Lian Li PC-TU200: On the Road With Lian Li
by Dustin Sklavos on October 31, 2011 12:45 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Mini ITX
- Lian Li
Noise and Thermal Testing, GeForce GTX 580
I actually tested the Lian Li PC-TU200 with the GTX 580 installed first (it's easier to remove a component than add one), but the results on the previous page should have given you some pause about adding another 244 watts of heat to the mix. The TU200 does cope with the increased thermal load, but we're really starting to push the limits of what it can handle here.
Outside of the odd chipset temperature results, the TU200 suffers for the inclusion of the GTX 580 across the board. The case has a tremendously hard time coping with the resulting heat radiating off of the 580, and this is the first time I've seen the heat coming off the back of a video card do this much damage to a case's thermals. Look at the temperatures of the SSD sitting close to the back of the GTX 580: a load temperature of 46C on an SSD is insane.
It gets worse, too: the Core i3 is now getting perilously close to the max spec for load temperatures. The questionable airflow design plays hell on the processor, and while it never crashed I wouldn't be comfortable running my system at these temperatures.
The increased thermal load and difficulty dissipating it plays out in the noise levels. The GTX 580's fan has to run much higher just to keep the idle temperature at the target, while the similar (but cleaner) airflow design of the TJ08-E allows everything to get fed with cool air to the point where the whole system runs quieter to begin with. SilverStone's enclosure may be a sight bigger than the TU200, but it gets an awful lot of mileage out of it. Whether at load or idle, the case fan is basically maxed out and we get 49dB of noise.
To put it bluntly, while you can fit a GTX 580 into the TU200, you really shouldn't. The case is made for lesser configurations, and really even lesser GPUs are going to cause some problems. You'll probably want to stick with GPUs that don't require any PCIe power connectors in this case.
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ronmccord - Sunday, February 2, 2014 - link
What a shame this review. Anyone serious about this case will do research first. "I'll admit I don't think our testbed represents a particularly good combination of components for a unique specimen like the TU200, " No one will try and run this case in the style of the author. If you read new egg reviews no one uses the drive cage and will find the right power supply and combinations of components. This review is certainly good info of what not to do. I am confident with the right power supply, drive cage removed and modern gpu installed this case will perform as well in general as other itx machines out there with a unique look and quality unmatched. This is one of the few cases you could have at home and then bring to work easily. Ditch the dvd drive and add a fan controller for example from Lian Li, they have one with one fan control know and adds a 2.5 cage! In aluminum or black color. Or an aluminum ventilation screen and other options. Get longer case feet, a sff modular power supply. In other words do everything right instead of wrong like in this review and you could have one special case!NA1NSXR - Friday, April 24, 2015 - link
You are right, I just did a paper build of this case and did all the research. You can kill two birds with one stone by using a SFX PSU and adapter bracket, which will free up space for air/cables and also get you some additional CPU heatsink clearance. In fact, you get enough additional clearance to go one step up on Noctua's offerings, to a L12, which definitely means extra clockspeed from OC headroom - maybe not up to 1.3V but definitely 1.2V in the 80C range. Also, a powerful 140mm like Noctua Industrial PPC 3000rpm can really be quite sufficient, even if GPU placement is somewhat cramped for breathing room.It's definitely a workable case. In fact I am pretty tempted by my paper build since I live overseas for work. This thing would work as a carryon easily.
n13L5 - Sunday, October 18, 2015 - link
I could actually make this thing smaller and achieve the goal of a portable Lan party box.Lian Li's problem here is not the size but the layout. Fortunately, their recent PC-Q10 is a good indicator that they have finally understood - after leaving the field pretty much to Silverstone & Co uncontested.