Simmons572
Description
Ever had that one piece of hardware that was "love at first sight"? And then the more that you looked at it, and the more you got to know it, it was just riddled with flaws, but you still had to have it anyway?
That is what happened to me with the Lian Li PC-TU 100.
I discovered this case a few years back in a youtube video from the late TekSyndicate. I knew at that moment that I had to have it. This lead me to becoming a regular visitor and co-maintainer of the Overclock .net TU-X00 Owner's Club, long before I even owned this case. Through many conversations that were had between other owners, I learned about the inherent flaws of this case:
- Little to No GPU Ventilation
- 60mm CPU Heatsink Restriction
- No Inherrent Exhaust Fans
With this in mind, I began looking into several Club members' build logs for inspiration - This one included.
I finally managed to get my hands on this case last September, and once I was able to give it a thorough examination, I began planning for this build. Throughout my planning, and regular ebay searching, I stumbled into Athena Power AP-MFATX40 400W Flex ATX PSU, on ebay for $40. This PSU is what really brought the entire build together. (Note: This is not the PSU I ended up using.)
My goal for this build was to modify the Heck out of this case, to make it as functional and beautiful as most moddern cases, while maintaining as much of the stock Lian-Li aesthetic.
The total complete list of mods include the following:
- Flex-ATX PSU Mounted to Roof of Case
- PSU Cables Shortened and Sleeved
- AC PSU Passthrough Cable Added to Case
- Full Tower Heatsink Installed
- Exhaust Fans Added to Rear of Case
- GPU Intake Fans Added to Bottom of Case
- Replaced Case Feet with Taller Milled-Aluminum Feet
- Side Panel Window Added
- Front Intake Grill and Power Button Replaced
- Removed the Ugly "Pro Gaming" Sticker from the Motherboard
- RGB Lighting Added to Case
As you can see, the build was a success! This is my first ever case mod, so I learned a lot in regards to machining and other case modding skills. I have been working on this project after work, every day, since December 25th, where I finally finished on January 21st. A lot of time, sweat and blood has been poured into this build, and I hope it shows.
If you would like to see the build log from start to finish, click this link. This will take you to Overclock.net, where you can see each step in plenty of detail, as well as plenty more photos. Also, higher resolution photos are located in the build log as well!
FAQ
Q - What is this computer used for? A - Its a LAN Gaming rig. I needed something light but powerful that I could easily take places.
Q - Why are there so many free parts? A - These were parts that were given to me as gifts. Huge shout out to my father and Aunt, for helping to pay for some of these parts!
I would like to thank staff for the feature! It was very cool to see my personal rig on the front page of this site.
Part Reviews
CPU Cooler
Great little heatsink! Performance is equivalent to the 212 Evo, if not a little bit better. Looks fantastic as well!
Motherboard
Great little motherboard! Hate the sticker though. Once removed, the motherboard looks a lot cleaner. Managed to achieve a 4.8 GHz OC on my 6600k using the AI Suite OC Utility.
Memory
Looks great, Performs great, and low profile.
Storage
I got mine for $229. This tiny little SSD is fast as hell! Strongly recommended.
Video Card
This level of performance at this small of form factor is incredible. Freesync support makes it all the more worth it.
Case
Probably my favorite computer case of all time. Includes many inherent flaws, such as lack of GPU ventilation, and having to rely on the PSU as your exhaust. With modification, this case is fantastic.
4 Stars for requiring modification.
Power Supply
Great PSU for fitting into a small build. Performs fine.
-1 Star for having 2 12v 20a Rails. This means that each 12v Rail can only support up to a theoretical maximum of 240 W. The 400W variant was not powerful enough for my Fury Nano, and I had to upgrade to this model.
-1 Star for having the PCB standoff Nuts drilled out. I had to swap the shell on this PSU with the 400W's shell. A lot of work for a feature that should have been included out of the box, with no documentation stating that this feature was removed.
Also, the fan is loud as hell. Mine came with a Yate Loon D40BM-12C, which pushes a lot of air, but sounds like a hair dryer.
Not recommended for the faint at heart.
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