Rocketfish = Best Buy Lian Li

LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, Alaska Icrontian
edited April 2008 in Hardware
Alrighty, time for some pics. I put her together this weekend. My impressions of the case:

HUGE
Design: excellent
Functionality: very good
Ease of modification: OK
Fit and finish: very good
Quality: very good
Aesthetics: very good (a little too conservative)
Cooling: good, but not great (single low-flow 120mm intake is inadequate for overclocking)

I have slightly modifed the case by swapping out the Lian Li stock fans with others. I also added a 120mm Panaflow fan in the drive bay above the DVD burner. The window was not stock. I performed that installation with a jigsaw, files, carpenter's angle, and an acrylic sheet.

For those of you wondering what this is all about, Best Buy, of all places, recently had a clearance sale on their Rocketfish (Best Buy brand) of full tower PC cases. As it turns out, the Rocketfish case is a rebadged Lian Li case. Just do and internet search for "Rocketfish + case" and you'll see.

I've attached some pics for you. The systems housed in this RocketLianFishLi is No. 4 in my signature.

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Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    The CPU heatsink is a Zalman 9700NT.

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  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    The square aluminum box in front of the video card is a Lian Li-unique slot-exhaust, which houses a 120mm fan. I don't know if it really accomplishes anything or not, but I give it points for being a unique gadget.

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  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Props, looks pretty nice! The mobo looks so tiny in that giant case. Nice job with the custom side window.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Thanks. I've done enough jigsaw work over the last couple years that skills are not too shabby now. I used a jigsaw for both making the cutout in the aluminum case side as well as cutting the acrylic sheet. The window is secured in the panel with aluminum tape. That stuff is amazing - it has so many uses for computer modding.

    The case is not really a good breather if stock configured with just single 120mm intake and exhaust fans. Also, to the best my assessment, the video slot cooler doesn't accomplishment much, even though it's a 120mm fan. The casing has so little free space around the fan that the air doesn't move in volume.

    I installed a second intake 120mm above the DVD drive. Pic attached. It's a Panaflo L/Z 1A. The photo is taken from the front with the access door open. The fan is aimed directly at the CPU heatsink's fan. You'll notice that I'm using thick strips of open cell foam to support the fan. I've been using this technique for years. The advantages are: it's inexpensive; holds fans securely; absorbs all vibrations; can be easily taken out, fan moved or removed; and allows for precision fan orientation (aiming). The foam also serves as a block, so that the low pressure from the back of the fan pulls air in from the outside of the computer, rather than the spaces to the sides of the fan. Pack the foam in tight, and the fan will not move.

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  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Nice find! Good work too!
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Nice find!
    There are probably some units lurking in Best Buys here and there. Essentially, since the typical computer case buyer probably wouldn't even consider Best Buy, and if he did would laugh pretty hard after seeing the name "Rocketfish," there's a chance some are still available. In other words, Best Buy couldn't have done a better job of hiding this high quality case from the public even that had been their intent. Sure, quality can sell itself, but computer builders and hardware enthusiasts aren't exactly the type look at Best Buy's sorry computer shelves. This case would never have taken off like it did if some curious computer nut hadn't discovered it was made by Lian Li.

    Remaining units are going from anywhere from $19.95 ( no joke - Memphis) to about $80.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2008
    Your computer looks a little lonely in there. How about modding it some more so 1 case can store 2 computers...

    That thing is massive.
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    mmonnin wrote:
    Your computer looks a little lonely in there. How about modding it some more so 1 case can store 2 computers...

    That thing is massive.

    Seriously, I was like hmm, why would you put a mATX board in th... OMG :eek:
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2008
    Yeah I know its so bare!!

    In fact, I think I could put about any one of my cases INSIDE that case!
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Looks great Leo...but but but...something is missing {sniff}
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Your computer looks a little lonely in there.
    Yeah, no kidding! When I was just about putting it together, I looked at the motherboard and thought to myself, "poor motherboard, all lonely over there in the corner by itself."
    Looks great Leo...but but but...something is missing {sniff}
    No, not at all, Ryder. The OCZ ModXStream is very, very quietly powering my system No. 5. :D
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Leonardo wrote:
    No, not at all, Ryder. The OCZ ModXStream is very, very quietly powering my system No. 5. :D
    :D
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Just looking over those pics again... I like that you can remove that rear fan grill without busting out the dremel. Wish more case manufacturers did that. Am I correct in assuming those are screws?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Actually, the grill on the back of the exhaust is the stock grill that was on the inward facing side of the included fan. I merely moved it to the back because I had run out of wire-style grills. Yes, the exhaust port is a 120mm diameter hole, very nicely cut and smoothed at the factory. That grill is held in by screws, yes. The reason most case manufacturers have the stamped grills is because it eliminates a few steps in the manufacturing process to just stamp the metal rather than cut and debur it. Lowers costs.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2008
    Dude, the new extremeoverclocking folding stats server is going to be in one of these cases. I almost thought he stole your pic for a second with the PSU being the same brand.

    http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/
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