Lian Li PC-P80R

David Murphy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:56:33 -0500

There’s no denying that the PC-P80R makes a statement. And we’re not just talking about its avid ATI affiliation. Regardless of our personal graphics-card preferences, we have to admit that Lian Li’s fanboy chassis looks awesome. What’s more, minus a single, irritating lapse in design judgment, this enclosure’s internal layout is a stunning combination of beauty, foresight, and ease of use.

We’ll start with the chassis itself. The all-aluminum case is blessedly lightweight, and its anodized red aesthetic covers the outside and inside alike, right down to the case’s numerous thumbscrews. And the fine etching on the windowed side panel gussies up what would have otherwise been a cookie-cutter design. If only ATI’s official colors were blue or purple, because the etching would pop out even more in a blacklight environment.

The inside of the case is as spacious as a small refrigerator and offers ample room for a typical ATX motherboard installation. The rear removable mobo tray is a helpful companion in the system-building process, which itself is only blemished by an irritating PCI retention mechanism running top to bottom inside. We see no purpose for this. The tightness of the silly plastic card-holders had us worried about cracking our motherboard. Thankfully, the retention mechanism is easily taken out by removing a few screws.

With room for up to 12 5.25-inch devices, the PC-P80R is equipped to handle most any configuration an enthusiast could throw at it. The case comes with two hard drive bays that fit up to three drives apiece. And each bed reduces both the noise and vibration of the drives by using thick rubber washers to dampen vibrations. While installing the drives requires the use of screws, we’re willing to accept this trade-off given the bays’ propensity for quieter operation.

A flip-top door on top conceals four USB ports, one FireWire port, an eSATA port, and two audio jacks.

Three red LED fans installed in the case’s front door cool all of the 5.25-inch bays. The door also conceals the fans’ built-in controller mechanism, a wonderful way for enthusiasts to dial speeds up and down according to their personal noise tolerance. It’s a minor note, but we especially like the satisfying snapping noise provided by the door’s steel-ball-based locking mechanism.

Your first mod will be unscrewing the ugly, useless retention bar from the case's side.

This is the first chassis we’ve tested that comes with not two, but four holes for water-cooling tubes. You also get a host of screws for mounting your PCI cards, and we give Lian Li credit for matching the color and texture of the brackets to the rest of the case. Minus the PCI retention mechanism, our only other complaint concerns the case’s simplicity. Other costly cases just have more—digital panels or built-in water cooling—which can help justify an exorbitant price tag. But if elegance is what you’re after, the PC-P80R has it in spades.

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Lian Li PC-777 Memorial Edition

Josh Norem — Fri, 05 May 2006 17:12:03 -0500

We were initially taken aback by the PC-777’s unusual snail-shell design—an aluminum representation of Lian Li’s corporate logo. But we have to admit that it’s grown on us, especially the black version, which we reviewed (silver is also an option). Regardless of where you stand on its looks, this case is another outstanding creation from Lian Li, offering a roomy interior, silent cooling, and exquisite craftsmanship.

At a whopping 25-inches tall, the PC-777 is frickin’ mammoth. (Senior Editor Gordon Ung calls it “old-school huge.”) Despite its all-aluminum construction, the case feels very sturdy and stout. You can glimpse your PC’s innards through the case’s mesh side doors, which greatly aid ventilation. A single thumbscrew holds each door in place, so you can get at your hardware in mere seconds. The required USB, FireWire, and audio ports are located on the top edge of the case’s bezel.

In a case this big, we’d expect plenty of room for all our hardware, and that’s exactly what we got. A side-facing cage holds up to six hard drives. Each drive slides into its bay easily and is locked into place with small tabs. Above the hard drives are six 5.25-inch bays, suitable for optical drives. (The case even includes a black cover for the upper-most drive so your beige DVD burner won’t sully your slick rig.) There’s a silent 12cm intake fan in front of the hard drive bay, and another silent 12cm exhaust fan. While the cooling is adequate, an emphasis on quiet operation minimizes the amount of air moving inside the chassis. If you’re going to use water-cooling in this case, you’ll need to make provisions for more airflow.

All in all, the snail is one hell of an enclosure. It’s Lian Li quality all around—stylish, functional, quiet, and well-made.

Month Reviewed: May 2006

+ ESCARGOT: Exotic, huge, and quiet.

- ESCAROLE: The fans are quiet, but they don't move much air.

VERDICT: 9
kickass=yes

URL: www.silverpcs.com

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Lian Li PC-P80R

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Lian Li PC-777 Memorial Edition