HOW THE RICH LIVE
For comparison’s sake, we also tested one of the most expensive consumer cases
on the market—Lian Li’s PC-P80R. Here’s what the extra jingle gets you
T
here’s no denying that the
PC-P80R makes a statement.
And we’re not just talking
about its avid ATI affi liation. Re-
gardless 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 fi ne etching
on the windowed side panel gus-
sies up what would have otherwise
been a cookie-cutter design. If only
ATI’s offi cial 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 off ers ample room for a typi-
cal 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 pur-pose for this. The tightness of the
silly plastic card-holders had us
worried about cracking our moth-
erboard. 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.
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 wonder-
ful 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.
This is the fi rst 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 aft er,
the PC-P80R has it in spades.Fans tucked
inside of
the sturdy,
snap-lock-
ing front
door emit a
radiant red
glow.A fl ip-top door on top conceals four
USB ports, one FireWire port, an
eSATA port, and two audio jacks.econo
- closures
Your fi rst mod will be unscrewing the ugly, useless retention
bar from the case’s side.60 | MAXIMUMPC | JUL 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
VERDICT$650, http://www.lian-li.com^9
LIAN LI PC P80R