Quite a bit smaller than any Bitfenix cases, I believe.
I also personally very much like the fact this Lian Li has no top vents, I personally would not buy a case with top vents (or at least the top vents should come with covers to block them).
This is in direct competition with the Silverstone FT03 Mini.
However, this holds 2 additional 3.5 drives, while the mini accepts a 10.5" GPU (and offers an optical drive slot for those that care :)
Both seem to be excellent cases. Bitfenix is cheaper for sure, but they are steel and very heavy while offering no reduction in soze from mATX to ITX models...
I like the Lian-Li more because it has a standard ATX PSU. Sure, the case is probably a tiny bit bigger, but you have a wealth of good PSU choices available to you, and you will be able to put as much power as you want in the box (constrained by GPU length, mainly).
Unless they wanted to jam a few more drive bays in the bottom front giving more room for a longer PSU doesn't cost anything. Lots of extra space to burn in the bottom chamber is the main design limit with cube style cases.
You should look at the Lian Li PC-Q28. It can hold a GPU up to 290mm, 4 HDDs, and (if the MB and ODD are carefully selected) a 120mm radiator on the top.
Q28 was one of those silly lian-li cases that can be easily be scratched off the short list. Node 304 would be a better choice than Q28. Heck, even Antec ISK600 would be quite decent for that.
ODD? Why do people insist on having a large internal optical device that is useless 100% of the time? Even these external slim drives have a smaller footprint than a standard size 5.25 drive.
Or you get an adapter for the 5.25" bay that gives you access to another 2.5" HDD slot and a slimline ODD slot and some USB ports or that gives you 6 2.5" HDD slots or that gives you card readers or that has a water reservoir or.... The 5.25" bay is super versatile.
why is the only fan an exhaust fan? that creates negative pressure and will create dust in all those little holes and inside the case. I would just reverse the fan and put a filter on it.
Exactly, reversing the fan isn't ideal either. It's going to suck in the hot air from the PSU below. The PSU that takes the air from bottom is also going to need a filter.
Well, with the PSU and the GPU exhausting to the back, reversing this exact fan might not be the best Idea either, you'll just push the heated air of those parts back in.
Why not make it 1-2" longer so as to allow for longer GPUs? I would think that would make it appeal to more min-ITX case buyers who want stick a bigger GPU than 8.6".
Why would you want a bigger (and hotter) GPU when there is only 1x120mm exhaust fan?
If you add a front intake fan on top of making it 1 to 2" longer on the inside, you would end up with this overly long case and lose the footprint and volume advantage it has.
The Q03, Q07, Q08, Q27, Q28, TU100, and TU200 all have the same problem of placing the power supply directly over the ITX motherboard. Thus, only very low-profile or stock CPU coolers can be used. This Q33 design, like the prodigy, allows a much taller cooler (such as a tower cooler or other large heat-pipe coolers with 120mm fans.)
I agree. I'm putting together a system for my kid and that will require an optical drive. It would be so cool if it had a slot drive either at the bottom, or transversally in that fold out cover. I know Lian-Li uses a modular system and I haven't seen any slot drives in Lian Li chassis, still that's what I'd like to see in this one.
I wish it had an optical drive, or a PC-Q33O version, too. Building it for the kids, and they need an optical drive. Lian-Li could just make a different version tilt cover, with a slot drive mounted on the upper part, where the drive mounts are, feeding in/out the discs vertically, like a toaster.
Does Lian Li make cases that doesn't have their name on it? Never really been a fan of providing free advertisement. Also, what are those hole looking things next to the case fan for?
This is a good design for systems that don't need discreet graphics....you can fit a massive cooler in there to pump air horizontally through the entire case. Problem is, there are no fan filters and it would be loud.
Finally, a lian-li case worth looking at. The lack of cooling, only one 120mm in the rear, and short video card only is a bit disconcerting, but such trade-offs are not necessarily a bad thing for a compact mITX case.
The cutouts for tubing in the rear is one of those "why hasn't anyone else thought of this?" features for any case built with CLC in mind. Seriously, why haven't other manufacturers done this? It's so easy to join those tubing cutouts and fan cutout into one.
And this one doesn't look fugly for once. It's not fat, it's not crater faced, it doesn't have useless extras to throw the proportions off...
Lots of companies have been doing tubing cutout's for years. Their heyday was probably a half dozen years ago when internal twin/triple 120mm fan mounts were still fairly uncommon and if you didn't want to dremel your case up the standard way to install one was externally using a switech radbox to hang it from the single 120mm mount next to your mobo's IO ports.
Yeah, the individual tubing cutouts were pretty standard since Conroe era, back when water cooling meant you had to assemble everything yourself.
However, I am talking about modern cases that are being designed in an era where CLC is pretty popular and also where some cases are specifically built around using a CLC. So why do these modern cases not have tubing cutouts actually designed for CLC, with their not-removable tubing, in mind?
I wish all of these Mini-ITX case manufacturers would start putting SD Card readers in the case like many laptops have. It's the only feature I miss when building a mini case, and it's virtually impossible to add (internally) after the fact.
This looks like a great case that I'll seriously consider for my build next summer, as I've primarily bought Lian Li since around 2005. My last build, in the summer of 2012, fit a high-end i7 in a PC-Q11A miniitx, which looks very similar to this case, except that the useless CD-ROM bay was finally removed. The option to add a SANE-sized video card is a plus (though I'm still relying on HD4000 for most things)
FWIW, I would certainly appreciate an AnandTech review of this case. It holds substantial appeal on a number of planes & a truly quality review of it's performance & practical functionality would prove most valuable.
I've been searching for this online and it doesn't appear to be available anywhere. Either it hasn't been released yet or Lian Li pulled it for some reason.
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piroroadkill - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Ah, actually really quite nice. Compact. Nice work, Lian Li.You'll just need to carefully choose the GPU.
techxx - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
I'm usually skeptical when I see new mITX cases, but this one actually has my attention. It's got tough competition from BitFenix though.piroroadkill - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Quite a bit smaller than any Bitfenix cases, I believe.I also personally very much like the fact this Lian Li has no top vents, I personally would not buy a case with top vents (or at least the top vents should come with covers to block them).
Samus - Friday, December 27, 2013 - link
This is in direct competition with the Silverstone FT03 Mini.However, this holds 2 additional 3.5 drives, while the mini accepts a 10.5" GPU (and offers an optical drive slot for those that care :)
Both seem to be excellent cases. Bitfenix is cheaper for sure, but they are steel and very heavy while offering no reduction in soze from mATX to ITX models...
piroroadkill - Monday, December 30, 2013 - link
I like the Lian-Li more because it has a standard ATX PSU. Sure, the case is probably a tiny bit bigger, but you have a wealth of good PSU choices available to you, and you will be able to put as much power as you want in the box (constrained by GPU length, mainly).piroroadkill - Monday, December 30, 2013 - link
That said, GPU choice is an issue, of course.ImSpartacus - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Yeah, that's a long PSU length and a short GPU length. It feels a bit odd, but I'll reserve judgment until reviews start popping up.DanNeely - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Unless they wanted to jam a few more drive bays in the bottom front giving more room for a longer PSU doesn't cost anything. Lots of extra space to burn in the bottom chamber is the main design limit with cube style cases.ol1bit - Friday, December 27, 2013 - link
I have 3 PC's all with aluminium cases. My Meda center/steam big pictrue PC is not however.This might work out well.
I like it!
ingwe - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Hmm...storage doesn't look too bad. I would love to have a mITX that could double as a gaming rig and a NAS. This could almost fit the bill.truprecht - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
You should look at the Lian Li PC-Q28. It can hold a GPU up to 290mm, 4 HDDs, and (if the MB and ODD are carefully selected) a 120mm radiator on the top.meacupla - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Q28 was one of those silly lian-li cases that can be easily be scratched off the short list.Node 304 would be a better choice than Q28. Heck, even Antec ISK600 would be quite decent for that.
ODD? Why do people insist on having a large internal optical device that is useless 100% of the time? Even these external slim drives have a smaller footprint than a standard size 5.25 drive.
Death666Angel - Sunday, December 22, 2013 - link
Or you get an adapter for the 5.25" bay that gives you access to another 2.5" HDD slot and a slimline ODD slot and some USB ports or that gives you 6 2.5" HDD slots or that gives you card readers or that has a water reservoir or.... The 5.25" bay is super versatile.meacupla - Thursday, December 26, 2013 - link
versatility at the cost of compactness in a compact case?You're missing the point.
chiza - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
why is the only fan an exhaust fan? that creates negative pressure and will create dust in all those little holes and inside the case. I would just reverse the fan and put a filter on it.Lors16 - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
How about the PSU fan. That blows out right?Th-z - Sunday, December 22, 2013 - link
Exactly, reversing the fan isn't ideal either. It's going to suck in the hot air from the PSU below. The PSU that takes the air from bottom is also going to need a filter.piroroadkill - Tuesday, December 24, 2013 - link
Well, you could. So that's hardly a flaw..ShieTar - Tuesday, December 24, 2013 - link
Well, with the PSU and the GPU exhausting to the back, reversing this exact fan might not be the best Idea either, you'll just push the heated air of those parts back in.romrunning - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Why not make it 1-2" longer so as to allow for longer GPUs? I would think that would make it appeal to more min-ITX case buyers who want stick a bigger GPU than 8.6".meacupla - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Why would you want a bigger (and hotter) GPU when there is only 1x120mm exhaust fan?If you add a front intake fan on top of making it 1 to 2" longer on the inside, you would end up with this overly long case and lose the footprint and volume advantage it has.
chaos215bar2 - Monday, December 23, 2013 - link
The GPU is it's own exhaust fan. Why does it matter that there's only one other?bryanb - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Wish it had a 5 1/4 bay for a standard optical drive. My current Prodigy is more practical, but I'd much rather have the Lian-Li quality.meacupla - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Why? If you add a standard size 5.25 bay, that would make it a Q08.and Q08 was overly chunky and ugly for what it did.
bryanb - Monday, December 23, 2013 - link
The Q03, Q07, Q08, Q27, Q28, TU100, and TU200 all have the same problem of placing the power supply directly over the ITX motherboard. Thus, only very low-profile or stock CPU coolers can be used. This Q33 design, like the prodigy, allows a much taller cooler (such as a tower cooler or other large heat-pipe coolers with 120mm fans.)Gadgety - Friday, December 27, 2013 - link
I agree. I'm putting together a system for my kid and that will require an optical drive. It would be so cool if it had a slot drive either at the bottom, or transversally in that fold out cover. I know Lian-Li uses a modular system and I haven't seen any slot drives in Lian Li chassis, still that's what I'd like to see in this one.Gadgety - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
I wish it had an optical drive, or a PC-Q33O version, too. Building it for the kids, and they need an optical drive. Lian-Li could just make a different version tilt cover, with a slot drive mounted on the upper part, where the drive mounts are, feeding in/out the discs vertically, like a toaster.Gadgety - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
Or alternatively, having a slot in the front, and mouting the optical drive vertically in line with the drive cage beside the motherboard.Lors16 - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Does Lian Li make cases that doesn't have their name on it? Never really been a fan of providing free advertisement. Also, what are those hole looking things next to the case fan for?vykos - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Tubing for a watercooling radiator.etamin - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
This is a good design for systems that don't need discreet graphics....you can fit a massive cooler in there to pump air horizontally through the entire case. Problem is, there are no fan filters and it would be loud.CrimsonFury - Thursday, January 2, 2014 - link
You don't normally put filters on exaust fans (and the case doesn't have any intake fans)I don't see any reason why it should be loud
meacupla - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
Finally, a lian-li case worth looking at.The lack of cooling, only one 120mm in the rear, and short video card only is a bit disconcerting, but such trade-offs are not necessarily a bad thing for a compact mITX case.
The cutouts for tubing in the rear is one of those "why hasn't anyone else thought of this?" features for any case built with CLC in mind. Seriously, why haven't other manufacturers done this? It's so easy to join those tubing cutouts and fan cutout into one.
And this one doesn't look fugly for once. It's not fat, it's not crater faced, it doesn't have useless extras to throw the proportions off...
DanNeely - Saturday, December 21, 2013 - link
Lots of companies have been doing tubing cutout's for years. Their heyday was probably a half dozen years ago when internal twin/triple 120mm fan mounts were still fairly uncommon and if you didn't want to dremel your case up the standard way to install one was externally using a switech radbox to hang it from the single 120mm mount next to your mobo's IO ports.meacupla - Saturday, December 21, 2013 - link
Yeah, the individual tubing cutouts were pretty standard since Conroe era, back when water cooling meant you had to assemble everything yourself.However, I am talking about modern cases that are being designed in an era where CLC is pretty popular and also where some cases are specifically built around using a CLC. So why do these modern cases not have tubing cutouts actually designed for CLC, with their not-removable tubing, in mind?
pixelstuff - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
I wish all of these Mini-ITX case manufacturers would start putting SD Card readers in the case like many laptops have. It's the only feature I miss when building a mini case, and it's virtually impossible to add (internally) after the fact.zcat - Friday, December 20, 2013 - link
This looks like a great case that I'll seriously consider for my build next summer, as I've primarily bought Lian Li since around 2005. My last build, in the summer of 2012, fit a high-end i7 in a PC-Q11A miniitx, which looks very similar to this case, except that the useless CD-ROM bay was finally removed. The option to add a SANE-sized video card is a plus (though I'm still relying on HD4000 for most things)Bobs_Your_Uncle - Saturday, December 21, 2013 - link
FWIW, I would certainly appreciate an AnandTech review of this case. It holds substantial appeal on a number of planes & a truly quality review of it's performance & practical functionality would prove most valuable.Gadgety - Saturday, December 21, 2013 - link
Me too.Gogo64 - Saturday, December 21, 2013 - link
Is that Lian Li logo removable?oranos - Sunday, December 22, 2013 - link
lian li makes best quality casesbigrobsf - Sunday, March 9, 2014 - link
I've been searching for this online and it doesn't appear to be available anywhere. Either it hasn't been released yet or Lian Li pulled it for some reason.aa_ - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
nice. but $99 is a rip off.I will get a clone of this from china
$10 shipped.