Question Lian Li LANCOOL 215 or Cooler Master MasterBox MB511?

[Shiro90]

I'm undecided between those two and don't have much experience with PC cases, so I'd like to know you guys' opinions.

I'm going to build with an i9 14900K CPU and 7900 XTX GPU. I'd like to add a 360mm aio cooler as well, and a 1050W~1250W PSU.

 

[Aeacus]

Both are very similar, with little diff. 360mm rad will fit into either one. No word about PSU clearance for either though.

Since choosing a PC case is a personal choice, pick the one that you like the most.

 

[Shiro90]

I'm leaning towards the lian li one. There's a Gamers Nexus video (

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un82B93xKOE
) that says putting a 360mm aio in the front is a bad idea though, but from what I understood it's only because it "adds noise" and you lose surface space for doing so. I don't mind noise much since I've used loud laptops for years, so I'm used to it. As for the space, what exactly would I be losing that could be put into that space instead?

 

[punkncat]

I am not sure of the differences between the two, but I just finished a build in the Lancool 205M Mesh and it was a joy to build in.

 

[Aeacus]

but from what I understood it's only because it "adds noise" and you lose surface space for doing so.
As for the space, what exactly would I be losing that could be put into that space instead?

What Steve is talking about regarding surface space is, that the included 2x 200mm intake fans aren't designed to that case. Instead, the case is designed for 120/140mm fans and you'd be loosing ~30% of airflow surface area, since the case metal blocks that much of the 200mm fans (namely sides).

Also, 200mm fan hub (motor) is big and it, in turn, reduces even more airflow surface, especially to the rad. And since you can't relocate 200mm fans, you either keep them solely for eyecandy, or remove them to replace with 120/140mm fans. But in the latter case, it beats the point of why buying that case in the 1st place. 200mm fans are nice to look at and most people would buy it just for the nice big fans.

360mm rad at the font has clearance up to 70mm rad thickness. So, this is something to consider.

Another thing is, that due to the PSU shroud, you essentially need to mount the rad with tubing up. This is not advised since it can lead to increased noise and reduced cooling, whereby where the air inside the loop will make it's way to the pump, creating bubbling noise and reducing pump's cooling performance (namely heat transfer).

All-in-all, LanCool 215 is a cheap case with useless 200mm fans (unless you value eyecandy a lot). It also has issues with cable routing holes, space for the PSU and power cables and poor clearance for bottom intake. But it's cheap, so, who cares about it's issues, right?

 

[Shiro90]

So, from what I can understand, those 200mm fans essentially work like a pair of 140mm ones?

 

[Aeacus]

So, from what I can understand, those 200mm fans essentially work like a pair of 140mm ones?

No. They are worse.

Far worse static pressure and worse airflow. But on the same time; lower RPM (max 800 RPM), nigh-silent and plenty of eyecandy.

Like i said, those 200mm fans are there only for show.

 

[Shiro90]

I saw one guy on youtube saying he replaced the 200mm fans with 3 140mm ones (he used zip ties), but official compatibility says you can only fit either 2 of 140mm or 3 of 120mm. Is 3 of 140mm really possible?

Because if it is, I thought of eventually doing that, and also adding 2 of 140mm on the top as exhaust, and two of 120mm on the bottom as intake. I'm not going to use the HDD/SSD cage, so what would be the best place to put the couple bottom fans?

 

[Aeacus]

I saw one guy on youtube saying he replaced the 200mm fans with 3 140mm ones (he used zip ties), but official compatibility says you can only fit either 2 of 140mm or 3 of 120mm. Is 3 of 140mm really possible?

If there is space for 3rd 140mm fan, then yes. But as you've found out, there are no mounting holes for 3rd fan, so, you need to fasten it some other method (e.g zip ties).

Sometimes, PC case manufacturers doesn't fully tell the fan support their PC cases have.
For example, i have Corsair 760T V2 Black (specs) and official specs used to say + all reviews said that it supports on top: either 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm. But in fact, it supports 3x 140mm on the top, while also having mounting holes to install all 3x 140mm fans there.

And that i've also done.

Spoiler: Pic of my Skylake build (click here to view)

Internal view without side panel.

On the top, i have 3x NZXT AER140 RGB (140mm) fans installed.
(Full specs with more pics in my sig.)

 

[Shiro90]

So, I replaced the two 200mm fans with a couple 140mm ones from Noctua. But now there's a large gap in the middle which I believe would be able to fit a NF-A9 PWM chromax (92mm) as well. I don't think I'd be able to use the mounting holes though, so zip ties would be necessary. However, I don't know what size I should get. Do you think 100mmx2,5mm ones would work?