DH Review: Lian Li V1100 Case

***Zardon*** · Oct 21, 2004, 01:45 PM

Lian Li make some seriously sexy cases and for those of you looking for a high end aluminium case they always make the shortlist.

Today Mike "Asmoday" Pettersson has taken a look over the V1100 case, and along with covering all bases he has taken quite a few high resolution digital pictures for your enjoyment. Makes for good reading.

Read the review here

germanjulian · Oct 21, 2004, 03:08 PM

drool drool......

mkk · Oct 21, 2004, 05:21 PM

This is the first Lian Li case in a long time that has made me interested. Previously I've found them to be good looking but oftenly not keeping up with the later years design innovations. But most of the new ideas in this one seems to work out very well.

Improving upon case design within the ATX standard is a much better idea than BTX on the whole. I really like seeing the powersupply on the bottom, as a cool PSU makes every other part of the system run ever so slightly less hot with more stable currents. Another good thing is the all-5,25" slots in the front. Those who still want to have a floppy can use the provided mounting, and those who would like to use five 5,25 units can do so without having to get a very large case.

The only thing that I instinctively feel is a bit wry is the lack of a near the top-rear exhaust system. After all heat rises and over time there will be some buildup in the upper part of the case. There are of course slot-fans that can be added, but they tend to be noisy. On the other hand not many need to use all slots in a PC today either, and a hard working DVD-recorder need of course not be placed in the top 5,25" slot.

I'd be happy to see Lian Li and others explore this general design orientation further. I'd also like to see some maker daring to ditch the popular aluminimum in favor of a more durable steel, preferably somewhat extra thick brushed steel. Weight isn't really a factor for me, especially not with such nice wheels as this case seems to have. And while lugging around a lighter aluminium case you have to be more careful than with a heavier steel. The premium price tag does of course add to that factor as well.

***Zardon*** · Oct 21, 2004, 05:23 PM

some very good points MKK.

Danhill · Oct 22, 2004, 01:49 AM

Great review and great case as well. Good job Micke.

Btw, how much do you increase you fans on your GT card when playing??

I now only have those up to 60 % at load, this article inspired me. [url="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gainward-ultra2400_4.html"]]Here
After playing Tiger woods for 1-2 hours the load temps never goes beyond 61C. Don't know how stressful that game is though.

Asmoday · Oct 22, 2004, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danhill

Great review and great case as well. Good job Micke.

Btw, how much do you increase you fans on your GT card when playing??

I now only have those up to 60 % at load, this article inspired me. [url="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gainward-ultra2400_4.html"]]Here
After playing Tiger woods for 1-2 hours the load temps never goes beyond 61C. Don't know how stressful that game is though.

Thanks!

Well i have it at 80% when gaming, but i guess that it isn't really necassary to have it that high. I'm also really itching to get the nvsilencer, but i'm kinda hesitant to do so because im not sure it will fit the card without modification.(don't want to bust the warranty just yet)
As i said in the review its the loudest component in the system, and it really starting to annoy me...

Danhill · Oct 22, 2004, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asmoday

Thanks!

Well i have it at 80% when gaming, but i guess that it isn't really necassary to have it that high. I'm also really itching to get the nvsilencer, but i'm kinda hesitant to do so because im not sure it will fit the card without modification.(don't want to bust the warranty just yet)
As i said in the review its the loudest component in the system, and it really starting to annoy me...

Yeah I can imagine, but try to take the fans down to 60% it's not that bad acually the temps are still low and OK, I have the Antec case you mentioned with 5 case fans and a fan controller so when having the card at 60 % it's not that bad at all.

Do you think the NV Silencer is less loud??

Edit: I belive the threshold of the card is 115C

The375Boy · Oct 22, 2004, 11:51 AM

Wow, i just went on ebay for this case and its $239.....ledts just say i put my wallet back into my pocket after seeing that, really AWESOME design, are there any other cases with that internal design that are out and cheaper???

mainman · Oct 24, 2004, 01:36 AM

Very nice review bud.

pr0digal jenius · Oct 25, 2004, 02:44 PM

very well done...and a seXXXy case to boot

El Kapitano · Oct 29, 2004, 07:36 PM

If you need more space, check out the V 2000.

Here and Here

More space..must have more space

Dr_John · Oct 30, 2004, 01:47 AM

Obviously for the price, this is a top of the line case. It is very well made, excellent looking, etc., but I wish I didn't purchase it. Apparently no one reviewing this case has ever tried it with a 15K rpm drive. The noise form the vibration is completely unacceptable for a high-end case. The howl will give you a headache in 30 min. I've tried all six drive bays, different mounting techniques, mounting the HD in the upper portion of the case in the 3.5 and 5.25" bays (which obviously defeats the purpose of the design of the case), adding baffling, etc. My temporary solution was to buy a Vortex HD cooler and mount the drive in it, and the cooler/HD in a 5.25" bay. This helped with the noise a bit, but the exhaust from the cooler blows right onto the graphics card/CPU. Currently the cooler/HD is just lying outside the case until I get an external SCSI HD enclosure. So I've ended up with a very expensive case which is significantly louder than the one I replaced, which was a cheapy $60 case that I added some sound baffling to.

A few people I've talked with said there isn't a significant howl with 10K rpm drives, but if you're considering this case and have a 15K rpm drive and care at all about sound, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

El Kapitano · Oct 30, 2004, 04:57 AM

Thanks for the heads up Dr_John.

Oct 21, 2004, 01:45 PM	#1
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,275 Rep Power: 3150	DH Review: Lian Li V1100 Case Lian Li make some seriously sexy cases and for those of you looking for a high end aluminium case they always make the shortlist. Today Mike "Asmoday" Pettersson has taken a look over the V1100 case, and along with covering all bases he has taken quite a few high resolution digital pictures for your enjoyment. Makes for good reading. Read the review here

Oct 21, 2004, 03:08 PM	#2
germanjulian Back in London Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: London Posts: 1,794 Rep Power: 0	drool drool...... __________________ /\|\ Asus P5W DH Deluxe, Intel C2D E6600, 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C4 DDR2, E-VGA GeForce 7800 GT, Creative X-Fi Extreme Music, 500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA, Lian Li PC-V1100 Aluminum Case Black, etc. http://germanjulian.com /\|\

Oct 22, 2004, 01:49 AM	#5
Danhill DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 4,116 Rep Power: 0	Great review and great case as well. Good job Micke. Btw, how much do you increase you fans on your GT card when playing?? I now only have those up to 60 % at load, this article inspired me. [url="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gainward-ultra2400_4.html"]]Here After playing Tiger woods for 1-2 hours the load temps never goes beyond 61C. Don't know how stressful that game is though. __________________ MOBO: [color=white]ASUS A8N-SLI Premium[/color] CPU: AMD 64 3200+ (Venice) @ 2,50 Ghz MEM: 2 x 512 DDR 466, VGA: 2 x 6600 GT in SLI, HDD1: WD Raptor HDD2: Maxtor Diamond Plus 9, Case: Antec Plus View 1080, PSU: ThermalTake PurePower 500W, MX 1000, Dell 2001 FP, Aud. 2 SZ

Oct 22, 2004, 11:51 AM	#8
The375Boy LowRyder LifeStyle Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Vineland NJ Posts: 710 Rep Power: 0	Wow, i just went on ebay for this case and its $239.....ledts just say i put my wallet back into my pocket after seeing that, really AWESOME design, are there any other cases with that internal design that are out and cheaper??? __________________ Antec SHOHO AMG plus view AMD64 3200+ FSB-133 asus K8v SE Deluxe PC2700 Maxtor 80gig ATA133 7200 RPM 8mb cache Maxtor 30 gig 5600RPM Creative 6.1 surround speakers ATI RADEON 9800 PRO + stage 1 OcSystems Microsoft Windows Xp Pro sp2 SB live 5.1 sound card Logitech cordless elite Duo 450 watt Psu

Oct 24, 2004, 01:36 AM	#9
mainman Mr. Nobody Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: OmniPresent Nightwatcher Posts: 5,939 Rep Power: 53	Very nice review bud. __________________

Oct 21, 2004, 05:21 PM	#3
mkk cheap philanthropist Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 3,698 Rep Power: 67 System Specs	This is the first Lian Li case in a long time that has made me interested. Previously I've found them to be good looking but oftenly not keeping up with the later years design innovations. But most of the new ideas in this one seems to work out very well. Improving upon case design within the ATX standard is a much better idea than BTX on the whole. I really like seeing the powersupply on the bottom, as a cool PSU makes every other part of the system run ever so slightly less hot with more stable currents. Another good thing is the all-5,25" slots in the front. Those who still want to have a floppy can use the provided mounting, and those who would like to use five 5,25 units can do so without having to get a very large case. The only thing that I instinctively feel is a bit wry is the lack of a near the top-rear exhaust system. After all heat rises and over time there will be some buildup in the upper part of the case. There are of course slot-fans that can be added, but they tend to be noisy. On the other hand not many need to use all slots in a PC today either, and a hard working DVD-recorder need of course not be placed in the top 5,25" slot. I'd be happy to see Lian Li and others explore this general design orientation further. I'd also like to see some maker daring to ditch the popular aluminimum in favor of a more durable steel, preferably somewhat extra thick brushed steel. Weight isn't really a factor for me, especially not with such nice wheels as this case seems to have. And while lugging around a lighter aluminium case you have to be more careful than with a heavier steel. The premium price tag does of course add to that factor as well.

Oct 21, 2004, 05:23 PM	#4
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,275 Rep Power: 3150	some very good points MKK.

Oct 25, 2004, 02:44 PM	#10
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,672 Rep Power: 0	very well done...and a seXXXy case to boot

Oct 29, 2004, 07:36 PM	#11
El Kapitano Most of the 7 dwarfs in 1 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rochdale, Lancashire Posts: 947 Rep Power: 0	If you need more space, check out the V 2000. Here and Here More space..must have more space

Oct 30, 2004, 01:47 AM	#12
Dr_John DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Obviously for the price, this is a top of the line case. It is very well made, excellent looking, etc., but I wish I didn't purchase it. Apparently no one reviewing this case has ever tried it with a 15K rpm drive. The noise form the vibration is completely unacceptable for a high-end case. The howl will give you a headache in 30 min. I've tried all six drive bays, different mounting techniques, mounting the HD in the upper portion of the case in the 3.5 and 5.25" bays (which obviously defeats the purpose of the design of the case), adding baffling, etc. My temporary solution was to buy a Vortex HD cooler and mount the drive in it, and the cooler/HD in a 5.25" bay. This helped with the noise a bit, but the exhaust from the cooler blows right onto the graphics card/CPU. Currently the cooler/HD is just lying outside the case until I get an external SCSI HD enclosure. So I've ended up with a very expensive case which is significantly louder than the one I replaced, which was a cheapy $60 case that I added some sound baffling to. A few people I've talked with said there isn't a significant howl with 10K rpm drives, but if you're considering this case and have a 15K rpm drive and care at all about sound, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

Oct 30, 2004, 04:57 AM	#13
El Kapitano Most of the 7 dwarfs in 1 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rochdale, Lancashire Posts: 947 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for the heads up Dr_John.