I just had another hellish couple of hours troubelshooting this PC. This might turn out to be a longish post but please read, I'm not just venting.
After making the post above I decided mulling over the tightness of the case I bought wasn't going to do me any good, so I shut off the PC and proceeded to complete the build.
If you recall I was worried I was getting slightly hotter than normal readings, and I had read somewhere previously that with quad core CPUs it is recommended to draw a line of thermal paste down the middle rather than putting a grain-sized dot in the center. That made sense in theory, so before shoving the PSU in there I decided to clean the CPU and apply a line of paste to see if it would help my readings.
I apply the Arctic Silver, I put everything back the way it was but also put the PSU inside the case and did the little (i.e. almost non-existent) cable management that was possible.
After the fuckups of two weeks ago I really wasn't expecting there to be any startup issues, but much to my dismay the machine was overheating and shutting off basically as soon as I turned it on. My first reaction is that the PSU is probably reducing airflow in the case to deterimental levels, so I pull it out and set it on the desk the way it's been the last two weeks but the computer still doesn't start.
So I assume I messed up with applying the thermal paste in a line. Removing the HSF I discover this is the case, the paste had no spread very far from the center. So I decide I need to apply a thicker line, which I try to do... but at this point it's been a couple of hours and I'm frustrated and my hands are shaking all over the place. Long story short, I literally applied and removed and applied and removed the thermal paste six times before I was satisfied.
Finally, I set about doing something about the front buttons. Previously I had accidentally severed the power button wire, so I had hooked the small restart button to the power button header. In a stroke of sheer genius I decide to just pop out and reverse the buttons, because getting around the lack of restart button isn't that hard. I switched the buttons just fine, but I managed to severe the rest of the wires thus making the front buttons entirely useless.
I wasn't even being forceful, this case being so tiny I've been careful not to force things. But this front panel is so shoddily built, and there is no way to rewire it as it's sealed up from behind. Since shorting out the motherboard header isn't really feasible when the case is assembled, I had no choice but to rip apart my poor old computer case and take out its power and restart buttons. This was a horrible process that involved me using all my might to bend thick pieces of metal out of the way, and also rendered the old case and any plans I had for the old PC totally worthless.
And I have no clue how to fix the front panel on the LianLi. I tried to email LianLi but their email has been full for six months, and even though they offer replacement buttons none are for my case. This company is simply undeserving of the high esteem in which it is held.