Lian-li PC65

[TQB]

I am very close to buying the Lian-Li PC65 but what concerns me is what I have to put in it.

Doesn anyone know if this will fit in the case without problems:
ASUS K8N-E Deluxe Mobo
2 hdd drives
1 floppy drive
and for what worries me is the clearnece needed for the BFG 6800 Ultra between it and the HDD drives.

Anyone have any experiance with this?

 

[akira34]

Lets review the case...

Motherboards: Up To 12" x 9.6" ATX
That means your standard ATX sized mobo will fit without issue... Is the board you selected eATX (extended ATX)?? If not, then you're fine there.

Exposed 5.25" Bays: 4
Exposed 3.5" Bays: 3
Hidden 3.5" Bays: 5
That means it won't have any issue holding up to 7 hard drives along with a floppy drive.

It even looks like you can use the drive cage that holds the floppy for two hard drives. IF you're concerned about clearance for your video card, just put the drives in there and don't use the second hard drive cage. IF you do get more drives later, remove the video card, install the drives, and then reinstall the video card. Typically, that eliminates any spacing concerns/issues when it comes to cards and drive placement.

Personally, I'd be very surprised if the Lian-Li case had issues with any part of what you're planning on installing.

 

[TQB]

In the manual for the MoBo it says it is ATX Form Factor 12in x 9.6in (30.5cm x 24.4cm)

i thought by the looks of the case the hard drives had to go in the bottom cage. So I could take that cage out and put the 2 hard drives and the floppy drive in the top cage?

 

[akira34]

Always test fit before going head long into the installs, but you should be able to put the two hard drives right below the floppy. It might be a snug/tight fit, but there's no reason it won't work.

Also keep in mind, you can place the hard drives on their sides in that case. Or use the included mounting plate adapter to mount them more conventionally. If you put the drives at the bottom of the cage, you should have less to worry about when it comes to clearing the video card.

 

[TQB]

Thanks. So you think Lian-Li is a good case then?

I currently have a Antec Performance Plus case.

 

[akira34]

I've used cases from Antec, Coolermaster and now Lian-Li... Lian-Li beats the rest when it comes to quality and extra steps that they don't have to take. Since getting my V1100B case, I won't go back to other makes/models when it comes to my own system. I'll also try to get them for all customer builds I get. For what I got with the V1100B case, ~$200 was cheap.

 

[TQB]

Do you think the V1100B would be a better choice? I am just looking for a good quality case that offers decent cooling and perferably has a window.

 

[akira34]

the V1100 doesn't have a window. Since it has sound dampening material on both side panels, and the top of the case (inside), a window would do more harm than good. Since I installed the XP-120 the other day (Saturday) my processor temp is sitting at about 33C (light load) with the case being the same temp. Depending on what you do for cooling, will dictate what you get for temps. The V1100 does come with two, fairly silent, 120mm case fans pre installed, which makes things easier.

Personally, I like everything about the V1100. From it's styling, to the sound dampening materials, to the large fans preinstalled, and the layout of the internal parts. I also like how the USB and FireWire ports are positioned (audio ports too, but I don't use those). They are installed in a solid part of the case, so there's no chance of them moving, or flexing, when you go to insert a cable into them (a problem common with plastic face cases).

My only regret is that I don't have enough clearance where my computer goes to get one of the V2100 cases. Being able to install 12 hard drives without any modification would be sweet. Of course, I'd need to get a pair of SATA RAID controllers if I did that. BUT, I could easily get up to 3TB inside that case (more if I used drives over 250GB)...

 

[Geomagick]

I have been using a Pc65 for a while now and have had no problems fitting kit in.

Currently has 3 HDD, 2 DVD drives, 6800GT PCIE and with room to spare.

I would however recommend a semi modular PSU like the Antec Neopower to keep things tidy inside, you don't want to hide the 6800 from view!!