”Déjà vu: the feeling that you've already experienced something that's happening right now.”
The Lian Li O11 Vision Compact and a set of wireless RGB fans. I'm sure we’ve done this before? Right? I remember it being built, and I’m sure there was a sizable write-up on the ins and outs of Lian Li’s latest innovations. Well as that is the case, if you’re looking for a case overview and the specifics of how the wireless aspects of the fans work you can find it by clicking here.
With that out of the way let’s look at Lian Li’s latest upgrades and discuss what we did differently this time.
Fan Overview
The new kids on the block are the Lian Li UniFan TL Wireless, which have 4 120mm variants, regular, reverse blade, LCD and reverse blade LCD. They are to live along side the UniFan SL Wireless range released in October - though it appears they are separate ecosystems and shouldn’t really be used together, well at least they don’t physically click together.
Both sets of fans look quite similar on the surface and the fronts have similar LED arrays, so what makes them different? Let’s start with the simple, on the side of the TL variant you get the RGB flowing through to the sides, shining into Lian Li’s infinity mirrors, which gives them a more striking appearance. The SL fans are made of PBT, the TL have been upgraded to LCP making them stronger, and more resistant to thermal expansion. With the change in material comes more fins and a higher max RPM on the non-RGB and higher static pressure and airflow across the board. So I guess the question is are these the new premium Lian Li fans? The $149 MSRP for the 3 pack suggests so.
Of course you get Lian Li’s wireless RGB included, though you’ll need to get a 3 pack to get the receiver and SATA power extension - the same is true for the SL range. We’ve tested this previously and we’re very impressed with how well it worked, even if there were a few hiccups finding our way through the software. It’s an interesting development and one we’d love to see widely adopted, then we can get rid of fiddly RGB cables!
Parts List
How Was The Build?
All versions of the O11 are easy to build in. There’s acres of space for hardware support and the second chamber has plenty of straps to keep cables tidy. This time we decided to use the mesh top of the O11 Vision Compact. After all, we’d already tested the case with the glass top. This made things even easier as getting the radiator up top is simpler than mounting it on the side. This configuration also allows for even more airflow, so we’re excited to see how it performs in an airflow visualisation.
Airflow
Last time we tested this case we setup as rear and bottom intake and had exhaust out the side and through the radiator. It’s a set up we were quite pleased with. Using the cases mesh top and additional radiator support, we had more options this time. We’ve opted for side and bottom intake with the top exhaust going through the radiator and an additional exhaust on the rear. The bottom intakes should feed the graphics card and the side intakes feeding the radiator, with any air drawn across by the rear exhaust fan tackling motherboard cooling. I guess the question is, did it go to plan? The simple answer is a resounding yes! The UniFan TL Wireless are extremely powerful, even the LCD variants with their enlarged centres made short work of the smoke entering and leaving the case during the airflow visual. There were small signs of leakage through slight panel gaps, but with it being a positive airflow build that is to be expected.
Performance
We’ve put the build through its paces and the results were very positive. There has been a lot of talk about the Core Ultra range from Intel being inferior to the last generation and also being outgunned by AMD. These are not things we dispute, but looking at this from another perspective - thermals - we are quite excited about the possibility of getting the Ultra 7 into something small form factor. It seemed to top out at 55°C with maximum cooling, so how well might it perform when it is more restricted? Our prediction is it will do well.
A lot of emphasis has been placed on the fans in this write up, after all, they’re what is new and exciting about this build. How did they perform? Extremely well, we’ve already discussed the airflow side of things, but I thought it worth mentioning noise here. While gaming and running the fans at around 50% the build stayed fairly quiet, the fans were audible, but only noticeable when I was focusing on them.
Full results:
Ambient temp 22.2°C
Spider-Man Remastered
3840x2160
Very High
123-141 fps
57°C CPU
67°C GPU
Forza Horizon 5
3840x2160
Extreme
116 - 132 fps
54°C CPU
60°C GPU
CPU-Z
Max Temp 55°C
Fan Speed ~1800 rpm
CPU Power Draw 171w
Furmark2
3840x2160
Avg fps 140
Max temp 58°C
Hotspot 69°C
Roundup
This has been a fun build. There is a reason that the O11 range from Lian Li has remained a staple of PC diy, they are fantastic when built with care, they perform amazingly thanks to masses of airflow and they’re easy to build in part down to excellent design but also space to work with. The O11 Vision Compact keeps up with expectation. This build was about more than that though, are the Lian Li UniFan TL Wireless worth keeping an eye on? Simply put, yes! The wireless aspect makes cable management much easier, and the software keeps them controlled. The LCD screens are big, bright and they really pop when you put something contrasty on them! Even when you ignore the wireless functionality and the LCD screens, they're very efficient, powerful, but also quiet - which is an ideal set of traits for fans! What do you think of Lian Li’s latest developments? Let us know in the comments!
Full Video Below.
Blog post written by Sam Thwaytes
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well done sir super clean would love to own the exact same build.