Is this case recommended if you're not watercooling? I don't see how much air is going to be moving in and out of this case. If watercooling wouldn't the PC-05SX be a better choice so you have space for the radiator. Love me some Lian Li but this line seems like they're intended for watercooled builds.

Question

Accepted Answer

Hi, I am currently running this case with an i7 4770k which runs hot anyway. I have it wall mounted, and there is a 120mm fan behind the mobo which helps some. I have tried several CPU coolers, and have settled on a Noctua NH-L12 (without it's top fan). This seems to be the largest heatsync that will fit, and has the advantage of looking great. I leave the CPU fan and mobo/case fan running 100% all the time, and it's nearly silent. Idle temps are between 30-45 C, with load going up to 60-75 C. Temps drop instantly once load drops. So good for most gaming (I'm running a 960 in this machine). If you are running prime95 or some other torture test, the CPU  thermal throttles after about 5 mins.

If you are running auto-cad, video rendering or something else that requires high GPU load over long periods of time, perhaps a faster i5 would be better than my i7 temp wise. I'm not sure how you would even pipe in a water cooler, there just isn't space.

To give an idea, this is a 2nd PC in the home used primarily for daily usage and light gaming (Homeworld Remastered). For heavy tasks and major gaming, I have a full size gaming rig with better cooling.

And this is the prettiest case I've ever used, especially on a wall with all cables hidden (run behind the wall). Totally worth it, just make sure your build takes temps into consideration. No overclocking with this case!

Questions & Answers