Small-ish case, watercoolable and full atx

[mrapoc]

Hey guys

I dont know whats happened about markkleb and his cube cases but i think i may have to give up on having a full atx cube for now

Im basically after something that can be easily watercooled, small enough to fit on top of my desk, full atx (not micro/mini) and something that will looked pimped (aka a window or something)

 

[D-Cyph3r]

I recently had to move my AMD rig from a huge Lian Li A71 to something far smaller. As someone who only normally builds in full/super tower cases I really had to shop round to find a mid-tower that appealed to me and could take a 360mm radiator internally.

This is what I came up with.

Lian Li PC-8. Of course fitting the rad means no access to the bottom PCI slots, but there is still 2 completely usable (double slot) PCI-E's and a usable PCI in between them, so dual GPU's and a sound card is possible. Best small case i've ever owned.

 

[mrapoc]

That does look dandy.

Easy to install the watercooling? Is there spacers on the bottom of the case for airflow?

Rad sucking into case or blowing out?

 

[D-Cyph3r]

I wouldn't say it was difficult (at least, no more than any other case which requires cutting, IE most). A couple of hours with a dremel and some fine measurements and jobs a good'n. Of course for an easier cutting job you can use a rad grill as a template and go all straight cuts instead:

I ended up fitting some Lian Li casters to the floor so it was raised up a good inch or so, but even with the stock plastic feet it was sucking in enough air (all fans were intake).

 

[Bungral]

Why did you have to get rid of your A71?

 

[D-Cyph3r]

I was working away for a month at a time and needed a PC that was easier to transport and move around..... funny thing is by time I got it finished the company running the job went bust and I was back home.

It's up for sale in the trading section but i've had zero interest. Could be a nice home for a Nehalem system in the future.

 

[MeltedDuron]

if you're wanting a ridiculously small ATX case you can't go wrong with a Lian Li A05... Pete's modding one now and its amazing how much stuff you can fit in such a tiny case (360 rad in the roof if you dont mind losing a few PCI slots)

Almost any small case will need a little bit of dremel work to fit a decent water setup, but it's one of the most rewarding things you can do when you get it working. If you don't fancy doing the work I could point you in the direction of at least one person who'd be willing to for a nominal fee.

Good luck mate!

Alex