Lian Li 343B "Cube" Update Pics

So I changed my setup a bit. I removed the 2 Swiftech MCR320’s and replaced them with 2 PA120.3’s. I added 6 more Yate Loons for push/pull on the rads. I switched out my Swiftech Storm Rev. 2 for the Apogee GT for now. I added a PA120.1 at the inside rear of the case and put the NB/SB on their own loop with a new pump with Petra’s top. I switched out the DD 680i block on the NB and went with 2 MCW30’s as they are less restrictive IMHO. So now the CPU is on its own loop with a res. The NB/SB are on their own loop with a res. The GPU’s are on their own loop with a T line. I was able to mount the GPU rad with the barbs facing down and this cut out a lot of tubing. I actually added a loop and lost some tubing, lol.

To fit the PA’s in the 343 you have to drill out the 4 rivets on the top plate above where the rad mounts in order for them to clear. Nothing to it, 5 minutes total for both sides. The only thing I do not like about this case and really it is no big deal is the lack of a slide out motherboard tray. This could be solved easily (by me at least) by purchasing a slide out Li Li tray and fabbing up a complete new rear panel for this case. I would remove the center divider all together, mount the PSU’s side by side on the bottom. The mother board tray just above them in a horizontal position and there would be enough room to mount a double or triple rad horizontally above that. That would make this case about as perfect as you could make it IMHO. 3 tri rads all mounted inside the box, what more could you ask for!

YRMV

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5219/44878676sl3.jpg

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/6329/14105013mb5.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/2217/45536519bz4.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/6337/73937083rb7.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/7080/49642644bm7.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/6365/98864986kx6.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2548/30311410pk2.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2953/72798106yq5.jpg

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/1414/37368627lm4.jpg

what are your temps like?
I really like that setup and the blue primoflex tubing?

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! :toast: :toast: :clap: :clap: :woot: :woot:

That is one fine lookin rig. The way the bracket mounts over the 120.3's it looks like it was designed for those rads.

nice surprising how clean it turned out :)

great job man

Excellent, Doubage!

So much for the Lian Li naysayers.

What are those brutish heatsinks on your G80 ramdacs ?

That's some sreious cooling you've got going on in that case........;) Very well done............:)

Doubage,

Excellent work on the cube. :clap:

Could be just the camera angle but it looks to me like the tubing going to the far barb on the rad is flattening some here:
http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/6337/73937083rb7.jpg

And here on the tube between the two graphics cards:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2548/30311410pk2.jpg

Is it just me?

no I see what you are saying...

some coolsleeves or zip ties should help that area.

all else looks pretty good.

No room for CD drives, fan controllers, break out boxes, etc?

Looks great, but Lian Li should have made the case fit two PA120.3's and still have some bays left over for some 5 1/4" drives.

well you could always do some modding to fit the 2nd PA120.2 or .3 in the back panel and use the front 9 5.25 drive bays for something else.

Doubage,

Can you do me a favor? Can you tell me how the bottom (floor) of the case is constructed, and whether it can be removed or easily cut out? Do you think it would be easy to secure stacked cases via small nuts and bolts ?

How about a side-by-side idea? How difficult do you think it is to add a latch lock such that two case can swing open via the center ?

It seems to me that, if the PSU were not there, a PA120.2 at the back would be an option, correct ?

It isn't often that you see your dreams come alive. I just did.
Replace that with a dual clovertown unit and you got my dream.;)
Very nicely done..Very nice!

count $180 alone in optical bay covers, $60 for the side window panel, $20 for the top plexi panel, $40 for the HDD carrier, $40 for the radiator bay adapters, $30 for the dual PSU adapter, never mind the fabulous self work on the custom pump mounts. An over $700 case without shipping costs.

Absolutely fabulous !

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Originally Posted by IanY

count $180 alone in optical bay covers, $60 for the side window panel, $20 for the top plexi panel, $40 for the HDD carrier, $40 for the radiator bay adapters, $30 for the dual PSU adapter, never mind the fabulous self work on the custom pump mounts. An over $700 case without shipping costs.

Absolutely fabulous !

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Go dig out the buy sheet on your MB.
Nothing of quality thats worth owning is cheap!:p:
Now if they could only do one TWICE that size! :idea:

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Originally Posted by Movieman

Go dig out the buy sheet on your MB.
Nothing of quality thats worth owning is cheap!:p:
Now if they could only do one TWICE that size! :idea:

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Oh.. you mean the instruction manual for my Asus Striker Extreme motherboard (as in MB) ? :) j/k That product generally lacks quality and is wildly overpriced :) lol

I like to do latch locks like a steamer trunk, so that it'll be side by side or one on top of the other. This idea makes a custom MM look downright cheap.

Now.. how would I mount a AK47 on that case? j/k lol

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Originally Posted by IanY

Oh.. you mean the instruction manual for my Asus Striker Extreme motherboard (as in MB) ? :) j/k That product generally lacks quality and is wildly overpriced :) lol

I like to do latch locks like a steamer trunk, so that it'll be side by side or one on top of the other. This idea makes a custom MM look downright cheap.

Now.. how would I mount a AK47 on that case? j/k lol

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MB=Mercedes Benz..But you knew that.;)
I was thinking this case but just double the size. Actually 1.5 times would probably be better.

Forget the AK47, but they do have an option for mounting an M60.
A little heavier but much easier to get 7.62x57 than 7.62x39AK rounds.
Better range too!:rofl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Movieman

MB=Mercedes Benz..But you knew that.;)
I was thinking this case but just double the size. Actually 1.5 times would probably be better.

Forget the AK47, but they do have an option for mounting an M60.
A little heavier but much easier to get 7.62x57 than 7.62x39AK rounds.
Better range too!:rofl:

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What are you talking about? I drive Fords and Chevys.. lol sshh.. you wanna start a riot? :)

I wish that these companies wouldn't nickel and dime every consumer. Everything is considered extra and optional. Sound just like a car company. I'm surprised that they don't sell clearcoat paint protection lol

I guess the casters are meant to swivel the M60 for coverage lol :)

They never make cases that are big enough!

*almost time to make your own alum case for cheaper than this cube...*
**and almost makes us wish it were that easy and simple to do**

Pretty nice looking - looks hell of a lot like an MM UFO - no?
Only problem? No 5.25 devices? It's a shame you can't have 2 loops and use 5.25 devices or hard drives like you can in a UFO..

:)

Very nice :)

I'll show my cube once it's done ;)

edit: You can have two loops and one half of the case free for 5.25 drives. A PA120.3 will fit in at the top.

Thanks for the comments gentlemen. I appreciate it!

Before I quote temps let me get this out of the way. I did NOT use the thick O ring and I did NOT use a back plate although I have several here to use. I did use open thumb screws and ASC & cranked them down pretty good on the GT. Also I have not lapped the 6800. I like everyone else am waiting on some test results before I finalize the setup as far as a CPU block goes.

I am running Vista Ultimate 64 edition and it has been a challenge to say the least to get most software running properly. Never ending driver updates, registry edits etc. It’s getting better but not perfect yet.
I have been using Everest Ultimate and Speedfan 4.32 to monitor temps and they are pretty much in line with each other.

Ambient = 23c
Idle for 1 hour = 31c
OCCT for 1 hour = 49c max

Ambient = 23c
Idle for 1 hour = 31c
Prime for 1 hour = 48c max

Ambient = 23c
Idle for 1 hour = 31c
Orthos for 1 hour = 48c max

These are with CPU running at 3.6Mhz@1.49V and that is where I run it 24/7
It will still run at 3.92 with 494 FSB stable but I don’t use that for every day.
There have been several releases of Ntune & Nvidia monitor but none have worked so far with Vista 64 so no way to monitor GPU temps yet.

As far as the tubing goes the top is not how it looks in the pic. The bottom SLI loop does have a flat spot as it rests against the pump. I am not worried about it at this time as flow is not a problem but the next time I drain the loop I will move the pump forward about an inch and then it will clear without a problem.

Iany: Those heatsinks are some I had here on hand. Due to my age and failing memory I cannot remember where the hell got them, lol. The front, bottom and rear of the case are 1 piece of aluminum but anyone with a metal shear could cut that back off cleanly. You are correct on the PSU’s. If you ran 1 instead of dual you could easily fit a PA120.2 in the rear.

As far as stacking 2 of these it would be very easy. Instead of nuts & bolts pop rivets would work well to secure the top and bottom together with a small piece of ½ x ½ aluminum angle in each corner. I would cut the bottom off the top case and the rear off both of them. Then have a complete 1 piece fabbed up for the rear to your specs. The possibilities are endless.

As I have stated before this is a game/bencher only so I have no need for optical drives bays. I have a USB drive if needed. I have numerous burners in other rigs. Also over 3 TB of space in my file-server so not an issue.

I would say that you do as well of a job or better than anyone else I've seen when it comes to re-engineering a case.

Nicely done! I may have to steal some of your ideas when I do mine :D

What's the performance differential switching out the MCRs for PAs ?

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Originally Posted by IanY

What's the performance differential switching out the MCRs for PAs ?

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you won't notice a difference, if your MCR can handled it then no need to switch to something else unless you are upgrading (120.1 ---> 120.2 or 120.3)

Pure sex. That's pretty much my dream case/setup right there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

Nicely done! I may have to steal some of your ideas when I do mine :D

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

I would say that you do as well of a job or better than anyone else I've seen when it comes to re-engineering a case.

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You know what they say, Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...

Thanks Iany. Being an old ex-hotrodder you had to fab many items as they were not available for purchase.

Thanks for the comments guys!

I would say that there's a compelling business proposition there since all the fixed costs are already covered.

Very nice.. but just out of curiosity. How did you install vista?????? I don't see a dvd drive there ;)

anyways... Willing to sell that mcr320?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doubage

So I changed my setup a bit. I removed the 2 Swiftech MCR320’s and replaced them with 2 PA120.3’s. I added 6 more Yate Loons for push/pull on the rads. I switched out my Swiftech Storm Rev. 2 for the Apogee GT for now. I added a PA120.1 at the inside rear of the case and put the NB/SB on their own loop with a new pump with Petra’s top. I switched out the DD 680i block on the NB and went with 2 MCW30’s as they are less restrictive IMHO. So now the CPU is on its own loop with a res. The NB/SB are on their own loop with a res. The GPU’s are on their own loop with a T line. I was able to mount the GPU rad with the barbs facing down and this cut out a lot of tubing. I actually added a loop and lost some tubing, lol.

To fit the PA’s in the 343 you have to drill out the 4 rivets on the top plate above where the rad mounts in order for them to clear. Nothing to it, 5 minutes total for both sides. The only thing I do not like about this case and really it is no big deal is the lack of a slide out motherboard tray. This could be solved easily (by me at least) by purchasing a slide out Li Li tray and fabbing up a complete new rear panel for this case. I would remove the center divider all together, mount the PSU’s side by side on the bottom. The mother board tray just above them in a horizontal position and there would be enough room to mount a double or triple rad horizontally above that. That would make this case about as perfect as you could make it IMHO. 3 tri rads all mounted inside the box, what more could you ask for!

YRMV

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/6329/14105013mb5.jpg

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On that picture.. what are you using to hold the radiator in place??? the metal strip where the thumbscrew is bolting to? I think that comes with the case right? as part of a radiator mount from lian li? Did you notice HUGE improvements from the mrc320 to the thermochill?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the highlander

MB are the most overrated cars in the market.. they are overpriced and underperform. The quality is not that good anyways... If it weren't for chrysler they'd be out of business. Mercedes is not mercedes since the 600SL. Granted they are coming with pretty fast cars but I feel for the price, they underperform.

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Don't even tell me you're going to recommend an American car... I'd take a Benz, Beamer, Audi, Honda, Toyota, VW, anyday over a Chevy, Ford, GM.

you forgot to watercool the RAM, nice work indeed man.

Gentleman: PLEASE!
This is a nice thread about one guys very talented work on a PC case.
Now I realize that it did get somewhat off topic but the last thing we need is an argument over who makes the best car.
The answer is EVER(almost) car manufacturer that ever existed made something spectacular at one time or another and they all made dogs too.
Let's take that discussion to another thread in the appropriate section.
Thanks for listening.

Now I'd like to see some more pics of this guys fabulous work.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

Kia! Hyundai! Daewoo! :D

You see, Movieman, you should have stuck to the fake suggestion that MB = motherboard :D

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LOL I think even Chinese cars are in a way better than american cars :P If they're gonna break, at least make em dirt cheap ;)

How did a car argument get in a watercooled case thread? :confused: And why must everyone argue about everything anyway :stick:

Would be nice to return the thread to the original owner and topic please...

@Doubage,

Would love to see more pics of that fantastic build. :toast: :clap: :clap:

In regards to the Cube. I used to buy Lian Li's (own 3), but I just can't stand the way they nickle and dime you. Not saying that MM doesn't do some nickling n diming themselves, but it's nowhere near the extent of LL. The setup looks great but I don't see the purpose of paying for a more expensive case that can't fit 2 PA 120.3's without some modding and total lack of 5 1/4" bays. Using USB/fireire DVD writer's just ain't sexy if that's what you're planning to do and the performance won't even be close as an internal drive.

Great build overall in terms of how you put it together, but back to the off topic.

I'm American, but I wouldn't be caught dead buying an American car. So please, don't think that all American's should be proud of owning an American car. There's a reason why Ford, GM and co can't even give away their cars.
And FYI, I own an Audi A4 and an Infiniti Q45.

Gentleman: A favor to ask out of courtesy to doubage. can we kill the car talk please? I don't Mod in this section so I have no powers here but I could ask someone to come and clean house. I'd rather not as I hope we're all adults. Thanks for listening.