Ok so I had this case sitting around for a while, now I finally put every thing in it a while ago and have had time to give it a proper run through.
This case replaces the Coolermaster stacker for 2 main reasons. Rust and Dust!
Now the stacker was a beast of a case. big, heavy, strong and lots of onfig options. I started about 8.30 pm to rip it apart, mostly it went smooth but the drive bays gave me a few head aches. now over 1 hr later I started putting everything inside the lian-li.
The first thing I noticed about the new cae was weight! very light, almost feels fragile compared to the stacker but the fit and finish was close to perfect, but it did not feel like the tank that is the stacker one bit.
first the Lian li has a fully removeable Mobo tray, it came out very easily and went in with the cpu and fan still on it. upgrading cpus, fans and mobos will be very easy with this, in 7 min I had it back in and 2 min later the vid card and wifi cards were back in with it. very qiuck and simple 2 thumb screw and slide out or slide back in job, you can install the mobo with everything but cards in one go. the card slots are thumb screws but there is a support brracket that has these card holder thingies, they work but seem fidely,
Edit for image size, please use a image host next time, trying to view in the post frame kinda hardThe default lower psu chamber was great as all the extra cords can sit at the bottom ties up out of the way, instant +1. the psu chamber was a tight fit for my psu to slide in tho, left a lil scratch on it but small deal, it's long enough for the biggest psu but you will need to put in the extra bracket to support a big psu ( comes in the screw box. ) . Taking about the box of screws, Lian li sends a spare screw for everyhing, you even have spare for spares so you'll have to be the ultimate noob to run out now, plus they have enough rubber gromets for 8 drives and extras for the extras. there is also screws to secure the face of the case ( which I should mention just pops out so you can install CD roms or get to the fan filters. ) and an extra locable latch for the back.
installing the hard drives drives was just so simple, super easy as you screw on the rubber holders and slide the drives in, you can config the hd drive bays to face anywhere you want but the default left to right hides the cables well, thre is also a few cable twist ties built in for sata and power cables, nice! THe dvd roms were still the old fashion slide and screw in afair, this I missed from the stackers slide and latch in place ( tool less ) deal.
but not all is sweet with the case, one instand short fall was the server sized case had the power and led cables routed for a server mobo by default, now that I have a regular board in there they were a bit short, good news is that they easily re routed to reach but now not as neat, the hd led was also in backwards, easy fix but still.
OK drives and roms and psu are in, lets fire it up. quiet fans and I looked at the time, it took me less time to put everything into the new case than it did to get it out of the stacker! 45 min or less to get it all in ( this includes be swapping the hd led and rerouting cables and testing, plus closing and putting it under the desk and plugging everything back in and telling the mobo bios to ignore the case intrusion alarms lol ). now it makes sense to me the lian li was made for people who will be in and out alot, easy to get things moved inside, easy to plug things in and easy to get out. The stacker in comparison was made to be a tank and just sit there or wheel around , hell you can even use it as a step stool or go down hill racing with the thing it's so strong ( and heavy ), the lian li is the opposite, same size but sleek and light, it's like comparing a sports car to a ERF truck.
So do I like the case, HELL YA it's a great case if your going to take care of it, but it also won't rust as it's all aluminum, but for it's price ( same as the stacker ) it could have come with wheels to ( $30 option ) and it does need a front plate usb connector setup like the stacker has ( another $30 option ) vs it's built in the top usb setup.
so in ease of install this case is a 9/10 as you still need to use some screws and drivers ( oh ya I forgot to mention the screw drivers that come with the case, 1 lil jewelers phillips and hex adaptor, yes you heard me they suppy the tools you need with the case to! )
fit and finish 10, yup this is the benz of cases
durability 7, the aliminum brushed finish is godd scratch easy and aluminum is not as strong, don't get me wrong, its well made but it's not a tank.
value, 7 expensive option, over kill really as it's HUGE but I have 5 hd's in it now and room for 7 more puls another psu plus water block if needed. obviously I won't but no I think it's still over kill.
coolness factor 5, it's not a cool looking case, it's just functional and elegant, no flashy lights or leds or cold cathodes here.
cooling 10, yup this case out cools the coolermaster.
this case is now part of their Advantage classic line and has been suplemented by the Pc-a7010, which is the same case but front set up for sata hot swap.
