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Help on choosing a new case: Chieftec or Lian-Li?

I

ianching

Member
Chieftec DX-01WD or Lian Li PC-60?

Chieftec DX-01WD:
AMD approved for Athlon MP
Spacious
Cheaper than PC-60, only $67 (HK$520)
2 case fans on both front and back panel

Lian Li PC-60:
All Aluminium
Silver-coloured
Lighter but more expensive, $115

Which case would provide better cooling for the hardware? The Lian Li has 2 case fans in front, 1 at back and 1 on top. While the Chieftec has 2 case fans on both front and back. Having examined the case myself, I find that the Chieftec should have better ventilation.

Does aluminium case dissipate heat better than steel case?

Both case have the look and design I like and the only concern now is their cooling ability.
 
IMO the Chieftec cases look like crap I don't know why so many people like them. I have a Lian Li PC82 and I like it. Pretty easy to work with and it looks neat, nobody can tell the difference between a Chieftec aluminum and steel because it's plasticy. The Lian Li looks much better.

I would say that the cooling would be about the same....
 
i've played with both and right now i have a chieftec on my side. the lian LOOKS cooler but the price premium over the chieftec is really only worth it if you're going to tote it around a lot. i prefer the chieftec's because of the extra space for tinkering around in.
 
ianching,
if you don't need Aluminium,
I recommend Compucase 6919, price is right, better design than any Chieftec oem/odm case.
available at Centralfield only.

Front washable removable filter.
Front usb/audio/firewire to motherboard with front stuff conector, no need to go outside the case to connect to the external jacks.
2 front 80mm fans, one is at the hd cage for hd cooling.
hd cage screw holes have rubber for shock absorbing.
1 rear 120mm fans.

Buy it with Compucase/HEC power supply, you'll have a good system.
 
Actually, the Antecs are rebadged Chieftecs, aka Chenmings' 🙂

You can get whats basically an aluminium version of that DX-01WD, which is "AX-01SLD". If you look hard enough should find a version without PSU.

A modded DX-01WD but with a few extra's is the Thermaltake Xaser 5000. Exactly the same thing in aluminium - call it a modded AX-01SLD if you prefer - is the Xaser 6000 (review).

The coolermaster ATC-710 (review review) is IMO a far far better looking version of the DX-01WD, but you pay some for the better looks and the coolermaster name.


Personally i doubt aluminium really cools the case down much more than steel. I saw one little quick comparison which shoed no difference... Personally I'm going on one of the cases based on the cheiftec design because i like the look of the internal more than the Lian Li. Undecided out of the Xaser 6000, the alu cheiftec and the ATC-710. imo The Xaser looks worst but has fan control, the ATC-710 looks by far best but is steel and has no reset switch or HDD LED. The cheiftec is somewhere in the middle. The lian Li imo looks a touch flimsy and not quite so well thought out inside. Many top brands/cases use the cheiftec chasis so it cant be too bad 😉 Lemme know which you go for 'cos Ive a similar decision i cant make 🙂
 
I don't know about the other cases, but the Lian Lis all have removable hddisk cages and periperal devices plus case sides are all using good sized thumb screws for easy tool-less work.
 
Just flip a coin. Heads, It's Cheiftech, tails, it's Lian-Li. The easiest way to do it.




Basically, it's an aestetic opinion. They are both just aluminum boxes that hold computers.
 
I've used both.
Currently running a modified LianLi PC67 (i think thats the model). Its a good case but i can't see any difference in the heating. Its really light, and thats my main reason for keeping it around right now.
In fact, its a much smaller interior so airflow doesn't seem to be as good. Roommate and i spent 2 and a half hours modifing the interior and cabling to improve airflow.

The Chieftec has a lot of room inside, and two removable hard drive / 3.5in drive bay cages. Very nice. Also, the 5 1/4 drives are easily removed with the latches (plastic drive rails) that you attach to them. I got mine with a window kit and fan and also added 2 better quality thermaltake fan systems and a fan bus to my chieftec case when i had it. I am looking to get another one or a similar style case (possibly aluminum). I ended up giving it to my roommate for his birthday. THe only downside are some sharp edges, a plasticy look in some places, flimsy front bezel cover, and WEIGHT! Fully loaded, that thing is HEAVY.

 
I was sold on Lian-Li until I happened to see a Superflower 201 three window case at a CompUSA store. They also had Lian-Li cases which were extremely nice. I thought the front bezel attachment for such a nice case was kind of cheesy - it just popped right off which was also what you had to do to get to the fan controls. The Superflower case is being sold by Kingwin as a KT-436 and by others as a TT201 or SF201. The cases are made by a Taiwanese company called Superflower. The price is right up there with the Lian-Li, but aluminum is definitely the way to go. I have also been looking at some less expensive cases made by Raidmax and Skyhawk, but would prefer to see them up close before deciding. If you saw this 3 window case you would want one regardless of the $165 price.
The one at the store was $199 with only two fans. Other versions come with from four to six fans.
 
Aluminum IMO is only worth the extra price in weight savings. I haven't seen much of a heat difference in my system.
I'm also against having that many fans in the system. Overage in fan use disrupts air flow in many cases (like top fans). The best case cooling is a simple 2-3 fan (excluding cpu hsf) system with a solid airflow path in a well ventilated location. 6 fans doesn't do any good if you have the cpu in an enclosed space with little ventilation. My .02 🙂
 
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