Lian-Li O11 Air Mini, Such a great case.

[Psycovirus]

EDIT: This O11 Air Mini is not the final version with fixed/less restricted mesh
The Final Build of O11 Air Mini

Got a hold of Lian-Li's newly released O11 Air Mini. I have a Fractal Design Define C previously and it is jammed pack with components. The Fan config was 2x 140mm (280mm AIO) in the front, 3x 120mm for exhaust (Top/Back). The GPU is starved for Air and it gets really hot.

Thus I decided to change to an O11, wanting the GPU to get fresh air from the bottom.

A Comparison between O11 Air Mini build vs Define C

Part List
AMD R9 3900x + x570 Aorus Master
32GB Team Group DDR4 3200C14
AMD Radeon RX 6900XT Reference
EVGA SuperNOVA G3 850W
NZXT x62 + 2x Be Quiet Silent Wing fans
3x 120mm BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 for exhaust
2x Gentle Typhoons for bottom intake.

The Build was easy, but with a few caveats along the way. This was the diagram for ATX 7 Slots mode. It was not very clear in explaining the fan layout.

1) Unable to fit 2x 140mm on the top.

At first, I wanted to relocate 2x 140mm fans that came along with the case to the top as per the diagram on Lian-Li's website. However, I quickly found out that my motherboard will not go in, the top of the motherboard conflicts with the fans.

2) Unable to fit 3x 120mm on the top with a 280mm Radiator in the front

Due to the 280mm Radiator's tank being in the way, the 3rd 120mm has no clearance to go in. Sadly, the 280mm Radiator is mounted in these clips instead of a Rail system thus I am not able to shift the Radiator down to clear another 120mm fan in the roof.

So I ended up with 2*120mm on the roof, 1*120mm in the back, 2*140mm + 280 Rad on the front, 2*120mm fans at the bottom blowing directly to the GPU.

3) Cable Management is amazing.

This case's Cable Management is one of the easiest I have done. I just had to use their 3 Velcro straps to tie down all the cables. Tuck in any excess length into the unused HDD Cage and then hide all of them with the middle bar with der8auer name on it.

Conclusion
Define C vs O11 Air Mini GPU temperatures after 20 runs of 3D Mark Time Spy Stress Test.
Define C max out 84C while O11 max out 78C for my 6900XT Reference card. All settings are the same.

Fresh air below GPU reduces max temps by 5°C. Worth it!
CPU temps only dropped by 1 degree compared to Define C due to it being an AIO.
Easy to work with, finally able to use front Type C. More Fans. Still unsure if I want to populate the side with 2 more 120mm fans.

 

[t258jgn]

Good Review

 

[hg2]

Almost pull the trigger with this white case @159$, but... after seeing Q58 will hoot if price did not hit above $300.... my weakness with sfx case...

 

[yang_nastyman]

bought my o11d mini just a few days before this was released

wouldve went for this instead

 

[hg2]

How comes the black one $20 cheaper ?....

 

[Psycovirus]

Almost pull the trigger with this white case @159$, but... after seeing Q58 will hoot if price did not hit above $300.... my weakness with sfx case...

The Q58 case is perfect for ITX motherboards. has both ATX and SFX PSU support, great design for the mesh and glass, has a nice opening at the bottom for cable management, free fan hub that swivels close. It is well designed. Hopefully, its below $200 but you never know the prices when it comes to ITX

bought my o11d mini just a few days before this was released

wouldve went for this instead

O11D Mini is a great case. Better fan compatibility than the O11 Air Mini. Only downside is the SFX PSU requirement.

How comes the black one $20 cheaper ?....

White coating is probably harder to get it right than black coating? if not, its just because white means more unique than all black so they priced it more? probably. Have to ask Lian-Li to know the true answer.

 

[Yongkit]

I think it is a trend special to PC industry that majority "white" PC components more expensive then "black" color, be it GPU, RAM, Cable, PSU or casing

lucky CPU no black or white, only silver

 

[watzup_ken]

I was contemplating getting this casing, but the case is too wide for the space I have below the desk. So I decided to just stick with the NR200.

Very nice case and great review by the way.

 

[KYZT2021]

Wait for nr200 Max to enter the chat

 

[NightRaven49]

Wait for nr200 Max to enter the chat

nr200 max is supposed to be a proper itx kit, more in line with the nzxt h1. dont see how it compares to a full atx case

anyway @ts nice build. how much did the case cost? not really a fan of its design and prefer the looks of the dynamic mini, but it only supports sfx psus and the snow edition is hella ex. if the air mini is considerably cheaper then that and support for atx psus could be good reasons to get it over the dynamic mini.

 

[Phen8210]

The Final Build of O11 Air Mini

Got a hold of Lian-Li's newly released O11 Air Mini. I have a Fractal Design Define C previously and it is jammed pack with components. The Fan config was 2x 140mm (280mm AIO) in the front, 3x 120mm for exhaust (Top/Back). The GPU is starved for Air and it gets really hot.

Thus I decided to change to an O11, wanting the GPU to get fresh air from the bottom.

A Comparison between O11 Air Mini build vs Define C

Part List
AMD R9 3900x + x570 Aorus Master
32GB Team Group DDR4 3200C14
AMD Radeon RX 6900XT Reference
EVGA SuperNOVA G3 850W
NZXT x62 + 2x Be Quiet Silent Wing fans
3x 120mm BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 for exhaust
2x Gentle Typhoons for bottom intake.

The Build was easy, but with a few caveats along the way. This was the diagram for ATX 7 Slots mode. It was not very clear in explaining the fan layout.

1) Unable to fit 2x 140mm on the top.

At first, I wanted to relocate 2x 140mm fans that came along with the case to the top as per the diagram on Lian-Li's website. However, I quickly found out that my motherboard will not go in, the top of the motherboard conflicts with the fans.

2) Unable to fit 3x 120mm on the top with a 280mm Radiator in the front

Due to the 280mm Radiator's tank being in the way, the 3rd 120mm has no clearance to go in. Sadly, the 280mm Radiator is mounted in these clips instead of a Rail system thus I am not able to shift the Radiator down to clear another 120mm fan in the roof.

So I ended up with 2*120mm on the roof, 1*120mm in the back, 2*140mm + 280 Rad on the front, 2*120mm fans at the bottom blowing directly to the GPU.

3) Cable Management is amazing.

This case's Cable Management is one of the easiest I have done. I just had to use their 3 Velcro straps to tie down all the cables. Tuck in any excess length into the unused HDD Cage and then hide all of them with the middle bar with der8auer name on it.

Conclusion
Define C vs O11 Air Mini GPU temperatures after 20 runs of 3D Mark Time Spy Stress Test.
Define C max out 84C while O11 max out 78C for my 6900XT Reference card. All settings are the same.

Fresh air below GPU reduces max temps by 5°C. Worth it!
CPU temps only dropped by 1 degree compared to Define C due to it being an AIO.
Easy to work with, finally able to use front Type C. More Fans. Still unsure if I want to populate the side with 2 more 120mm fans.

what are the cpu temps?

 

[Psycovirus]

what are the cpu temps?

After 15 mins AIDA64 Stability Test, it reached 87°C max.

Kraken Liquid Temps reached 40°C

anyway @ts nice build. how much did the case cost? not really a fan of its design and prefer the looks of the dynamic mini, but it only supports sfx psus and the snow edition is hella ex. if the air mini is considerably cheaper then that and support for atx psus could be good reasons to get it over the dynamic mini.

The case cost me $150 with some vouchers on Shopee. Its SRP is $165 from the shop. I like Small cases for ATX but O11Dynamic Mini requirement of SFX PSU put me off. Glad the Air Mini can use ATX. I don't want to buy another PSU just for a new case.

 

[Phen8210]

After 15 mins AIDA64 Stability Test, it reached 87°C max.

Kraken Liquid Temps reached 40°C

The case cost me $150 with some vouchers on Shopee. Its SRP is $165 from the shop. I like Small cases for ATX but O11Dynamic Mini requirement of SFX PSU put me off. Glad the Air Mini can use ATX. I don't want to buy another PSU just for a new case.

how about linpack xtreme?

 

[Psycovirus]

how about linpack xtreme?

I ran an 8GB Stress test for 1 time and temperature reached 89.8°C

 

[Phen8210]

I ran an 8GB Stress test for 1 time and temperature reached 89.8°C

Wah, run 10 time with 16GB sure gg alrdy sia.. do you think your temps will be higher or lower if using a 5800x?

 

[Psycovirus]

Wah, run 10 time with 16GB sure gg alrdy sia.. do you think your temps will be higher or lower if using a 5800x?

It's the problem with the AIO, the cold plate is not efficiently pulling heat away from the chiplet design of the Zen2/Zen 3 CPUs.
Running 10 times should still remain very close to 90C because the heat is being transferred into the liquid in the AIO. Until the liquid is saturated, the temps will remain consistent.
For 5800X, it will be similar since it is also a 125W + PBO processor. That is not the fault of the case or fans, it is bottlenecked by the AIO cold plate. Air cooler will make a bigger difference.

 

[noinimod]

It's the problem with the AIO, the cold plate is not efficiently pulling heat away from the chiplet design of the Zen2/Zen 3 CPUs.
Running 10 times should still remain very close to 90C because the heat is being transferred into the liquid in the AIO. Until the liquid is saturated, the temps will remain consistent.
For 5800X, it will be similar since it is also a 125W + PBO processor. That is not the fault of the case or fans, it is bottlenecked by the AIO cold plate. Air cooler will make a bigger difference.

I'll say it's more a zen 3 'issue' than the AIO. The Zen 3 chips will run as hot as they can to get the most boosted clocks and performance

https://www.pcgamer.com/amd-views-ryzen-5000-cpu-temperatures-up-to-95c-as-typical-and-by-design/

 

[watzup_ken]

Wait for nr200 Max to enter the chat

I think they are not comparable. This Lian Li case is actually a lot more versatile, and it is not exactly an ITX case since it can even fit an ATX motherboard. Its "compactness" is due to the increase in width since the PSU is installed behind the motherboard.

 

[Yongkit]

very interesting looking at how he build the systems using this case

 

[hg2]

White coating is probably harder to get it right than black coating? if not, its just because white means more unique than all black so they priced it more? probably. Have to ask Lian-Li to know the true answer.

You are right, good white coating/paint that won't turn yellow costs more...
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lian-li-q58-review
Nice review, LL show room...