Yeah it's too bad they didn't increase the overall length by even just a cm or two; that would have greatly alleviated what is imho the only annoyance of the Q08. Regarding your question, "The TU-200 is a mini-ITX with space for a full length dual slot graphics card and 4 SATA drives, like the PC-Q08, or space for 6 SATA drives if a small card is used." So no, they didn't eliminate it, it's just not visible in the picture.
For years I've been thinking that my next build has got to be the size and weight of what I'm allowed to take on a plane, carry-on. Any idea as to the weight of the case?
It looked fairly heavy - it had a PSU, one SATA drive but no GPU in it, and the Lian Li representative had a hard time moving it around. Maybe not something you could easily carry in an airport as hand luggage, but easy to move around the house or to the car for a LAN event.
Exactly my thought. My dream case is sturdy, light, takes a standard ATX PSU, has room for a full size video card, good cooling and is accepted as carry-on luggage. Good looks a definite plus. This one comes pretty close, if it's not too heavy.
It would be even better if they skipped the optical bay, or make it slimline, to save space. More than two 3.5" bays is also unnecessary (for me), in a build like this I would go all 2,5".
Yeah, that sounds better. One slim line optical drive and a pair of 2.5 inch drive mounts. If you're carrying this thing around, you don't want to be lugging around desktop sized drives.
I've carried a full-size case on a plane once when selling the computer to a distant family member. They let you do it... at least, they did a few years ago. They wiped some explosive detection stuff on it and sent me on my way.
are you sure you want your PC to go through the X-ray? the network manager in our company had some very... um... interesting things happen to his PC after a scan lol
Why don't more small form factor cases have slot loaded slimline 5 1/4 inch bays? Maybe it's just me, but those standard 5 1/4 inch bays always look poorly fitted, whereas a slot could be made to look so much better, and aren't looks a part the appeal of these small cases? Making them slimline only would just give you more room too.
I understand that they are a fair bit more expensive, but if you're buying one of these cases the odds are that you are not doing it on the cheap anyway.
The Silverstone SUGO cases feature slimline optical drive slots. I'm awaiting more cases that get rid of the optical drive bay altogether; I can't remember the last time I used the optical drive on my system for something other than ripping a DVD. And for that I can use an external drive, which allows for more flexibility anyway, and doesn't cost any more than a slim drive.
The problem with slot loading optical drives is they fail a lot. Also they scratch the discs even when they are clean. Tray loading optical drives works a lot better. My tray loading drives lasts ten years and still works. I have tried slot loading drives and they fail in a few months.
There is a functional and stupidity. Slot loading is stupid and tray loading is functional. If you want bling, go for stupid, but do not go crying to anybody when your drive fails all the time.
Turing the motherboard I/O plate toward the user is a logical idea. Having everything on the front panel is a big convenience. I hope that they solve the video cable problem; perhaps by including many short custom cables with 90 degree connectors.
I have been using a setup like this PC-100 for years, by having an external 5.25 optical drive and turning my regular desktop case around. (The only problem is that the graphics card and power supply exhaust from the case now faces the user.)
Thank you Lian Li for building the case I have been wanting.
Front panel Motherboard connectors.
It is beyond stupid to have all the connectors in the back, then fill the front of the case with all kinds of extra connectors.
I have compromised by having the Power button on the rear of the PC and using mine backwards, or as I do now, have the PC sideways to me so I can access the front or rear equally well. Which is to say, not very well at all.
Kudos, I am always impressed by Lian Li, I don't think there is any problem with the airflow in the new case, I would have two opposing wind tunnels, the lower goes from back to front for the video card, the upper goes from front to back for the CPU, seperated by the video card and a filler panel. Would be fantastic.
That looks like a quite attractive case; it seems to have softened some of the boxiness (if that's a legitimate word) that is so typical of MITX cases; I find the Q08 to be rather ugly for that reason. Bet it would really look spiffy in Lian Li's usual optional red finish.
I've personally been torn as to whether to build an ultra-small Sandy Bridge machine in, say, an Antec 300-150 or to go slightly larger with something like this newfangled TU-200 or an Antec 3480. My current machine (now 4 1/2 years old...time flies) is in a massive Chenboro SR105 server case, and I detest its size. If it were a car, it would need a backup camera and running lights. The really small cases and most MITX motherboards seem to need the laptop-sized drives, memory, and optical units. That's a bit of a turnoff. On the other hand, it makes things delightfully small. As I foresee no plugin cards, as the inbuilt video on the 2500K processor is fine for me, even the Lian Li is bigger than I need. Decisions, decisions.
My current desktop/htpc uses Lian Li PC-V351A case,. which is the third Lian Li case I have purchased. They make excellent products that look great and have top notch workmanship.
The V351A case is small enough to look great in my living room but supports a full sized GPU, even dual GPUs if you get cards with top of the line cooling. I run a GTX 460 and a first gen Core i5 with a mild overclock and have no heat issues. The case was a little cramped to build initially, but the design made excellent use of the limited space.
I highly recommend Lian-Li cases. They are the gold standard in my opinion.
I think I like the idea/theory of the HDD mounting. This will make cases less deep. With HDDs hitting 3TB and how common 2.5" drives are (SSD), I think being able to hold a half dozen drives (like in the first picture) pretty much completely out of the way of anything else can make for a nice compact case.
Not so sure of the backwards motherboard, however.
If you browse the gallery at Lian-Li's TU-200 product page http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php... you'll realize this ain't just last year's PC-Q08 with a carrying handle. The whole concept's been re-thought:
On the front, repositioned switches and connectors, and a new connector (eSATA?)
Redesigned HDD mounting cage.
New HDD cage electronics - suggests an attempt to reduce cable clutter.
Re-designed motherboard mounting (a removeable plate?).
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23 Comments
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StealthX32 - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Looks like they didn't bother to address the problem of PSU to HD cage clearances to accept more modular PSUs...And did they eliminate the lower HD cage as well?
Gigantopithecus - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Yeah it's too bad they didn't increase the overall length by even just a cm or two; that would have greatly alleviated what is imho the only annoyance of the Q08. Regarding your question, "The TU-200 is a mini-ITX with space for a full length dual slot graphics card and 4 SATA drives, like the PC-Q08, or space for 6 SATA drives if a small card is used." So no, they didn't eliminate it, it's just not visible in the picture.wordsworm - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
For years I've been thinking that my next build has got to be the size and weight of what I'm allowed to take on a plane, carry-on. Any idea as to the weight of the case?IanCutress - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
It looked fairly heavy - it had a PSU, one SATA drive but no GPU in it, and the Lian Li representative had a hard time moving it around. Maybe not something you could easily carry in an airport as hand luggage, but easy to move around the house or to the car for a LAN event.JS - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Exactly my thought. My dream case is sturdy, light, takes a standard ATX PSU, has room for a full size video card, good cooling and is accepted as carry-on luggage. Good looks a definite plus. This one comes pretty close, if it's not too heavy.It would be even better if they skipped the optical bay, or make it slimline, to save space. More than two 3.5" bays is also unnecessary (for me), in a build like this I would go all 2,5".
Mr Perfect - Thursday, June 2, 2011 - link
Yeah, that sounds better. One slim line optical drive and a pair of 2.5 inch drive mounts. If you're carrying this thing around, you don't want to be lugging around desktop sized drives.nubie - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Check out the GT3 from GTRTechCorp.comYou can purchase from AVA Direct I think.
It is much smaller. The build may be a hassle, and you don't get all the drive bays, but you could put it in a carry-on very easily.
Also it handles full ATX boards, which is preferred to Mini-ITX when you need the horsepower of the latest or greatest technology.
JS - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I had missed that case completely, and it's not even very new. Thanks for the tip, I will definitely check it out!MilwaukeeMike - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I've carried a full-size case on a plane once when selling the computer to a distant family member. They let you do it... at least, they did a few years ago. They wiped some explosive detection stuff on it and sent me on my way.Nataku - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
are you sure you want your PC to go through the X-ray? the network manager in our company had some very... um... interesting things happen to his PC after a scan lolAloonatic - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Why don't more small form factor cases have slot loaded slimline 5 1/4 inch bays? Maybe it's just me, but those standard 5 1/4 inch bays always look poorly fitted, whereas a slot could be made to look so much better, and aren't looks a part the appeal of these small cases? Making them slimline only would just give you more room too.I understand that they are a fair bit more expensive, but if you're buying one of these cases the odds are that you are not doing it on the cheap anyway.
Gigantopithecus - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
The Silverstone SUGO cases feature slimline optical drive slots. I'm awaiting more cases that get rid of the optical drive bay altogether; I can't remember the last time I used the optical drive on my system for something other than ripping a DVD. And for that I can use an external drive, which allows for more flexibility anyway, and doesn't cost any more than a slim drive.tecknurd - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
The problem with slot loading optical drives is they fail a lot. Also they scratch the discs even when they are clean. Tray loading optical drives works a lot better. My tray loading drives lasts ten years and still works. I have tried slot loading drives and they fail in a few months.There is a functional and stupidity. Slot loading is stupid and tray loading is functional. If you want bling, go for stupid, but do not go crying to anybody when your drive fails all the time.
IlllI - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
hi, could you possibly get some pics of the Silverstone SG08 ?Doltmoopsie - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Turing the motherboard I/O plate toward the user is a logical idea. Having everything on the front panel is a big convenience. I hope that they solve the video cable problem; perhaps by including many short custom cables with 90 degree connectors.I have been using a setup like this PC-100 for years, by having an external 5.25 optical drive and turning my regular desktop case around. (The only problem is that the graphics card and power supply exhaust from the case now faces the user.)
nubie - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Thank you Lian Li for building the case I have been wanting.Front panel Motherboard connectors.
It is beyond stupid to have all the connectors in the back, then fill the front of the case with all kinds of extra connectors.
I have compromised by having the Power button on the rear of the PC and using mine backwards, or as I do now, have the PC sideways to me so I can access the front or rear equally well. Which is to say, not very well at all.
Kudos, I am always impressed by Lian Li, I don't think there is any problem with the airflow in the new case, I would have two opposing wind tunnels, the lower goes from back to front for the video card, the upper goes from front to back for the CPU, seperated by the video card and a filler panel. Would be fantastic.
Blaster1618 - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Love the Io On the front, but wont most video cards be upside down? or will it not affect there axial fans performance.ArtShapiro - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
That looks like a quite attractive case; it seems to have softened some of the boxiness (if that's a legitimate word) that is so typical of MITX cases; I find the Q08 to be rather ugly for that reason. Bet it would really look spiffy in Lian Li's usual optional red finish.I've personally been torn as to whether to build an ultra-small Sandy Bridge machine in, say, an Antec 300-150 or to go slightly larger with something like this newfangled TU-200 or an Antec 3480. My current machine (now 4 1/2 years old...time flies) is in a massive Chenboro SR105 server case, and I detest its size. If it were a car, it would need a backup camera and running lights. The really small cases and most MITX motherboards seem to need the laptop-sized drives, memory, and optical units. That's a bit of a turnoff. On the other hand, it makes things delightfully small. As I foresee no plugin cards, as the inbuilt video on the 2500K processor is fine for me, even the Lian Li is bigger than I need. Decisions, decisions.
Art
dacollins - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
My current desktop/htpc uses Lian Li PC-V351A case,. which is the third Lian Li case I have purchased. They make excellent products that look great and have top notch workmanship.The V351A case is small enough to look great in my living room but supports a full sized GPU, even dual GPUs if you get cards with top of the line cooling. I run a GTX 460 and a first gen Core i5 with a mild overclock and have no heat issues. The case was a little cramped to build initially, but the design made excellent use of the limited space.
I highly recommend Lian-Li cases. They are the gold standard in my opinion.
Zap - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I think I like the idea/theory of the HDD mounting. This will make cases less deep. With HDDs hitting 3TB and how common 2.5" drives are (SSD), I think being able to hold a half dozen drives (like in the first picture) pretty much completely out of the way of anything else can make for a nice compact case.Not so sure of the backwards motherboard, however.
phil- - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
The PC-V351 is a nice looking case. Pitty you can't buy it anymore because the current mITX cases (Q08 and Q11) look quite ugly.Ian, would love to know if you saw any other mITX cases at the stand?
hjacobson - Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - link
If you browse the gallery at Lian-Li's TU-200 product page http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php... you'll realize this ain't just last year's PC-Q08 with a carrying handle. The whole concept's been re-thought:On the front, repositioned switches and connectors, and a new connector (eSATA?)
Redesigned HDD mounting cage.
New HDD cage electronics - suggests an attempt to reduce cable clutter.
Re-designed motherboard mounting (a removeable plate?).
No top fan.
n13L5 - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
For all the love, it sports a massive screw-up no the placement of the drive cages... Hate to Squeeze PSU cables like that.An extra 30mm in overall depth sure wouldn't have messed up the design, and could have been evened out with 30mm less height.
A bigger, less noisy fan would have fit into the front panel too.
I wish Lian Li tried to actually build a system in their prototype before they start mass production.