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Lian Li PC-Q30 Case Review: A Mini-ITX Chassis With Flair
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1. Introducing The Lian Li PC-Q30

Lian Li's PC-Q30 chassis is specifically designed to show off the guts of your PC in a place where everyone is going to see them. It boasts a unique shape, a large window, and, surprisingly, more space than you would think a small chassis could offer. At the very least, it's a conversation piece.

Because of its unique form factor and purpose, we thought we'd do more with this case than simply list off its pros and cons. With a little bit of effort, you can turn this thing into a striking little example of how proud you are to be a PC gamer.

The Lian Li PC-Q30 is built around the mini-ITX form factor. Of course, this limits the amount of technology you can shove inside. But don't underestimate the enclosure's roominess, either. We approached this build with AMD's most powerful APU, effective cooling, and a mind for aesthetics. We're going through each component and how to get it installed. If you want to build a system like this, you'll be able to walk through with us.

This case will never be the final resting place for all of your gaming gear. But since it does accommodate discrete graphics, we're also looking at some add-in options. At the end of the build, though, I ended up yanking all of the cards I tried and stuck with just the APU. Even still, it was interesting to see how fast this system could go (hint: it's further than you might think after a cursory glance). Fortunately, AMD's processor is quick enough for light gaming, and I wasn't trying to build something high-end. It might even turn out that Lian Li's PC-Q30 is a good foundation for a do-it-yourself Steam Machine.

Packaging

You (and whoever delivers your package) will immediately marvel at how light the PC-Q30 really is. It comes in a familiar brown cardboard box that's thick and sturdy enough to protect the aluminum contents from even the most mean-spirited couriers.

Inside, the PET foam used to hold the case in place is far superior to the Styrofoam we're accustomed to. You don't end up with a bunch of small white chunks to clean out of your carpet. This really should be standard packing material for all cases.

The case’s acrylic window has a sheet of recycled paper in front of it to prevent scratches.

In The Box

Apart from the case, the box contains everything else you need. There's even a piezo speaker included, which is far from expected these days. In addition to the usual screws, cable binders, and manual, Lian Li also includes a USB 3.0-to-USB 2.0 adapter that allows the case to be used with older motherboards.

2. Technical Specifications And Features

Lian Li's PC-Q30 employs horizontal airflow. Cool air enters through the two openings on either side of the case and is blown out the back, along with the system’s heat, via a fan. There’s no opening at the top, which means passive cooling isn't in the cards.

Technical Specifications
Model Number PC-Q30
Form Factor
mini-ITX, DTX
Dimensions
223 mm (Width) x  357 mm (Height) x 300 mm (Depth)
Colors
Black or Silver (Outside and Inside are the Same)
Material Aluminum
Weight
2.13 kg (Completely Empty)
2.30 kg (Empty)
5.25" (external)
None
3.5" (internal)
None
2.5" (internal)
4 x 2.5" for Hard Drive/SSD
Expansion Slots
2
Case Fans
1 x 140 mm
I/O Ports2 x USB 3.0 / HD Audio
Component Size
Graphics Card: Up to 200 mm Length and 125 mm Height (Including Power Connectors)
PSU: Up to 125 mm Length
CPU Cooler: Up to 130 mm Height (Including Fan)
Power SupplySFX (Not Included)
Street Price
Approximately $135

The power button on the front of the case features a blue LED to convey the system’s status and a red LED to show storage activity. It’s the same button used on many of Lian Li's other cases. There is no reset button.

The back of the enclosure's front cover exposes the attached cable, which you can detach. This actually makes installation easier, since the front cover can be set aside without detaching cables from the motherboard.

The front panel is more of a side. It sports two USB 3.0 and audio I/O (microphone input and headphone output).

The only potential issue we found was the PC-Q30’s four metal feet. They won't discolor the surface they're set on like the soft plastic ones tend to do, but they will scratch your desk if you're not careful. The lack of insulation against vibration didn't turn out to be a problem, surprisingly, due to the small footprint making contact.

3. 360-Degree Video Of The Empty Case

360 Degree Video of the Empty Case

Lian Li PC-Q30

Picture Gallery

The aluminum surface looks great, of course, but it does encourage you to use thin cloth gloves during the installation process. Our sample had some annoying dust in it, so I decided to thoroughly clean it after taking my first few pictures.

Lian Li's PC-Q30 is truly unique, and I really appreciate yet another case from the company that doesn't follow mainstream convention, especially when it's well-executed like this one. You can love or hate the aesthetic, but you have to admit it's different, just like the chassis I reviewed in Take The Train: Lian Li PC-CK101, Built, Tested, And...Driven?

4. PSU: Be Quiet! SFX Power 350 W

Naturally, a case this small requires an SFX-based power supply. There are a number of these available, though they aren't particularly common. Our U.S. team has had good luck with SilverStone's offerings in the past. But in Germany, be quiet! is a familiar vendor. The team there went with that company's BN134, a 350 W, 80 PLUS-certified unit with a PCI Express auxiliary connector for discrete graphics.

Be Quiet SFX Power 350 Watt

Technical Specifications
Model Number
be quiet! SFX Power 350 W (BN134)
Form Factor
SFX 3.2
Voltage
100-240 Volt, 50-60 Hz (Full Range)
Power
350 Watts
PFC
Active, Power Factor 0.9 under Full Load
Compatibility
Supports Intel's C6 Mode
(C6/C7 for Intel's Haswell CPUs not Confirmed)
Power Consumption at Standby
<1 Watt (Erp/EuP Ready)
Temperature Range
10 to 50 °C (Overage Service Life of 100,000 Hours at 25 °C)
Rails
+3.3 V20 A
+5 V22 A
+12 V114 A
+12 V216 A
-12 V0.5 A

Power Output
Maximum Power 12 V: 300 W
Maximum Power 3.3 V + 5 V: 125 W
Hold-up Time at Full Load
17 ms
Safety
OCP Over Current Protection
OVP Over Voltage Protection
UVP Under Voltage Protection
SCP Short Circuit Protection
OPP Over Power Protection
Connectors and Cables
No Modular Cable Management, All Cables Completely Sleeved

1 x 20+4-Pin Motherboard (35 cm)
1 x 4-Pin CPU (35 cm)
1 x PCIe 6-Pin (35 cm)
1 x Molex/PATA (Three Connectors, 1 x FDD, max. 50 cm)
1 x SATA (35 cm)
Fan
80 mm, Up to 4000 RPM (Temperature-Controlled)
Street Price
Approximately $90

Opening be quiet!'s SFX Power 350 Watt reveals the power supply itself, as well as a power cable, manual, screws, and cable ties. In short, it doesn't leave you wanting for anything.

The cables are sleeved well and long enough for our installation.

The SFX Power 350’s fan is audible when the system is under full load. However, most of that noise is redirected back into the case, so you won't hear the power supply over the other fans in taxing situations. If you're only using an APU, and no discrete graphics card, the PSU shouldn't be audible at all.

5. PSU Installation: Nimble Fingers Needed

Installing the power supply is a little annoying because the case's center of gravity shifts from the front to the back once its front cover is removed, particularly if the PSU is the only thing in there. Your best bet is to hold onto the chassis when you slide the power supply into place, or keep it off the rubber insulating strips until it's almost there.

The PSU’s cables are more than long enough, so you won't have any trouble making connections.

From there, the installation should be fairly uneventful. If you aren't using an add-in graphics card, hide the cables you don't need in Lian Li's SSD cage.

6. Installing The SSD

Choosing the Right SSD

Any SSD with at least 256 GB of capacity should be fine. Even a roomy hard drive is suitable if you're willing to tolerate the less responsive storage performance. We have a bunch of Samsung's 840 Pros in the lab, so that's what we used in this build. It was a nice little bonus that the drive comes with a data migration tool, allowing me to clone the contents of an old HTPC quickly.

As a side note, it doesn't matter how thick your SSD is in Lian Li's PC-Q30. Any 2.5” device will fit.

SSD Installation Step By Step

7. Motherboard And APU: Zotac A75-ITX WiFi And AMD A10-6800K

CPU or APU? Simplicity Triumphs

Going in, we already knew that regardless of whether we used an AMD APU or Intel CPU, the opposing camp would want to see their processor of choice represented as well. Acknowledging that Intel's 22 nm offerings tend to use less power than AMD's 32 nm Richland-based APUs, we went with the A10-6800K to show that even a 100 W model will work in the confines of a mini-ITX enclosure. Moreover, it gives us a good standalone solution, since its on-die graphics engine gives the discrete Radeon HD 6670 a run for its money, depending on your memory selection. It can do things that even the once high-end Radeon HD 4870 can’t tackle.

We then added two different graphics cards to complicate the thermal situation and take worst-case measurements. This should give us a good overview of the components that could conceivably live in this case.

As an addition to our performance benchmarks, I also used Zotac's H77-ITX WiFi motherboard, which sports the same dimensions as the company's A75-ITX WiFi, with a Core i5-2500K on a bench table to explore how the performance of different APU and CPU combinations with discrete graphics stacks up. In the end, I found that it really doesn’t matter which mid-range APU or CPU you choose; all but one of our games is limited by graphics muscle anyway.

The Zotac A75-ITX WiFi

Zotac is well-known for its graphics cards. But its mini-ITX motherboards are also very popular. They were some of the first to expose rich feature sets in this form factor, and there really isn't much competition for the Socket FM2 market. Fortunately, the A75-ITX WiFi is a solid choice anyway; its excellent on-board Intel-based Wi-Fi controller and integrated Bluetooth connectivity are great value-adds we would have wanted to buy anyway.

Zotac A75-ITX WiFi

Accessories include two antennas, four SATA cables, a VGA adapter, an I/O plate, an installation guide, a manual...you know, the usual. 

A Note about Component Selection

Personally, it’s important to make sure that a system like this will work the way it's supposed to for anyone looking to retrace my steps. It's not going to be possible to use all of the parts I did; after all, the power supply isn't even available in the U.S. But the cooler and memory on the next couple of pages should be easy to find. If you already now what you're doing and did a bit of research, you can certainly choose other components. But rest easy knowing my selections work perfectly together.

8. Processor Installation And RAM Selection

CPU Installation and Thermal Paste

We see a lot of forum posts about thermal paste, which is why we published Thermal Paste Comparison, Part One: Applying Grease And More and Thermal Paste Comparison, Part Two: 39 Products Get Tested. Consequently, no build recommendation would be complete without addressing this topic. First, install the APU onto your motherboard of choice. There's only way to do it; just like up the little arrow in the corner and don't use any unnecessary force.

Once the APU is in place, any of the compounds recommended in the round-up linked above will do. I used the relatively new Extreme Fusion X1 by Cooler Master, which is soft enough to yield good results using a small blob in the middle of the processor. Generally, how the thermal paste is applied, especially in regard to the amount and location, is more important than its theoretical performance. It’s the skill, and not the tool, that’s important here.

The blob in my picture doesn't look particularly sexy, but it suits our purpose perfectly. It’s the right amount so that you won't have thermal paste leaking out the sides, but it'll still cover the surface of the APU with no air bubbles.

Picking The Memory: 16 GB ADATA DDR3 2133 XPG

Some memory modules employ downright ostentatious heat spreaders, which tend to be too tall and can mess with heat sink clearance. This is especially true for the fast RAM that an APU's graphics engine benefits from most.

The coolers you'd choose from in a mini-ITX-based build like this one should be fairly low-profile (check out Eight Low-Profile CPU Coolers For Your Compact PC, Reviewed if you need some help choosing), so any kit with tall heat spreaders is out. I chose Adata's XPG family since it gives us 2133 MT/s data rates in a fairly low-clearance module.

The two sticks remind me of the legendary Vitesta line, which you might remember from the DDR2 days. I wish I knew why Adata got rid of that very successful memory family.

Clearly, the memory kit employs a very flat heat spreader that should fit under low-profile CPU coolers. Our modules of choice remained stable throughout testing and didn't cause any compatibility issues with Zotac's A75-ITX WiFi.

Some motherboards, including the A75-ITX WiFi included in today's build, require you to active an XMP profile in the BIOS (or enter the corresponding timings and voltages manually) in order to realize the rated data rate ceiling.

9. CPU Cooler Installation: Thermalright AXP-100

Thermalright AXP-100 is no stranger, seeing that the German team reviewed it recently, and our very own Thomas Soderstrom just evaluated its big brother, the AXP-200 (which, by the way, is also mini-ITX-compatible). Kai’s review motivated me to change things up a bit and forgo the Prolimatech or SilverStone top-flow cooler I might have chosen otherwise. Of course, I didn't make the jump blindly. The Thermalright unit first had to prove its performance to me on an open test bench before I installed it into Lian Li's chassis.

Let’s jump right into the detailed CPU cooler installation guide with pictures.

There was one big obstacle that kept me from using the cooler I originally planned on installing, and I'll tell that story. Starting at the beginning...

A picture of the AMD system shows very clearly why it’s important to have a push-through spacer in the middle and four round spacers on the back plate's screws. We didn't have any trouble on our Intel-based system, but the double-sided nature of Zotac's Socket FM2-based motherboard prevented us from using another heat sink's back plate that depended on a rubber bit to keep it from touching the platform's PCB.

Without that separation between the back plate and board, it's easy to destroy surface-mount components. Just look at the picture below. You can almost hear the capacitors getting crushed. If you want to pick your own cooler for this build, you need to very deliberately avoid this problem. Your best bet is likely using a heat sink with separate back plates for AMD and Intel processor interfaces.

Installing the back plate is easy, so long as you're careful about screwing on the knurled nuts in the right direction. The glued-on plastic ring needs to face the motherboard.

Putting on the retention frame is a bit more difficult. First, loosely thread two screws on one side. Then set the frame in place. Next, loosely thread the other two screws on the opposite side. And finally, tighten everything up so that it's secure.

I already talked about the thermal paste; next, you'll be putting it on and removing the plastic foil cover from the bottom of Thermalright's AXP-100 CPU cooler.

If you're having trouble getting the AXP-100 installed on the retention frame, use some thin double-sided tape to hold the bridge before getting started. This makes it a lot easier to set the CPU cooler in its place, and it also keeps the bridge from sliding out of alignment when you’re fastening the screws.

The last step for anyone using a 120 mm fan is to screw on its retention frame. Thermalright’s solution works very well and really deserves some praise.

10. Motherboard Installation

Installing a motherboard in Lian Li's PC-Q30 is a pretty relaxed affair if you lay the case on its back after popping in the I/O shield.

Four pre-installed spacers make it easy to screw the platform into place.

Connecting the power cables comes next. I recommend keeping the chassis on its back for this because its center of gravity is off without the aluminum front cover. The case’s back cover, along with its 140 mm fan, can be removed after unfastening four thumb screws, allowing for easy access to the back of the motherboard if you need it.

Again, hide any cables you don't need in the SSD cage. It's important to tidy up the insides, since Lian Li's PC-Q30 sports a large acrylic front window that'll mercilessly show off stray cabling.

Don’t forget to wipe fingerprints off of the front window and surrounding aluminum before button the enclosure up. They're very easy to see from the outside.

11. Fans, Temperatures, And Noise

Lian Li’s stock 140 mm rear fan is incredibly loud. So, we slowed it down to a bearable 550 RPM using a resistor. Much below that and the cooler won't even start. But without this drastic measure, there's really no point in trying to optimize the fans inside. A painfully apparent 40 dB(A) from 50 cm away is just too loud.

Fan Optimization

Thermalright's stock fan on the AXP-100 is alright, but if you want a 100 W APU and a quiet machine at the same time, the combination simply isn't good enough.

Zotac’s mini-ITX motherboards only support temperature-dependent PWM fan management via profiles. So, you'll want to make sure that any replacement you buy sports a four-pin connector.

Noiseblocker eLoop B12-PS PWM

Noiseblocker's eLoop B12-PS PWM is quiet and looks great to boot. You do have to pay top dollar for its premium performance, though. Then again, a higher price is worthwhile for the blend of effective cooling and conservative acoustics.

Registering 34.1 dB(A) for the entire system at full load, the setup ends up being very living room-friendly. The fan seldom even makes it to its maximum 1500 RPM. Instead, it usually settles in at about 1300 RPM when gaming, resulting in an even better 32.6 dB(A). At idle, the system generates 30.8 dB(A), which is mostly due to the fan around back.

Bringing Back Disco: Enermax T.B.Vegas Quad and Single

As you've probably figured out by now, based on some of my older stories, I have a small obsession with lighting. If you share my fascination, then you'll love the Enermax fan's effects, especially its new sparkle mode. I also like the ability to set a maximum RPM at three different levels without modifying the fan's minimum rotational speed.

I left the fan at its maximum setting, since we're controlling the PWM curve through the motherboard's firmware anyway. It’s still pretty quiet, hitting 36.2 dB(A) under full load and 34.4 dB(A) during gaming workloads. And remember, the original case fan is louder than our CPU cooler at idle.

Overall, Enermax’s fans serve as a satisfactory alternative for cooling AMD's A10-6800K quietly and with a little more flair. In case you're interested, the exact models we used were: T.B.Vegas Quad (UCTVQ12P) for the four-color version and T.B.Vegas Single (UCTVS12P-BL/R/W) for the single-color versions in blue, red, or white, respectively.

I tried to capture the effects on video, but they just look better in real life.

Enermax T.B.Vegas Quad

Temperatures and Noise

The temperatures we're reporting are for the APU with its integrated graphics engine active. Consequently, they're the observed maximums. The Core i5-2500K running at stock clock rates on Zotac's H77-based motherboard isn't much cooler, since I optimized the PWM curves for quiet operation rather than lower thermals. Identical temperatures can be achieved at significantly lower fan speeds, though I can't report the actual comparison data since I ran the Intel-based platform on an open test bench just to garner performance data.

Noise Levels and APU Temperatures
Idle
Gaming
Full Load
Stock Fan 90 mm
31.7 dB(A)
38 °C
38.9 dB(A)
54 °C
41.7 dB(A)
62 °C
Noiseblocker eLoop B12-PS PWM
30.8 dB(A)
32 °C
32.6 dB(A)
46 °C
34.1 dB(A)
55 °C
Enermax T.B.Vegas
30.8 dB(A)
32 °C
34.4 dB(A)
45 °C
36.2 dB(A)
54 °C

Even with a 100 W APU, the flat CPU cooler with a capable fan manages to provide compact dimensions, reasonable cooling performance, and pleasant noise levels. This is about as good as it gets, unless you go for the Intel-based system with a passively-cooled graphics card instead. The only thing that keeps that setup from being totally silent is the rear case fan.

12. Performance With And Without Discrete Graphics

APU vs. CPU with Discrete Graphics

The PC-Q30’s dimensions do limit your choices when it comes to discrete graphics. Dual-slot cards fit without a problem. But a length of 24 cm with a power connector on the back of the card, or a height of 13 cm (more like 12.5 cm, really) with the power connector on top, are already pushing it. Our power supply of choice has a six-pin PCIe power cable and connector, but shorter cards like Asus' GTX 670/760 DirectCU II Mini require eight-pin input, in which case you’re out of luck.

Then again, an AMD Radeon HD 7850 or 7750 should suffice in light of the system’s intended location and purpose. The latter can even be passively cooled. Of course, a board like HIS' HD 7850 IceQ X² is still really quiet; you probably won't notice it above the noise from other components.

This is a good time to revisit the APU versus CPU discussion. The A10-6800K's on-die graphics engine offers fairly similar performance as a Radeon HD 6670. This is enough to play Crysis 3 at the Low detail preset at up to 1680x1050 with reasonable frame rates. Less demanding games run at 1920x1080 at higher performance, depending on the title and graphics settings. AMD's A10-6800K is certainly not good enough for serious gaming, but it’s ample for entry-level or mainstream 3D.

Combining a passively-cooled Radeon HD 7750 and Intel's CPU doesn’t really provide much more performance than the AMD APU. This is because graphics is the bottleneck. Differences only become apparent in CPU-intensive games like StarCraft II with some of its more challenging maps or Battlefield 4 in multiplayer, and they’re more pronounced when a Radeon HD 7850 is used instead. The APU’s less powerful processing cores lose out to the combination of reasonably powerful add-in graphics and Intel's Core i5-2500K to the tune of five to 10 percent. Of course, while this is easily quantifiable, it's typically not enough to render a title playable or not.

Bottom Line: APU vs. CPU and Discrete Graphics

The A10-6800K APU is powerful enough for HTPC applications and light gaming. If, however, a stylish gaming system is the goal, then a more powerful combination of an Intel processor and a discrete graphics card is the way to go. Both solutions are equally doable in this enclosure.

If you thought to yourself, "How about adding a Radeon HD 6670 in Dual Graphics mode?" then we have some bad news. On paper, that'll give you between 15 to 30 percent more performance, but it'll also add about 50 W to your system's power consumption. Moreover, the boost might not even be palpable. Check out AMD Dual Graphics Analysis: Better Benchmarks; Same Experience? for our own investigation.

13. Lian Li's PC-Q30 Is Small, Special, And Stylish (But Also Practical)

I like the PC-Q30's unique style and well-executed design so much that I just had to go the extra mile and include a guide to building your own system with it. The case’s shape is undoubtedly going to be loved by some and hated by others, but there's no question in my mind that Lian Li deserves a call-out for designing something unique, far-removed from the mainstream, and still executed perfectly. Really, my only complaint is that the stock 140 mm rear case fan is way too loud and needs to either be slowed down with a 5 V adapter or replaced altogether. Otherwise, my always-critical eye couldn't find anything wrong. The build quality is top notch, Lian Li's design is great, and the case is as practical as I could have hoped.

The company managed to design a case that allows a low-profile heat sink like Thermalright's AXP-100 to keep a hot APU like AMD's A10-6800K nice and cool. As long as you research the components more than you otherwise would to avoid compatibility issues, you get a really nice entry-level gaming box. 

Lian Li PC-Q30

If you legitimately enjoy the PC-Q30's aesthetic angle, then you really can't go wrong with it. Go the AMD route and drop in an APU, or take an Intel CPU for a spin (with discrete graphics, we'd recommend). The chassis performs equally well in both applications. Whatever you put in it, the case shows that equipment off, which is going to be worth the price of admission for many hardware enthusiasts. And if you're like me, you'll even add some lighting to make the effect even more eye-catching.

Lian Li's PC-Q30 doesn’t just get the looks right, though; it’s also very practical. I’d like to thank Lian Li for having the courage to design and produce a product like this. The company shows, yet again, that you don't always need a slightly different take on the same old mini-tower to be successful.

For demonstrating creativity, pulling it off expertly, and offering the PC-Q30 at a reasonable price, the case earns our Smart Buy award. We don't have a problem replacing the case fan that's too loud and overlooking this one shortcoming.