Lian-Li PC-V2000 +II Impressions?

[Locut0s]

I've been looking at getting the Lian Li PCV2000 case for my next system. It's the larger full tower cousin of the more well known Lian Li PC 1000 case. In haven't seen a lot of reviews out there for this case though. Anand has a small review here

http://www.anandtech.com/casec...us/showdoc.aspx?i=2758

and there is one by an Australian ocerclocking web site. Both seem like positive reviews and most of the reviews of the PC1000 are also positive. My only concern with this case is the length of the SATA cables I will need (up to 24" it seems). Has anyone found this to be an issue. Are there any recommendations or things to watch out for in this case? Any more reviews? Thanks.

 

[trOver]

I like the 100 series of those cases better (the v1100 and v2100). I just bought a v1100 and its great, but im sure the v2000 is just as good. Only reason I went with the 100 was because its supposed to be more quiet.

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: trOver
I like the 100 series of those cases better (the v1100 and v2100). I just bought a v1100 and its great, but im sure the v2000 is just as good. Only reason I went with the 100 was because its supposed to be more quiet.

Yeah I like the sound dampened side panels and the sleek front door but at 350 bucks CDN that's pushing things. The v2000 is already 290 bucks CDN.

 

[lopri]

It's a great case that'll last for long time to come. The difference between 1000, 1200, and 2000 are mostly functional. (size of mobo, number of HDDs, available space in your room, etc.) SATA cable lengths are fine and you can always buy longer ones if you so desire. It depends on your cable management, too. Actually one of the 2000 series' biggest advantage over 1000 series is that you can tuck so many HDDs out of the way. I would recommend them any time. (Although I would also look into Silverstone TJ-07/09 for the similar prices)

I have a 1000 case and sometimes I wish I had gone with the 1200 or even 2000. But to this date, the case looks the same from the day I got it 2 years ago. If your space allows, I would go bigger for better/easier assembly and cable management.

 

[krotchy]

I personally have used the PC-101,201, V1000,V1100, V2000 and V2100 so I will chime in.

The 201,2000/2100 are all massive, and I do mean massive. they are taller and deeper than the 101/2100/2000 by a decent amount.

The 2000 has the best cooling abilities of the 3, followed by the 201 and 2100 is the worst. The 201 is a good mix since it has a vented door, but personally the sealed door on the V2100 is not the best for putting in a high performance EATX mobo. Overall though they are all good cases. What are you going to be doing with your chasis? IMO for Personal use the V2100/V2000/201 are all gigantic for anyones house/office. If you need the extra space the V1200 might fit you nicely, as it is deeper than the V1000, but not as tall. Honestly unless you need the 12 HDD spots (or 15 with a module) the full size cases are overkill.

remember the cases have 3 sizes in those series

Full Height + Full Depth
PC-V2000
PC-V2100
PC-201

Mid Height + Full Depth
PC-V2200

Mid Height and Mid Depth
PC-101
PC-V1000
PC-V1100


Also note the anandtech review is not of the +2 version, as it has no vented side panel.

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: krotchy
I personally have used the PC-101,201, V1000,V1100, V2000 and V2100 so I will chime in.

If you had to choose between the V1000 & the V1100, which would you choose & why?
Between those 2, which is more quiet & which has better cooling?
Which power supply did you use with those 2 cases? Do you forsee any problems with the cables of a Corsair HX520 not reaching?
Thanks.

 

[krotchy]

If you had to choose between the V1000 & the V1100, which would you choose & why?
V1000 is my preferred case for cooling reasons.

Between those 2, which is more quiet & which has better cooling?
V1100 is much quieter, as the front door is sealed and it has sound dampening foam inside of it. The V1000 on the other hand has alot more venting and no door, making it the much better case from a cooling perspective.

For best cooling, I find getting a V1000 and mounting a 120mm intake fan in the front, plus flipping the rear fan to exhaust helps. The 120mm fan can be mounted using either a lian li 3-3 or 3-4 hard drive expander, or just getting the 3x5.25 bay ->120mm fan holder. Theres really not much you can do to improve cooling on the V1100, due to the sealed front door, aside from a faster fan which removes its quietness. Still the V1100 performs fine for cooling, but not if you want a massive OC with something like a Tuniq.

Which power supply did you use with those 2 cases?
I used a few different ones at first before settling on a Seasonic S12+ 550w the last about 6-7 builds, which works well. One early problem I found was with modular supplies you tend to have the modular connectors hit the middle bracket in the PSU chamber (can be removed), or even the 2nd hard drive bracket (also removable). One build I only needed 3 HDD spots, so removing the 3 hard drives in the middle bracket wasnt a problem, but it can be for some.

Do you forsee any problems with the cables of a Corsair HX520 not reaching?
I have the HX520 in a home computer and it seems to be one of the few modulars that shouldnt have problems colliding with the middle hard drive brackets. However I cant guarantee you wont have to remove one of the hard drive holders, thus leaving you with only 3 HDDs.

As for length, Ive never had any issues since its Inverted ATX unlike the P180, making the cables the same distance to travel as a normal ATX case with the PSU on top.

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: krotchy

V1000 is my preferred case for cooling reasons.

For best cooling, I find getting a V1000 and mounting a 120mm intake fan in the front, plus flipping the rear fan to exhaust helps. The 120mm fan can be mounted using either a lian li 3-3 or 3-4 hard drive expander, or just getting the 3x5.25 bay ->120mm fan holder. Theres really not much you can do to improve cooling on the V1100, due to the sealed front door, aside from a faster fan which removes its quietness. Still the V1100 performs fine for cooling, but not if you want a massive OC with something like a Tuniq.

The V1000 comes with 3 fans, correct? A 120mm intake, 120mm for the air duct & 120mm for side?
Is one limited to the choice of a cpu heatsink w/the air duct? My next cpu will be a quad-core.
Is the side fan fixed for exhaust as well?

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Tullphan

Originally posted by: krotchy

V1000 is my preferred case for cooling reasons.

For best cooling, I find getting a V1000 and mounting a 120mm intake fan in the front, plus flipping the rear fan to exhaust helps. The 120mm fan can be mounted using either a lian li 3-3 or 3-4 hard drive expander, or just getting the 3x5.25 bay ->120mm fan holder. Theres really not much you can do to improve cooling on the V1100, due to the sealed front door, aside from a faster fan which removes its quietness. Still the V1100 performs fine for cooling, but not if you want a massive OC with something like a Tuniq.

The V1000 comes with 3 fans, correct? A 120mm intake, 120mm for the air duct & 120mm for side?
Is one limited to the choice of a cpu heatsink w/the air duct? My next cpu will be a quad-core.
Is the side fan fixed for exhaust as well?

For both the 1000 and 1100 By default, theres 3 fans. 1 for the PSU/HDD chamber. 1 side exhaust, and 1 rear intake. The only one that cant be flipped easily is the PSU/HDD chamber one.

I find for downblowing heatsinks, the shroud + rear in works best. For tower type heatsinks rear exhaust and side intake works best.