ZAP sorta beat me to this with his review of his 7BW Plus system, but I thought I would get into a little more detail about the case. I had it narrowed down to the Antec BLK-3000B and this case.
I purchased the silver version without the side window from Coolerguys. I was concerned that scratches on the black case will show up more than the silver. The case was well packed and arrived without a dent or scratch. The case is plain but elegant, get the window version if lights are your thing. One of the reasons I picked it over the Antec is that it does not have a front door.
This is Lian Li's cheapest case and one of its negative is that it has no removable MB tray, for that you have to move up to their PC-60 model. The workmanship of the case is typical Lian Li high quality, although I did find one QC mistake. The tabs on the HD cage that support the HDs were misaligned. When the drives sit on them the drive screw holes do not line up with the holes on the cage.
The case comes with 2-120mm front and rear ball bearing fans with 3 pin MB power connectors and 4 pin adapters. According to Everest, they're both running at 1460 RPM. They're fairly quiet with only slightly restricted air flow. The front fan has an easily removable washable filter. There is a top blow hole for an optional 80mm fan but no side duct. There's also an optional 120mm blower available for $25. from Monarchcomputers. For now the 2-120mm fans seem adequate for my system, an Epox EP-9NPA Ultra, Geforce 6600GT, and an Athlon64 3200 with a XP-90.
The front bezel is aluminum and removes easily. Its attached to the case with 4 plastic pins. I'm not crazy about plastic pins but they seem quite sturdy.
This case has no drive rails so transferring my stuff from my old case took a little longer than expected. If you are looking for a tool less case this is not it. It takes a little longer for installation, and although it may be a step back, once your drives are in they're not going to move.
There is room for three 3.5? (hidden), two 3.5? (exposed), and four 5.25? (exposed) drives.
The floppy drive cage is held in place with three Phillips head screws. Thumbscrews would have been better here. The cage can hold two exposed drives. The metal bay covers pop in and out of place with ease.
The lower HDD rack is screwed to the bottom of the case and removable. It can take up to three drives.
There is a removable PSU plate held on by thumbscrews that allows you to install your PSU from the back.
There are two USB 2.0, one Firewire, speaker, and mic jack ports on the bottom of the case front covered by a small aluminum door. It was a real stretch though connecting the speaker and mic cable to my MB. The pins are about half way up on the back of the board.
I'd rate the case about a 9 out of 10: great quality, light weight, 2-120mm fans, no front door, simple but elegant; but no removable MB tray and a bit pricey.
I purchased the silver version without the side window from Coolerguys. I was concerned that scratches on the black case will show up more than the silver. The case was well packed and arrived without a dent or scratch. The case is plain but elegant, get the window version if lights are your thing. One of the reasons I picked it over the Antec is that it does not have a front door.
This is Lian Li's cheapest case and one of its negative is that it has no removable MB tray, for that you have to move up to their PC-60 model. The workmanship of the case is typical Lian Li high quality, although I did find one QC mistake. The tabs on the HD cage that support the HDs were misaligned. When the drives sit on them the drive screw holes do not line up with the holes on the cage.
The case comes with 2-120mm front and rear ball bearing fans with 3 pin MB power connectors and 4 pin adapters. According to Everest, they're both running at 1460 RPM. They're fairly quiet with only slightly restricted air flow. The front fan has an easily removable washable filter. There is a top blow hole for an optional 80mm fan but no side duct. There's also an optional 120mm blower available for $25. from Monarchcomputers. For now the 2-120mm fans seem adequate for my system, an Epox EP-9NPA Ultra, Geforce 6600GT, and an Athlon64 3200 with a XP-90.
The front bezel is aluminum and removes easily. Its attached to the case with 4 plastic pins. I'm not crazy about plastic pins but they seem quite sturdy.
This case has no drive rails so transferring my stuff from my old case took a little longer than expected. If you are looking for a tool less case this is not it. It takes a little longer for installation, and although it may be a step back, once your drives are in they're not going to move.
There is room for three 3.5? (hidden), two 3.5? (exposed), and four 5.25? (exposed) drives.
The floppy drive cage is held in place with three Phillips head screws. Thumbscrews would have been better here. The cage can hold two exposed drives. The metal bay covers pop in and out of place with ease.
The lower HDD rack is screwed to the bottom of the case and removable. It can take up to three drives.
There is a removable PSU plate held on by thumbscrews that allows you to install your PSU from the back.
There are two USB 2.0, one Firewire, speaker, and mic jack ports on the bottom of the case front covered by a small aluminum door. It was a real stretch though connecting the speaker and mic cable to my MB. The pins are about half way up on the back of the board.
I'd rate the case about a 9 out of 10: great quality, light weight, 2-120mm fans, no front door, simple but elegant; but no removable MB tray and a bit pricey.
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