Lian Li PC-Q33a Review (and basic build)

[SecretImbecile]

Because these cases rarely get much attention from hardware reviewers (go google this one), I thought I ought to give some thoughts on my new PC case.

 

Here is the box:

The box opens up to show the side panels. The side panels are probably the nicest single part of this case, so it was very nice to have this as my first exciting look at my new case.

 

EDIT: How could I forget to mention the packaging? The hard foam obviously isn't soft foam, but given how ridiculously light this thing was (pick up an Elite 120/130 frame without the panels on and you get the idea) I'm not too worried.

 

The case stood on top of my old case, the CM Elite 120 (yes, I regretted adding that corsair sticker immediately). I compared the two cases by laying the Q33 on its back, and the Q33 is both shorter and narrower than the 120, though with a larger depth.

 

I took this out without bothering to test it first. I'm not good at gauging noise levels from blade appearance, but I don't expect it to be very good. One thing to bear in mind is a company like Lian-Li possibly don't have the resources to make their own case fans, and have to stick with something like these. An NF-P12 PWM sits in the fan spot now.

 

Here's my build, before putting most of the cables in. The specs are as follows:

CPU - Intel i5 3470

MOBO - Gigabyte H77N-WIFI

Memory - Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz (I think somewhere mid-range in terms of timings)

GPU - GTX 760, ASUS DirectCUII

Storage - 120GB Samsung 830, 2TB WD Green

PSU - Corsair RM650

 

The stock cooler is a result of having owned the Elite 120, which has practically zero aftermarket cooling options with any improvement over the stock cooler. This will be my next purchase, but for now, just not having the PSU directly above it seems to be yielding a 10^oC improvement in temperatures under a moderate load.

 

GPUs are a limited option too. Obviously ASUS's and MSI's mini cards are obvious choices, but some shorter cards like my DirectCUII card fit. Having said that, if ASUS want to make a Mini x80 card in the future, I'd be most tempted to buy it. 

 

Cable management was a bit of a hassle, to be frank. Having a good two inches in the bottom half of the case sounds like a good amount, but it's pretty much eliminated by just the 4 of my modular connections. This does make me wonder why they couldn't just add an extra 3cm to the depth of the case. 250mm would be enough for a good number more GPUs, and the extra cable space would have been really nice.

 

Just wanted to take a third photo of my beloved Noctua fan. It's a shame I can't fit more in these small cases.   The back of the case is definitely the weak spot for looks, especially given most PC parts come painted black these days, but I guess that's the weak spot for the majority of cases.

 

This is a good time to note, the thumbscrews are pre-installed with rubber grommets, a Nice touch. HDD thumbscrews also use thick rubber grommets, but those only work with the front panel mounting, not the HDD cage I went with 

The thumbscrews are also aluminium, and anodised black for the black version of the case. Much better than the painted thumbscrews on the 120, which started wearing off after just a few months.

 

 

Overall, I'm very happy with the case. Certainly not the most builder-oriented case, but it looks pretty damn nice, and has pretty good cooling for a mITX case of this style/size.

 

Edit: Just a heads up, those one piece side panels mean this might actually be a good case for modders. I was thinking plastidipped white with smoked acrylic replacement side panels.

Edited September 2, 2014 by SecretImbecile

[spwath]

Ooh sopretty/

[SecretImbecile]

Very. Even prettier without PotatoVision.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention this, but there's plenty of vertical space for coolers in this case. Theoretically, if you found a Mobo with an ideally placed CPU socket, you could fit a Noctua D-15 in this thing with about a 1cm clearence between both the GPU and the other side panel. I may or may not try this 

[spwath]

Very. Even prettier without PotatoVision.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention this, but there's plenty of vertical space for coolers in this case. Theoretically, if you found a Mobo with an ideally placed CPU socket, you could fit a Noctua D-15 in this thing with about a 1cm clearence between both the GPU and the other side panel. I may or may not try this 

I love Lian li cases, and silverstone. The nice all metal beuitfulness

 

Ill post a review of my ft04 once i buy it/.