Lian Li Announces Four New Case Prototypes at 2021 Digital Expo

[Nephilim666]

Now they just need to make replacement top/side/front panels for the O11D XL which replace the glass and terrible noisy grills with mesh.

 

[dyonoctis]

Yep, but remember that the XSX doesn't have to rely on a single standard form factor part. PSU, motherboard, cooler, disc drive and fan are all proprietary. Well, scratch that: the SSD is a standard m.2 2242. But beyond that, it's all proprietary. Space efficiency becomes much more of a challenge when you have to fit standardized parts into as small a volume as possible. PSUs for example are quite problematic - the only SFF options are the still quite large SFX (very good densityat 500W+, lackluster below that) and FlexATX (loud as all get-out). MS gets away with a lot due to having a made-to-order PSU that's cooled by the system fan and designed to fill a specific volume in the case. Still, you can get very close to XSX performance and volume with the original Dan A4, though it'll likely be louder due to the CPU cooler limitation.

In theory I feel like there's a way to develop a new standard that would be much more optimized for SFF (and even standard tower). ITX is basically an heavily cut down ATX, with huge connectors that shouldn't belong there. I've watched a teardown of the 2019, mac pro, the PSU is cableless and fanless. It's literally an extension card that you plug on the motherboard, and it's cooled by the case airflow. By comparison PC cases are not symbiotic at all. CPU, GPU, PSU cooling are designed as independant objects, even though most cases are using the same basic layout, so there's a possibility of designing hardware as whole rather than individual parts.

Sometimes the PCMR feels ancient, while the ATX standard works, it's also preventing any kind of real advancement in case design. The death of the 5.25" bay and the rise of SSD were the biggest contributor of recent change.
(And even with the current "true and tried ATX" standard, some are still finding a way to fail at making a case that perform well. )

 

[Valantar]

In theory I feel like there's a way to develop a new standard that would be much more optimized for SFF (and even standard tower). ITX is basically an heavily cut down ATX, with huge connectors that shouldn't belong there. I've watched a teardown of the 2019, mac pro, the PSU is cableless and fanless. It's literally an extension card that you plug on the motherboard, and it's cooled by the case airflow. By comparison PC cases are not symbiotic at all. CPU, GPU, PSU cooling are designed as independant objects, even though most cases are using the same basic layout, so there's a possibility of designing hardware as whole rather than individual parts.

Sometimes the PCMR feels ancient, while the ATX standard works, it's also preventing any kind of real advancement in case design. The death of the 5.25" bay and the rise of SSD were the biggest contributor of recent change.
(And even with the current "true and tried ATX" standard, some are still finding a way to fail at making a case that perform well. )

That's true, but remember, modularity means flexibility. The Mac Pro solution means you literally could not make that hardware fit into a case with a different layout. The PSU must go at the bottom of the motherboard, etc. But that's always the tradeoff: built-to-order can always be more compact than something that's built to be flexible. But it'll lack flexibility, which means you can't go that route for a DIY product like SFF PCs. There are some really good proprietary SFF gaming PCs from Zotac and some others that aptly demonstrate this.

 

[chriszhxi]

Very interested in O11D EVO. I'm currently running a 3 360 rads custom loop in O11D XL, it has a severe ventilation problem. Compare to side panel open, side panel closed with a case fan pull in air, the temp difference is up to 7c - 8c under load. I would love to see how those mesh will improve it on O11D EVO.

 

[Valantar]

Very interested in O11D EVO. I'm currently running a 3 360 rads custom loop in O11D XL, it has a severe ventilation problem. Compare to side panel open, side panel closed with a case fan pull in air, the temp difference is up to 7c - 8c under load. I would love to see how those mesh will improve it on O11D EVO.

What is your airflow layout? What you are describing sounds like the exhaust radiators are struggling for air, so I'm guessing your setup is something along the lines of bottom rad intake, top and side exhaust? Balancing a triple rad setup will always be difficult simply because you can't match the airflow going in and out. Given that radiators perform their best with cooler air, I would think bottom+side intake with a top (and possibly rear, though that's not necessary) exhaust would be the best layout.