Lian Li's PC-V1000: A Case Exclusive
by Purav Sanghani on April 29, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Case Fans
The PC-V1000 includes two 120mm fans and no option for additional fans to be installed. Usually, we would think this to be insufficient, since most other cases include openings where their fans are placed. This model, on the other hand, has an outer casing covered with 2mm holes to allow ventilation from all around. These holes are placed strategically at the bottom of the case under the hard drive bays and the power supply mounting as well as at the back to the left of the add-on card slots.
Click to enlarge.
The front fan is an intake and is placed at the front of the case next to the 3-1/2" drive bays for direct cooling. Since this fan is an intake, there is also a filter to keep dust from entering. We realized one thing about this that didn't make sense. If there are holes all over the chassis where anything with a diameter of about 2mm can enter, why even bother with an intake filter?
The rear fan is an exhaust and is placed roughly at the height of where the CPU heatsink fan would be located. There is also an air guide on the outside of the chassis to direct exhausted air downwards. We found this unnecessary, since the power supply can blow air outwards anyway.
Click to enlarge.
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GokieKS - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
I second the notion that I'd rather get a real G5 chassis and build a PC out of it than get this. And there are just too many not-well-thought-out touches (lack of Reset button, inproper mounting of IDE drives, PSU area not large enough, etc) for it to be a great case.If I've got that much money to spend on a case, I'd still go with a Silverstone SST-TJ03 Nimiz for the time being.
Gromis - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
#6: That very same method of drive mounting has been used in HP servers for a good deal longer than G5 has been around... doesn't change the fact that 95%+ of cases out there cost <$30, and this monstrosity will sell *maybe* a few hundred units. It's no TNN-500, but for $270, one can get a whole *computer*.PuravSanghani - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
#8: We actually did benchmark the V1000 with a standard sized power supply, the TTGI 520Watt, in the pictures we wanted to show an over sized power supply like the TTGI TT-550SS, or any other for that matter, would not properly fit into the mounting.In general: While the V1000 does look similar to the G5's case by look, when you open the case up and look at all of its functionality and features, you'll notice 2 completely different designs.
nitromullet - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
Can we see a picture of the entire install? I'd like to see how the completed rig looks like with the side open. There are only closeups of certain places, a shot of the whole thing would help put stuff into perspective.LoneWolf15 - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
I'd argue that testing with that silly oversized power supply completely invalicates any cooling testing. Who is going to use one of these when they buy one of these cases, rather than a standard size that looks right and makes a proper seal against the back of the case? And why in the world doesn't Anandtech have a standard sized Antec, Enermax, or other power supply in their lab that would do this job?Mickey Mouse work, IMHO.
buleyb - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
What's the deal with the need for removable motherboard trays in ATX cases.Every case I've had that had a removable tray rattles now, its just another thing to vibrate and make noise.
Oh, and this is a pure G5 copy...no argument there
makron - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
Yeah, and the "screwless drive mounting, with special screws, is ripped straight out of the G5...I'd much rather get a surplus G5 case and put a pc in it....
Chuckles - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
It really tries to look like the G5 cases. I wonder how long it will take for a C&D letter to show up at headquarters.Based on it's lower temperatures, I would say that it validates both its and the G5's design.
00aStrOgUy00 - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
Yep, first thing when I saw this case, it reminded me of the "cheese grater" G5 case...WileCoyote - Thursday, April 29, 2004 - link
I am a big fan of Lian-Li cases - I've loved them from the start and still use my pc60. I think the internal case design is great - I fix a lot of computers and the hard drive bays are easy to swap drives in and out of. The only other good quality case with this feature is the Antec Sonota. I gotta admit... the case looks pretty ugly for Lian-Li. If it looked better, I would swap it with my Antec.