Production Lazer3D LZ7 - Quiet Gaming Cube PC Case

[K888D]

For who isn't much into gaming and doesn't need a dedicated graphics card, here's a set of parts to 3D print for a "server/HTPC edition"...
By eye a thin PCIe card (without heatsink) e.g. NIC might fit in together, but I didn't check.

3.5" HDD holder (or extra 2.5")

PCI slot cover

Oh wow, nice work!

 

[Draughtsman]

Looks like the gap left would be sufficient to install a dedicated Thunderbolt 3 add in PCIE card for use with an external graphics card enclosure.

The only ITX boards that i have seen with an on board thunderbolt 3 ports are the Asrock Fatal1ty Z270 & Z370 but the ports on these only operate at 2x lanes. The use of an suitable add in card (GIGABYTE GC-ALPINE RIDGE) would allow 4x lane support for an external graphics card enclosure.

So an LZ7 coupled up with an external 1080Ti, could be interesting. I wonder how this would perform in comparison to the direct slot install of a Gigabyte 1080 mini ITX ?

 

[Kilrah]

Yup the USB-C/TB3 was one of the main reasons for choosing this MoBo - no direct use for it right now but just in case. I also have a few USB-C adapters/hubs/peripherals due to having a MacBook so it's nice to be able to use them if needed.

About the eGPU, makes no sense to me (besides the fun/experimentation...)
If you're going to put something externally then it should be the storage rather than the GPU since the former is a no brainer and does not suffer at all from it but the latter always will for the foreseeable future. Pretty sure you wouldn't gain anything by putting a 1080Ti externally vs an internal 1080 due to the bandwidth bottleneck... although it would be interesting for someone to actually try. If I needed a Ti I'd use another case really.

 

[prava]

Thanks for the nice comments guys!



I will try and get some photos of this for you but it probably won't be for a few weeks if I'm being honest as I don't have any white cases built up and I've got a huge list of tasks to get through + Christmas and family stuff!

But first thing on my task list is to actually update the configurator on the Lazer3D website with the wood options, so you will be able to see a rendered representation of what the wood will look like with all the various colour and design options. Hoping to get that done this week.

Appreciate it!

I'm being specific about this combination because I'll be soon moving to a small apartment decorated with scandinavian cues and...

a) Pretty much everything will be white, except a few things that will be wood. And I'd like the case to keep the theme.
b) Kitchen / living room and computer need to share the same space, so a small case is a requirement.

All in all, the LZ7 ticks pretty much all the boxes. Yeah, a white Sentry could also work... but chances of getting one at this stage are pretty much non at all.

By the way, any chance you would know how problematic it is to cool an i7 8700 on the LZ7? I'm talking about the non-K and using the computer mainly for games.

 

[K888D]

MINI UPDATE:

The LZ7 Configurator has been updated to include the 3 new wood materials for the front panels to give you a good idea of what your design combinations will look like:

http://www.lazer3d.com/lz7-configurator/configure/935/

Here are some example configurations:

Appreciate it!

I'm being specific about this combination because I'll be soon moving to a small apartment decorated with scandinavian cues and...

a) Pretty much everything will be white, except a few things that will be wood. And I'd like the case to keep the theme.
b) Kitchen / living room and computer need to share the same space, so a small case is a requirement.

All in all, the LZ7 ticks pretty much all the boxes. Yeah, a white Sentry could also work... but chances of getting one at this stage are pretty much non at all.

By the way, any chance you would know how problematic it is to cool an i7 8700 on the LZ7? I'm talking about the non-K and using the computer mainly for games.

Check out the link out above to see what the White + Oak material combination will look like.

Regarding i7-8700, I have no data for this CPU in the LZ7 at the moment sorry. I have been using the i7-7700 with the NH-L12S, the temps are in the low 60's under heavy load with a silent fan curve.

The i7-8700 will run hotter, but by how much I'm unsure sorry.

 

[Kilrah]

Very cool. White + wood would have been a nice option I'd have had a hard time to choose between if it had been available when I ordered - guess it's a good thing, no endless hesitation

I'd expect the i7-8700 to perform similarly to the 7700 (considering stock clocks on both), after all it runs more cores but at slower speeds to keep the same TDP.

That's one of the reasons (+ price considerations) I went with the 7700K, I already have an 8-core machine and it will likely stay the single-thread king for quite a while since they abandoned the low core count/high freq config on the 8 series.

In the end it all boils down to the noise you're OK with. Personally I want a PC that's quiet at light/moderate loads, BUT I'll absolutely prefer a CPU that's got oomph when needed and saves me time even if that means a temporary noise increase while it's doing so, hence the OC'd 7700K. Getting a lower TDP CPU makes no sense to me as I just see it as a limitation. Yeah it's always quiet, but making you wait because of that. I can do that by limiting my 7700K if I REALLY want it, the opposite less so.

 

[owliwar]

white and oak + white corner + black side panels is my favorite so far. Its gorgeous!

 

[Kilrah]

Thanks for the info, I've sent you a PM to arrange the replacement.

Well received and perfectly matching, thanks

 

[Draughtsman]

They are from YouTube reviewers.

Any news on the release of these videos yet? Am still pondering over an i7 8700 or an i7 8700K, I'm sure the vids will shed some light on the potential heat problems with the intel coffee lake cpu's

 

[MarcParis]

Here is one video..

 

[K888D]

Any news on the release of these videos yet? Am still pondering over an i7 8700 or an i7 8700K, I'm sure the vids will shed some light on the potential heat problems with the intel coffee lake cpu's

@Tek Everything has been hinting that the video will be out very soon, he may be able to give you more details!

 

[Tek Everything]

@Tek Everything has been hinting that the video will be out very soon, he may be able to give you more details!

I've been using an 8700 with the Corsair SF450 installed. For cooling, so far I've tested the Noctua NH-L65, and Reeven Brontes.

While gaming the NH-L65 hits 66-72C, while the Brontes hits 62-68C.
Under 100% load the NH-L65 hits 100C, while the Brontes hits 91C.

The only time the system touches 90C in real world use is when I am rendering video. While I would comfortably recommend the Brontes for 8700 based systems, you may want to try a larger cooler like the Noctua NH-L12S. Or remove the PSU and opt for a DC-DC unit with an external power brick.

That is all the cooling data I have at the moment. I will be trying some other options this week.

 

[Draughtsman]

The only time the system touches 90C in real world use is when I am rendering video. While I would comfortably recommend the Brontes for 8700 based systems, you may want to try a larger cooler like the Noctua NH-L12S. Or remove the PSU and opt for a DC-DC unit with an external power brick.

Thanks for the info. The gaming & real world temps look reasonable & as you say can possibly be improved upon with either a Noctua NH-L12S or even a Scythe Big Shuriken 2. (happy to put up with the noise over short periods)

To be honest I can't see that a 8700K (@ stock) would give much higher temps than this in everyday use, but I could be wrong.

 

[MarcParis]

I've been using an 8700 with the Corsair SF450 installed. For cooling, so far I've tested the Noctua NH-L65, and Reeven Brontes.

While gaming the NH-L65 hits 66-72C, while the Brontes hits 62-68C.
Under 100% load the NH-L65 hits 100C, while the Brontes hits 91C.

The only time the system touches 90C in real world use is when I am rendering video. While I would comfortably recommend the Brontes for 8700 based systems, you may want to try a larger cooler like the Noctua NH-L12S. Or remove the PSU and opt for a DC-DC unit with an external power brick.

That is all the cooling data I have at the moment. I will be trying some other options this week.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I'm a bit concerned by cpu cooling performance to be honest...especially on a stock core i7 8700.

 

[Tek Everything]

-- COOLING UPDATE --

I was curious what the case could do with a better cooler. So I picked up an 8700K and Noctua NH-L12S....

Current System:

i7-8700K
Asus Z370-I motherboard
256GB Samsung 960 EVO M.2 (boot)
256GB Intel 600P M.2 (scratch disk)
2x Samsung 500GB Samsung 850 EVO (games/media)
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini
32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX (3000MHz)
Corsair SF 450 PSU
Cryorig slim 140mm case fan

I am using the stock cables for the PSU, and have the 2.5" hard drive bracket installed. This is almost a worst case scenario for airflow in the LZ7.

Note: I am using the new fully vented top panel and side panel without IO*

CPU at Stock - avg temps
IDLE: 32C
GAMING: 63C
PRIME 95: 81C

4.8GHz Overclock - avg temps
IDLE: 35C
GAMING: 69C
PRIME 95: 86C

5GHz Overclock!!!! - avg temps
IDLE: 39C
GAMING: 72C
PRIME 95: 96C

I was shocked by how well this cooler was able to handle such a power hungry CPU. The fact that you can keep the chip under TJ Max at 5GHz is really impressive. As the thermal paste sets, I anticipate even better temps.

 

[Draughtsman]

-- COOLING UPDATE --

I was curious what the case could do with a better cooler. So I picked up an 8700K and Noctua NH-L12S....

Current System:

i7-8700K
Asus Z370-I motherboard
256GB Samsung 960 EVO M.2 (boot)
256GB Intel 600P M.2 (scratch disk)
2x Samsung 500GB Samsung 850 EVO (games/media)
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini
32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX (3000MHz)
Corsair SF 450 PSU
Cryorig slim 140mm case fan

I am using the stock cables for the PSU, and have the 2.5" hard drive bracket installed. This is almost a worst case scenario for airflow in the LZ7.

Note: I am using the new fully vented top panel and side panel without IO*

CPU at Stock - avg temps
IDLE: 32C
GAMING: 63C
PRIME 95: 81C

4.8GHz Overclock - avg temps
IDLE: 35C
GAMING: 69C
PRIME 95: 86C

5GHz Overclock!!!! - avg temps
IDLE: 39C
GAMING: 72C
PRIME 95: 96C

I was shocked by how well this cooler was able to handle such a power hungry CPU. The fact that you can keep the chip under TJ Max at 5GHz is really impressive. As the thermal paste sets, I anticipate even better temps.

Jay, This is exactly the info I have been waiting for. Great news on the effective cooling of this CPU with the NH-L12S in everyday use with stock clock settings. Time for me to press the button I think.

 

[rfarmer]

-- COOLING UPDATE --

I was curious what the case could do with a better cooler. So I picked up an 8700K and Noctua NH-L12S....

Current System:

i7-8700K
Asus Z370-I motherboard
256GB Samsung 960 EVO M.2 (boot)
256GB Intel 600P M.2 (scratch disk)
2x Samsung 500GB Samsung 850 EVO (games/media)
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini
32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX (3000MHz)
Corsair SF 450 PSU
Cryorig slim 140mm case fan

I am using the stock cables for the PSU, and have the 2.5" hard drive bracket installed. This is almost a worst case scenario for airflow in the LZ7.

Note: I am using the new fully vented top panel and side panel without IO*

CPU at Stock - avg temps
IDLE: 32C
GAMING: 63C
PRIME 95: 81C

4.8GHz Overclock - avg temps
IDLE: 35C
GAMING: 69C
PRIME 95: 86C

5GHz Overclock!!!! - avg temps
IDLE: 39C
GAMING: 72C
PRIME 95: 96C

I was shocked by how well this cooler was able to handle such a power hungry CPU. The fact that you can keep the chip under TJ Max at 5GHz is really impressive. As the thermal paste sets, I anticipate even better temps.

Delidding my 8700k really helped. Running Prime95 5.0 GHz 1.35v max temps are 75C using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 which is very close to the Noctua for cooling.

 

[MarcParis]

Ah nh-l12s is far better cpu cooler...this time cpu temps are perfectly fine...thanks!

 

[K888D]

-- COOLING UPDATE --

I was curious what the case could do with a better cooler. So I picked up an 8700K and Noctua NH-L12S....

Current System:

i7-8700K
Asus Z370-I motherboard
256GB Samsung 960 EVO M.2 (boot)
256GB Intel 600P M.2 (scratch disk)
2x Samsung 500GB Samsung 850 EVO (games/media)
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini
32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX (3000MHz)
Corsair SF 450 PSU
Cryorig slim 140mm case fan

I am using the stock cables for the PSU, and have the 2.5" hard drive bracket installed. This is almost a worst case scenario for airflow in the LZ7.

Note: I am using the new fully vented top panel and side panel without IO*

CPU at Stock - avg temps
IDLE: 32C
GAMING: 63C
PRIME 95: 81C

4.8GHz Overclock - avg temps
IDLE: 35C
GAMING: 69C
PRIME 95: 86C

5GHz Overclock!!!! - avg temps
IDLE: 39C
GAMING: 72C
PRIME 95: 96C

I was shocked by how well this cooler was able to handle such a power hungry CPU. The fact that you can keep the chip under TJ Max at 5GHz is really impressive. As the thermal paste sets, I anticipate even better temps.

Thanks for sharing these results Jay, it will help allot of people out. The Noctua NH-L12S is a great cooler for this case.

GIGABYTE GTX 1080 ITX REVIEW:
Enjoyed your new video on the Gigabyte 1080 as well, it looks like it runs a few degrees warmer than the 1070 as you would expect, but cooling performance is still good:

 

[dragouna]

J'ai acquis 2 boîtiers de ce modèle pour mes fils avec des couleurs personnalisées. Voici les composants avant allumage :

Boîtier Lazer3D avec un panneau en bois
Processeur i7-8700K en version stock
Carte mère ASUS STRIX Z370-I Gaming
Mémoire 32 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX Series DDR4-4000
SSD 960 PRO NVMe SSD, PCIe 3.0 M.2 Typ 2280 - 2 TB
SSD 850 PRO Series SSD, SATA 6G - 2 TB
Carte graphique Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini
Alimentation Corsair SF600 80 Plus Gold SFX
Ventilateur boîtier Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 140 mm
Dissipateur CPU Prolimatech Samuel 17 équipé d'un ventilateur NOCTUA NF-A12x15 PWM
Câbles sur mesure fournis par CableMod
Pâte conductrice Thermal Grizzly
Ecran ASUS PG27VQ ROG Swift G-Sync 165Hz

IDLE : 26°
WITCHER 3 options graphiques au maximum : 59°
PRIME 95 après 27 minutes : 112°, processeur = "kaputt"

Finalement, et suite à cet allumage de feu, j'ai tout mis à la poubelle et leur ai offert un simple MacBook Pro.

Conclusion: évitez de mettre un processeur de type k dans ce boîtier et vous aurez une configuration adaptée avec en prime un boîtier unique et follement attractif.