The new Lian Li PC-Q08 supports up to six hard drives, a standard ATX power supply, and even a 30cm long graphics card in a stylish, well-crafted, 21-liter mini-ITX/DTX enclosure.
September 27, 2010 by Lawrence Lee
| Product | Lian Li PC-Q08 Mini-ITX/DTX Case |
| Manufacturer | |
| Street Price | US$110 |
The Lian Li PC-Q08 is not your average mini-ITX/DTX case. It comes down the
same well-trodden path as the Shuttle breadbox style cases and the latest Silverstone
Sugo cases, but stands substantially taller than most of them. At almost 11″
tall, it can hold up to six hard drives, more than any other case of 21 liters
volume that we know of, enough to make a good small file server. Like Silverstone’s
Sugo SG07, it also supports
standard ATX power supplies and extra long graphics cards, making the PC-Q08
a jack-of-all trades type chassis. The case is available in three different
colors: black, silver, and red.
 The box. |
The PC-Q08 follows in the Lian Li tradition of quality construction. The case
is composed of 1.5 mm thick anodized brush aluminum, giving it a slight shine
that accentuates the crimson red paint job on our sample. The corners are stylishly
rounded on the outside, giving it less of a clunky, boxy appearance.
 The PC-Q08R (Red). |
The side panels are flat sheets held on with a series of tiny black screws
lining the edges. Cooling is provided by two fans, a 14 cm model acting as a
front intake, and a 12 cm model at the top acting as an exhaust. Both are constructed
of translucent plastic and feature red LEDs (the fans in the black and silver
versions of the PC-Q08 sport blue LEDs).
 From another angle. |
The layout places the power supply on its side above the motherboard, something
that used to be common in shorter ATX cases of old, perhaps around the Pentium
III and Celeron era. The power supply can be flipped so the bottom 120/140 mm
intake fan on modern units can pull air from either the inside or outside (thanks
to a well placed vent on the side panel).
 Accessories. |
The package accessories include an external USB to internal USB 2.0 header and
a metal spacer that is used to replace the bottom hard drive cage in case it
interferes with a long graphics card.
| Specifications: Lian Li PC-Q08 (from the product web page) | |
| Model | PC-Q08 |
| Case Type | Mini Tower |
| Dimensions | (W) 227 x (H) 272 x (D) 345mm 21.3 liters volume |
| Front bezel Material | Aluminum |
| Color | Black / Silver / Red |
| Side Panel | Aluminum |
| Body Material | Aluminum |
| Net Weight | 2.73KG |
| 5.25″ drive bay (External) | 1 |
| 3.5″ drive bay (External) | none |
| 3.5″ drive bay (Internal) | 6 |
| Expansion Slot | 2 |
| Motherboard | Mini-ITX / Mini-DTX |
| System Fan (Front) | Black, Silver / 140mm Blue LED Fan x 1 Red / 140mm Red LED Fan x 1 |
| System Fan (Top) | Black, Silver / 120mm Fan x 1 Red / 120mm Red LED Fan x 1 |
| System Fan (Rear) | none |
| I/O Ports | USB3.0 x 2 / HD Audio |
| Maximum Video Card Size | 300mm |
| Package Dimensions | (W) 279mm x (H) 333mm x (D) 407mm |
PHYSICAL DETAILS
The PC-Q08 measures 345 x 227 x 272 mm or approximately 13.6 x 8.9 x 10.7″
(D x W x H) and weighs 2.7 kg or 5.9 lb. Its footprint is similar to that of
the Silverstone Sugo SG07, but because the Lian Li features a vertically mounted
motherboard, a standard size optical drive bay, and a large hard drive cage,
it stands more than three inches taller.
 The front of the case is fairly plain with a large intake vent for a 14 cm fan and a stealthed optical drive bay. |
 The rear of the case is heavily ventilated. |
 Fresh air for the graphics card is provided by the many holes punched into the case floor. There are four accessible screws near the front side securing the bottom hard drive cage inside. |
 The motherboard standoffs are built directly into the right side panel. |
 The drive bays are broken into three removable sections, one for the optical drive at the top, one for four hard drives at the center and one for two more hard drives at the bottom. |
 The front fan pulls air in from the outside past the hard drives where it exits either through the rear or up through the top exhaust fan. |
INTERIOR & ASSEMBLY
Working inside the PC-Q08 is easy. All the edges are rolled to prevent cuts
and scratches and the front fan and drive cages can be removed without tools.
In addition, the power supply bracket is held on with thumbscrews.
 A cleverly designed metal frame facilitates easy front fan installation and removal. The frame has four screws with two washers a piece that create a dumbbell configuration. |
 The space between the washers allows the fan assembly to simply slide into holes located behind the front bezel. Less attention was paid to the top fan though — it mounts using standard fan screws. |
 The case has a pair of front USB 3.0 headers but as most motherboards do not have internal USB 3.0 headers, external cables are provided that can be routed through the back and plugged into the back panel. An internal header USB 2.0 adapter is included. |
 The main drive cage is mounted using a single thumbscrew. It sits atop a smaller cage that is screwed into the case floor. The mounting holes have stiff rubber grommets to dampen vibration. |
|
|
 Installed and ready to go. The blue power LED ruins the red color scheme. It seems Lian Li forgot to change it from the black/silver versions. |
TESTING
System Configuration:
- Intel
Core 2 Quad Q8200S processor – 2.33 GHz, 45nm, 65W - Scythe Samurai ZZ
CPU cooler – stock fan at 8V - Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX
motherboard – GeForce 9300 chipset - ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB
graphics card (system tested with one card and with the IGP) - Crucial
Ballistix Tracer memory – 2x2GB, DDR2-800 - OCZ
Vertex solid state drive – 30GB (in VelociRaptor IcePack) - Cooler Master
Silent Pro M700 – 700W modular ATX power supply - Microsoft
Windows Vista operating system – Home Premium, 32-bit - ATI
Catalyst 10.7 graphics driver
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- Prime95
processor stress software. - FurMark
stability test to stress the integrated GPU. - GPU-Z to
monitor GPU temperatures and fan speed. - SpeedFan
to monitor system temperatures. - Seasonic
Power Angel AC power meter, used to measure the power consumption
of the system. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
fan speeds during the test. - PC-based spectrum analyzer:
SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digitalaudio interfaces. - Anechoic chamber
with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
standard fan testing methodology.
System temperatures and noise levels were recorded with SpeedFan and GPU-Z
at idle and on load using Prime95 (large FFTs setting) and FurMark, an OpenGL
benchmarking and stability testing utility.
Baseline Noise
| Baseline Noise Level | |||
| Fan Speed | Power Supply | SPL@1m | |
| Intake & Exhaust fans | CPU Fan | ||
| 5V | off | off | 13 dBA |
| 7V | 18 dBA | ||
| 9V | 23 dBA | ||
| 12V | 28~29 dBA | ||
| off | 8V | off | 16 dBA |
| off | idle | 14 dBA | |
| 8V | idle | 16 dBA | |
| 7V | 8V | idle | 19 dBA |
| 9V | 24 dBA | ||
| 12V | 29 dBA | ||
| Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle left/front of case. Idle system power consumption: 40W AC. | |||
The baseline acoustics for our test system were fairly low thanks in part to
our choice of components. The Samurai ZZ CPU cooler was very quiet at 8V, only
16 dBA, and the Coolermaster Silent Pro M700’s fan spins very slowly when the
load is under 200W.
The included 12 cm and 14 cm LED fans spun at about 1200 and 1000 RPM respectively
at full speed. Together they are fairly loud at full speed but thankfully they
undervolt very well becoming what we consider to be quiet at between 9V and
7V. Despite their translucent plastic construction, they sounded very smooth
throughout their range, though the top fan did develop some tonality especially
at higher speeds. While its filter is raised for some breathing room, no such
consideration was given to how the fan physically attaches to the case; we wish
they had decoupled it like the front fan.
|
|
Test Results: GeForce 9300 IGP
|
|
| IGP System Measurements (Load) | ||||
| System Fan Speeds | off | 7V | 9V | SG07* 5V |
| SPL@1m | 17 dBA | 20 dBA | 23 dBA | 18~19 dBA |
| System Power | 93W | 91W | 91W | 93W |
| CPU Temp | 52°C+ | 44°C | 42°C | 38°C |
| GPU Temp | 95°C+ | 88°C | 87°C | 82°C |
| Ambient temperature: 23°C. Ambient noise level: 11 dBA. CPU fan speed: 8V. Dark gray boxes indicate testing failure. *Equipped with SST-ST60F-SG power supply. | ||||
Like the Sugo SG07, the PC-Q08 couldn’t manage to cool the integrated GeForce
9300 graphics adequately on our test board when running Prime95 and FurMark
simultaneously without additional airflow. With the system fans off, the GPU
temperature reached 95°C at which point testing was stopped (the display
signal usually cuts out at around that temperature).
With the system fans at 7V and 9V, the system stabilized but the GPU temperature
was still quite high, 5-6°C hotter than the SG07. The PC-Q08 also could
not match the SG07’s noise level; the Silverstone’s giant 18 cm downblowing
fan provides much better board and CPU cooling.
The overall acoustics were fairly smooth at 7V/1m, though there were some slight
tonal elements noticeable at closer distances.
|
|
Noise Level with Multiple Drives
|
|
| Test Drive Noise Summary | ||
| Drive | Vibration 1-10 (10 = no vibration) | Idle Airborne Acoustics @1m |
| WD Caviar Green 750GB | 7 | 14 dBA |
| Seagate DB35.3 250GB | 6 | 15~16 dBA |
| Samsung F3 EcoGreen 2TB | 7 | 15~16 dBA |
To test the PC-Q08’s suitability as a quiet server, we loaded it up with three
quiet hard drives to see what effect it would have on the system’s acoustics.
| IGP System Measurements (Idle) | ||
| Drive Configuration | SSD only | SSD + 3 test drives |
| SPL@1m | 16 dBA | 20 dBA |
| System Power | 40W | 54W |
| Ambient temperature: 23°C. Ambient noise level: 11 dBA. CPU fan speed: 8V. System fan speeds: off. | ||
The addition of three drives increased the noise level of the IGP test system
by an appropriate 4 dBA@1m while system power consumption increased by only
14W. The drives chosen have fairly good acoustics, so the overall sound of the
system remained smooth for the most part.
|
|
We noticed the system was generating some pretty heavy resonance. Do to its
rhythmic nature, it was difficult to pick up through frequency analysis, but
the vibration effects were clearly audible in our noise recording. This recording
starts with 5 seconds of ambient noise followed by alternating 5 second segments
of the test system with the side panels compressed manually, and the test system
undisturbed:
If you listen closely you will hear the system sounding fairly smooth and innocuous
with our bare hands squeezing the case side panels, then when the side panels
are left in their natural state, the rhythmic pulsing of the hard drives interacting
with the case; the difference is actually dramatic.
Given the anatomy of the case, it is not hard to see why the HDD vibrations
have this effect. The side panels are secured at six tiny points along the edges,
and not supported at all in the corners, making it prone to shaking. The drive
bays are broken up into three removable parts so that when the hard drives vibrate,
they don’t just shake a single cage, but the other two sections that are loosely
secured to it as well. If the bottom cage is removed in favor of the spacer
to allow longer video cards, the vibration gets even worse as the spacer only
supports the main drive cage on one side. There is a lot of metal-on-metal contact
and nothing inside to help aside from the rubber grommets. Finally, even though
the outside panels have a generous 1.5mm thickness, the entire chassis is made
of aluminum, which has only about 30% of the density of steel. (For it to have
the same mass as 0.8mm thick steel, the panels would have to be 2.4mm thick.)
Higher mass and/or density in case panels does make a difference. We’ve noted
often in the past how aluminum cases tend to resonate more in response to HDD
and fan vibrations. (See section on Aluminum on p.2 of Case
Basics and Recommendations.)
Test Results: Radeon HD 4870
|
|
| HD 4870 System Measurements (Load) | |||||
| CPU Fan Speed | 8V (idle) | 8V | 10V | ||
| System Fan Speeds | 7V | 9V | 7V | 9V | 12V |
| SPL@1m | 21 dBA | 29 dBA | 31 dBA | 31~32 dBA | 32~33 dBA |
| System Power | 110W | 270W | 268W | 268W | 264W |
| CPU Temp | 33°C | 56°C | 53°C | 52°C | 49°C |
| GPU Temp | 77°C | 86°C | 86°C | 86°C | 85°C |
| GPU Fan Speed | 860 RPM | 1790 RPM | 1800 RPM | 1780 RPM | 1710 RPM |
| Ambient temperature: 23°C. Ambient noise level: 11 dBA. Dark gray boxes indicate testing failure. | |||||
The acoustics of the system at idle after adding a Radeon HD 4870 was very
similar to the system without it, increasing the SPL by only 1 dBA@1m; it would
be difficult for us to tell the difference in a blind test. On load we ran into
a snag as the system shut itself down once the CPU temperature exceeded about
55°C, which is unusually low. We had to increase the CPU fan speed to 10V
to get it stable with a small amount of breathing room (increasing the system
fan speeds didn’t cut it). This problem may be specific to our test processor,
which appears to run fairly hot.
On load, the noise difference was quite high, measuring 31 dBA@1m with the
stock fans at 7V. The quality of noise was fairly smooth and broadband —
it was only the volume that we had issue with. Similar hardware in a typical
ATX tower would run 3~4 dBA lower. Increasing the speed of the system fans had
almost no effect on the GPU temperature — it hovered in the mid-80’s throughout
load testing. Given the design of the case interior, the graphics card is on
its own, thermally speaking..
|
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| HD 4870 System Measurements: Lian Li PC-Q08 vs. Silverstone Sugo SG07 | ||||
| Case | PC-Q08 | Sugo SG07* | ||
| System State | Idle | Load | Idle | Load |
| CPU / SYS Fan Speed | 8V / 7V | 10V / 7V | 8V / 7V | 8V / 7V |
| SPL@1m | 21 dBA | 31 dBA | 21~22 dBA | 35 dBA |
| System Power | 110W | 268W | 115W | 270W |
| CPU Temp | 34°C | 54°C | 37°C | 40°C |
| GPU Temp | 78°C | 87°C | 77°C | 87°C |
| GPU Fan Speed | 860 RPM | 1800 RPM | 960 RPM | 2080 RPM |
| Ambient temperature: 24°C. Ambient noise level: 11 dBA. Dark gray boxes indicate testing failure. *Equipped with SST-ST60F-SG power supply. | ||||
On load with a HD 4870 installed, the CPU fan speed had to be increased to
keep the system stable unlike in the Sugo SG07. Despite this, the overall noise
level of the PC-Q08 in this state was much lower. The Sugo’s large intake fan
keeps the CPU area very cool, but having a side mounted video card in a smaller
enclosure means poorer GPU cooling, resulting in a higher GPU fan speed and
an increased noise level. However, we don’t think the GPU fan running an higher
by 200~300 RPM is completely responsible for the 4 dBA difference; the Sugo’s
stock power supply might take some of the blame. The Cooler
Master Silent Pro M700 is a tested, proven quiet power supply while
the ST60F-SG included with the Sugo is an unknown quantity.
The 4870 is more comfortable in the Lian Li case, but the heat coming off the
back of the card rises toward the CPU. This coupled with the power supply sitting
directly over the CPU cooler makes for a more thermally challenging situation
for the processor.
AUDIO RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high resolution, lab quality, digital recording
system inside SPCR’s own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to
LAME 128kbps encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no
audible degradation from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent
a quick snapshot of what we heard during the review.
Each recording starts with ambient noise, then 10 second segments of product
at various states. For the most realistic results,
set the volume so that the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then
don’t change the volume setting again while comparing all the sound files.
- Lian
Li PC-Q08 – stock fans at 1m
— 7V (18 dBA@1m)
— 9V (23 dBA@1m)
— 12V (28~29 dBA@1m)
- Lian
Li PC-Q08 – IGP test system at 1m
— load, CPU fan @8V, system fans off (17 dBA@1m)
— load, CPU fan @8V, system fan @7V (20 dBA@1m)
— load, CPU fan @8V, system fan @9V (23 dBA@1m)
- Lian
Li PC-Q08 IGP test system with three HDDs at 1m
— idle, CPU fan @8V, system fans off, compressed
— idle, CPU fan @8V, system fans off, uncompressed (20 dBA@1m)
- Lian
Li PC-Q08 – HD 4870 test system at 1m
— idle, CPU fan @8V, system fans @7V (21 dBA@1m)
— load, CPU fan @10V, system fan @7V (31 dBA@1m)
— load, CPU fan @10V, system fan @12V (32~33 dBA@1m)
Comparable System sound files:
- Silverstone
Sugo SG07 – stock system fan at 1m
— 5V (14 dBA@1m)
— 7V/Low (19 dBA@1m)
— 9V (24 dBA@1m)
— 12V/High (32 dBA@1m)
- Silverstone
Sugo SG07 – IGP test system at 1m
— load, CPU fan @8V, system fan off (18~19 dBA@1m)
— load, CPU fan @8V, system fan @7V (21 dBA@1m)
- Silverstone
Sugo SG07 – HD 4870 test system at 1m
— idle, CPU fan @8V, system fan @7V (21~22 dBA@1m)
— load, CPU fan @8V, system fan @7V (35 dBA@1m)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Lian Li PC-Q08 has several qualities that make it a great mini-ITX/DTX
case. What we noticed most compared to other cases was its impressive overall
fit and finish. It has a sturdy, all-aluminum exterior construction that not
only looks great, but is noticeably less flimsy than the Silverstone
Sugo SG07. Everything on the inside seems to be fairly well thought
out, making installation of components inside the enclosure a breeze. The capacity
to hold up to six 3.5″ HDD is very impressive; we’ve never seen a case
so small with such high storage potential — 12 TB with today’s 2 TB drives.
While support for a large hard drive cage seems to have been the main driving
force for the development of the PC-Q08, the resulting size made it big enough
to house an ATX power supply as well as a 30 cm long graphics card. CPU heatsink
clearance is better than average as well, and the included LED fans have good
acoustics and are very quiet when undervolted. The PC-Q08 is also one of the
first cases to offer front-mounted USB 3.0 ports.
As a gaming case, it is more or less a match for the Silverstone SG07, but
closer to less than more. The stock cooler on our Radeon HD 4870 test card was
not as thermally taxed in the PC-Q08, allowing it to run at lower speeds at
both idle and load. This is due partially to the Lian Li case’s larger size,
and how the VGA card is oriented, pulling cool air from the vents on the case
floor rather than from the side in the SG07. However, the heat radiating off
the card rises toward the CPU socket, resulting in higher CPU temperatures than
in the SG07. The power supply’s presence impedes airflow around the CPU as well,
and the stock fans are no match for the SG07’s 18 cm downblower, either.
With the option to install so many HDDs, the 21.3 liter Lian Li PC-Q08 could
be the ideal small, energy-efficient, file server. Half a dozen hard drives
are difficult to keep quiet, regardless of case size, but it is always more
of a challenge in a small case. Unfortunately, the loosely secured drive cages
transmit HDD vibrations easily to the side panels, which amplify them audibly.
The provided rubber grommets do little to alleviate this problem. A more securely
supported solid one-piece drive cage riveted to the top/bottom of the interior
with a well-damped tray or rails for each drive would probably be a big improvement.
Still, it may be worth exploring creative ways to improve the sturdiness and
vibration resistance of the cage, as the PC-Q08’s HDD capacity is simply unmatched
any case even close to its size. Consider the >$1000 of the typical >4
HDD NAS box (without drives), and it is easy see why we’re interested in solving
the HDD vibration issue in this innovative new case. Only the multiple HDD vibration
issue stopped us from awarding the PC-Q08 an Editor’s Choice award.
| Lian Li PC-Q08 | |
| PROS * Quality construction | CONS * Prone to vibration |
Our thanks to Lian
Li for the PC-Q08 sample.
Lian Li PC-Q08 is Recommended by SPCR.
* * *
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