Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow Test – Compact and close to perfection

Lian Li is a manufacturer of computer cases and other computer accessories that was founded in Taiwan in 1983. The manufacturer has made a name for itself in the hardware industry primarily through its high-quality aluminum cases and never tires of developing cases with new features. The O11D(ynamic) is certainly one of the manufacturer’s most popular cases, which is now available in a wide range of variants and sizes. Four and a half years ago, we tested the O11D Mini from Lian Li, which was very compact for an ATX case with a vertical two-chamber design, but offered no space for ATX power supplies. This deficit should now be history with the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow, which we are testing today.

Technical details

Model:	Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow
Case type:	Midi-Tower
Dimensions:	approx. 274 mm (W) x 392 mm (H) x 424 mm (D)
Weight: approx:	10.4 kg
Material:	Aluminum, steel, plastic, tempered glass
Color:	Black
Front connections:	1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x headphones/ microphone
Drive bays:	2x 3,5″/ 2,5″ 2x 2,5″
Expansion slots:	5 horizontal, 4 vertical
Form factors:	ATX, µATX, ITX
Ventilation:	Rear: 1x 120 mm Top: 3x 120 / 2x 140 mm Side: 2x 120 mm Bottom: 3x 120 mm
Radiators:	Top: 1x 240/ 280/ 360 mm Side: 1x 240 mm
Max. CPU cooler height:	160 mm
Max. Graphics card length:	400 mm
Max. Power supply length:	200 mm
Max. Radiator depth/thickness:	72 mm (lid, if 360 mm radiator and ATX mainboard installed) 92 mm (lid if 360 mm radiator and µATX installed in lower position) 62 mm (lid when 280 mm radiator and µATX installed in lower position)
Space for cable management:	> 70 mm
Price:	€99.90 (RRP)
Special features:	Dust filter, cable management, tempered glass, mounting frame for vertical and horizontal GPU mounting, 5 pre-installed 120 mm fans, compatible with ATX mainboards with rear connectors, GPU bracket for vertical and horizontal mounting

Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow Test: The scope of delivery

Like its predecessor, Lian Li packs the O11D Mini V2 in a plain brown cardboard box. The manufacturer has placed a profile drawing of the O11D Mini V2 in black on the front of the packaging. On the back, we find a technical drawing with information on the dimensions of this midi tower and a reference to the five pre-installed case fans. If you take a look at the left-hand side of the box, you can also see the color variant above the barcode.

Inside the packaging, Lian Li wraps the O11D Mini V2 in two thick blocks of foam and a plastic film. In addition, both glass elements are each covered with two protective films and the manufacturer has attached an additional rubber strip to the joint. There is probably not much better protection for a case during transportation. Lian Li places the accessories in a large, brown box. In addition to a user manual, this also contains a thank you card, a GPU support for vertical GPU mounting, a practical sorting box for all screws, cable ties and other spare parts as well as a steel frame for vertical GPU mounting.

Exterior impression

At first glance, there are hardly any differences between the first and second versions of the O11D Mini. In this case, the O11D Mini V2 is also one of the “aquarium” cases, which have glass elements at least on the left side and on the front. This is also the case with this midi tower. At the front, Lian Li has installed a modular glass window, which is slightly tinted and glued to a steel frame with push pins. In addition to a thin, black border, you can also see that the tempered glass becomes slightly narrower towards the right-hand side.

This is where we find the I/O panel in the lower right front area. This has a power button, a 3.5 mm HD audio combo port and three USB ports, one of which complies with the USB-C standard and two with the USB-A standard. If this position does not suit you due to the location of the PC, the I/O panel can also be removed and placed in the lid.

The top is divided into two sections, whereby the larger ventilation grille is made of steel and can be easily removed using two knurled screws. Lian Li has also integrated a fine dust filter underneath the grille. The second element is significantly smaller and is made of brushed aluminum. Although this gives it a very high-quality appearance, the visual difference to the steel lid is very noticeable and a uniform steel panel would probably have looked better.

As on the front, the manufacturer has also installed a 4 mm thick glass window on the left-hand side and glued it to a steel frame with push pins. The window is also slightly tinted and is screwed to the rear with a knurled screw. The right-hand side panel is made of steel and is quite thick. It has two ventilation openings, one of which is filtered. What is particularly striking is that the ventilation grille protrudes slightly in front of the power supply unit. This allows Lian Li to make the O11D Mini V2 compatible with ATX power supplies. There is probably no additional dust filter due to the already very fine perforation of the grille.

At the rear, it quickly becomes clear that the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 is a midi tower with two vertical compartments. On the right-hand side, the manufacturer has placed a modular frame with five horizontal slot bezels, which can also be replaced by the second frame included in the scope of delivery if required. This then offers space for four vertical slot panels. Above the frame, the midi tower offers a mounting option for an optional 120 mm fan. Finally, the opening for the power supply unit and some knurled screws can be seen on the left-hand side of the rear.

If you have already taken a closer look at the previous photos, you may have noticed a small plastic cover. This cap can simply be removed and reinserted in the upper area of the cut-out for the I/O shield. The background to this cover is the existing option of being able to install µATX and Mini-ITX mainboards in two different positions.

The underside of the O11D Mini V2 is characterized by a large and unrestrictive ventilation opening for the three pre-installed 120 mm fans, in front of which a fine and easily removable dust filter has been placed. To ensure that the midi tower is stable, Lian Li has attached two large feet made of sturdy plastic to the underside and glued additional rubber feet to them. Finally, the large cable feed-through catches the eye, which should make external and internal cabling easier.

Interior impression

The interior of the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 has been divided into two vertically oriented compartments. The larger compartment offers space for an ATX, µATX or ITX mainboard, a graphics card and up to two radiators. The mainboard tray has been equipped with numerous openings for cables or for ATX mainboards with rear connections and, if required, the single rubberized feed-through for the ATX cable can be moved downwards. This is particularly helpful as the O11D Mini V2 also offers a second, more downward-facing mounting position, at least for µATX and ITX mainboards, in order to increase compatibility with top-mounted radiators, for example.

As already mentioned in the previous chapter, the lid of the O11D Mini V2 can accommodate up to three 120 mm or two 140 mm fans or correspondingly large radiators. The mounting area is also very open and the frame can be completely removed if required. The same applies to the 10° angled fan frame, which has been fitted with three 120 mm fans in the “Flow” version. This layout is intended to improve the airflow for the graphics card and also makes it possible to dispense with typical feet, as the fans can now draw in air from the side.

To the right of the motherboard tray, the manufacturer has installed two additional inverted 120 mm fans that transport cold air into the interior. A rail system and two cover caps allow the fans to be moved further up or down if required. Another special feature of the O11D Mini V2 can be seen at the rear of the interior. Although the midi tower supports ATX mainboards, there are unusually only five PCI slot brackets at the rear. If an ATX mainboard is installed, not all expansion slots on the motherboard can be fitted.

The Lian Li O11D Mini V2 comes from the factory with two different GPU mounts. The bracket for a horizontally oriented graphics card is pre-assembled and can be adjusted using knurled screws. The GPU support for a vertically installed GPU is part of the scope of delivery and can be screwed to the fans in the base. Here too, the unit is adjusted using a knurled screw.

In the second compartment behind the mainboard tray, a power supply unit, its cables and some data carriers can be stored. If you remove the first HDD mounting frame, you get a clear view of the chamber and find six tabs with Velcro fasteners for securing the cables. In combination with the generous space of around 70 millimeters from the mainboard tray to the rear panel and the various cable feed-throughs, it should be easy to implement proper cabling.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Lia Li O11D Mini V1 was that it was possible to install an ATX mainboard but not an ATX power supply. Lian Li has solved this problem with a clever development in the O11D Mini V2. A modular steel frame was implemented, which protrudes slightly beyond the body and, together with the slight “bulge” in the side panel, creates sufficient space for a conventional ATX power supply unit.

There are two different areas in the O11D Mini V2 for mounting hard disks. The first is the steel frame with mounting points for two 2.5″ SSDs. Below the power supply unit, Lian Li has also placed two additional hard disk cages, each of which can accommodate a 2.5″ or a 3.5″ data carrier. In each case, mounting is decoupled via rubber rings. Alternatively, superfluous cables or, for example, an ARGB controller can also be stowed or completely removed inside the cages.

Processing

As we have come to expect from Lian Li as a brand, the O11D Mini V2 also comes with outstanding build quality. All elements and body parts have a very good material thickness and are neatly finished or painted. Even on closer inspection of all components, we could not detect any unpainted areas or other paint defects. Sharp edges or bent elements could not be found either. Overall, the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 leaves a high-quality impression and does not have to hide from the competition in any way.

Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow Test: Installation of the components

Now we come to the system installation in the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 test. As hardware we use an AMD Ryzen 5 1400* on an MSI B350 PC-Mate* with 16GB Patriot Viper DDR4-3000*. The Ryzen is cooled by an Alpenföhn Brocken 4* and is overclocked to 3.8 GHz (1.175 V). A Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6GB is responsible for the image output. The power supply is provided by the fully modular LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum*.

The installation of our test system did not present us with any challenges and the assembly of all components was completed quickly. Overall, the design of the O11D Mini V2 is very well thought out and there is enough space to work everywhere. Other features such as the pre-installed spacers, the partially modular and otherwise sensibly positioned cable management openings, the cable management system in general or the compatibility with ATX mainboards with rear connections are just some of the noteworthy features that can make it easier to install the components. In any case, the overall result is clean and tidy.

According to the data sheet, the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 offers space for a CPU cooler up to 160 millimetres high, a graphics card up to 400 millimetres long and a power supply unit up to 200 millimetres long. Unlike the Mini V1, this can even have an ATX form factor. In addition, up to two radiators can be installed in the interior at the same time. The maximum combination is one 360 mm radiator in the lid and one 240 mm radiator on the side.

In the flow version, Lian Li installs a total of five 120 mm fans in the O11D Mini V2. All fans consist of a black frame and a rotor with nine inverted fan blades. This means that all five fans transport cold air into the interior. They are connected via a 4-pin PWM connection with daisy-chaining option and the manufacturer specifies a speed range of 300 to 1700 revolutions per minute. The fans also have a zero fan mode, which we were able to achieve in our tests below 10% PWM.

Load test

Finally, we come to the temperatures that were reached in the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow Test. During the stress test, Prime95 and FurMark were run at a room temperature of 20 °C for 30 minutes. In addition, the stress test was carried out in the standard fan configuration with three speeds (minimum speed, 50% PWM and 100% PWM). The results are listed in the table below.

Scenario	Temperature
CPU: 50% PWM (1100 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Bottom: 3x 120 mm 100% PWM (340 rpm) Side: 2x 120 mm 100% PWM (340 rpm)	CPU: 65.2 °C GPU: 72.3 °C
CPU: 50% PWM (1100 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Bottom: 3x 120 mm 100% PWM (840 rpm) Side: 2x 120 mm 100% PWM (840 rpm)	CPU: 57.3 °C GPU: 66.9 °C
CPU: 50% PWM (1100 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Bottom: 3x 120 mm 100% PWM (1695 rpm) Side: 2x 120 mm 100% PWM (1695 rpm)	CPU: 54.1 °C GPU: 68.0 °C

If you take a look at the results, you will quickly notice that the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow makes a decent impression in terms of cooling and airflow and that all components remain in the green range regardless of the fan speed. However, it is somewhat noticeable that the temperature of the graphics card is slightly worse at the highest fan speed than at medium speed. Apparently, the five pre-installed case fans cause unfavorable turbulence in the interior in this scenario. If you want to install an air cooler in this midi tower, we would also recommend placing an additional fan at the rear of the case.

In terms of volume, the fans vary from very quiet (minimum speed 350 rpm) to easily audible or slightly annoying (maximum speed 1700 rpm). We were unable to hear any other or particularly noticeable background noise from the fans. Fortunately, the wide speed range means that the fan curve can be adjusted flexibly at any time via the UEFI/BIOS. If you don’t want to explicitly install ARGB fans in the O11D Mini V2, then we would always go for the “Flow” version due to the small price difference of around €10 to €15.

Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow test: Conclusion

Let’s now come to the conclusion of the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow test. After considering all aspects, this midi tower leaves us with an excellent impression. Lian Li has managed to develop a compact midi tower with a two-chamber structure that offers plenty of space for hardware despite a total volume of just 45 liters and provides deep insights through the two side windows. In addition, there is an excellent build quality, a well thought-out layout and cable management system and five pre-installed case fans that provide plenty of wind. Finally, thanks to a clever design, Lian Li has now also created space for an ATX power supply unit and has given the O11D Mini V2 many other features that are not always common in the target price range.

The negative aspects of the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 are also limited. Unfortunately, two of the three dust filters are firmly glued to the body element and cannot be removed for cleaning. Fortunately, this problem can be easily solved with a vacuum cleaner. The fact that the O11D Mini V2 only offers space for one or a maximum of two expansion cards due to the smaller number of PCI slot bezels and depending on the motherboard layout is somewhat more difficult.

Considering all the positive and negative aspects as well as the price of €99.90 (RRP), the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow is convincing almost across the board. What the manufacturer has put into this midi tower in terms of features and development for this price is remarkable and deserves a clear recommendation to buy. If you are looking for a relatively compact midi tower with a two-chamber design and can live with the few negative aspects, then the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow should definitely be on your list.