[Simmons572]

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.

Spoiler: Sample Case Images

The case is designed to have 1x 120 mm case fan in the front of the case, and use an SFX power supply as an exhaust. The bottom of the case is designed to house 2x 2.5" HDD/SSDs, so there is no intake for the GPU. Also, out of the box, the case only supports up to a 60mm Heatsink for the CPU. Many members in the Lian Li PC TU100/200 Owners Club have reported issues with thermals, specifically in the GPU region, as well as an inability to efficiently cool overclocked CPUs.

A lot of the inspiration of this build comes from @UncalledForGabe's Lian Li TU100 Heavy Breather Case Mod. In his build, he managed to install x5 Case Fans, and custom sleeved PSU cables.

I am not anticipating painting the case like he did, but I do plan on trying to pack in as much airflow as possible. The goal for this systems is to be a fully overclockable air-cooled system.

Spoiler: Check List/Goals

• Fully Air Cooled
• Overclockable CPU/GPU
• Side Panel Window
• Custom Sleeved Non-Modular Flex-ATX PSU
• RGB Case Lighting

Spoiler: So what's up with the name?

Honestly, there is nothing special about the name. I am a big anime nerd, and all of my computers are named after some random anime character. The names are selected by either myself or my girlfriend, who is also a huge anime nerd.

That being said, when I picked the name for this, I literally googled "Short Anime Characters", and one of the results was Chiaki Nanami, from Dangan Ronpa, which happens to be one of my girlfriend's favorite Visual Novels and animes. It just so happens that Chiaki's title in the game is "Ultimate Gamer".

Even though it is super tacky, and the color scheme of this build is not necessarily appropriate in regards to matching the characters, it doesn't really matter to me. I am happy with the name, and the uncanny coincidence.

Spoiler: Detailed System Specs

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK SLIM CPU Cooler 120W ($20.00)
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (Purchased For $79.00)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (Purchased For $229.00)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 Nano 4GB Video Card (Purchased For $360.00)
Case: Lian-Li PC-TU100B Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Athena Power 400W 80+ Bronze Certified Mini ITX Power Supply (Purchased For $45.00)

Case Fan: Noctua NF-A9x14 29.7 CFM 92mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A9x14 29.7 CFM 92mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilent Fan PM-2 40mm x 20mm (Purchased For $14.95)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-92 24.6 CFM 92mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-60 20.0 CFM 60mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-60 20.0 CFM 60mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Fractal Design GP12-WT 52.3 CFM 120mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)

Monitor: ViewSonic XG2401 23.6" 144Hz Monitor (Purchased For $239.99)
Keyboard: MK Disco RGB LED Backlit TKL Mechanical Keyboard (KBT Brown Switch) (Purchased For $100.00)
Mouse: Razer Mamba Tournament Edition Wired Laser Mouse (Purchased For $65.99)
Sound Card: Schiit Fulla 2 (Purchased For $99.99)
Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohm Studio Headphones w/ Hard Case (Purchased For $160.00)
Other: Antlion Audio ModMic Attachable Boom Microphone - Noise Cancelling with Mute Switch (Purchased For $54.99)
Other: Razer Firefly - Cloth Gaming Mouse Mat (Purchased For $59.99)

Other: Phanteks PH-CB-Y4P 4.3" 4 Pin PWM- Y Splitter Fan Cable (Purchased For $5.98)
Other: Philmore 3.5mm Gold Plated Stereo Snap-In Panel Mount Phone Jack (Purchased For $8.95)
Other: Ugreen Gold Plated 3.5mm 1/8" Male to 6.35mm 1/4" Male TRS Stereo Audio Cable (3ft) (Purchased For $8.99)
Other: Grifiti Chiton Fat 14 6" x 15" Neoprene Keyboard Sleeve (Purchased For $14.98)
Other: Zeskit 4', 3.5mm, Braided Nylon Stereo Audio Cable (Male to Male) (Purchased For $5.99)
Other: COCOFU Micro USB Cable,3FT 6FT 10FT Nylon Braided Micro USB Cable(Black+Gray)(3Pack) (Purchased For $8.85)
Other: 60mm Black Finger Grill / Guard (Pack of 4) (Purchased For $8.50)
Other: Xbox Wireless Controller and Play & Charge Kit Bundle (Purchased For $74.99)

Other: 3M Scotch Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, Clear (4010) (Purchased For $5.43)
Other: 6ft - U-channel edge molding for PC panel mod windows (Purchased For $3.99)
Other: ModMyToys 3-Pin Power Distribution PCB - 3-Way Block (plus 3-pin Female-to-Female 12") (Purchased For $11.13)
Other: M1 Single-G mini PC Case Feet - Silver (Purchased For $24.99)
Other: Smoked Tinted Transparent Cast Acrylic Sheet 12" x 12" x 0.118" (1/8") Gray (Purchased For $9.75)
Other: 44 Keys Mini IR Remote Controller for 3528 & 5050 RGB LED Strip Lights - US (Purchased For $3.75)
Other: Vandal Resistant Illuminated Momentary Switch - Silver - 18/16mm - White Ring (Purchased For $11.95)
Other: x50 - Female ATC Terminals (Purchased For $2.95)
Other: 8-pin PCIE Female Connector - Black (Purchased For $0.59)
Other: 24-pin ATX Female Connector - Black (Purchased For $0.59)
Other: Black MDPC-X Small Sleeve (50ft) (Purchased For $14.98)
Other: Original MOLEX Pinremover - MDPC-X Edition (Purchased For $19.99)
Other: MDPC-X Crimp Tool (Purchased For $47.99)
Other: IEC 320 C14 Male Plug (Purchased For $0.99)
Other: IEC C13 C14 Male Female Inline Chassis Socket Plug Rewireable Power Connector (Purchased For $2.46)
Other: 120mm Overkill "Ring" PC Fan Grill (Purchased For $0.00)
Other: Modder's Mesh PC Fan Grill (Purchased For $0.00)

http://pcpartpicker.com/b/NNGG3C

Spoiler: Update List

• 17Nov16 - Initial Purchases Made, and Updated Parts List
• 21Nov16 - Arrival of First Batch of Parts
• 21Dec16 - Current Inventory and Audio
• 26Dec16 - Final Major Parts Arrive
• 26Dec16 - Close-Ups and Mobo Mod
• 26Dec16 - Test Ghetto Setup
• 27Dec16 - GPU Ventilation Holes Cut
• 27Dec16 - Internal Shell Removal
• 28Dec16 - Front Panel Grill Removal
• 28Dec16 - Case Feet and Power Button Replacement
• 29Dec16 - Rear Fan Installation
• 31Dec16 - PSU Mounting
• 02Jan17 - PSU Power Pass-Through
• 02Jan17 - ODD Tray Mod
• 02Jan17 - Side-Panel Window Cut and Mounted
• 03Jan17 - Rear Fan Bracket
• 03Jan17 - Case Mods Completed, Fans and PSU Installed
• 09Jan17 - PSU Cable Sleeving
• 09Jan17 - Final Assembly, Part 1
• 09Jan17 - Final Assembly, Part 2
• 09Jan17 - RGB LED Explanation
• 10Jan17 - Final Photos - Day-Light
• 10Jan17 - Final Photos - Night and LED's
• 12Jan17 - Seeking out Replacement PSU
• 21Jan17 - Replacement PSU Woes
• 21Jan17 - New PSU Mounted
• 21Jan17 - Benchmarks, Overclocking, and Validation Links

One final thing to note, this project is going to take me several months to get put together. If you are interested in seeing my first major case mod succeed (or fail), stay tuned!

 

[Simmons572]

Spoiler: Original Post

One idea I have been bouncing around is the following:



Removing the stock grill from the case, and mounting the front fan to the front using the above "Overkill Grill". In doing so, it would theoretically increase airflow, and add some additional color and form to the build. As of right now, the theme for the build is Black and Silver. With the addition of the side panel window, I think this mod would be perfect addition to this build.

On the other hand, this addition would result in an extra protrusion in the front of the case, and I am not sure how tasteful it would look.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

As of right now, this mod will not take place until closer to the end of the build, so as I approach that point, I will provide more photos to get more ideas.

Original Post has been Spoiler'd in order to post final photos.

Final Photos






Click here to see more final photos!

 

[ejohnson]

Are you just looking to move the fan forward more? one option that I did awhile back was to remove the front panel (rivets) then install the fan on the front of the fan mount. Putting foam weather strip tape around the edge of the fan allowed it to seal to the front of the case drawing fresh air in.

This worked pretty well when I was testing some water cooling stuff, but you need to use a low profile fan that may not have the same flow as a full 25mm fan does.

The other thing I ended up doing was to cut out the front fan mounts, then put the 25mm fan right up against the front of the case. This gave me a pretty decent amount of extra space in the front for airflow.

 

[Simmons572]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ejohnson

Are you just looking to move the fan forward more? one option that I did awhile back was to remove the front panel (rivets) then install the fan on the front of the fan mount. Putting foam weather strip tape around the edge of the fan allowed it to seal to the front of the case drawing fresh air in.

That is not the sole purpose, but yes. The main reason for doing it is for the sake of changing the aesthetic of the front of the case. My thought is that if I were to use the grill, I would have to bring the fan forward. And for aesthetic purposes, I would remove the preexisting grill, allowing better visibility of the front fan.
Quote:

Originally Posted by ejohnson

This worked pretty well when I was testing some water cooling stuff, but you need to use a low profile fan that may not have the same flow as a full 25mm fan does.

At this point, I have my heart set on the FD 120mm fan, so modification would definitely be necessary to make it fit up front. I will definitely consider LP fans for the front in the future though.

 

[Duality92]

If you opt for a lower powered video card, you could use a 250 watt HD Plex, which would enable you to have front and back as exhaust, while having holes on the bottom for intake. It would solve your GPU thermals and help with CPU. You'd also only need to mod the bottom and making a custom plate for the rear

http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-250W-Hi-Fi-DC-ATX-Power-Supply-16V-24V-Wide-Range-Voltage-Input.html

edit : that PSU can still power a 1070

 

[Simmons572]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duality92

If you opt for a lower powered video card, you could use a 250 watt HD Plex, which would enable you to have front and back as exhaust, while having holes on the bottom for intake. It would solve your GPU thermals and help with CPU. You'd also only need to mod the bottom and making a custom plate for the rear

http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-250W-Hi-Fi-DC-ATX-Power-Supply-16V-24V-Wide-Range-Voltage-Input.html

edit : that PSU can still power a 1070

That is an interesting idea for sure. However, I already have a PSU in mind, and I want to make this solution work if at all possible. Thank you for the suggestion though! (Bookmarking that for future use)

 

[Dalchi Frusche]

Definitely subb'd! Love the compactness of this build.

 

[S3B4N]

Subb'd too. Really curious how your build will turn out

 

[mAs81]

Subbed..Lian-Li builds are fun

 

[Simmons572]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dalchi Frusche

Definitely subb'd! Love the compactness of this build.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mAs81

Subbed..Lian-Li builds are fun

Quote:

Originally Posted by S3B4N

Subb'd too. Really curious how your build will turn out

Me too mate

Glad to have you all on board!

I have a few updates for you all:

1- I have been discussing this project with several members of my family, and for the most part, they have agreed to help alleviate the costs of some of this project (in the form of Christmas Gifts). I am very appreciative of their support, as this cuts the overall cost of this project down quite a bit. That being said, this means that the bulk of the work on this project will not take place until after Christmas. I feel bad for leaving you all hanging for so long, but such is life, I suppose.

2- I am currently in the process of negotiating with a seller of a pre-owned R9 Nano. Supposedly, he received it from an RMA claim, and has not unpacked it since he received it. So essentially, the card is brand new, minus accessories, or original box. Will keep you all posted whether or not the sale goes through.

3- I just updated the "Projected Parts" List in OP. I bought a bunch of the smaller pieces, including the fans splitters, the replacement case feet, cable sleeving supplies, as well as a few other pieces. I have also added a link directly to the PCP list that I am currently maintaining. I will not give any other insight as to what I have planned, but I will allow you to draw conclusions from that list.

One additional note: I added an NZXT Hue to the Parts List. I want to try a mod to make this fit, but I am not optimistic that it will actually work. I will post photo's and a better explanation as to my plan with that once it arrives.

Anyways, more to come soon!

 

[mAs81]

Nice

My family helped out too when my LGA 775 build bricked , it's nice to have good people around you..
I like the way you're planning this build-excited to see more!

 

[Simmons572]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mAs81

Nice

My family helped out too when my LGA 775 build bricked , it's nice to have good people around you..
I like the way you're planning this build-excited to see more!

Thanks man. Yeah, I am doing a metric butt ton of planning for this. As my first case mod, I want to make sure everything will work properly before I start hacking away major portions of the case.

 

[Dalchi Frusche]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simmons572

Thanks man. Yeah, I am doing a metric butt ton of planning for this. As my first case mod, I want to make sure everything will work properly before I start hacking away major portions of the case.

It's definitely a good approach to have, however don't get too immersed in it as you'll find minor adjustments around every corner. And even some of the greatest modders out there find themselves with a completely different mod than what they started with. In the Gigabyte challenge I just completed, I was complimented by some of the greats about sticking to my concept and how they never seem to be able to stick to their original design.

 

[Simmons572]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dalchi Frusche

It's definitely a good approach to have, however don't get too immersed in it as you'll find minor adjustments around every corner. And even some of the greatest modders out there find themselves with a completely different mod than what they started with. In the Gigabyte challenge I just completed, I was complimented by some of the greats about sticking to my concept and how they never seem to be able to stick to their original design.

That makes sense. Thanks for the input.

On a side note, I just ordered the storage for this build. I found a steal for a 950 Pro 512 GB for $229, so I decided to grab it before the deal vanished. Here's where I bought it, for anyone else that is interested.

Granted, it is a factory refurb, so I am aware it's not the best deal for everyone. For me though, being a [email protected] addict, I am constantly buying used hardware, and I have had positive experiences with all of my preowned hardware. Anyway, more to come!

EDIT: Just ordered the Nano!

 

[Simmons572]

Good news everyone! The first batch of parts arrived last night

Spoiler: Closeups of the Above Parts

A big shout-out to Kevin, aka @MOD-ONE. I have been following his his CaseLabs BH2 build log, and when he announced that he was selling the ITX case feet, I knew that I was going to have to purchase a set. I figured this build would be perfect for these feet, as the case will need a lift to provide ample breathing room for the GPU. As shown in the spoiler above, the case feet are of excellent build quality, and I look forward to installing them soon. I also purchased a MDPC-X PSU pin remover tool, as well as 50 feet of Black MDPC-X sleeving (not pictured above). Everything arrived very quickly and I appreciate the note the came with the items. I will defintely be shopping at the MOD-ONE store again in the future.

Also shown above are the ModMyToys 3-pin 3-way fan splitter with cable, as well as the NZXT Hue.

One more addition to this post! As I was typing this up, the next three parts arrived!

Spoiler: Closeups of the Above Parts

To be quite honest, I was concerned that the Nano was going to be all banged up, as my Fury X had a couple scuffs on it when it arrived. Fortunately the only marks were a bit of adhesive residue. I wish I had dusted the card a bit better before taking photos, but its getting late here and I can't really do much more today

Also, I need to get this GPU tested asap, so in to the folding rig with ye!

Anyways, just a few more parts left at this point. The RAM I ordered was on backorder, so it should arrive within the next couple weeks. Once that arrives, then this log will be on hold for a while. I hope you all continue to stick around after Christmas, as I should have all the parts by that point.

Once more parts arrive, I will post more photos. Stay tuned!

 

[Simmons572]

Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Not so good news. The Nano has some issue with it. I did some benchmarks on it ([email protected], Furmark), and after about 2 minutes, the card blue screens with an 0xEA error. Basically the card is faulty.

I got in contact with the seller, and they are going to exchange the card with another Nano.

EDIT: The bad card has been sent back to the seller, and they are sending me a lot of information on this new card. Proof of successful benchmarks/product info/etc. They seem very committed to replacing the card and giving me one that works 100%. I may just be over optimistic, but it appears that this exchange will go very smoothly.

I have also ordered a few new parts. Namely replacement PSU pins/connectors, bulk heat-shrink, and a couple other odds and ends.

All of this being said, once this next batch of parts arrives, I believe this build may come to a halt for a couple weeks. Between school, a pending cert test (CCNA Sec), and the emptying the rest of my wallet on relatives for the holiday, I need to temporarily put my brain power elsewhere. I am really anxious to get to work on this thing, but I don't need it to take priority over real life. I hope you all understand

Anyways, more to come!

 

[S3B4N]

I do understand you. Its not a good time of year for such work which is why I did mine earlyier, but I havent done any mods so its completely different story

Anyways, take all the time you need and when you get back kick ass!

 

[mAs81]

Good thing the seller seems like a nice guy-hope the new card is as good as you'd like..

 

[Simmons572]

Good news folks! The seller was fantastic. They replaced the card, and the new one works beautifully. I did not take pics of it yet, as I immediately threw it into my folding rig to do some long term stability testing. I am not going to overclock it, as I want to preserve the card as much as possible.

Other part arrivals include the replacement 24 pin and PCI-E 8 pin connectors and pins, replacement power switch(s) (more on that later), and some fan grills for the 92 mm fans.

In other news, I have been trying out different ideas for the NZXT Hue, and different mounting locations, but I think I am striking out with ideas. I have considered putting it in 3 or 4 different locations, but it honestly looks out of place in the build. I will have to put up some photos later to explain what I mean.

Sorry for the lack of photos everyone. Finals are next week, and I am testing for the CCNA Security next friday. Once that is out of the way, everything should start moving forward with this build.

 

[mAs81]

Nice !! It's always great when hardware works the way you want

I'll be waiting patiently for the pics,good luck on your finals !