I'm digging the aesthetics of an inverted layout. You get much more motherboard and water block real estate to look at.
I'm digging the aesthetics of an inverted layout. You get much more motherboard and water block real estate to look at.
I didn't have time to do hard tubing, but I will once the year is over. Still, ZMT isn't a bad look.
This is a view you can't get in a traditional layout
Personally, I'm not a fan of super dark tinted tempered glass. I like the tint level here.
This is the mesh front panel accessory (sold separately). It effectively turns the Evo into an "Air" model. The case already has so much ventilation, so I'm not sure if anyone would actually need even more cooling.
End of the day, it's not a big deal, but to me... my biggest negative after having worked with this case for 2 weeks is I would have liked to see a continuation of the all aluminum exterior panels from the O11D XL and Mini.
Same deal with the side panel. Brushed aluminum just looks so good and gives the case a premium feel.
The plus side to the design Lian Li went with is airflow. The mesh openings are ample and the mesh pattern is a balanced density between airflow and dust filtration.
My custom cables didn't transfer well to this case... so I put an acrylic panel over the open area and used the included central cable management/SSD bar.
Please skip to the next picture. Thanks. The rest of the photos will cover the build process and water cooling specific fitment topics.
Lian Li did a mm perfect job giving just enough clearance for the tallest of GPU blocks. The EVGA FTW3 and Asus Strix should both fit with the vast majority of water blocks (mine is Bitspower).
They also did a flawless job in terms of radiator support. I can confidently say, pretty much every rad on the market will fit. Hardware Labs GTS/GTX's extra width is no problem in all slots.
There is even plenty of room for cables or even some soft tubing (this is on the top mobo side)
Same situation on the bottom mobo side.
With that said... there are some clearance issues to be aware of. With thick rads (45mm+) you will have to use highly flexible cables (stock, Modflex or SFF) for your CPU power.
In addition, you will not be able to do a tube run from the rad towards the mobo. I had to do a snake of fittings towards the back of the case, then towards the mobo and then around the rad.
Going with a ~30mm radiator (above the mobo) will solve both of these issues.
Modmesh cables are still very tight with a 30mm rad.
This is the optional side vertical GPU mount. Again, Lian Li really broke out their ruler and maximized compatibility with radiators. Even the widest rads fit.
However... cables strike again.
I found it basically impossible to mount a vertical side GPU with modmesh pro cables. You would have to route them nearly vertically and give the PCIE riser free space.
In terms of radiators, there are no issues with cable compatibility in this position.
Again, great job by Lian Li. Plenty of space for cables/headers and even tubing
Please note, you will need an extension fitting or two to clear the side GPU bracket
While the rad does have vertical adjustment, putting it lower (or higher) makes it a bit difficult to remove (it's best in the middle).
This shows how you can snake a soft tube run from the vertical rad...
All the way to the back of the case (bottom of mobo side in this pic). This would also apply to a reservoir in the back.
The cable management is fine... but a bit puzzling. There is a cable "tie down" bracket included (installed OOTB) but even with my short EVGA G3 PSU, it doesn't leave enough room if you are using most of your PSU cables.
Luckily, this bracket is easily removable. In the end, I kept the left bracket and strapped some velcro straps to that. I would have like to have seen more tie down points on the floors of the case and around the grommets.
Every panel that is removable in the case (I actually forgot about the panel that lets you raise the height of the vertical GPU kit).