Yewen looks at: Lian Li S80b

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 21:00

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 21:01

Sorry for some of the pictures but you get an idea.

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 21:03

I can get more pictures if anyone wants them, or higher quality ones.

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 21:36

Sandmaster500 said:
Looks very nice. Does the back thing fit on still with the zalman? It make a difference to noice/temps?

Yup, its in the system so I dont lose it really!

Not a difference to temps with my watercooling, but for the air on the 2400XP it made a 2 deg difference.

Nothing major but warranting its inclusion.

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 22:19

Above the PSU is a 80mm fan and removeable bracket yeh.

And I purchased this case for my main rig, reserator and all as I go for silent systems so that is what I put in it.

But to let you know, like for like system replacement both without fans the v1000+ is the better passive.

Add in fans and the S80 is the better aircooler, just.

The v1000+ and S80 are both not about extreme air cooling though, if I wanted that I would still have my Savrow SR71 or a Akasa Eclipse.

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 22:32

FrankJH said:
the one thing I was impressed with during My P180 build was the dampers on the hdd tray which was the attention to detail I liked

Unfortunately the P180 is 1/2 the price of this, which looks lovely but not anywhere near as convinced.

Also wish there was a little bit more space around the mobo, and with Yewen having a few niggles and an insanely long build time just puts me off that bit too much

Quality post and pics though

Oh no, don't get me wrong, the motherboard and bits were in in about 15 mins, plenty of motherboard room though.

I spent about 8 hours taking measurments, flexing panels, looking at rivets, the sort of thing nobody else would do.

The actual build took me an evening, 7pm till 11pm. Quite long for me but I was going very slow taking pictures and getting the cables ok first time.

The niggles are things like too many screws on the internal panels, 5 on one of them when 4 could have done, but its Lian Li going over the top. Great case but in some areas they have tried to build it TOO well.

I will post more info in a few days, but certainly do not let my comments put you off, this is the best case I have ever found for me personally.

Would I recommend it to everyone, no, would I recommend it to people who are after what I was, most certainly.

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 22:56

craigjarvis said:
Picture 3 on post 97, and picture 1 on post 100 are not showing for me by the way, just got little white box with red x in middle

Sorry they were poor quality ones of other pictures, and I just had to quickly get the pictures up before they were seperated by to many posts.

Deleted.

Yewen · 10 Jul 2006 at 23:13

Quite probably, and I don't know if you would actually lose a drive bay either.

Will do a mockup for rad spaces for the review.

Yewen · 12 Jul 2006 at 02:18

Yewin is a new one.

Depends what your rig is, post a comparative thread in CC on S80 v V1000+ and I will get in and reply, don't want to take my own thread toooo far off topic.

Yewen · 12 Jul 2006 at 13:22

Ok, just replaced the front two fans with the Ambers from the v1000+.

And hard drive temps in this case, wow, just wow.

4deg down from the v1000+ and they take ages to get anywhere near hot aswell, I am totally surprised that the aluminium sinks really do work, I am now thinking about putting some thermal heat transfer pads on the caviar.

Raptor = 24deg
Caviar = 38deg

(both amazing compared to the v1000+!)

The graphics card however is running 1deg higher, but I have not got the case fans all sorted yet. Amazing that the hard drives run so cool though, was not expecting that at all.

Yewen · 12 Jul 2006 at 22:54

They would only fit in the S80, they do not fit in my v1000+ sadly.

Could always make your own though.

Yewen · 16 Jul 2006 at 00:17

Its coming with the new version of www.yewen.co.uk just working a few things out about the site with Randomtom who has generously made it for me.

Will be by midweek probably, if you buzz me on msn I can give you some rough opinions but they are for your ears only, as if I am writing something up for people to read I like to make sure I will stand by everything I say and beleive it to be correct.

Yewen · 16 Jul 2006 at 01:40

Go with the one you like the look of the most.

I would be inclined to recommend you buy the v1000+ though, its a better buy.

Yewen · 17 Jul 2006 at 12:12

How did you find it a pain?

I just put the screws in, motherboard down at 45 deg into backplate, line up screws, middle one in, rest after.

Took minutes and was fine for me.

Yewen · 19 Jul 2006 at 00:38

The PSU is tucked out the way, got 3cm is for fingers on the far side which is more than enough.

45deg in towards the IO plate, line up holes roughly, then put down other one, insert screws.

Both times I have built in the S80b it has gone in first time in seconds, no messing around removing a tray!

Taking out the motherboard is just as easy, in, fingers under board, up to 45 deg, hand on top and lift up. Easy!

Yewen · 21 Jul 2006 at 01:22

Confusion said:
i install the cpu and heatsink before installing motherboard into case. That way the motherboard doesnt brake when installing the heatsink.

I do to.

Zalman Reserator 1+. Easier to plug in and fill up / remove air with it moving around freely.

Yewen · 21 Jul 2006 at 02:31

I could put in a SLI setup if that would give rough enough temperatures for you?

My main rig is now in the case though as I did all my testing a while ago on the Athlon XP.

It would not give that good temps, but I think it would manage more than acceptable ones.

Yewen · 21 Jul 2006 at 02:53

HDD's do not need that much cooling.

My hard drives temperatures are very nice in the S80, 28 for the Raptor which is only 2 over room temperature!

This case is completely not about airflow, I am running 5v fans so it is not really ideal to draw comparissons unless with other silent rigs.

The case is expensive due to the build quality, this is not some gimmicy case, it is a very basic case, done to a very very high standard. All the S80 is about.

Look at the pictures, x10 the quality and thats the S80.

Yewen · 21 Jul 2006 at 13:06

Arsenal said:
Hmmm its been a while since i've built a computer without a motherboard tray.. would you recommend installing a scythe ninja plus before or after installing the motherboard? i can see either way being potentially fiddly.

Put it on first, then just put it in, not really hard or fiddly at all.

Also out of interest when did Lian Li stop doing trays? My current pc-65 still had one.. my only guess as to the reason is because cpu heatsinks are getting so ridiculously large that they wouldn't fit in if installed with the tray out?

Exactly, also on the cases that do not have them they are not needed, in the S80 when I built in it both times I did not need a motherboard tray, they would have made the build take longer!

EDIT: Just having a look around it now, VERY impressed with the build quality.. Have replaced the 80mm and back 120mm fans, but how the heck do i get those front fans out? I have removed the two visible thumb screws but they appear to be being held in somehow still.

The rubber stuck on mine, I used a flat head screw driver to move it away.

EDIT AGAIN: No matter, got the fans out.. seems the rubber padding is just rather sticky prior to first use.

Oh I should check both edits!

Yewen · 27 Jul 2006 at 22:22

The door for me is only ever open to turn it on, and the rare / weekly CD change so does not bother me, ports are on the top where they should be aswell!

Full review is coming, just got to try some more fans in it before I can come to any conclusions, which come tommorrow.

I am not happy with a lot of things on the noise / cooling side of things at the moment, its either making a noise and good temperatures, or 40deg case temps with no noise.

Got some more Ambers coming so I can make a full set, and some Dustproof's came today which I will also be trying.

If these two fail then this case is a dud, I have tried the stock fans, ADDAs, SilenX, YS tech and tommorrow Ambers (didnt have enough before) and Acoustifan dustproof and Ultra low noise.

Hopefully I will work out what I am happy with, had the same trouble getting my v1000+ noise down, managed to do it with Ambers at 5v, but for gaming always had to ramp up the VF900 or auto fan speed would sky rocket, in this case however when it cools well I do not need to.

The potential is there, but getting the balance right with something I am happy with, and I am quite picky, is prooving to be difficult and costing me £130 in fans.