New rig, NZXT H710 Vs Lian-Li O11D XL

Associate
Joined
27 Jun 2020
Posts
52
Location
New Zealand
Hi all! Planning a new build in March with my first custom water loop. I'm torn between two nice cases, the NZXT H710 & Lian-Li 011D-XL. The rig will be used for 3D animation / GPU rendering & I will probably get an Asus 3080 Ti EK.

ZlFJ4un.jpg

I'm going for a dark theme so want an all-black case or the O11D-XL (black instead of white shown), black hard tubing. Aesthetically I like that the pump/res could be hidden in the Lian-Li's side compartment. I don't want a bright distro plate in any case. With either option I am going for those awesome Lian-Li UNI fans (pictured), and EK 28mm rads.

Acoustics are important and this is where I need help deciding which would be quieter:
- H710, 280 rads front & top + 1 rear exhaust fan, 5 x 140mm total
- O11D-XL, 360 rads top & bottom + 3 side intake fans, 9 x 120mm total

Do you think the extra space & intakes in the O11D-XL would help air circulate and let me run the fans at lower speed?

Any feedback welcome :)
 
Permabanned
Joined
22 Oct 2018
Posts
2,451
To me the airflow seals the decision. Lian-Li 011D-XL every time! Especially since you are doing things that will be generating a lot of heat.

I actually find that acoustics are largely down to having a good airflow and quality fans. The NZXT H710 is just too restrictive re airflow which means the fans will be running at higher revs for the same airflow. The Lian-Li has much better airflow. It also allows you to choose your own fans so you can put some quality fans in there. I would suggest an even higher airflow such as the newer mesh cases, again replacing stock fans with quality fans.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
27 Jun 2020
Posts
52
Location
New Zealand
The xl would certainly offer you more options having more fans anx larger rads would run quieter which hopefully equate when the system is under load.

A 360 radiator doesn't have much more surface area than a 280 - with that in mind more small fans are always going to be louder than fewer big fans. They are probably very similar in performance though.

I found the Gamers Nexus YouTube channel and got some cool noise normalized temperature stats on the cases I'm interested in:

hA0W5t3.jpg

The four cases highlighted are the only ones I like the look of.

I'm not sure how relevant the CPU temps are considering I'll be on water, not overclocked and do very little multi-threaded work. I guess they are indicative of how much the other components close to the CPU will be cooled, but I think in reality any of these cases be fine and it will come down to looks :D
 
Last edited:
Associate
Joined
22 Oct 2012
Posts
1,086
For what it’s worth I run a 3070 and a 5800X in a 710i, with the CPU water cooled by a 280 aio rad at the top.

It’s dead silent at idle and quiet under load. I’d suggest changing the rear exhaust to an intake (with a 140mm dust filter) though, to lower your top rad’s intake temps and create a positive airflow case.

It’s a good case; pleasure to work with, visually striking and the build quality is very much there, but then again the Lian-Li you linked is no slouch.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
27 Jun 2020
Posts
52
Location
New Zealand
I have ruled out the Fractal Define 7, don't like look of the mesh top. Lian-Li & Phanteks did this better IMO. I really like that NZXT have clean front & top panels but still have vents.

If I did go with the H710 which of the following would be better for cooling:

280 rad top, 280 rad front, 140 fan rear
360 rad top, 240 rad front, 120 intake fan (bottom front), 120 exhaust fan (rear)

Lian-Li UNI fan specs:
140: 1500rpm max, 70CFM, 1.65 static pressure, 30dB
120: 1900rpm max, 58CFM, 2.54 static pressure, 31dB

IMO fans all need to be the same size for aesthetics. I'm not sure that a 120 bottom-front intake would do much, other than make the rad above it look unbalanced lol. I kinda wish NZXT had a bigger version of this case so there were more options for custom loops.
 
Associate
Joined
22 Oct 2008
Posts
117
If you arent a fan of the Define 7 top grill (which I agree is not very nice), I would suggest looking into the Meshify 2/2 XL from Fractal, which has a much sleeker top. GamersNexus did recently test the Meshify 2, which got very good thermals. Then again, front mesh and the fractal one is not to everyone's taste:
HlLtVDb.png

I just started a custom build (log in sig below) in the XL version and love all the space and flexibility it offers. 480 and 360 Rad.

Otherwise I would go with the Lian Li over the Nzxt case. Other thing to consider, is rad thickness. Not sure but I would imagine you can fit bigger rads into the O11DXL?
Overall, there is likely not a ton of difference between the two configs you listed.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
27 Jun 2020
Posts
52
Location
New Zealand
I would suggest looking into the Meshify 2/2 XL from Fractal, which has a much sleeker top. GamersNexus did recently test the Meshify 2, which got very good thermals. Then again, front mesh and the fractal one is not to everyone's taste:

Yeah the Meshify 2 XL is a good performer but not really my style, especially the logo on the front. This black Lian-Li & layout looks cool:

nJqezwG.jpg

But IMO the side intakes with 2 rads is what made the O11 special, so I wouldn't put a distro in that position... This is EK's Lian Li XL distro plate, can it be mounted on the actual front glass instead of the side like in the photo? Also would I be able to selectively disable the plate's RGB with Asus Auros?

The other option is I go with a flat res such as the EK FLT 240, it looks like it could fit in the back compartment? I can't find the link but I've seen a build done where the pump/res with soft tubing was hidden in the rear and hard tubing used in the main compartment, looked pretty good.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
27 Jun 2020
Posts
52
Location
New Zealand
I just started a custom build (log in sig below) in the XL version and love all the space and flexibility it offers. 480 and 360 Rad.

I have actually come back to the Meshify 2 XL and its looks have grown on me... I'll be going with it :D

45mm thick EK rads, 420 top, 420 front with push-pull.
140mm fan intake bottom, 140mm exhaust rear. Balanced pressure with a total of 11 x 140mm fans :)
 
Associate
Joined
22 Oct 2008
Posts
117
I have actually come back to the Meshify 2 XL and its looks have grown on me... I'll be going with it :D

45mm thick EK rads, 420 top, 420 front with push-pull.
140mm fan intake bottom, 140mm exhaust rear. Balanced pressure with a total of 11 x 140mm fans :)

That sounds great. 45mm rads are perfect, especially in the top as with fans you should still be above the motherboard in terms of clearance. Also believe the ek rads are quite slim on the sides so you should be able to fit the 140mm width in the top.
 
Associate
Joined
22 Oct 2012
Posts
1,086
I have ruled out the Fractal Define 7, don't like look of the mesh top. Lian-Li & Phanteks did this better IMO. I really like that NZXT have clean front & top panels but still have vents.

If I did go with the H710 which of the following would be better for cooling:

280 rad top, 280 rad front, 140 fan rear
360 rad top, 240 rad front, 120 intake fan (bottom front), 120 exhaust fan (rear)

Lian-Li UNI fan specs:
140: 1500rpm max, 70CFM, 1.65 static pressure, 30dB
120: 1900rpm max, 58CFM, 2.54 static pressure, 31dB

IMO fans all need to be the same size for aesthetics. I'm not sure that a 120 bottom-front intake would do much, other than make the rad above it look unbalanced lol. I kinda wish NZXT had a bigger version of this case so there were more options for custom loops.

Kia-Ora. Didn’t realise you were a fellow kiwi! Also didn’t see your response and note you’re planning to go with the meshify.

For the 710i though, this would be ideal:

- 360 rad exhausting in the top
- 240 rad in-taking in the front
- 120mm intake fan in the front (arranged at the top if the rad will allow it)
- 140mm rear intake fan

Chur.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
27 Jun 2020
Posts
52
Location
New Zealand
None of this will be able to happen until March lol, no Ryzen 5900X CPUs in the country right now :(
Also the Lian-Li 120 fans are here but not the 140s yet.
 
Back
Top Bottom