lian li v1200b plus II vs. Antec p180B

[mrgq912]

I love the Apple g5 cases. People say the lian li is similar. My question is how similar are they? Are the aluminum walls the same thickness, does it feel as solid and sturdy as the Apple cases?

I would not mind the antec case but how heavy is it when loaded, and how does the lian li compare in terms of weight when loaded.

 

[Operandi]

I have limited experience with the G5 case but the Lian Li V series is very solid; I would expect them to be of similar quality. The P180 on the other hand uses a lot of plastic in it's construction so it's out of contention in my opinion.

 

[Googer]

This thread deserves a poll

 

[Saku]

I have heard the Lian Li is lighter than the P180. I have the p180 and it is a heavy SOB loaded or unloaded. But with that weight comes alot of highy quality materials. The side walls are reinforced 3ply aluminum, steel, and plastic (I think). There are also 2 removable drive cages.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Saku
I have heard the Lian Li is lighter than the P180. I have the p180 and it is a heavy SOB loaded or unloaded. But with that weight comes alot of highy quality materials. The side walls are reinforced 3ply aluminum, steel, and plastic (I think). There are also 2 removable drive cages.

The Antec is made of mostly steel and some plastic and the Lian Li is almost 99% aluminum. Both are fine cases but my pick would go to Lian Li.

 

[smthmlk]

lian-li. good stuff.

 

[Saku]

Originally posted by: Googer

The Antec is made of mostly steel and some plastic and the Lian Li is almost 99% aluminum. Both are fine cases but my pick would go to Lian Li.

From the P180 review:

"Innovative three-layer side panel (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) provides easy access & dampens system generated noise"

"0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through majority of chassis)
1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4xHDD area."

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Saku

Originally posted by: Googer

The Antec is made of mostly steel and some plastic and the Lian Li is almost 99% aluminum. Both are fine cases but my pick would go to Lian Li.

From the P180 review:

"Innovative three-layer side panel (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) provides easy access & dampens system generated noise"

"0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through majority of chassis)
1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4xHDD area."

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html

I did say mostly. Lian Li uses aluminum in the hard drive areas and trough out the rest of the case, steel is not an option with them.

 

[lopri]

I'd say those two are not really in the same league as the price tags show. For each own, both are great cases. Individual build, other components, and budget will all play a role and to that end, neither is a bad choice. Said that, if the price doesn't bother you, V1200 could be a better choice for long term. It's very sturdy and easy to clean. One downside is that many of today's top motherboards are featuring heatpipe cooling for north/south bridge chips, so if you plan a heavy OC'ing which inevitably will stress NB/SB. With upside-down position, the heat usually doesn't reach the radiator so it's a good idea to have some measure of cooling prepared for certain hot spots.

 

[bigpow]

Lian Li = 99% aluminium -> solid, very light & sturdy!
I've been using a PC-60 since 5 years ago and it still does quite well for its age.

Antec = 75% steel, 25% aluminium & plastic -> heavy, sturdy, quiet.

No experience with G5 case but knowing Apple products, the best details are probably only on the outter appearance.

 

[Saku]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Saku

Originally posted by: Googer

The Antec is made of mostly steel and some plastic and the Lian Li is almost 99% aluminum. Both are fine cases but my pick would go to Lian Li.

From the P180 review:

"Innovative three-layer side panel (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) provides easy access & dampens system generated noise"

"0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through majority of chassis)
1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4xHDD area."

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html

I did say mostly. Lian Li uses aluminum in the hard drive areas and trough out the rest of the case, steel is not an option with them.

Antec uses steel for the majority of the chassis not the case... :disgust:

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: Saku

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: Saku

Originally posted by: Googer

The Antec is made of mostly steel and some plastic and the Lian Li is almost 99% aluminum. Both are fine cases but my pick would go to Lian Li.

From the P180 review:

"Innovative three-layer side panel (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) provides easy access & dampens system generated noise"

"0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through majority of chassis)
1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4xHDD area."

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html

I did say mostly. Lian Li uses aluminum in the hard drive areas and trough out the rest of the case, steel is not an option with them.

Antec uses steel for the majority of the chassis not the case... :disgust:

Somehow i doubt you're talking about a chassis that you strap the engine, wheels and bodywork to. However this leaves me questioning what the hell you are talking about. 😕

It could be that you're only refering to the skeleton of the case, in which case (pun too bad to justify, i appologise) you're wrong.

 

[Saku]

What?

I'm quoting the review? ...lol

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: Saku
What?

I'm quoting the review? ...lol

Chassis = Case (main body)

Antec uses steel for the majority of the chassis not the case...

It could be that you're trying to make a clever point about the side pannels and front mount but somehow i think not.

 

[mrgq912]

 

[mrgq912]

thanks for the replys. I am very close to purchasing the lian li v1200b but I keep coming back to the ANTec p180 for only one reason. The fact that it has such great cooling options. It can hold like five 120mm fans within the case. If a few of the drive bays are not used, I noticed that their is alot of room above the lian li front 120mm fan.I wondering if their are any mods to add another fan above that.

 

[Bobthelost]

You wont need that many fans. I've got a 180B and i have the rear fan running @ medium and the top and bottom ones @ slow. No problems with airflow at all.

 

[serializable]

I have the lian li v1000b plus II which I believe is similar to the v1200 youre looking at. With the 3 fans the system stays cool but if you want to add another you could put it up front. Underneath my optical drives I had plenty of space since I didn't have a floppy drive. So I zip tied another fan up front that blows air from the front towards the back in the upper chamber. Im really happy with the case. Plenty of room and cable management is easy. Around $200 was a lot to me for a case but it was worth it.

 

[mrgq912]

hi serializable:

I am also looking at the v1000b as well, but I read that it is a little small (in terms of depth). That it won't fit todays/tomorrows larger power supplies and that certain large video cards will not fit. What is your experience with this since you have the case.

the only reason I am considering the v1200 is becasue of the extra space.

Also is it true that the pentium motherboards are larger than the ones for AMD, that is also why I am considering this larger v1200. Maybe in the future if i switch to a pentium build, i won't have to purchase another case.

 

[OvErHeAtInG]

Sort of off-topic, does anyone know the difference between the V1100, V1100A Plus, V1100B Plus II, and whatever other variants of the V1100 there are? 😛 One of the user reviews says the USB/Audio wires weren't long enough for some, which may be something they improved on in the later designs?

 

[mrgq912]

the "A" designates a silver case

the "b" designates a black case

the plus , and plus II, are incremental changes in airflow design that Lian li has implented since the original release of the orignial v series cases (non-plus models). Its minor things like a side air duct gril, and cpu ducts, etc.

 

[serializable]

Originally posted by: mrgq912
hi serializable:

I am also looking at the v1000b as well, but I read that it is a little small (in terms of depth). That it won't fit todays/tomorrows larger power supplies and that certain large video cards will not fit. What is your experience with this since you have the case.

the only reason I am considering the v1200 is becasue of the extra space.

Also is it true that the pentium motherboards are larger than the ones for AMD, that is also why I am considering this larger v1200. Maybe in the future if i switch to a pentium build, i won't have to purchase another case.

I picked the v1000 over the v1200 because it was a little smaller and I didn't think I would need the extra space. Right now I have 3 hard drives and a seasonic s12 500w ps in the bottom. The powersupply was a little tight to fit just because of the wires. I had to take the little wall between the powersupply and harddrives out. I have 2 harddrives in the first rack and the third is in the top on the 2nd rack. The only reason I put the third one there is that its an ide harddrive and the cable was only 10" long.
For my videocard I have a 7900gt in there. I don't know how it compares to other cards in terms of size but if it was a few inches longer it would still fit. If I were doing the sli thing I think there would still be plenty of room. I replaced the intel heatsink with a zalman one that has a 120mm fan on it and it fit. Its a huge heatsink but it fit even though the motherboard is upside down. When I get home from work I can take some pictures and post them if you want so you can see how everything fit.

 

[Cygnus X1]

Originally posted by: serializable

Originally posted by: mrgq912
hi serializable:

I am also looking at the v1000b as well, but I read that it is a little small (in terms of depth). That it won't fit todays/tomorrows larger power supplies and that certain large video cards will not fit. What is your experience with this since you have the case.

the only reason I am considering the v1200 is becasue of the extra space.

Also is it true that the pentium motherboards are larger than the ones for AMD, that is also why I am considering this larger v1200. Maybe in the future if i switch to a pentium build, i won't have to purchase another case.

I picked the v1000 over the v1200 because it was a little smaller and I didn't think I would need the extra space. Right now I have 3 hard drives and a seasonic s12 500w ps in the bottom. The powersupply was a little tight to fit just because of the wires. I had to take the little wall between the powersupply and harddrives out. I have 2 harddrives in the first rack and the third is in the top on the 2nd rack. The only reason I put the third one there is that its an ide harddrive and the cable was only 10" long.
For my videocard I have a 7900gt in there. I don't know how it compares to other cards in terms of size but if it was a few inches longer it would still fit. If I were doing the sli thing I think there would still be plenty of room. I replaced the intel heatsink with a zalman one that has a 120mm fan on it and it fit. Its a huge heatsink but it fit even though the motherboard is upside down. When I get home from work I can take some pictures and post them if you want so you can see how everything fit.

Please do

 

[mrgq912]

Yeah a pic would be great. Thank you

 

[cmdrdredd]

I have a P180 and after using it I can say I like it, but there is a drawback. All that insulation basically creates an oven for your components. Even with all the fans running on high it gets really hot. Had I known about this prior to purchasing it I would have gone with something else. Maybe a Thermaltake or Coolermaster case instead. I never have and never will buy Lian-Li cases simply based on price. I just can't find myself spending so much on a case (I got my p180 on sale). Then again sometimes you get what you pay for.