Opinions on Lian-Li PC101 case?

LintMan

Senior member
Apr 19, 2001
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I just spotted this LIAN LI PC-101A case over at Newegg discounted to $160 and I'm looking for some opinions of it.

I haven't found much discussion of it online. I've found one review over at SPCR, and they were lukewarm on it, but silence isn't my top priority: I intend to try some OC'ing and put in a 8800GTX and a 10K RPM HD, so if it will control some of that noise, I'll be fairly happy. I need a ReducedNoisePerformanceGamingPCReview.com web site! :)



 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
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Almost any Lian Li case will count as a nice case, but that one looks to be nice even for a Lian Li.

Mine is similar in regards to the hdd mounts at the bottom, the PSU mount at the bottom, and the mobo mount in the upper quadrant. I think it makes the board easier to install and work with. The placement of the 120mm fans also make it easier to get hot air away from a toasty video card and CPU.

I can't remember the model of my Lian Li right now, but its larger than that one, and cost almost double. I'd go for it.
 

Operandi

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Oct 9, 1999
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SPCR is very, very picky when it comes to noise and while it may not be as good as the P180 I'm sure it would be easy to build a very quiet machine in that case.

I would buy some 120mm Yate Loon and some soft fan mounts. You can try them at 12v and if they bother you run them at a reduced speed of you motherboard or other fan controller.
 

LintMan

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Apr 19, 2001
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Thanks Bateluer and Operandi.

I figured the same thing about SPCR being very exacting about noise, which is why I'm not too concerned.

To me, the PC-101 seems like a pretty nifty setup at a fairly reasonable price (for a Lian Li case, anyway), but I don't see much mention of it, so I thought I'd ask around here to see if there were any general comments about the case.
 

VinDSL

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I never have understood why this company makes such weird stuff. Zebra cases are a prime example...

The motherboard is mounted upside-down on a non-removable tray.

The front intake is mounted on the bottom, which is normal, but cools only the internal HD cages.

The rear intake -- yes, you heard that right -- blows air through a useless CPU shroud contraption, which magically reverses course before getting to your optical drives and 5.25 drive bays in the front of the case, and evacuates heat (theoretically) out useless vent holes on the side cover and back plate.

Hahahaha! Everything is back-asswards in this thing... Give me a break!!! :D

Do this... look at the pics at 'the egg' and cover up the bottom part of the case (HD bays and PSU). They basically have their own, seperate cooling system. Then, with that still covered, look at the top part of the case.

Get it? You'll be cooling your OC'ed video/game monster with a single 120mm intake, and no exhaust. THAT'S LIAN LI FOR YOU!!!

Dude, I'll admit I hate Lian Li cases... but I wouldn't touch this thing with a 10-foot pole, no matter how much 'the egg' dropped the price... ;)
 

LintMan

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Apr 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: VinDSL
The motherboard is mounted upside-down on a non-removable tray.

The non-removable tray is a bummer, I agree, but sadly an all-too-common complaint in the cases I see. The upside-down MB doesn't bother me, though - I think that's a better plan than Antec's, where they put the PS on the bottom, and you might need to get extender cables to reach that CPU power connector way up behind the CPU on a lot of MBs.

The front intake is mounted on the bottom, which is normal, but cools only the internal HD cages.

Yeah, and it looks like I'll need to keep it pretty high speed to push in adequate air for it. But a 120mm dedicated to HD cooling isn't necessarily bad.

The rear intake -- yes, you heard that right -- blows air through a useless CPU shroud contraption, which magically reverses course before getting to your optical drives and 5.25 drive bays in the front of the case, and evacuates heat (theoretically) out a blowhole on the side cover.

I don't think the optical/5.25 drive bays will get much cooling in this case, but I don't think many other cases do, either. The rear intake and side exhaust essentially gives you two 120mm fans dedicated to cooling the MB area, particularly the CPU and video card. This doesn't seem a bad idea. The side exhaust is near the top, so heat rising from wherever in the system should get vented out.

Overall, not a super-cooling case, but not awful, IMHO.

Hahahaha! Everything is back-asswards in this thing... Give me a break!!! :D

Dude, I'll admit I hate Lian Li cases, and usually I try to keep my trap shut (really) but I wouldn't touch this thing with a 10-foot pole, no matter how much 'the egg' dropped the price... ;)

I'm not a Lian-Li groupie, just trying to find the right case for me. So what do you recommend for a case that's reasonable quiet, good quality, with good cooling, will fit a 8800GTX without taking out drive bays, and doesn't look like a Transformer or Darth Vader. And costs less than $200. I'm open to suggestions!
 

VinDSL

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Originally posted by: LintMan
I'm not a Lian-Li groupie, just trying to find the right case for me... I'm open to suggestions!
I know it sounded like I was scolding you, but I'm not. I just try to keep ppl from making mistakes when they're considering Lian Li cases. Most of these cases are mad weird!

If that's what you want, fine. You're choice, not mine!

I edited that post. See if it makes more sense now... ;)

*edit*

Okay, what would I recommend? Had to think about it for a few minutes...

First of all, I won't recommend something I wouldn't buy myself, and I'm pretty fussy.

All things considered -- what you want to do -- the genre of case you prefer, yada, yada, yada -- I would go with a Silverstone SST TJ09-B. This is a GREAT case -- a long time in the making. Silverstone finally got it right, with the TJ09! Here's a SST-TJ09B-W (w/window) video.

The only thing is, it's 249 bones, not 200. I'd spend the extra money, instead of bottom-fishing at 'the egg', but that's just me... :)
 

VinDSL

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One last stab, and I'll stop... Promise! :D

Check out the flow in the video...

*edit*

BTW, this is the reason 'the egg' is dumping the 101 Zebras! It's a flawed design!

The *new* design is even more cramped in the mobo area...

Extrapolating, their stupid cooling system musta smoked a few drives/PSUs... ;)
 

aigomorla

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Originally posted by: VinDSL
One last stab, and I'll stop... Promise! :D

Check out the flow in the video...

the internal design loks like its off the V1000 Plus series. They cool quite well. The fan can not be downvolted past 7V tho. It makes a ticking noise.

Ummmm LL's are nice cases, ive only seen 1 case that could come higher then it in build, and thats the TJ-07. Ive worked with V1000 , V2000 and PC-7. I honestly think you pay a bit too much for a Lian Li.

Basically, i feel you pay too much for a incredibly thick and heavy side door. And really really shiney screws, and pci backplate :D

EDIT: Boo this comes with neither.... so why are you going to pay that much for a lian li?
 

LintMan

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Apr 19, 2001
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The Silverstone TJ09 is a very nice case. I didn't really consider it because it priced out at almost $300 at newegg and I didn't check anywhere else. $250 at Directron is better, but Directron charges triple what newegg wants for shipping, so we're really talking $280 paid.

But, considering what I'll be paying for the rest of my rig, maybe I'm being cheap by holding back on the case. I'll need to think about that. But then if I'm willing to spend more, I'm going to have to reconsider my options.

But that said, I don't understand your "proof". The 201 is a full tower case, vs the 101 being a mid-tower. It looks to me like the mb ventilation area is the same in both cases, and the 201 just has many more hd slots down below.

 

skiz6151

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Wow the Silverstone Tj-09w seems fantastic, only problem I have with it now is that it's a mid tower. I want to get a Tuniq tower so I am not sure if it will fit in there :(.
 

NatePo717

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Jun 6, 2005
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I have the V1000 which is the same basic internal structure as the 101A. I love the case. I think the only drawback to the 101A is the door. A door will block airflow (and is just another part that could potentially break). I would take a picture of what my case looks like but it's a wiring nightmare in there right now as my dvd drive just died on me and had to hook up an old cd rom drive.
 

VinDSL

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Originally posted by: skiz6151
Wow the Silverstone Tj-09w seems fantastic, only problem I have with it now is that it's a mid tower. I want to get a Tuniq tower so I am not sure if it will fit in there :(.
Yep! Well, I don't have that problem with my case...

I would be hard-pressed to go back to a run-of-the-mill case, but if I had to, the TJ09 would be much more palatable than a (burp) Lian Li... :D
 

VinDSL

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Originally posted by: LintMan
But, considering what I'll be paying for the rest of my rig, maybe I'm being cheap by holding back on the case. I'll need to think about that.

But that said, I don't understand your "proof".
Heh! My case was 440 bones to the door. Do I regret spending that much? Not for one minute...

And, sorry, I don't have any empirical data to support my personal bias against Lian Li products, et al. I don't know why I hate them so much. I guess it's because I've tried so hard to like them... but I keep getting that gag reflex going, every time I look at one.

Just being honest with you -- not trying to bust nuts, or whatever... ;)
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
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Originally posted by: VinDSL

Get it? You'll be cooling your OC'ed video/game monster with a single 120mm intake, and no exhaust. THAT'S LIAN LI FOR YOU!!!

I do have to point this out, most high end video cards have cooling systems that exhaust air out the back of the case. My X1900XT is this way, as are most 7900s and 8800s. With the 120mm blowing cool air from the outside of the case on to the the video card, the video cards cooler pulls in that cooler air to cool the card, then exhausts it right out the back with its own cooler. As a result, my X900XT idles in the low 40s C, with the fan speed around 20%.
 

LintMan

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Originally posted by: Bateluer
I do have to point this out, most high end video cards have cooling systems that exhaust air out the back of the case. My X1900XT is this way, as are most 7900s and 8800s. With the 120mm blowing cool air from the outside of the case on to the the video card, the video cards cooler pulls in that cooler air to cool the card, then exhausts it right out the back with its own cooler. As a result, my X900XT idles in the low 40s C, with the fan speed around 20%.

In the 101, the side fan above the video card is an exhaust fan. The air intake is next to the cpu with that duct that somewhat directs in onto the CPU. Since the front intake is pretty much just for the hard disks, air in the upper chamber circulates in past the cpu and out past the video. So the net effect is probably cooler air for the CPU and warmer air for the vid card.

 

VinDSL

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Originally posted by: LintMan
Originally posted by: Bateluer
...the net effect is probably cooler air for the CPU and warmer air for the vid card [and everything else]...
Bingo! :thumbsup:

Plus, if the front intake quits working, for whatever reason, you WILL bone your HDs.
 

VinDSL

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LoL!

Okay! Okay! I'll stop... really!

Maybe a better title would have been, "Opinions on Lian-Li cases, except for VinDSL?" :D
 

SolMiester

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Dec 19, 2004
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Originally posted by: LintMan
Originally posted by: VinDSL
The motherboard is mounted upside-down on a non-removable tray.

The non-removable tray is a bummer, I agree, but sadly an all-too-common complaint in the cases I see. The upside-down MB doesn't bother me, though - I think that's a better plan than Antec's, where they put the PS on the bottom, and you might need to get extender cables to reach that CPU power connector way up behind the CPU on a lot of MBs.

The front intake is mounted on the bottom, which is normal, but cools only the internal HD cages.

Yeah, and it looks like I'll need to keep it pretty high speed to push in adequate air for it. But a 120mm dedicated to HD cooling isn't necessarily bad.

The rear intake -- yes, you heard that right -- blows air through a useless CPU shroud contraption, which magically reverses course before getting to your optical drives and 5.25 drive bays in the front of the case, and evacuates heat (theoretically) out a blowhole on the side cover.

I don't think the optical/5.25 drive bays will get much cooling in this case, but I don't think many other cases do, either. The rear intake and side exhaust essentially gives you two 120mm fans dedicated to cooling the MB area, particularly the CPU and video card. This doesn't seem a bad idea. The side exhaust is near the top, so heat rising from wherever in the system should get vented out.

Overall, not a super-cooling case, but not awful, IMHO.

Hahahaha! Everything is back-asswards in this thing... Give me a break!!! :D

Dude, I'll admit I hate Lian Li cases, and usually I try to keep my trap shut (really) but I wouldn't touch this thing with a 10-foot pole, no matter how much 'the egg' dropped the price... ;)

I'm not a Lian-Li groupie, just trying to find the right case for me. So what do you recommend for a case that's reasonable quiet, good quality, with good cooling, will fit a 8800GTX without taking out drive bays, and doesn't look like a Transformer or Darth Vader. And costs less than $200. I'm open to suggestions!

Silverstone TJ06 - I have just about finished my build and would fit in with all the points you made. My threads in here
 

Operandi

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Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: LintMan
I'm not a Lian-Li groupie, just trying to find the right case for me. So what do you recommend for a case that's reasonable quiet, good quality, with good cooling, will fit a 8800GTX without taking out drive bays, and doesn't look like a Transformer or Darth Vader. And costs less than $200. I'm open to suggestions!

For $160 I wouldn't hesitate for second to get the PC-101.

It dose have some non-traditional air flow paths but that doesn't make it inferior. Besides the fans can be orientated in any direction the user wants. In it's default setup with the front and rear fans as intakes and the side as an exhaust the CPU will get a healthy dose of cold air as well as having positive air pressure --- there is nothing wrong with that configuration at all.

VinDSL apparently has some strange aversion to any thing that Lian Li makes that I find to be beyond comprehension.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
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Originally posted by: skiz6151
Wow the Silverstone Tj-09w seems fantastic, only problem I have with it now is that it's a mid tower. I want to get a Tuniq tower so I am not sure if it will fit in there :(.

the TJ-07 will pwn all cases out there. Ask any TJ-07 owner, we tend to have our noses up in the air when you compare anything against it.

Sub 200 dollars
TT Armor = 140ish
CM Stacker ~ 140ish
Antec p180 ~ 100ish, you might need to remove one of the HD bays to fit a 8800 series.. however i am not too sure on this statement. So please dont flame me for it.
Gigabyte aurora? ~ 140ish
CM Centurion - 50ish <--- might need to check to see if the card will fit. I dont see why it wont tho.
CM Pretorian <--- absolutely beautiful. Umm price range is ~ 130ish But it looks like a lian li.


Hope these help



And operandi... i guess its his personal taste :T I personally hate all Ultra products. There PSU's even blow, and i wouldnt touch a ultra case even tho there chieftec mockups.

So as they say, to each his own? :p


EDIT: AHH i forgot i have a ultra product.... its a jump start psu thats ment to leak test my H2o cooling. Thats all its good for because it is quiet, but the power raiting utter stupid. I may make it into a TEC PSU to power 1 TEC. Wow 1 tec. But yeah.. i hate ultra products
 

aigomorla

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Originally posted by: VinDSL
Are you okay, aigomorla?

You seem very confused lately...

no... lately ive been kinda off because im trying to squeeze in my chat time on this, while studing for my series 7 and series 66. So if im a bit off please excuse me and just smack me upside the head and go.. YO your off.... :X