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LGR - The Lian Li Aquarium PC Case (Patreon)

Published:
2021-05-24 02:43:21
Edited:
2021-05-28 14:16:12
Imported:
2021-07

Content

FISH TANK.

https://youtu.be/0c7EN2Dolis

Haha, yeah it's this thing. If you saw the most recent donations unboxing video then you knew this was coming soon! This video is a simpler episode while I work on more involved projects, but I still think it's a whole lotta fun regardless.

This is the Lian Li PC-6010 aluminum ATX tower case from 2003, but with the optional $99 side panel that holds water, pebbles, plastic fish, and a bubbly pipe thing to get things moving.

And yep, that means there's a legit aquarium pump inside the case. Just like, a normal aerator pump from a pet store, connected to an inverter to work with the PC power supply... right next to the IDE hard drive and PCI expansion cards. And it's precisely as loud and vibration-inducing as you'd expect, heh.

2000s case mods like this are downright silly in the best way, I hope you enjoy seeing it come to life! And if you reach the end and see where we ended up, lemme know your ideas for what we might try doing with it in the future. I do already have a full supply of new caps on order in case I go down that route.

Files

The Lian Li Aquarium PC Case from 2003!

This is a Lian Li PC-6010 aluminum ATX tower case from 2003, but with the optional $99 fish tank side panel! It holds water, pebbles, plastic fish, and a bubbly pipe thing to get things moving. Yes, that means there's an air pump inside, right next to the IDE hard drive and PCI expansion cards. And it is precisely as loud and vibration-inducing as you'd expect. ● LGR links: https://patreon.com/LazyGameReviews https://twitter.com/LazyGameReviews https://facebook.com/LazyGameReviews ● Music licensed from Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com #LGR #Aquarium #Computer

Comments

Anonymous

amazing lol

Anonymous

Wow. I was expecting a clever liquid cooling system but hey, plastic fish are just as good!

Anonymous

Looks cool, but it feels like it is one good elbow or knee bump away from a disaster. I would not put any hardware I was not willing to sacrifice in there.

Avery G

I wonder if this would be a good solution for the pump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l1we5gorRM https://www.ebay.com/itm/154319268908

Anonymous

Nice! I would have definitely tried to raise sea monkeys or something in there if it didn't get too warm

Anonymous

Amazing and heaps of fun. I thought cable management turning out like that was just me in that era. Felt bad man. Please build a sleeper PC with latest hardware. I haven't seen that done in forever.

Anonymous

While it’s not a cooling pump, I’m kinda curious if the aquarium makes it cooler with it on vs off. Maybe throw a thermometer in there and see?

Anonymous

I think the most surprising thing about this video is that Xoxide.com still exists. Man, I remember getting my cold cathodes from there in the early 2000's. Man time flies.

Anonymous

That is both cool and terrifying. I would not put anything I cared about in there. Perhaps recapping the Abit mobo is a good idea so you don't risk flooding a better board.

Anonymous

Well, isn't that a heck of a thing?

Phakorn Sripayak

Holy crap, I miss cold cathode tubes and quirky early 2000s PC cases so much.

Anonymous

I actually had this aquarium side panel back in the day. Very inconvenient when moving it to LAN parties, so i ended up taking the aquarium bit out and replaced it with an acrylic sheet.

Anonymous

This case it perfect for LGR. So awesome yet so needlessly silly. Looks like the perfect cute machine to ruin demons and destroy hell!

DFawlt Uzr

Would be neat to see a "top of the line in 2003" build in that case!

Novel

"Did you know PC sales went up 200% in the 90's? If these trends continue, wazzup~" "Hey Clint, your PC fish are dead." "I uh... I Know, I can't get them out of there"

Anonymous

Two words: Awe some. 00s cable management is top notch. Sleeper pc would be nice.

Anonymous

This PC desperately needs an Intel Shark Bay based motherboard.

Anonymous

I watched this from start to fin-ish.

Kris Asick

You know, the whole "Capacitor Plague" thing would actually make for a good Tech Tales video... ;)

Anonymous

RIGHT in the 2000's ! Love how it makes messy cables look better. Would love to see a modern gaming PC in there. just cover up that full-blown ROG rig with cute bubbles and bobbing fish.

Joon Choi

Hey, I used to go to that store in the mid-90s! Grew up in the next town over, and they were one of the few shops that brought random Taiwanese computer components and custom built PCs to our sleepy Philly burb back in the days before Amazon and Newegg. I wonder if it's still the same owner - ironically it's the only store that has survived on that stretch of Route 309 since my childhood - the old Bennigans is a Starbucks, the Circuit City is long gone... Memories man.

Anonymous

Not gonna lie, this ended up being way cooler in action than I thought. I think you should keep the specs close to what was originally there, would be a nice contrast to the Super XP machine you built

Joon Choi
>>60466288

By the way, any thoughts on maybe using mineral oil instead of water in the panel? Feels like that would be safer from a leak perspective.

Anonymous

Humm.. I'd want to build the most fish tank-y fish tank build possible. So I'd go with an ITX or M-ATX motherboard, a modern-ish modular power supply and just the bare minimum of drives necessary to function, with M.2 drives being ideal if you're going for a modern build. Possibly a 5000 series APU? All in an attempt to make it the cleanest build possible. Now what would I do with all that extra space? I'd add as much fish tank stuff as I could, castles, plastic seaweed, a volcano, and light the entire thing with modern RGB. Also it would be fantastic to use a modern water cooling pump from a noise perspective, but I'm unsure the water pressure those put out. It might not be enough to push the fish around. Also hate to say it but I'm sure the greater internet will blow a gasket over turning the pump on without water as that can burn out the pump. I don't think it was on long enough to do that, but, you know the internet.

Headset Guy

I'm of the opinion that every computer is worth attempting to save, no matter how basic it may seem. In other words, I think it would be worth at least trying to fix that motherboard, and if you just can't, then maybe do something like an "ultimate 2003 PC build".

LazyGameReviews
>>60469704

I like the idea of adding more fish tank stuff behind the panel if I can free up the space! A volcano would be hilarious. I'll add a quick note in the video about the air pump, too 👍

Pietro Gagliardi

Clearly you need to turn this into one of those ring toys you made videos on before =P Also I bet Linus would try to actually turn that aquarium into a liquid cooling system...

LazyGameReviews
>>60448969

Hm I imagine it could, at least nominally! Though both the tank and the inside are at pretty much room temperature right now though without any PC components going. It'd be fun to break out the FLIR camera in the follow-up vidoe

LazyGameReviews
>>60449239

Haha, no kidding! Doesn't look like they have nearly the inventory they used to, but it's nice to see them still hopping along

LazyGameReviews
>>60451800

Me tooooo, haha. Makes me want to rebuild my own mid-2000s PC with cold cathode tubes, fans, and randomly soldered-in LEDs

LazyGameReviews
>>60457124

Yeeep. I'm actually fairly certain there are more zip ties in this build than my own PC back then, so at least there's that!

LazyGameReviews
>>60460170

It would! It's a topic that's been on my "want to do" list for ages. That and the 1988 chip shortage, which has suddenly become more relatable in 2021

LazyGameReviews
>>60465376

Good point! It actually does a fine job distracting from the mess of wires inside. Hm, if I add some little plants and even more fish maybe I won't have to do any cable management at all, haha

LazyGameReviews
>>60466711

Thanks! And I think so too, I like the idea of having a PC circa 2003 hanging around. Especially for games like NFS Underground and GTA Vice City

LazyGameReviews
>>60470443

Yeah I'm leaning that direction as well. It'd be fun to at least try to fix it, and if that falls flat then go all out with fresh hardware.

Carey Brown

Wow, way to hit me in the age. I was working in a computer store when this was sold as new/retail. We had a single one in stock as a joke, AND IT SOLD OUT WITHIN AN HOUR. That's how crazy the 2000's were when it came to anything PC related that wasn't beige. If was black, it was high demand. If it was metal/aluminum, it was a premium. We had to keep double stock of floppy/CD/DVD drives in both black and beige to satisfy whatever build people wanted.

LazyGameReviews
>>60487258

Ahh, that's fantastic that it sold that quickly. Honestly I probably would've bought it on the spot back then myself if I'd seen it in-store and had the cash, it's just so absurd. I miss the days of all those novelty parts in equally novel PC shops back then, it was an inspiring time. That and reading Computer Shopper each month to imagine what kind of craziness I could build someday.

Anonymous

Wow, it looks amazing. You could build a watercooled PC in it and use the side panel as the reservoir, like you mentioned at the beginning. That would be awesome. However I‘m not sure how well that would work, since there would need to be added in- and outlets for the water pump.

LazyGameReviews
>>60487983

Indeed, I think I'd have to do more destructive modification than I'd like to. Still, ya gotta wonder if someone attempted it back in the day.

Anonymous

I wonder if it's possible to put actual plants in there.

Anonymous

Part of me really wants to see someone like Linus Tech Tips recreate this case but with modern hardware and modern aesthetics.

Anonymous

Could always do a period correct AMD build too.

LazyGameReviews
>>60493880

That's likely what I'll do if I end up getting another period-correct motherboard! Always loved the Athlon XP/64 chips

Anonymous

Hell yeah, I've been anticipating this video, I like fish and computers.

avfusion

Ever since one of your last Blerbs, I look to see if you disliked your own video. It gives me big "Adam Regusea used white wine in this video" vibes.

Anonymous

I know it's a bit older than the Pentium 4 , but I think you should play El-Fish on it.

Tktagmedia

Holy CATS, PC Warehouse! I live just fifteen minutes from there. Everything there is overpriced and old, full of stuff from the early mid-2000s. Unfriendly staff, poor selection and dirty atmosphere. Avoid, avoid avoid.

Anonymous

I would probably just have cut the first brush ya bought to a smaller width, any saw would do the job easy.

Bryan McIntosh

This is the first time in the history of the universe that a GeForce 5200 has been referred to as "a pretty nice option." I remember it as being worth a "Ehhh, it's good enough to show a Windows desktop and some Flash games, stuff it in there since on-board video is still somehow even worse."

LazyGameReviews
>>60535017

Heh, I guess I'm thinking of my PC situation in 2003 when the card first launched, it certainly would've been a step up from what I had back then. 128MB 3D accelerator with DirectX 9.0c support would've gone a long way with the games I was playing from the late 90s, early 2000s.

Anonymous

Using distilled water instead of tap water could help keep the discoloration from reappearing. Too bad there's no heat source, or else you could use colorful wax and make a lava lamp PC case.

LazyGameReviews
>>60543954

Distilled water is what I was pouring in through that Brita pitcher :) A lava lamp side panel would be amazing!

Evan B

Hah! that was great to see.. I remember that time in computers.. I had an Athlon system back then .. I think I'd recommend putting in top of the line stuff for 2002/3

Bryan McIntosh
>>60535017

The GeForce 5200 was meant to look good from a spec standpoint; it TECHNICALLY supported DirectX9 and had 128 MB of VRAM, but was far too slow to do anything with that support. My 64 MB Radeon 8500 LE that I had in 2003 mopped the floor with those poor, castrated GeForce cards. 128 MB of RAM doesn't mean much if you don't have the bandwidth or the geometry resources to do anything with it. :)

Anonymous

Awesome lol. If it were my PC I'd probably try to enhance the illusion of depth by putting some plastic kelp in the case, maybe some of those cheesy fake rock things for real aquariums. The look is really fun the part, so the actual hardware probably doesn't matter. I mean, I'd certainly want something BETTER than the FX 5200 just because leaving it in there goes against my religion, but ya know. Otherwise, the hardware doesn't matter. Maybe some retro watercooling would be a fun tie-in.

Asaf Sagi
>>60521579

Sounds like they're slowly transitioning to a vintage computer hardware store

Anonymous

This thing is absolutely crazy in all the best ways, and very much of its' time, haha. In terms of the hardware inside, I would definitely keep the PC at the timeframe of when that case came out, like make it a high-end 2003 PC, with a better motherboard, higher-end GeForce FX card, etc.

SuperTekBoy

I think I had to service one of these once. I was doing residential PC repair from 2001 to 2004, so this fits right in that time.

ArGii

You need to add some Lisa Frank dolphin stickers all over that thing...or Christian Riese Lassen-style that case. And then just throw a raspberry pi in there.