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Antec Vs. Lian-Li

P

PLaYaHaTeD

Senior member
I'm about to purchase a new case, and I've narrowed it down to either a silver aluminum Lian-Li PC-7 or the black Antec Sonata

Now I've heard good things about both models, but here are my issues:

1. I want my drives to match the case! I'm sorry but i should be able to have a great quality case and style as well. With Lian-Li cases I don't like my options. Spray paint my drive bezels? No thanks. Stick Lian-Li faceplates on top of the existing bezel? No thanks...too much like ghetto rigging with tape 🙂. Use a Lian-Li Universal drive cover? NO!!! I want a silver faceplate just like there are beige and black ones. The only silver one that i can find is this drive but i cant afford 400+ dollars. With the Antec Sonata, it's so much easier to find a black drive and that is the end of it.

If someone knows where to find a retail silver drive that matches a Lian-Li case, let me know.

2. Front USB. I would like front USB and they have to be 2.0. Alot of sites selling cases with USB on the front don't specify which USB ports are 1.1 and which are 2.0. Are they interchangeable? I dunno.. Currently both of my potential options are good in this respect.

3. ALUMINUM! I don't know why i want an aluminum case... I don't know why i crave the aluminum, i just do. Antec sonata loses in this respect because....well, it doesn't have an ounce of aluminum on it. Can someone remind me why i want an aluminum case? It doesnt dissipate heat better (contrary to popular belief), but even if it did, i dont care. It's lighter, which i think is a plus, but how much lighter? like half as light as a steel case? I dont know because I've never owned an aluminum case. I need someone to list the advantages of an aluminum case for me.

4. Cost. For a hundred bucks, the antec sonata is elegant, reliable, and comes with an awesome power supply that costs 72 bucks. Now if you do the math, it costs almost twice as much for the lian-li PC-7 with the antec true 380! Is aluminum really worth that much?

Anyway, by looking at these case and reading this post, you can probably get a good idea as to what my style is with a case. Elegant but eye catching, quality parts, etc. I am welcome to hear other options besides the ones i have mentioned, as well as any rants and raves that you feel like posting.
 
I have a Lian-li pc60usb case. It is a great case except for one thing. In order to instal a dual fan power supply you have to unscrew the bottom fan so that the psu will slide into the case and then re-screw the fan once the psu is installed. It's not a hard thing to do but awkward and a bit of a pita.
 
I have yet to find aluminum faced drives, but black drives look pretty good in a Lian-Li. I have a PC-65 and love it. I have never even thought about replacing it. It's the best case I've ever worked on.
 
Yeah, I thought of putting black drives into the Lian-Li, figuring it would look pretty sweet, so that may be an option. However, are Lian Li cases really worth the price premium over the antec sonata? We are talking about an $80 dollar price difference when factoring the cost of a power supply....

And can someone tell me why i need the light and sweet beauty of an aluminum case.....Oh there i go again wishing for it without knowing why i even want it.....
 
What's a good power supply to couple with a lian li case running 865/3.0Gig P4 w/ 1 gig ddr400 ram? Nothing with arm-and-leg pricing, but name brand >= 350W.
 
Well, look at it this way.....if these cases were cars, the Sonata would be a Cadillac....and the Lian-Li would be a BMW!

That's the kind of difference you have here. The Lian-Li looks just as nice on the inside as it does on the outside. Everything is nicely polished, no scratches anywhere. There are no rough edges or burrs. Even the screws for the card slots are aluminum thumbscrews!

I have a Lian-Li PC-65b, and I still love it after about 8 months!
 
lian-li all the way. i've had my pc60 for years, its actually the one before they added the usb down at the bottom. its a keeper. as far as matching drives, you could try henry over @ performance-pcs.com. he is a great guy and sells silver drives. you may pay a bit of a premium, but his work is top notch as is his customer service.


i have a yamaha crw-f1e and mitsumi floppy that match my case, a picture is
here.
 
I've been to his site, and i dont want a custom solution that has been painted. I just want a silver drive out of the box, one that looks good in a lian li case.
 
I say the Sonata. The case looks a lot better than the Lian Li in my opinion. I hate the boxy look of the Lian Li. Also the Sonata will be a lot quieter with the 120mm fan and the special power supply. I love the hard drive trays as well, and with a drive bay door you do not even have to worry about your drives matching your case!
 
Yea so far there have been no compelling reasons to go aluminum. I am leaning towards the antec sonata because of the high quality power supply included for $100, the elegant design, and the ease of matching the drives with the case (dont care if there is a door, they still have to match!).

Only problem is if i get the logitech z680 silver speakers. those would look good with a lian li case 🙂
 
Get the antec then 😛😉

I think i'm going to get a Lian Li this summer, I'm tired of having the same case as 90% of the rest of this forum. Antec/Chieftec/Chenming case. It's starting to lose it's glamour to me!
 
I just got a Lian Li PC-60.

Oh, wow, I'm in love! I was also craving aluminum, and what I got was mighty fine case. It's well designed, and built with precision. The side panels, the lower HD cage, the MB tray, oh! They slide so nice, they fit so well.

It's relatively light compared to my old steel cases, but it's nothing super amazing once you get the whole thing put together.

It looks cool. The only drive I have in it is my old Plextor 24/10/40A. It's beige, but what the hell. It really doesn't look so bad. I do think black would look better, but beige on an aluminum case doesn't seem to stick out like it would in a black case, no great sin is being committed, as it would be if I went with another of the case choices on my short list.

The Lian Li is so smooth and so much more precisely built than any other case I've ever put my hands on. I think it was totally worth the money, especially considering that I might keep it for 5 or so years, and I'll need to look at it every day, and occasionally, work inside it.
 
Im going to say go with Lian Li .. but if your going to sit there and wonder why you should pay 80.00 more... then dont get it.. go and get the antec .. and maybe just maybe one day.. you will think.. it would of been nice to get the Lian Li ... I mean.. talk about a clean case? .. these things look like they spend 5+ hours on them each!
 
Go with antec 1080amg cases.

I bought lian-li pc-60 for $180 without ps for my friend's new setup and it's not as good as I expected.

cons:
1. not much room inside.
2. air ventilation is not close to antec 1080. (only one rear 80mm fan and the holes are pretty much covered)
3. steel is sturdier.
 
They're both good choices. Weight-wise both are heavier than others of the same material since both use thicker material. If you want truely lightweight, get an Antec LanBoy. The Antec cases can be really heavy, but good _quality_ heavy. I used to love the way the Lian-Li cases looked, but the newer designs are made to be flashier and IMO don't look as good. The Sonata is just plain classy looking. Plusses are the _quiet_ design using lots of rubber grommets and mounts, plus the power supply (as you've mentioned). Minuses are the black coler - I don't think quite matches typical black faceplates which are duller in sheen and a touch grey. The door over the drive bays help, but those doors can and will break at the hinge.

My preference would be the Sonata without the door.
 
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