LIAN LI PC-Q08R Red Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case

Pros: The case has massive storage potential with 7 3.5" drive and even a 2.5" drive can be accommodates. I am running WHS 2011 with a Highpoint 2720 RAID card with 5 drives. the 6th drive makes backups of the WHS operation system while an SSD contains the WHS operating system. Like that I can use any ATX power supply. Also have a 3.5" trayless drive day installed to take backups offsite. So I got 7 drives + 1 SSD installed and the system is running quite silent.

Cons: The build quality is not that spectacular. The aluminum case is not very sturdy and can be bent by applying moderate pressure from one side for example, although the case will bent back unless the pressure is significant.
The biggest problem is that when changing a hard drive one has to open up both panels on both sides. For RAID card I had to utilize a lexible PCIe ribbon so the card stay attaced to the caseslot but the MOBO attached to the side panel can be removed. Very difficult to manage all that with 8 drives

Other Thoughts: The case is not very good when trying out different configuration of drives and RAID cards due to the small space and the orientation of the MOBO. If the MOBO was horizontally oriented as it is on the BitFenix Prodigy this would significnatly help.

Pros: This case was all i hoped for in a small case. I wanted to make a portable gaming box for LAN parties that looked a bit different from all the huge towers people usually take.

This is my build:-

“Red Cube” PC – Mini-ITX Gaming Rig
• Lian Li PC-Q08R Case
• Zotac Z68-A-E Wifi ITX motherboard
• Intel i5-2500K CPU
• MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozer III
• 8 Gigs of Corsair 1600 Meg DDR3 RAM
• Corsair 120GB Force 3 GT SSD SATA III
• 2 Tb WD Hard Drive SATA III
• Corsair H60 Water Cooler with Noctua NF-P12 High pressure fan
• Corsair HX-650 Power Supply
• Samsung Blu-Ray Combo Drive
• BitFenix Spectre Pro 140mm Black Tinted Red LED Fan
• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Cons: It is a complex case the do a build in. Will take you a couple of hours more than you expect. Should be faster next time after all I have learnt.

Pros: First and foremost, it's a great looking case. It's really well designed top to bottom, with solid thought put into how folks are going to use the box. I had no problem squeezing in my optical drive, laptop drive for the OS, ITX motherboard, and four 3.5" hard drives. The AMD E350 is passively cooled and stays cool, and even with all the drives and fans spinning the case doesn't heat up. I'm really happy with the purchase. (I'm not using a video card, so I have no idea how that would affect things.)

Cons: The red finish is brilliant although it does scratch easily, as evident by the countersunk screw holes. My advice is plan your installation - every time you take a tool to this box you risk wrecking it. The case was designed for a 150mm long PSU - the OCZ I had intended to use is 160mm long and simply will not fit without mashing the cables against the hard drive bracket. If I was going to do it again I'd probably use an XFX P1-450S-X2B9 for its size. If the case was an inch deeper, it'd be perfect. Related, getting SATA cables onto the very bottom drive may prove problematic - you want to use an angled connector to clear the side panel, but then it's mashed up against the bottom of the case. If you use a straight connector, it's mashed up against the side. If the case was 1" taller, it'd be perfect.

Other Thoughts: I was weighing building something or buying a Proliant N40L. In the end, the build was about $75 more than the N40L (excluding the storage itself on both systems), but this system will be faster and can house more storage so that's a plus. Down the road, I'll have the option to upgrade the motherboard as faster/cooler ITX boards become available, and that's nice. I am not sure a modular PSU really helps the build, since they tend to have their connectors along the midline (right up against the drive bracket) whereas non-modular PSUs tend to tuck their cables into a corner. In my case, cables in the corner cleared the drive bracket easily. The PSU I ended up using is 150mm long, and I used some 1/2" nylon spacers and longer screws to hang it out the back of the case. It looks/works great, and gave me just the right amount of clearance. The unique bracket for mounting the PSU allows this - it's ingenious and more cases should incorporate the idea!

Pros: Small, cool red ano-ish finish, holds a full size PSU and video card.

Optical drive bay has flip down door, no need to remove your drive's bezel.

Cons: The inside gets small real fast when the components start going in.

Case can feel a bit flemzy with both side panels off.

Other Thoughts: Heed the warnings and by a modular PSU for the case, there won't be room otherwise.

System:
Asus F1A75-I Deluxe
AMD A8-3850
AMD Phenom II CPU cooler
G.Skill 2x8gb 1600 DDR3
Asus 6850 1gb video
Mushkin 120gb SSD
WD Velociraptor 450gb

Pros: Case has good room for a mini itx tower. Fans are silent and the leds are not too bright. holds 7 hard drives :-)

Cons: Front fan was floping around in the case from shipping and the optical drive cover broke. hmmm same as the review below me.......

Other Thoughts: This case is sweet for a nas or htpc. Everything else dose what it should, but the the front door makes me kinda mad i paid for the lain li name and have it brake in one week.

Pros: Nice looking

Cons: Poor packing job by both Newegg (not double boxed) and Lian Li. Front fan popped loose in shipping and broke the optical drive front hinge. Spring and one hinge pin loose inside case.

Other Thoughts: Should have unpacked this sooner but now past the 30 day return policy limit. Maybe Lian Li will replace the broken cover.

Pros: I purchased two of these for use as FreeNAS cases. What can I say, they are a case. I have had no problems, the dimensions are correct and it works as it says it should. The case has a few features I don't use (like the ability to have a longer video card) so I have to say it meets and exceeds my needs.

Cons: None that I can think of. The case it a bit more expensive than others, but I think it is better so I should not complain.

Pros: 1. Good quality construction, compact design yet good access
2. Excellent design for many uses, especially NAS or file server
3. Relatively easy/open internal access to case and components
4. Two large case fans provide plenty of air flow
5. Good/adequate length connector cables internally
6. Two sides removable via screws; removable power supply mount.
7. Good selection of misc goodies included--screws, including for MB, drive cage support bracket, slot access cover, etc.
8. Accepts up to 6 hard drives in a shock-resistant mount
9. It's RED!

Cons: 1. Motherboard standoffs are too deep in case--as a result the motherboard I/O connectors don't sit out far enough in back.
2. I suspect the case is subject to easy scratching, but I've been careful with mine and no problems so far.
3. It doesn't appear this case will accept a Micro ATX power supply

Other Thoughts: 1. The small case screws others have complained about don't bother me. Yes, they're small, but this isn't a 327 Chevy engine we're working on, and several of my smaller screwdrivers I had on the wall seemed to work just fine.
2. This case would really pair very well with a modular power supply
3. OK, this case is red, now we need blue, green, gold, purple and indigo.
4. This case is ideal for a storage server running Linux or FreeNAS and using RAID.
5. The cables inside seemed fine to me--not too bulky and of reasonable length. Maybe I got a recently improved version?

Pros: Beautiful, high-quality construction, easier to set up than expected. Space for a zillion drives (well, OK, six). Ultimate homebrew NAS case.

Cons: Many small screws must be removed/replaced for case access. Surely a more convenient design could be found for such an expensive box.

Other Thoughts: Surprisingly, the largest phillips screw driver I have was the right one for the tiny screws on this box. None of my small ones worked. Now, I just have to decide between Ubuntu server and FreeNAS. Never been a BSD fan, so leaning toward Ubuntu.

Pros: Beautiful and well designed.

Cons: Side panel screws (SIX!) are literally impossible for me to remove. I have about ten Phillips screw drivers and none of them can move the screws. They just strip them.

About to return unless someone can suggest a way to pry this thing open.