LIAN LI PC-A04A Silver Aluminum MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case

Pros: Light Weight

Cons: The side panels do not align with the front of the case. There is a gap. This takes away from the aesthetics of the case. The material is thin and is easily damaged. This is an expensive case for what you get. The quality does not match the price point. One could spend a little more and get a silverstone case or less and get one of the dozens of plastic and steal cases.

Pros: -Brushed aluminum
-Simple design
-Appropriate size (but I think it could be a little smaller)
-Good airflow

Cons: -Top-mounted fan creates vibration noise
-Only one of the front panel connectors is USB 3.0, not both. Why???
-Had to re-seat some parts that were dislodged from shipping. Luckily, no parts completely damaged
-If you remove both hard drive cages, the motherboard mount tends to flex more than I would like since its support parts have been removed.

Other Thoughts: I have owned at least 3 Lian Li cases over the years. I love the simple bare look of brushed aluminum. I usually add my own sound-dampening material to make them better. Plain aluminum sheet is also easy to modify or replace with custom parts.

For those of you who received damaged pieces in the case, I suggest checking a large online auction website (that Newegg won't let me mention) for replacements.

Pros: The case has a beautiful finish with a near perfect (for me) design. While i don't like the look of the back grill, the case itself is exactly what I wanted.

Cons: As another reviewer has pointed out, this case may come with some broken parts. I happened to be in the same situation as another who has posted here and have two broken plastic clips that hold the front cover into place (more care should have been taken with the design of this part of the case anyway) and my front panel usb 3's don't work. I tried contacting Lian Li about this problem rather than having to RMA the case back to NewEgg for what to me is two smaller issues, but I have not had any responce back from Lian Li. Now, a month later when i decided to try again, their website is down with a site domain expiration page. I suppose I may not be getting any support from them after all... So what I am saying is RMA if you have problems from your new Lian Li case.

Other Thoughts: Why does it seem that all the negative reviews get instantly down-ranked on NewEgg? There are legitimate negative reviews, if at the very least, occasionally.

Pros: -Beautifully crafted
-Lightweight, yet sturdy
-Adjustable/modular HDD Racks
-Small footprint
-Comes with 3 fans

Pretty much everything about this case is fantastic. Lian Li really outdid themselves with this case. The attention to detail is the highest I've seen in a long time (even better than my Lian Li PC-9F!), and I honestly could not be any happier with this case. The ability to move the HDD cages around is an absolutely welcome design feature, and the simplicity of this case makes it very easy to work with.

Also, the pictures from Newegg are not the same model I received, because mine came with an INTERNAL USB 3.0 connector, meaning there was no ugly hole at the top in the rear. I was VERY happy to see that Lian Li had updated the design and implemented the internal USB 3.0 cable!

Cons: -HDD can get a little noisy
-Not much room behind motherboard tray

Other Thoughts: If you have a mechanical HDD moving around, then it can be a bit noisy even with the rubber dampers LL provides, but that also depends on the HDD's themselves. The room behind the motherboard tray was not an issue for me as I have all of my cables individually sleeves, so I was able to fan them out and make them look quite pretty back there. The back panel closed easily and the case itself just looks gorgeous when completed.

Pros: Nice looking and light weight

Cons: Can't seem to get in contact with Lian Li customer support to get a replacement for broken parts. When the case arrived, it had two broken plastic clips that hold on the front panel. I didn't want to return the case for this because I thought I could get a replacement from Lian Li. I continued to build the case. After building the case, I discovered that the top mounted USB ports were not working. I know that the motherboard's USB header works because I tested it with an expansion slot usb port that came with the motherboard. Newegg says that they can't help me unless I return the whole case -- which is a real hassle at this point.

Pros: Really cool looking.
High flow ventilation.
High HDD capacity.
Front facing (upward facing really)USB 3 port.

Cons: Using an ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68, (also purchased from newegg, cause' newegg rocks!)
Mobo has 90 degree sata ports, so fitting/routing the sata cables is a PITA. It can be a tight fit.
Had a major issue when the system was built. During "buttoning it up". The front case cover has 2 pins down at the bottom, which you align with a couple holes in the case, then you press it on, to connect 2 different pins which fit into inserts anchored to the case. When I did this, both plastic inserts cracked and broke. I was freaked.
Maintaining my composure, I emailed them via their web site. I heard nothing for a couple of weeks. Then one day an envelope arrives at my home with 4 of the inserts for the case. Needless to say, I am thrilled with Lian-Li's responce.

Other Thoughts: Newegg's service and selection is top shelf.
Lian-Li's response to my request for help was fairly fast, and satisfies me completely. One reason that occurs to me about the 2 weeks it took get the inserts to me, was the envelope appeared to be mailed all the way from Taiwan. I give them 5 eggs for there response to my situation.

Pros: Not sure what all the nitpicking is about, the thing is pretty sturdy. Got a greta look to it, heck , space? I got a SB CC Twister into it!! lol. Pulled out the fans though, cuz wanted Blue LEds, and that made it looks sweeter, but all in all, the fasn in it were fine. Compact fore sure, major build challenge, come on, whatever. My likey lieky.

Cons: I am used to a little bit more thickness from Lian Li cases, but it isn't Raidmax/Rosewill thin by any means.

Other Thoughts: If you want a nice little silver brushed compact PC to tuck away somewhere, I like this case, and haven't seen anything else around that is as sturdy, good looking, and building easy than this. (And that's with over 400 builds under the belt.)

Pros: Looks great; aluminum finish is very nice. Interior is neat and flexible. All components installed easily with room to spare. Generally solid construction.

Cons: Some of the plastic pieces are cracked or actually broken. My front panel is only held up by three pegs because the fourth was smashed on arrival. Not a great feeling.

One of the 5.25" bay drive covers is pretty badly bent. Not a big deal, since I was going to install a DVD drive anyway.

Other Thoughts: Tried to contact Lian Li support. The e-mail (sent from the form on their own website) bounced back to my inbox with a "quota exceeded" message. Guess I'm on my own.

Pros: Aluminum, looks good, lightweight, lots of hard drive ports

Cons: came with loose screws holding together one of the hard drive bays
obviously old and worn out thumbscrew among the new ones!
fingerprints inside
cheap power button and reset switch
reset switch is not tight

Other Thoughts: I love Lian-Li, but this is the first time I've ever bought one for myself. It looks nice from the outside, but the screw issues and fingerprints show me that someone dropped the ball.

Pros: Small Foot Print
Quiet
Aluminum
Great Ventilation

Cons: Not all bays can be used
Tight Spacing Inside

Other Thoughts: Bought this case to replace a Lian Li Full Tower as I moved into a smaller place. It has a tiny foot print and is ultra quiet. In addition, cooling is outstanding given the top cover fan. Spacing in side is at a premium so chose your components well. Although it has plenty of bays, most Micro-ATX motherboards do not have that many SATA connectors. If you use the Lian Li optical drive face plates, chose your drives carefully as they need to be a specific length. Otherwise, the backside will hit the motherboard. I had to purchase a new Optical Drive for this. Cable management is tough, although you should expect this with a small case. My full size ATI 6850 graphics card fits nicely but you will need to remove one of the 3.5 bays to allow room for the power connector. This is a great little case, provided that you chose your components carefully. You can easily build a very mid-high end PC, but over-clockers should look elsewhere.