Lian Li's PC-V353: Lighter Than Air
by Dustin Sklavos on September 28, 2011 4:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- MicroATX
- SFF
- Lian Li
- Mini-Tower
Noise and Thermal Testing
Since we weren't able to get our Zotac GeForce GTX 580's power leads connected, the Lian Li PC-V353 was tested using only the IGP on the Intel Core i3-530. This is where we'll see if Lian Li's fanless design really pays off, though I have reservations about how well a case with this much ventilation is going to be able to handle muffling the sound of our test system heatsink.
With basically no airflow, many of the parts are left to marinate in their own succulent juices. Thermals start very low since the case design seems to be able to keep the internal ambient temperature close to the external ambient temperature, but once you place a load on the system there's basically nothing inside it to move all that hot air. None of these temperatures are dangerous, but every other case we've tested has had the benefit of at least one good fan.
The SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E is able to cool effectively while being a mite quieter than the PC-V353, likely due to a more directed and enclosed design operating with a single silent fan. The only fan noise the PC-V353 has to worry about is the HSF unit on the processor, but the problem is there isn't anything really muffling that noise.
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Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
It never ceases to amaze me what some people find offensive.IlllI - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
i find your post offensive!!i DEMAND you change it because i find it offensive! you have lost all credibility with me because you spoke your mind!
actually i agree. some people get too damn butt-hurt over the littlest things
JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
+1cjmurph - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
"but surprisingly they don't advertise what may be one of its more interesting aspects: the enclosure is comprised almost entirely of aluminum"Umm, it's a Lian Li case dude, what else is it going to be made out of, chicken feet?
aznofazns - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
That line had me confused as well. Anyone who knows anything about Lian Li cases should realize that the all-aluminum construction is practically their main selling point.But the part that bothered me was the conclusion. "It's a nice and unique piece of aluminum, tremendously light and easy to move, but this case honestly would fare a lot better with fans." Dustin, I think you're missing the point of this case. It's designed to be a silent case, so it'd probably be wise to use a fanless PSU (Seasonic SS-400FL, anyone?), large, passively cooled CPU heatsink (or a really quiet one like the Scythe Big Shuriken or Zipang 2), and a passively cooled graphics card. Or better yet, install a Llano A8 chip.
I do agree that Lian Li didn't make the best use of space in the V353, as with most/all of the V3xx series, but the end result is a pretty slick looking microATX rig.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
Having lots of ventilation (and no sound dampening) flies in the face of building a silent PC.aznofazns - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
Lack of sound dampening seems irrelevant when the components inside are silent, don't you think?aznofazns - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
Just to hammer this point home, read Lian Li's own description of the PC-V353:http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php...
"The PC-V353 is designed to be a silent case.
To use lots vents instead of fans to cool components."
JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
How about "quiet case" as opposed to silent, because small and compact with no sound dampening but still using a CPU fan (necessary given the cramped quarters) means that this won't be "silent".aznofazns - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
Well it depends on what components you're using.For example, a low power Zacate, Llano A4, or dual core Sandy Bridge chip would be able to get by with a large, passive heatsink. The ventilated case would be enough to keep those chips from overheating. With no case fans, a fanless PSU, and an SSD, the system would literally be silent (save for possible capacitor squeal).
On the other hand, a higher power CPU/APU could use a heatsink with a large, low rpm fan. In that case it would be "quiet," but having case fans would still add to the noise.
Either way, Lian Li designed this case to be cooled passively.