Invisibru Gaming PC

[Morgo_mpx]

Introduction

This is my second small form factor gaming build. The first was a water cooled 3570 in a Lian Li PC-TU200. This case was awesome for lans as it was small and had a handle but airflow was bad so the gpu was hot and ran like a jet engine. this new build is a little bit more thought out as it was be acting as my main gaming pc for the next year or so.

Parts List

• Case: Lian Li PC-Q25
• Motherboard: ASRock H87E-ITX/ac
• CPU: Intel Core i5 4440
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
• GPU: Gainward GTX570 (to be replaced)
• Memory: G.Skill 8gb 1333Mhz
• PSU: Silverstone Strider 550w Gold ST-55F-G
• Case Fans: Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentPRO PK-PS 140mm/PLPS 120mm PWM
• Fan 4pin Splitter: Phobya 4Pin PWM to 2x 4Pin PWM + 1x 3Pin
• More to come...

Build Philosophy

The idea behind this build is for it to be unnoticeable and blend in with the environment. It must be sleek, quiet, cool, and powerful. There will be trade-offs but by minimising these, it is possible to get the best of both worlds.

 

Build Log

• Day 1: Lian Li PC-Q25 case arrives.
• Day 2: Other parts arrive.  Start to mod the chassis.
• Day 3: Finalise modding. Start to put the pieces together.

[Morgo_mpx]

Day 1

The case arrives.

[Ryan Leech]

I like that 570

[Morgo_mpx]

Day 2

Everything else arrives and its time to start getting to work.

 

I start to dismantle the case. I want to remove the HDD caddie as it gets in the way of PSU cabling and obstructs air flow. Luckily for me you can fit 3 2.5" drives on a removable tray at the bottom of the case. Depending on what type of GPU cooler you use, the air flow restriction from here can be minimised greatly depending on the placement of the hdd. I plan to only have 2 hdd's, an SDD and an inCase storage drive for games Everything else is on the server.

 

As you can see, I have removed the motherboard tray which uses screws to hold in place. I have also removed the SATA pane for the hdd caddie. This gives me better access to work with.



There are 2 methods that I can see to remove the hdd caddie as it is riveted to the case. 

These are located on the front 140mm fan mount between the front of the chassis and the fan mount (2 rivets), and attached to the false roof (4 rivets).

I can try and drill/file these out but there is a high chance of scratching the chassis as they are in awkward to reach places. The other is to remove the 140mm fan mount and false roof, than remove the caddie from them and put them back in place.
As the rivets for the mount and roof at easily accessed with a drill and are located around the sides of the case I will be going for this method.

Lian Li uses countersunk 1/8" x 1/4" (3.2mm x 6.4mm) aluminium rivets for the case so i will need 10 for replacements.

Off to the hardware store.

 

Back from the hardware store with rivets, a drill and rivet removal drill bits. I couldn't get countersunk rivets but these are very flat. I'll see how they go with the side of the case.

I have gutted the case as shown and have dismantled the pieces. My rivet gun has broken so i'll be back to the hardware store tomorrow to get another.

 

I have also put the gear together and gave it a boot. After some forgetfulness i got the pc to boot. All I heard was silence. The parts fill together like a glove although the the cpu cutout on the chassis motherboard tray is aligned for your more typical mini-itx motherboard layout with the cpu closer to the pci-e slot. 

[Morgo_mpx]

I was considering using the Silverstone SFX 450w gold PSU instead and replacing the fan with a 80mm x 15mm Noiseblocker BlackSilentPRO but the fan itself would cost $65 to get shipped from USA as the only Aus seller is out of stock and has no idea on when new stock would come in. That is a bit steep in price. The 550w also gives more headroom for a high end GPU.

I am undecided on whether or not to use the PSU extended as it will remove from the aesthetics of the case but will increase airflow. This would also be great if I cut in a windows later on.

[FranktheDinosaur]

Ooh yes, can never have too many Lian Li SFF builds!

Do you have pictures of your TU200 build? interested to see how it turned out in a relatively small case

[Morgo_mpx]

This is it without the GPU

At the time there was no closed loop 140mm water coolers so i had to use a 140-120mm adapter for the h60. The Silverstone psu was imported from USA to AUS for the 140mm length which was unavailable in Australia at the time.

[Morgo_mpx]

Currently the PSU cables are really long. I am considering just buying the 25cm cables or shortening these cables. I am not a fan of individual sleeving in small cases as there is no cable management so it will be 1 large sleeve per cable.

[paulsterio]

Currently the PSU cables are really long. I am considering just buying the 25cm cables or shortening these cables. I am not a fan of individual sleeving in small cases as there is no cable management so it will be 1 large sleeve per cable.

 

You're in Australia, so maybe this?

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_1467&products_id=26537&zenid=38d7f7fa816aaac1a1baef971641e55a

 

Or possibly this, depending on the look you want. 

 

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_1467&products_id=15758&zenid=38d7f7fa816aaac1a1baef971641e55a

 

Btw, the NZXT Kraken X40 is 140mm, so maybe if you wanted to get rid of the 120-140mm converter you could have a look at that too. 

[paulsterio]

The Silverstone psu was imported from USA to AUS for the 140mm length which was unavailable in Australia at the time.

 

I know the pain, I'm from Aus as well, it's so hard to get any sort of specialist modding-esque hardware, especially watercooling stuff. MSY are great for all the mainstream hardware though. 

[Morgo_mpx]

You're in Australia, so maybe this?

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_1467&products_id=26537&zenid=38d7f7fa816aaac1a1baef971641e55a

 

Or possibly this, depending on the look you want. 

 

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_1467&products_id=15758&zenid=38d7f7fa816aaac1a1baef971641e55a

 

Btw, the NZXT Kraken X40 is 140mm, so maybe if you wanted to get rid of the 120-140mm converter you could have a look at that too. 

 

Yeah I looked at those cables but they are still too long. the 24pin cable ideally would be about 14-18cm long.

I no longer have the TU200 build. Sold it for rego.

[paulsterio]

Yeah I looked at those cables but they are still too long. the 24pin cable ideally would be about 14-18cm long.

I no longer have the TU200 build. Sold it for rego.

 

 

If you want it shorter, the only way is to just shorten your cables. It's not that hard, you just need a wire stripper and a crimper. 

 

Remove one connector, cut all the 24 wires down to the required length and crimp on the new terminals and put the connector back on. 

[Morgo_mpx]

Day 3

 

I riveted the false roof and the 140mm front fan mount back to the case. I was unable to get countersunk rivets but the case sides fit on with normal rivets. I can grind them down a bit so it is almost flush or find countersunk rivets. My rivet gun broke yesterday so i have to go down again today and buy a new one.

 

 

As you can see there is a small gap but it's not really anything to worry about.

 

 

I replaced the default Lian Li fans with NoiseBlockers PWM. 120mm rear top exhaust & 140mm front intake. The NoiseBlockers came with 2 different sized extension cables a badge, rubber spacer for noise reduction and screws. I used the default screws, rubber spacers and dust filters that came with the case as Lian Li uses special quick release mounts shown in the above photos.

 

The Lian Li fan.

 

 

The fans are connected to the motherboard using a  Phobya 4Pin PWM to 2x 4Pin PWM + 1x 3Pin splitter as the motherboard only has a 4 Pin CPU fan and a 4Pin Case fan.

 

 

Motherboard fits in snug. It's easier to remove the back silver tray and attach the motherboard and insert that than trying to put the motherboard in while in the case.

 

 

Fans in and front header cable routed under the hdd tray. Ill only be using 2 hdd slots and there is also the slots to attach the 3.5" drives i could use to pull the cable through if i wanted to add a third hdd.

 

 

PSU installed and as you can see the cables are way to long. They will be shortened, just not sure how ill route them with the GPU installed.

 

 

The 24pin slots are right next to each other so the cable will become very short. 

[netexplorer]

Hi! Very nice case, but what is the thickest GPU you can install? Can I opt for something like MSI R9 290X Lightning, which is 55 mm thick? Would appreciate your feedback.