and the Q07. Q03 has no usb3.0
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did want more of a shoebox case than a cube too. Ugh decisions. Looks like the Q07 or the Q11 if I want something a tad bigger. Any other cases worth looking at?


Well, I am currently looking into building a full gaming rig into a Q12. Build is only in planning phase, and it will take me a while to complete, but as soon as I'm done, I'll report back with results









Build log can be found here if you're interested.


----------



## Gadgety

OK, so I got the PC-Q02 in silver. I've seen elsewhere that there seems to be variations of the slimline optical drives which will influence how they fit. Any recommendations?


----------



## DuckieHo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gadgety*
> 
> OK, so I got the PC-Q02 in silver. I've seen elsewhere that there seems to be variations of the slimline optical drives which will influence how they fit. Any recommendations?


What do you mean? Slim optical drives follow a standard form factor.


----------



## Gadgety

So I would expect, but I've seen users complain that the slimline drive they got didn't quite fit, and required some adjustments. The one example I find right now is Panasonic UJ8A0, requiring a plier to cut off 1mm from the DVD-drive (alternatively cut from the chassis). For pictures see here: http://reviewdays.com/archives/38859.

Specs do not seem to always be precise. For example, a 58mm cooler which should fit in the PC-q02 which specifies a 60mm space between motherboard and PSU, didn't fit. So rather than go by trial and error I thought I could get some confirmed use cases of slimline drives that fit.


----------



## methebest

Hello,

Firstly i really love the look of these cases.

I am planing on using one for a AM1 based HTPC, and I want to water cool it eventually.(As i will have a Swiftech H140-X siting unused sometime next year, and water cooling a AM1 cpu and 750ti would be funny.)
So the requirements for the case would be to have a 140mm fan mount(or be easy to mod one in) with about 4.5" of space behind it, also needs to support a mini-dtx mobo.
So far the Q18 looks like it will do the job with the hot swap bays removed, but i am wondering if another of the cases would work? As i kind of want it to be as small as possible in height and width, don't mind the length(depth?)

Also would the Q18 or Q25 be able to fit a thin micro-atx mobo like this? http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AM1MA/specifications/

Thanks.

Edit: The Q25 looks like it'd work as well.


----------



## soundx98

PC-Q25


----------



## Zipp

Hi there,

I am considering to get a PC-Q03 for a HTPC build, and I was wondering if the optical drive cover is intended to be placed on the optical for a stealthy look? Or does it involve modding?


----------



## soundx98

It appears to me a bezel (I would think aluminum to match case finish) that is included.
There are instructions for it's adjustment in the owners manual. PC-Q03 Owner;s Manual

C50.Q0300.10.pdf 1097k .pdf file


----------



## cab2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zipp*
> 
> Hi there,
> 
> I am considering to get a PC-Q03 for a HTPC build, and I was wondering if the optical drive cover is intended to be placed on the optical for a stealthy look? Or does it involve modding?


It's just a blanking plate. The slim optical actually sticks out a bit, mine here.


----------



## WEXX

What is the max size 120mm AIO cooler that you can place in the rear top fan spot on the PC-Q28B? (thickness)


----------



## Zipp

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cab2*
> 
> It's just a blanking plate. The slim optical actually sticks out a bit, mine here.


Bummer







I can't see the images though?

I wish it had a slot-in drive, would make it look very nice


----------



## Gadgety

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zipp*
> 
> Hi there,
> 
> I am considering to get a PC-Q03 for a HTPC build, and I was wondering if the optical drive cover is intended to be placed on the optical for a stealthy look? Or does it involve modding?


User Guardsmon on overclockers.co.uk did mod it, so that the alu bezel fit on the DVD drive. Scroll down to post #679 here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17247892&page=23. Looks great. No explanation or details provided, though.


----------



## Guardsmon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zipp*
> 
> Hi there,
> 
> I am considering to get a PC-Q03 for a HTPC build, and I was wondering if the optical drive cover is intended to be placed on the optical for a stealthy look? Or does it involve modding?


Hi Zippy,

I know this is 6 months late, but in case you are still interested - It looks very tidy with the optical bezel in place. I'll try and put up a picture.

1. Get some metal snips out and chop off the wings that fit it into the tray
2. Give it a little file down and buffer the edges
3. Then get some 1mm sponge padding and double sided tape.
4. place the padding along the optical tray with a cut out for the eject button
5. Attach the bezel.

Just remember where to push : )


----------



## Guardsmon

In other news I'm now on my 5th PC-Q case : )

I've got a PC-Q35A coming today for a watery build hopefully.


----------



## abdultaiyab

Hi guys...I have been stuck in a dilemma for a while now regarding my q07 build. I recently changed my psu fan since the old one was noisy, so I made some changes with my cooling setup. I made the psu face the motherboard this time and inverted the CPU fan to blow air from the heatsink under and dump it to the psu to exhaust it out. Results have been less then impressive, actually it hasn't changed much at all. Granted the new psu fan in a lower spec one airflow-wise and I even have reduced the CPU fan rpm to 50% until it hits 65c. So I wanted your opinion on the temps.

On startup :


30mins surfing/YouTube load:


30mins gaming load:


The case is placed in a open area and is properly ventilated from all sides.

My setup:
i3 2120
Asrock z77 itx
Kingston 8gb 1333mhz
Id cooling is60 lp cooler (1600rpm @ 12v)
Gtx 650
Kingston 120gb ssd
500gb 2.5" hdd
Thermaltake 550w psu


----------



## abdultaiyab

no one has any insights ?


----------



## gintama7888

Your gaming temp looks fine, max 71C/75C on CPU/GPU is pretty good for ITX case imo.
Whats the problem anyway? does the case get hot etc?


----------



## abdultaiyab

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gintama7888*
> 
> Your gaming temp looks fine, max 71C/75C on CPU/GPU is pretty good for ITX case imo.
> Whats the problem anyway? does the case get hot etc?


No problems just concerned seeing those high temps...the case does get hot to the touch...I guess with an aluminum build and 50+C° internals that shud be expected


----------



## Gadgety

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Guardsmon*
> 
> Hi Zippy,
> 
> I know this is 6 months late, but in case you are still interested - It looks very tidy with the optical bezel in place. I'll try and put up a picture.
> 
> 1. Get some metal snips out and chop off the wings that fit it into the tray
> 2. Give it a little file down and buffer the edges
> 3. Then get some 1mm sponge padding and double sided tape.
> 4. place the padding along the optical tray with a cut out for the eject button
> 5. Attach the bezel.
> 
> Just remember where to push : )


Thank you Guardsmon! In your images the bezel looks absolutely flush. Looking great.

I assume you removed the face plate of the DVD drive before attaching the optical bezel?


----------



## gintama7888

Hey guys, looks like I'll be joining Mini-Q case owners club soon, just ordered new Lian Li PC-Q21B case(hopefully have it by end of the month, fingers crossed).


----------



## gintama7888

Actually I'm really excited about getting the PC-Q21 case, cos originally I was after TU100 but I think Q21 is a better case. I think it's a great compact gaming ITX case. I have pretty much all the parts ready for the case but I'm just not too sure about the GPU.
CPU: Intel i7 4790S 65W
HSF: Noctua NH-L9i
M/B: Asus Z97i-PLUS
RAM: 16GB G.Skill Ares DDR3 2400
GPU: had Asus GTX670 Mini 170W (but i'll change it to 148W/120W Asus GTX970/960 Mini or R9 Nano if its not too expensive)
SSD: 250GB Samsung 850 EVO M.2 (but I'll change to 500GB Samsung 850 EVO M.2 or 256-512GB Samsung SM951)
HDD: 3x 2TB WD 2.5" external
ODD: Samsung SE-208W external
CASE: Lian Li PC-Q21B (http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q21)
PSU: Silverstone SX500-LG
FAN: Noctua NF-F12 Industrial PPC 120mm 2000RPM IP67 PWM


----------



## Guardsmon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zipp*
> 
> Hi there,
> 
> I am considering to get a PC-Q03 for a HTPC build, and I was wondering if the optical drive cover is intended to be placed on the optical for a stealthy look? Or does it involve modding?


Yes the PC-Q21 was the computer I was waiting to come out for 2 years, but have since had left behind. Its a lovely mix between the PC-Q11 and Q02

The new PC-Q10 looks like it might work very well for gaming, but is just not really very mini.


----------



## gintama7888

One local retailer told me RRP on PC-Q21 case is ~$270, and rough ETA is ~7-8 weeks.








Hopefully he got the wrong price would RRP on PC-TU100 is $170, and I can't see any reason why Q21 would cost much more than ~$160..


----------



## cpaqf1

Hey guys,

I'm interested in buying a new GPU for the PC-Q01 which aparently has 210mm of space, I did see a review that said that the total space was 216mm. Anyways, I wanna get a 960 GTX STRIX, do you guys think it would fit since it's 215mm long?

thanks


----------



## iFreilicht

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpaqf1*
> 
> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm interested in buying a new GPU for the PC-Q01 which aparently has 210mm of space, I did see a review that said that the total space was 216mm. Anyways, I wanna get a 960 GTX STRIX, do you guys think it would fit since it's 215mm long?
> 
> thanks


Should fit, but it might touch the front, which could couple vibrations from the fans onto the case more directly. Not sure if that would actually make the system louder, though, maybe it's a non-issue.


----------



## NicolasTMills

i love q21 and q01


----------



## Guardsmon

The nights are getting longer and its take to start modding again.

I'm stuck though with which case to attempt to watercool this winter. My beloved PC-Q11 which I never complete watercooling 2 years ago or the PC-Q35 that I bought on a wim due to its price, but it gives a lot more room to play (man the aluminum is thin on it!).

Task - cool 3770k and GTX970....

Thoughts?


----------



## stylobic

This thread is dead ?

I ordered a PC-Q21, Anyone got this case ?


----------



## Gadgety

No but I'll enjoy following your build. I put together an APU build in the PC-Q02 for my kid.


----------



## SebastianFM

I also want to buy PC-Q21 because I need to upgrade my i5-4570 based Mini-ITX PC about GTX 960. I very like the size of this case but I'm not sure if it will fit GTX 960 due to its power connector placing. Also I'm not sure about CPU temperature due to limited air circulation.


----------



## stylobic

Cannot say much about GTX because I already bought an R9 380 compact, but if you want some bench to have an idea of the temp, here you go in case you didn't find, and for the others:

http://www.planet3dnow.de/cms/22146-test-lian-li-pc-q21/
http://www.hardwareslave.com/reviews/hardware/chassis/lian-li-pc-q21-mini-tower-chassis-review/
http://www.play3r.net/reviews/cases/lian-li-pc-q21a-case-review/

I was thinking to get rid of this front HDD/SSD mounting plate (or bracket whatever you call it) because i bought M.2 SSD, then make a 120mm cut out to install a fan. I hope this will be possible.


----------



## iFreilicht

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*
> 
> I also want to buy PC-Q21 because I need to upgrade my i5-4570 based Mini-ITX PC about GTX 960. I very like the size of this case but I'm not sure if it will fit GTX 960 due to its power connector placing. Also I'm not sure about CPU temperature due to limited air circulation.


Can't tell you much about the CPU temperature, but a GTX 960 will fit 100% if it's reference height.
I know of the Zotac GTX 960 ITX Compact, EVGA GTX 960 (Superclocked) and Inno3D GTX 960 Combat that they are reference height and ITX length. The Gigabyte and ASUS models might fit as well, but I can't guarantee that.


----------



## SebastianFM

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iFreilicht*
> 
> Can't tell you much about the CPU temperature, but a GTX 960 will fit 100% if it's reference height.
> I know of the Zotac GTX 960 ITX Compact, EVGA GTX 960 (Superclocked) and Inno3D GTX 960 Combat that they are reference height and ITX length. The Gigabyte and ASUS models might fit as well, but I can't guarantee that.


Thanks for the tip, I didn't notice before that there are mini ITX graphics cards with width of 11 cm instead of 12 cm. Finally I chose Asus GeForce GTX 950.

I don't know which PSU will be better for my build, SilverStone SST-ST45SF-G or SST-SX500-LG. First one will cover less area of the stock CPU cooler, but second will be quieter.


----------



## adisega

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stylobic*
> 
> I was thinking to get rid of this front HDD/SSD mounting plate (or bracket whatever you call it) because i bought M.2 SSD, then make a 120mm cut out to install a fan. I hope this will be possible.


Hello guys, I'm new here.
This is my first post, and I hope I'm not to late to save your PC-Q21








Maybe it would be a better idea to leave the front side intact, in order to maintain the original design (and beauty) of the case.
What you could do instead is cut a hole in the roof, and use that as exhaust (warm air rises, anyway). Dust shouldn't be much of a problem, either, since the fan will blow it away, not suck it in.
Going this route, you get to keep the front mounting plate, and with a bit of extra modding, you can also shorten and redrill the ODD tray in order to mount a 2.5" SSD the other way (with the connectors towards the right side of the case).
Take a look at the way I modified mine (except for the ODD tray, I don't need it right now)...


----------



## stylobic

nice job, anyway i didn't have to modify anything as my temp are very ok, I5 is not OC, only graphic card just 80 Mhz and everythings rocks !

I'm interrested now in a front 3.5 jack as the one on the MB is difficult to reach whithout light...


----------



## adisega

That's good to hear.
If temps are ok, it's probably not worth the trouble. Yet, if I were you, I would probably still do it, just for the fun of it







And also to prevent the PSU from becoming the only active exhaust, which means at least increased noise, if not also shorter lifespan.
Good luck with the stereo jack, it shouldn't be too hard to drill it. Just make sure you pick a quality cable to minimize interference, it can really ruin your audio experience. I recently had that problem with a Spire 712 - nice case, horrible front audio.


----------



## SebastianFM

My current build is:
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q21B
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570
CPU cooler: Thermalright AXP-100 Muscle
PSU: Corsair SX-450
GPU: Asus GTX 950 Mini MINI-GTX950-2G without external power connector

I replaced stock CPU cooler but still under heavy load the CPU temperature is too high even when CPU cooler's fan spins at max speed.
I already found few temporary solutions to decrease CPU temperature (and make my build colder and quieter) by improving air circulation:
1. Connect PSU fan to 5 V to force it to blows out hot air all the time
2. Better, remove both side panels
3. Better, remove side panel and add fan which blows hot air away
4. Best, remove side panel and add fan which blows cold air in
So I decided to modify my case in a similiar way as adisega did. But I want to mount fan on the front blowing air in, like in Lian-Li PC-TU100. I don't need front USB and front mounting plate. Also power switch can be moved somewhere else.

I need some advices because I don't want to destroy my case by making a hole in the wrong place.
I have unused Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 140 mm. It is quiet and very efficient even on low speed. Can I use it or rather other 120 mm slim fan?


----------



## aerial

https://goo.gl/photos/QBhpTGfMPaWF88ps8


----------



## Smanci

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aerial*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://goo.gl/photos/QBhpTGfMPaWF88ps8


Stop posting this rig. I'll never be able to get my hands on that case


----------



## adisega

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*
> 
> I replaced stock CPU cooler but still under heavy load the CPU temperature is too high even when CPU cooler's fan spins at max speed.


Please double check that your cooler makes good contact with the CPU, clearing any "obstacle" on the motherboard.
I know it might sound too simple, but I went through something similar, with the build you can see in my pictures: on the Gigabyte GA-B150N Phoenix-WIFI, the Noctua NH-L9i makes perfect contact with the CPU in only one of the four possible orientations (if I remember correctly, the one in my picture is NOT OK). In any of the other three orientations, the cooler is slightly raised, which results in very high temps under load. Because the cooler is so small, I could not see the gap. I found the root of the problem by removing the cooler and checking the distribution of the thermal paste.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*
> 
> So I decided to modify my case in a similiar way as adisega did. But I want to mount fan on the front blowing air in, like in Lian-Li PC-TU100. I don't need front USB and front mounting plate. Also power switch can be moved somewhere else.
> I need some advices because I don't want to destroy my case by making a hole in the wrong place.


If you are sure any internal lights (leds, etc) are not going to bother you, depending on your use of the case (HTPC, near a TV, you get my point), then read on...
You can drill (and adjust) three holes in the upper side and move the power switch and the USB ports on the top side of the case, with their internals hanging down, parallel and close to the front side. I see you don't use the ODD tray, so that should not be a problem. Since you are not going to use the front mounting plate, you can basically cut a long, vertical, not very wide part from it, that contains the power switch and USB ports, then bend its upper and lower edges, so you can fix it to the sides of the upper panel, with screws or rivets, using the predrilled holes for the ODD tray. I hope that was reasonably clear, at least after reading it a few times







.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*
> 
> I have unused Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 140 mm. It is quiet and very efficient even on low speed. Can I use it or rather other 120 mm slim fan?


I think it's better to use a normal depth fan, there is no reason to limit yourself to the slim ones. But if that fan must be the one, I still wouldn't make such a big hole in the front side, for rigidity reasons and because the 4 mounting screw holes would be too close to the fan hole. I would probably cut a smaller hole, like for a 120mm fan, and simply place the bigger fan inside of the case. Of course, its efficiency would not be the same...
Anyway, this is a very good video that I used as a tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wGlWZ24QsE


----------



## SebastianFM

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adisega*
> 
> Please double check that your cooler makes good contact with the CPU, clearing any "obstacle" on the motherboard.
> I know it might sound too simple, but I went through something similar, with the build you can see in my pictures: on the Gigabyte GA-B150N Phoenix-WIFI, the Noctua NH-L9i makes perfect contact with the CPU in only one of the four possible orientations (if I remember correctly, the one in my picture is NOT OK). In any of the other three orientations, the cooler is slightly raised, which results in very high temps under load. Because the cooler is so small, I could not see the gap. I found the root of the problem by removing the cooler and checking the distribution of the thermal paste.


Thanks for reply.
I'm sure that my problem isn't related to CPU cooler. When the case is opened (both side panels removed) then CPU core temperature never exceeds 70 °C, even under very heavy load (Prime95, OCCT). But if I close the case then after few minutes temperature reaches 100 °C and then CPU thermal protection turns on.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adisega*
> 
> If you are sure any internal lights (leds, etc) are not going to bother you, depending on your use of the case (HTPC, near a TV, you get my point), then read on...
> You can drill (and adjust) three holes in the upper side and move the power switch and the USB ports on the top side of the case, with their internals hanging down, parallel and close to the front side. I see you don't use the ODD tray, so that should not be a problem. Since you are not going to use the front mounting plate, you can basically cut a long, vertical, not very wide part from it, that contains the power switch and USB ports, then bend its upper and lower edges, so you can fix it to the sides of the upper panel, with screws or rivets, using the predrilled holes for the ODD tray. I hope that was reasonably clear, at least after reading it a few times
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


I rather think about removing front USB ports and moving power button to the upper part of the front side. Using part of mounting plate is exactly what I wanted to do.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adisega*
> 
> I think it's better to use a normal depth fan, there is no reason to limit yourself to the slim ones. But if that fan must be the one, I still wouldn't make such a big hole in the front side, for rigidity reasons and because the 4 mounting screw holes would be too close to the fan hole. I would probably cut a smaller hole, like for a 120mm fan, and simply place the bigger fan inside of the case. Of course, its efficiency would not be the same...
> Anyway, this is a very good video that I used as a tutorial:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wGlWZ24QsE


I did some tests with Prolimatech USV 140 mm @ 800 RPM blowing air into the case. Results are satisfied for me but I'm also considering to use another fan.

My new idea is to mount fan to mounting plate instead of case. First I will cut round hole in it for 120 mm fan. If I'll want to mount 140 mm fan I'll simply cut larger hole in plate.
I didn't decide yet about hole in front side of the case but maybe I'll cut 120 mm square or little rounded square hole in it and cover it with honeycomb mesh or Lian-Li PT-AF12-1B or something else. I think it will looks better than round hole with grill.

Pity that it's impossible to achieve something like this on image below due to existing holes for power button and USB ports.


----------



## adisega

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*
> 
> I didn't decide yet about hole in front side of the case but maybe I'll cut 120 mm square or little rounded square hole in it and cover it with honeycomb mesh or Lian-Li PT-AF12-1B or something else. I think it will looks better than round hole with grill.


I wish I knew about that Lian-Li PT-AF12-1B before drilling the hole in my case. It definitely looks better with the mesh.
Well, I'll just lie to myself that my solution is overall better because of increased airflow


----------



## kjrayo18

Well I just ordered the Lian li q10, deepcool captain 120, sfx power supply and have a evga 980. Still hasnt arrived but I'm starting to have doubts the CPU cooler will fit lol. Time to mod it I guess if anything, I'll post up pics ones it arrives Thursday. Looks like a nice case.


----------



## wywywywy

Hi.

Has anyone tried fitting two 120mm radiators to the Q10?


----------



## MTHD

I'm so annoyed lol, the 1070 itx doesn't fit in the PC-Q21


----------



## AAABattary

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> I'm so annoyed lol, the 1070 itx doesn't fit in the PC-Q21


Is that the Gigabyte 1070 mini? Because that is a really tall card. Do you think the zotac mini is short enough to not touch the side panel?


----------



## MTHD

Zotac 1070 mini is too long for the PC-Q21, it only accepts up to 170mm, that card is 210mm. So annoyed, I'll have to buy a 970 for a high-ish price I guess







hackintosh it or something.


----------



## AAABattary

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> Zotac 1070 mini is too long for the PC-Q21, it only accepts up to 170mm, that card is 210mm. So annoyed, I'll have to buy a 970 for a high-ish price I guess
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hackintosh it or something.


Plenty of the 1060's can fit in that case, so I think that would be a better choice than a 970. You also get a lower tdp with a 1060, 120w tdp vs the 970's 150w.


----------



## MTHD

I'm afraid not, the length of the 1060's are a tad long at 174mm.


----------



## AAABattary

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> I'm afraid not, the length of the 1060's are a tad long at 174mm.


I'm pretty sure 4mm isn't enough to make the card not fit, I have a 170mm card in my case and there is still a good 20-30mm of room. Even if you had a 3.5 inch hard drive in the front you could still probably fit a card with 4 extra mm.


----------



## MTHD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AAABattary*
> 
> I'm pretty sure 4mm isn't enough to make the card not fit, I have a 170mm card in my case and there is still a good 20-30mm of room. Even if you had a 3.5 inch hard drive in the front you coultill probably fit a card with 4 extra mm. [/quote
> 
> I guess you're right, I've endlessly tried quite a few cards already and kinda settled for a 970, I can return it and try the 1060 luckily


----------



## MTHD

Hi guys, now I'm certain the mini 1060's will fit but now I'm wondering about the mini 1080







I've seen a Zotac 970 fit into the PC-Q21 and the Zotac 1080 is only a few mm longer not sure about width though, what you guys think?


----------



## AAABattary

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> Hi guys, now I'm certain the mini 1060's will fit but now I'm wondering about the mini 1080
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've seen a Zotac 970 fit into the PC-Q21 and the Zotac 1080 is only a few mm longer not sure about width though, what you guys think?


Mini 1080 is too tall, wouldn't be able to close the side panel.


----------



## Fritzz

Built this PC-Q25B for my buddy. I liked the case so much I bought one for myself. Once it's complete I will post up some pictures.

Cable management is a bit meh, but gets the job done.


----------



## MTHD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adisega*


Hi Adisega, did that top fan improve temps at all? I ask because I want to opt for a 7700k for its higher GHz and maybe a Z270 board to overclock? (not too sure yet, advice?)
But yeah... I want to mod a fan on top and front and add a slim fan at the bottom and a side window mod also. I'll be using short custom cables from moddiy for aesthetics,
I'm thinking....add two high airflow fans with pwm so i can control noise whilst getting airflow in the case...guessing lol
I like the Lian-Li PT-AF12-1B but I don't think I can drill that shape onto this case, best option would be this? because it'll fit into the hole?



I've got the case and GPU so far but this is what I plan to have:

Case: Lian-Li PC-Q21B
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-B250N-Phoenix WIFI or Z270
CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 or 7700k
CPU cooler: Cooler Master GeminII M4
PSU: HDPlex 300 + Dell 330w AC Adapter
GPU: EVGA SC GAMING GTX 1060 6GB

All suggestions are welcome please guys


----------



## adisega

Yes, it definitely made a difference, and what a difference (see below).
I wouldn't run a gaming setup inside this case without at least the top vent.
Not sure about the 7700K and overclocking... Can a low profile CPU cooler handle 91W, no matter how good the airflow? And oc on top of that?

Some temps, during Witcher 3 session, as reported by GPU-Z, SpeedFan, and Gigabyte System information viewer:

Quiet profile (Noctua 120mm 850RPM, Noctua CPU 2000RPM - load values, of course):
- EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - 76C, 47%Fan speed (1216RPM);
- i3-6100 - 70/71C;
- system - 61C.

Full Speed profile (Noctua 120mm 1270RPM, Noctua CPU 2455RPM):
- EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - 74C, 43%Fan speed (1111RPM);
- i3-6100 - 65/66C;
- system - 57C.

120mm system fan off, hole covered (the CPU fan goes to 2580RPM, higher than Full speed profile!):
- EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - drops the core from 1911 to 1898MHz, 81C, 62%Fan speed (1609RPM);
- i3-6100 - 84C;
- system - 68C.
Temps were still rising when I stopped the experiment after about 10 minutes.

As a side note, my PSU is now drawing cold air from outside, through a grill in the side panel. So, it does not interfere, nor does it help, with the internal airflow.


----------



## MTHD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adisega*
> 
> Yes, it definitely made a difference, and what a difference (see below).
> I wouldn't run a gaming setup inside this case without at least the top vent.
> Not sure about the 7700K and overclocking... Can a low profile CPU cooler handle 91W, no matter how good the airflow? And oc on top of that?
> 
> Some temps, during Witcher 3 session, as reported by GPU-Z, SpeedFan, and Gigabyte System information viewer:
> 
> Quiet profile (Noctua 120mm 850RPM, Noctua CPU 2000RPM - load values, of course):
> - EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - 76C, 47%Fan speed (1216RPM);
> - i3-6100 - 70/71C;
> - system - 61C.
> 
> Full Speed profile (Noctua 120mm 1270RPM, Noctua CPU 2455RPM):
> - EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - 74C, 43%Fan speed (1111RPM);
> - i3-6100 - 65/66C;
> - system - 57C.
> 
> 120mm system fan off, hole covered (the CPU fan goes to 2580RPM, higher than Full speed profile!):
> - EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - drops the core from 1911 to 1898MHz, 81C, 62%Fan speed (1609RPM);
> - i3-6100 - 84C;
> - system - 68C.
> Temps were still rising when I stopped the experiment after about 10 minutes.
> 
> As a side note, my PSU is now drawing cold air from outside, through a grill in the side panel. So, it does not interfere, nor does it help, with the internal airflow.


Oh wow those temps!, small difference but worth it IMO especially as I plan to add a front fan with that grill.
The cooler I've chosen isn't that low profile but its meant to be a good performer, maybe it'll be cool with 3 fans in the case? who knows, I might decided against overclocking anyway.

Thanks buddy


----------



## adisega

Sorry, my mistake, I did not see you will not be using a SFX PSU, so I did not pay much attention the the CPU cooler.
It sure has more punch than the Noctua low profile and, together with a front fan, I am sure you will have temps at least 10 degrees lower than what I posted, for CPU and system.
Good luck and let us know


----------



## LmmO

Looks like there would be room for a AIO cooler in the top. Can you confirm this?? How many CM are there from the top to the PSU?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*


----------



## SebastianFM

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LmmO*
> 
> Looks like there would be room for a AIO cooler in the top. Can you confirm this?? How many CM are there from the top to the PSU?


I can't confirm because it is dependent on cooler dimensions. 5.0 cm.
Anyway I think you should consider such cooling method. AIO cooler will bee inefficient if it will use hot air made by GPU.


----------



## MTHD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adisega*
> 
> Sorry, my mistake, I did not see you will not be using a SFX PSU, so I did not pay much attention the the CPU cooler.
> It sure has more punch than the Noctua low profile and, together with a front fan, I am sure you will have temps at least 10 degrees lower than what I posted, for CPU and system.
> Good luck and let us know


Hi mate, my build is almost finished...I've seen your completed build on another forum and I'm wondering how much space is there underneath your EVGA 1060? I ask because I want to add a slim 120mm fan there (I've heard it doesn't make much difference but want to add one anyway) and don't know which fan to choose


----------



## adisega

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> Hi mate, my build is almost finished...I've seen your completed build on another forum and I'm wondering how much space is there underneath your EVGA 1060? I ask because I want to add a slim 120mm fan there (I've heard it doesn't make much difference but want to add one anyway) and don't know which fan to choose


Sorry, I've been out of town for a few days, so no way to measure.
I will come back with an answer in two days, when I'll return home... if it's not too late.
Oh, and I've changed the i3-6100 with an i5-7600 - temps are lower, by a few degrees... if I remember correctly, around 62-65 during Witcher 3, on the Quiet profile... not sure though, I'll confirm in two days.
On the other hand, I haven't tried to use a fan under the video card, I always thought it would make things worse, something like the two fans getting in each other's way. I am curious about your results


----------



## SebastianFM

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> Hi mate, my build is almost finished...I've seen your completed build on another forum and I'm wondering how much space is there underneath your EVGA 1060? I ask because I want to add a slim 120mm fan there (I've heard it doesn't make much difference but want to add one anyway) and don't know which fan to choose


*adisega* is right. I've tried many cooling solutions including slim fan on bottom and it's not good idea. Prolimatech 140 mm slim fan on bottom of the PC-Q21 case sucking in cold air was very loud even on low speed and also inefficient. His solution to mount on top fan blowing out hot air is much better and finally I used it.


----------



## MTHD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SebastianFM*
> 
> *adisega* is right. I've tried many cooling solutions including slim fan on bottom and it's not good idea. Prolimatech 140 mm slim fan on bottom of the PC-Q21 case sucking in cold air was very loud even on low speed and also inefficient. His solution to mount on top fan blowing out hot air is much better and finally I used it.


Thanks for your input too, I've decided against it. How did you get that shape on top of the case for the fan? I saw your comment a while back about using the PT-AF12-1B but I have a hole saw that's round. . .if that makes sense?


----------



## SebastianFM

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MTHD*
> 
> Thanks for your input too, I've decided against it. How did you get that shape on top of the case for the fan? I saw your comment a while back about using the PT-AF12-1B but I have a hole saw that's round. . .if that makes sense?


My brother works in the company that has CNC machine so they made a hole in my case for free.
There are tutorials on YT about cutting a round hole in PC case. If you'll decide to do it yourself, you should watch them before you start. You can buy round mesh.


----------



## adisega

Sebastian, that looks great. I'm one step closer to buying a second case and modifying it like yours.
Or even better yet, if Lian Li is checking this thread out, please make a Q21v2 or something, with that top, with perforated left side panel for PSU intake and... closed back.
What do I mean by that? Well, if the PSU draws cold air from the right side and exhausts it in the rear, there is no point to have back vents. They only decrease the top exhaust fan efficiency, by allowing it to draw part of its intake air from behind the case and send it upwards immediately, without playing any part in the cooling of the case. If, on the other hand, there are no back side vents (or they are covered, as I've done with my Q21... v1, Lian Li







), the top system fan is forced to draw all its intake (hot) air from inside the case, as well as pulling more cold air through the side and bottom vents, which gets to the CPU and GPU coolers.

MTHD, you can't get that shape with a round hole saw. But I think it is not that hard to do it: first draw and cut the long straight lines making up the sides of the square, then instead of the curved corners, just draw and cut straight lines that connect the ends of the previous lines. In the end, get a round file or even better, some sandpaper (rough at first, finer when you get closer to the desired shape) and carefully round the corners till they match the PT-AF12-1B. Something like this:

Step 1:
--
| |
--
Step 2:
_
/ \
| |
\_/

Step 3: round the corners

Lastly, about those temps:

Quiet profile (Noctua 120mm 843RPM, Noctua CPU 1300-1600RPM - load values):
- EVGA GTX 1060 3GB - 74-77C, 43-49%Fan speed (1112-1280RPM);
- i5-7600 - 62-66C;
- system - 59-60C.

Not a huge difference, but a bit cooler and quieter than the i3. Probably because 4 cores don't have to work as hard as 2


----------



## MTHD

I think I'll just stick to using my hole saw attachment for now as tbh, I will get the silver version of this case later on. I don't know why but I just get the urge to use 3 fans in this case: (top fan and drill a hole for the front) and to use a slim fan at the bottom regardless lol







then now add some holes to the side panel as you Adisega have just mentioned


----------



## Agueybana_II

Got Q10 the other day now I wait for ASRrocK mobo.


----------

