Production Lazer3D LZ7 - Quiet Gaming Cube PC Case

[K888D]

Hello,

New to the forums. Built my first sff pc recently in an sg13 and thought I would try moving into something a bit smaller. I like the design of the lz7, but I just need some advice on options I would have for cpu cooling. Here is my system:

Ryzen 2700 with stock wraith spire
Asus ROG Strix B450-I
Gigabyte RTX 2070 mini
G.Skill Flare X 2x8GB DDR4-3200
ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB M.2 SSD
Corsair SF 600 Platinum

The stock amd cooler has been doing its job well enough, but it looks like it's slightly too tall for the lz7 with sfx PSU installed. The main issue with most of the coolers I have seen recommended here is the RAM clearance. The kit I have stands about 40mm tall according to reviews I have seen, which I believe makes it too tall for the big shuriken 2 and nh-l12s. I would like to avoid having to get new memory if possible.

The big shuriken 3 shouldn't interfere with RAM but at 69mm tall it looks like it would just barely fit under the power supply and I would be concerned about the top fan being to close to the psu and not getting enough airflow.

Noctua nh-l9x65 is 65mm tall which would also put it really close to the psu.

The original nh-l12 would probably work with the 92mm fan at the bottom, most pictures I have seen show the bottom fan sitting next to the memory giving the memory extra clearance. The l12 is discontinued though and I haven't been able to find it anywhere for a decent price. Maybe I could get the l12s and just replace the 120mm fan with a 92mm at the bottom?

Cryorig c7 cu would probably work but doesn't seem to be in stock anywhere right now.

Noctua nh-l9a should work, but with lower performance than other options. Probably not much different than the stock cooler I'm using right now as far as cooling performance, but would like to find something better if possible.

Any other options I should look into? Other issues I might run into trying to fit my system in this case? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Welcome to the forum!

Its difficult to recommend a CPU cooler when using taller RAM, all the best coolers for the LZ7 unfortunately overlap the RAM. For example the Corsair Vengeance LPX is 31mm tall and the Noctua NH-L12S rests perfectly on top of these sticks.

The Ryzen 2700 is quite a demanding CPU, so ideally you could do with selecting one of the better CPU coolers such as the Noctua NH-L12S or the Scythe Big Shuriken 2. I think somebody recently posted some results with the new Big Shuriken 3 but it didn't perform that well in the LZ7, probably due to its top down fan being so close to the underside of the PSU, version 3 is slightly taller than version 2.

Even though the LZ7 has 70mm of CPU clearance, if your using a top down cooler (fan on top of cooler), then really I wouldn't use a cooler taller than 60mm to give the fan space to breath and work effectively.

So with that in mind if you want to keep your current RAM your best options maybe either (as you pointed out) the Noctua NH-L12a, but perhaps swap out the slim fan a thicker 25mm fan to give that extra bit of performance, or for the Cryorig C1 again swapping out the 92mm fan for a better model as the Cryorig fan can be noisy.

I hope that helps.

 

[mrttyg]

Yeah, I really wish I had thought about RAM clearance before and gone with something low profile, would have made this much easier.

I think I am going to try the L12S with a NF-A9 PWM mounted under the heatsink. I sent noctua an email to see if it would be possible for them to send me some mounting clips for the fan. I will report back with the results.

If that doesn't work for some reason, I think my next best option would be to try the l9x65 and hope the fan doesn't get choked out enough to affect performance too much.

Thanks for the help. Really love the case design and am looking forward to trying it out. One suggestion I have though - the biggest complaint I see about this case is the price. I am looking at ordering from overclockers as I live in the US, it would be nice if they gave us the option to exclude the storage mount for those of us who use only m.2 drives to save some money, even if its only a few bucks.

 

[K888D]

I think I am going to try the L12S with a NF-A9 PWM mounted under the heatsink. I sent noctua an email to see if it would be possible for them to send me some mounting clips for the fan. I will report back with the results.

That should work quite well yes, I imagine you will get similar performance to the NH-L12 which was the best cooler for the LZ7 before the L12S was released and shaved a few extra degrees off the temps.

If that doesn't work for some reason, I think my next best option would be to try the l9x65 and hope the fan doesn't get choked out enough to affect performance too much.

I've tried out the L9x65, unfortunately I didn't record any results for comparison, but I remember not being very impressed by it. Its performance was not much better than the NH-L9i in the LZ7, most likely due to the fan being choked by the PSU.

I am looking at ordering from overclockers as I live in the US, it would be nice if they gave us the option to exclude the storage mount for those of us who use only m.2 drives to save some money, even if its only a few bucks.

Thats a great idea, I will suggest it to them to see if it's something they can do. Just in case you weren't aware though, the price displayed on the Overclockers product page includes 20% UK VAT which is discounted from the price once you select your country and update the shipping.

 

[mrttyg]

Well, all the parts came in this week and I everything fit together quite nicely without too much trouble.

As I suspected, my RAM was too tall for the 120mm fan that came with the NH-L12S, so I used that fan for the case and slapped an NF-A9 PWM on the bottom of the heatsink. The mounting screws for the heatsink did get in the way of the thicker 92mm fan though, but with some force I was able to get it mounted. I ended up mounting it so that it pulls air through the heatsink and blows it onto the motherboard. Not sure if this is the best way to do it though. If I get bored I might switch it at some point and see if it makes a difference.

A few minor issues I ran into with the case:

In the hardware kit that came with the case, one of the nuts for the brushed silver feet was the wrong size and I ended up having to make a run to the hardware store down the street so I could get the last one on. Mildly annoying but not a big deal.

I don't live in a particularly dusty environment and don't mind opening the case and blowing the dust out every other week, so for the front intake and gpu panels I went with the open panels with fan grills for maximum airflow. The directions for the front panel tell you to install the grill between the panel and the fan. When I first started up the pc the fan wouldn't spin, and after opening the case up again I found that when the grill is installed that way and the screws are tightened even just a bit there was a part of the grill that was putting pressure on the fan preventing it from spinning. So I would definitely recommend installing the grill on the outside. All the stock photos show it that way, so I'm not sure why the directions tell you otherwise.

Now, for the gpu panel there is no directions on how to mount the grill and the case doesn't come with any hardware for it (the fan screws are screwed into the fan on the front panel which holds the grill in place, but on the gpu panel there is nothing to screw into to hold it there). I ended up just using extra screws and nuts that I had laying around to mount it.

The issues I ran into were small and easily fixed though, just wanted to provide some feedback. Overall I am pleased with the case. Other than the GPU panel, the instructions were clear and easy to follow. With the new cooler, My 2700 idles in the low 30's and seemed to stabilize at 65C running AIDA64 which is about 10C lower than the wraith spire in my other case. Not sure how much performance is lost from swapping out the stock fan. Also, my max gpu temp on my overclocked 2070 has dropped 3 degrees compared to when it was in the SG13, probably due to better airflow.

Some photos of the original PC with lots of extra space

92mm fan does not interfere with memory, allowing much more clearance

The clips that came with the original fan can be used with the 92mm fan if bent. A bit ugly but seems to hold it in place just fine.

Trying to figure out cable management. Using an M.2 drive definitely helps. Might look into custom length cables at some point.

Everything is much more compact than the SG13.

 

[K888D]

Thanks for sharing your experience, all feedback is appreciated and will be taken on board to try and improve for the future.

one of the nuts for the brushed silver feet was the wrong size and I ended up having to make a run to the hardware store down the street so I could get the last one on.

Sorry about that, the screw boxes are hand packed in house, I will try to improve the checking process for the future.

When I first started up the pc the fan wouldn't spin, and after opening the case up again I found that when the grill is installed that way and the screws are tightened even just a bit there was a part of the grill that was putting pressure on the fan preventing it from spinning. So I would definitely recommend installing the grill on the outside. All the stock photos show it that way, so I'm not sure why the directions tell you otherwise.

It is possible to install the fan grill sandwiched in between the panel and the fan, but if you have allot of cables bunched up next to the fan they can sometimes touch the fan blades and stop it from spinning, so it can depend on the layout of your motherboard. Installing the fan grill on the outside gives you a few extra mm.

I prefer the look of the grill on the outside of the case which is why the photos are shown that way.

If the LZ7 manual gets updated I will add a note about this.

Now, for the gpu panel there is no directions on how to mount the grill and the case doesn't come with any hardware for it (the fan screws are screwed into the fan on the front panel which holds the grill in place, but on the gpu panel there is nothing to screw into to hold it there). I ended up just using extra screws and nuts that I had laying around to mount it.

Directions for mounting the GPU panel accessory are shown on page 10 , instruction number 14:

LZ7 User Manual

The dust filter or fan guard are mounted using the M4 screws and nuts provided in the box. If the manual gets updated I will add a note to reference the fan grill as well as the dust filter.

With the new cooler, My 2700 idles in the low 30's and seemed to stabilize at 65C running AIDA64 which is about 10C lower than the wraith spire in my other case. Not sure how much performance is lost from swapping out the stock fan. Also, my max gpu temp on my overclocked 2070 has dropped 3 degrees compared to when it was in the SG13, probably due to better airflow.

Those are great results! The NH-L12S is such an impressive cooler, even if your only using a 92mm fan. Thats good information to know for the future.

Regarding the GPU temps, my experience with the SG13 was that it suffered from allot of heat re-circulation, especially on the CPU side.

 

[step83]

Is it possible to order the panels with the dust cover? Or which dust covers fit? Just had a nose in mine an its rather messy

Currently got just the normal fan guard

 

[K888D]

Is it possible to order the panels with the dust cover? Or which dust covers fit? Just had a nose in mine an its rather messy

Yes the panels can be ordered separately from Overclockers UK, if you need to order the open style vent for best results with dust filters, or alternatively you can email me directly at: kevin@lazer3d.com to discuss

For reference though, the LZ7 is compatible with any "140mm dust filters" on both sides of the case, every side panel has 140mm fan hole spacings that dust filters can be mounted to using the M4 nuts and screws provided with the case. There are quite a few different 140mm dust filters to choose from, most online PC stores should have a few options to choose from, Silverstone have some nice options.

 

[step83]

Thats brilliant thankyou, I have the open panel so just got some filters on order along with the more enclosed top panel, should keep the dust down!

 

[K888D]

The best part of making PC Case is seeing the finished systems, here are a few of the recent LZ7 builds that have been shared across the web:

I've started uploading the images to the website gallery and have been publishing "Community Builds" articles when enough get grouped together, if you would like your setup featured in the next round please share your Lazer3D build online and let me know where to take a look. Thank you!

 

[Phuncz]

Awesome builds all around, people sure like their color coordination !

 

[robbee]

Those all look relly good!!

 

[Kdrs0122]

If anyone else needs lots of storage, I just redesigned the HDD plate with one of the positions fitting 15mm drives:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3618410

This can also be used to add a 3rd drive if anyone was wondering...

 

[K888D]

This can also be used to add a 3rd drive if anyone was wondering...

Nice, thanks for sharing. Does the extra thickness of the HDD's not interfere with the motherboard?

 

[Kdrs0122]

Nice, thanks for sharing. Does the extra thickness of the HDD's not interfere with the motherboard?

No not really. This mount basically moves the drive as close to the motherboard as possible without interfering so that there's extra space behind the drive going towards the case panel.

I was able to stack two standard sized ssd's with about 3mm space in between or a 15mm drive (not pictured) without an issue.

 

[lasek]

Has anyone attempted to spray paint the panels/corners ?

 

[K888D]

Has anyone attempted to spray paint the panels/corners ?

I've seen a few people do it, this guy did it to match his Spiderman themed build:

Spider-man

Check out papadave2359's completed build on PCPartPicker! Core i5-7500 3.4 GHz Quad-Core, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB SC GAMING, LZ7-v1 Mini ITX Desktop, ...

pcpartpicker.com

 

[lasek]

Went to the paint shop but still undecided about the colors

I have this weird random but recurring crash playing pubg.
Happened a lot with the heatwave, and does not happen if I remove the cover, so for now I assume it's related to temperatures.
I run a h370rog, i7 8700, L12S, xmp 2666mhz, rtx2070 on a sf450. default fan profiles. max cpu 85° (those are some spikes, most of the time it's around 60°), max GPU 70° ingame today
Often happens in top10 situations, which drives me crazy !

 

[step83]

Went to the paint shop but still undecided about the colors

I have this weird random but recurring crash playing pubg.
Happened a lot with the heatwave, and does not happen if I remove the cover, so for now I assume it's related to temperatures.
I run a h370rog, i7 8700, L12S, xmp 2666mhz, rtx2070 on a sf450. default fan profiles. max cpu 85° (those are some spikes, most of the time it's around 60°), max GPU 70° ingame today
Often happens in top10 situations, which drives me crazy !

Could always go with a vented cover unless you have done already? It may cause slightly higher idle temps. but it will let the heat out more if its becoming trapped.

 

[lasek]

for the money I'm rather considering delidding ; same heat amount, but lower spikes, maybe.

 

[Weredawg]

Question to American buyers. Are you buying from Overclockers UK or the LZ site directly?

EDIT: Nevermind, LZ site doesn't ship to US, so that answers that.