Lian Li PC-Q21 build advice for maximum airflow

[MTHD]

I plan to build this as soon as my case arrives. I can see myself and have been made aware that there will be airflow problems so I plan to mod the case but I'm not sure what fan or how many fans to add or what to do about GPU ventilation.

I plan to cut a hole up top with a hole saw for a 120mm fan for exhaust, how will that affect the cpu and psu facing each other, what is the best orientation for cpu/psu

Will an additional 120mm or 92mm in front of the case as intake improve things along with the 120mm fan up top for exhaust?

I've also seen some advice on these forums about removing the gpu shroud and fitting a slim case fan underneath and use a cable adapter so the gpu regulates the fan

Lastly, is the AXP-100 full copper the best low profile cooler under 60mm?

 

[BaK]

Some food for thought:

LIAN LI PC TU100 / 200 owners club

Quote: Originally Posted by Myrdal The Zotac 970 with two fans do fit if you cut out the front portion of the inner cage if im not mistaking. dont quote me though. *EDIT* It will fit, the card is 204mm and the case is 252mm Zotac showed off a single fan 970 with 6-pin power connector at CES...

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[Official] Lian Li Mini-Q Case Owner's Club

Sorry, my mistake, I did not see you will not be using a SFX PSU, so I did not pay much attention the the CPU cooler. It sure has more punch than the Noctua low profile and, together with a front fan, I am sure you will have temps at least 10 degrees lower than what I posted, for CPU and system...

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[Official] Lian Li Mini-Q Case Owner's Club

Sorry, my mistake, I did not see you will not be using a SFX PSU, so I did not pay much attention the the CPU cooler. It sure has more punch than the Noctua low profile and, together with a front fan, I am sure you will have temps at least 10 degrees lower than what I posted, for CPU and system...

www.overclock.net

 

[Tazpr]

What you've done is make this case exactly what it should have been from the start.

Why there are no ITX cases with dual front fans for airflow and using this layout is beyond me.

 

[MTHD]

I'm not sure which is best for airflow after seeing the pictures you've sent, two front fans for intake/exhaust or just the one up top... I can't mod it as much as the "High airflow" mod but maybe cut two holes in front or something?

 

[MTHD]

What you've done is make this case exactly what it should have been from the start.

Why there are no ITX cases with dual front fans for airflow and using this layout is beyond me.

I agree more cases need to be made like this without modding

 

[BaK]

I'm not sure which is best for airflow after seeing the pictures you've sent, two front fans for intake/exhaust or just the one up top... I can't mod it as much as the "High airflow" mod but maybe cut two holes in front or something?

Best airflow IMO would be a front intake (low position) and a top exhaust, but that will require some skills and the right tools to keep nice aesthetics.

An easy mod, without modding the case intensively, could be to put two exhaust 60mm fan attached at the back where the SFX PSU is supposed to be.
Then as a PSU alternative, DC+external brick of a Flex PSU attached on the case top. Both will let you install an higher CPU cooler I guess.
You can always add a front and/or top fan later if needed.

This has been done nicely on a PC-TU 100:

[Case Mod] [Build Log] - Chiaki - Heavily Modified...

Hello all! I am in love with the Lian Li PC-TU 100, and I have been dreaming of building a high power gaming rig in one of these cases for a long time. The plan for this PC is to be a compact, portable, high power gaming rig. However, out of the box, this case has many issues. The case is...

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