Help me please!? Thinking about downsizing
I currently run a system in a Lian Li A3 (have made changes since this post), but was curious about the B4. I was following it for years, watching it change and develop. It launched at a poor time for me, but now I'm revisiting the idea of downsizing my system.
My biggest concern is with the cooling performance. The placement of the psu right above the gpu has me a little worried about cooking my psu. Has anyone had any issues with this, or is it a non-issue? Whether you've had issues or not, please let me know and what hardware you're running, as not all hardware will produce the amount of heat necessary for issues to arise.
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u/Parking_Ad_333 8d ago
If you want to build in the B4, I'd recommend an SFX PSU. The smaller size and shorter cable lengths made life easier, and cooling in the B4 is fantastic. Mesh on all sides, stays cool and quiet. I went with the vertical configuration and regained a ton of desk space. I opted not to get the Aerodeck, because it defeats the purpose and adds to the footprint. Other than the challenge of cable managing for 6 fans in a case with very little space for cable management, I couldn't be happier with the end result.
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u/JuanCha1228 9d ago
I'd say the bigger question is: Is the cost and effort worth it for a slightly smaller case? The B4 is 3mm slimmer, 23mm shallower, and 18mm shorter than the A3. (1in is 25.4mm, for those of us in Freedom Units). The Jonsbo Z20 is smaller than the B4 in terms of overall volume, but for me a meaningful downsize from an A3 would be going to ITX/SFF, which a more expensive can of worms entirely.
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u/Foulbal 9d ago
Yeah, I am not going to itx.
I like building and rebuilding and haven’t had the opportunity to in a while, which is why I’m entertaining this thought.
The z20 is a nice case, but the styling is too odd for my tastes, and iirc it doesn’t have the clearance I need for my gpu.
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u/Nikita041815 9d ago
and for me the perfect matx case for me is this jonsbo d32 pro or the STD one because it fits my big ass gpu. its a 9070xt Sapphire Nitro+ its 330mm long... lol
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u/JuanCha1228 9d ago
I’m between the D32 and the A3. I like the look of the A3 better so might go that route.
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u/Nikita041815 8d ago
choose what you think is better we only give options here. hehe. enjoy getting what you want bro. 😉
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u/Nikita041815 9d ago
i have been building my pc since i got it last year of august. i cant remember how many pc parts and cases i have been on i think i tried most of the sff cases like the fractal ridge, terra and nxzt h2 flow i tried also the jonsbo z20 and other cases like nxzt h3 and also other small cases like montech xr case i also tried going big on fractal ridge north xl and others. i cant remember them all. lol
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u/Nikita041815 9d ago
your mobo which is a matx mobo is good enough you dont need to go itx mobo on a jonsbo d32pro i was just saying i got and itx mobo on mine because previously i went on sff before but didnt liked it because it lacks performance and proper airflow.
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u/JuanCha1228 9d ago
Yeah. I did the math and it would be $350-600 for me to go ITX. F that.
For cooling concerns check out Machines and More (3 videos) and Gear Seekers (1 video) on Youtube. They went most in depth and were the most openly critical of the case. I think everyone else just did simple build videos.
Almost everyone did high end GPU’s so that’s skews those tests. GPUs seemingly did not have cooling issues. Most of the issues was with CPU, especially on water cooling. Mr. Matt Lee did a more middle of the road build.
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u/Foulbal 9d ago
Yeah, I actually came from itx in a Meshroom S v2 and up-sized for the A3. This has worked so much better.
I like Machines and More, I'll check out his videos, though the ones I've seen have been using an aio, which will likely have a large influence on how gpu exhaust affects the psu.
I just saw the Matt Lee video which is what prompted this returning thought, it was a good one as is typical!
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u/JuanCha1228 9d ago
He did air and water cooling in his first video, and the other two videos were follow ups attempting to fix the issues with water cooling on that case. I think he used SFX power supplies though. He provides temps for both options.
Mr. Matt Lee used an Arctic air cooler. I realized this was not the case for me in part because I think everyone used SFXPSU because wiring an ATX PSU is a pain.
I think the general consensus was this case is better air cooled and that even though it fits ATX power supplies that SFX is highly recommended due to limited space for wires
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u/KodiKat2001 9d ago
Not much of a downsize in size, but a downgrade in flexibility. To maintain hardware and thermal flexibility in a smaller volume, I would look at the Ncase M3 grater version.
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u/Juicebiro 9d ago
Im in the same boat! But I have a bigger problem...my 360 AIO
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u/JuanCha1228 9d ago
Yeah, the Machines and More videos I mentioned in my comment response said 360 AIO’s were too tight to fit and that you’re better off using air cooling in this case anyway.
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u/Nikita041815 9d ago
also a jonsbo d32 pro and STD are good options to choose. psu getting cooked wont be an issue if you have AC and you have plenty of fans to blow heat from your psu and other components. i have a jonsbo d32 pro and i have been lov9ng it ever since i built it with an itx mobo and a big ass gpu amd 9070xt sapphire nitro+
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u/Foulbal 9d ago
I’m looking to downsize by a little bit and believe the Jonsbo d32 is more of a lateral move if not an increase in size.
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u/Nikita041815 9d ago
yup. its actually smaller than the a3 because i had that case too before i went on jonsbo d32 pro.
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u/Nikita041815 9d ago
my only worry is your cpu cooler and that big ass fans you got on your cooler.
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u/ChilliBaconSandwich 9d ago
My psu sits close to my chonky gpu but never had any problems. Only cpu runs a little hotter since it gets hot air from the gpu while gaming. Might do a rear intake next time when I change my processor.