LIAN LI PC-A04B Black Aluminum MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case

Pros: Lian-Li aluminum construction is of high quality and light weight. 3 decent 120mm fans. Plenty of HDD space.

Cons: Motherboard standoffs were not tight, one got cross-threaded during assembly. A minor nuisance.

The SATA connections on most MicroATX motherboards connect at a right angle to the board. The hard drive rack (4-bay in the middle) cannot be left in with SATA connections plugged in. Huge negative if you actually want to use all drive bays and your motherboard SATA connections are blocked.

The cables connected to the top power and reset buttons actually protrude into the 5.25" drive bay. I had to bend the wires to get an optical drive to fit, and even then it was a squeeze.

The bottom two plastic snaps that hold the front cover on popped off while reattaching the front cover. They don't snap into the aluminum frame very well.

Other Thoughts: I've been a Lian-Li buyer for many years and bought dozens of their cases. This one was very disappointing. Usually Lian-Li has good foresight in making things accessible and configurable. In this case, the case has some annoying oversights which made assembly of the system a headache. I will hesitate before purchasing another Lian-Li case.

Pros: -so far none of the problems that appear to have plagued many other reviewers, such as no english documentation, front audio/mic jacks causing reboot, front bezel not secured well, have been experienced by me.
-sturdy chassis. the walls may be thin, but the case chassis is strong. the aluminum front bezel is solid as well.
-solid tool-less hdd racks, no vibration no added noise. i didn't even attempt to use the tool-less optical drive mounts because of all the complaints, just used screws.
-very nice ventilation, best i've seen for a uATX case.
-very well designed hardware arrangement. i'm mounting the 3 hdd rack on the bottom, so there's plenty of space for my video card.
-includes an adapter from the usb 3.0 to 2.0 onboard port, thought i was going to have to buy one.

Cons: -as others have said, the walls are kind of flimsy, i slightly remedied it with some acoustic dampening foam for a more weighted feel
-included fans aren't the quietest, but i guess you shouldn't expect too much for this price, uATX or not (it was $80 on sale at the time).
-as another review stated, the bottom left clip inside the front cover was misaligned, but it was an easy fix, not a manufacturing mishap, just a slight assembly error.
-my mobo (BIOSTAR A880G+) does not fit exactly with the case's pci slots, the top slot on the case is useless to me so i only have three available slots and can't install my double pci slot fan since the video card already takes two. i'm assuming not all uATX mobos are like this, so only a personal con, but you should look into it and make sure your mobo fits if you'll need all four slots.

Other Thoughts: i was skeptical because of all the bad reviews, but thought what the hell; if something's wrong i can contact or have my cousin in taiwan contact their taiwanese support. i'm assuming the reason their international support is apparently so horrible is that their PR department is probably nonexistent, so no decent english speakers. have you seen the grammar on their international site? i lucked out i guess, first uATX build in about 5 years and i'm very pleased.

Pros: - Polished aluminum finish. Simple, but great. Less is more.
- For a MATX case, you definitely have room in there, I currently have a 7970 running. It required cable management to fit everything comfortably in there, but it fits fine.
- Offers some really nice customization options as far as equipment mounting goes for a case this size.
- Good airflow (my 8350 is idling at around 13 degrees with the stock cooler).
- Topside USB 3.0

Cons: - Definitely not the easiest build I have done. Make sure the hard drive cages are mounted correctly in the direction you want or you may find you have to unscrew them and turn them around or something else.
- Definitely need a screw-driver. This case is not tool-less.
- Some thumb screws are tightly placed and are in awkward places for a conventional screwdriver to access.
- The HDD activity light is pink (minor gripe, but would have preferred red)
- Polished aluminum finish while very sleek looking, scratches easily

Other Thoughts: In a market saturated with cases that have all sorts of buttons, colors, lights, etc, it is refreshing to have something that looks great but is also simple. I have wanted to go with Lian-Li for previous builds, but was scared as I was not familiar with the brand. I am very happy with this case and would definitely go with them again in the future.

Pros: I've got a few Lian Li cases and they are all great.

Cons: none

Other Thoughts: I was just about to order this one and checked the dimensions, which seemed odd, and they don't agree with that published on the Lian Li site - 7.4w x 15.2h x 18.1d

Pros: Sleek looking case with tool-free design. Light aluminum construction. I love the color and finish and there are cool dust filters on all the fans and openings. It has a lower profile than regular mid-tower cases. Super quiet and runs Core i5 cool.

Cons: Aluminum is light but also has a flimsy feel to it. Brushed finish scratches pretty easy. The very top external drive bay almost interferes with the ports on top of the case. Seems like it should have more external bays for the size. A little pricey, but still pretty good.

Pros: Lightweight and small. Lots of thumbscrews and hardware. Excellent cooling. Lots of HDD configuration options. I was worried about the headphone jack causing a system reset as described by other reviewers, but I dont have this issue. The 1/8" jack is tight. What I think may cause the problem is that the plug does not go in 100%. It goes in about 90% and works that way, I can't push it in 100% as with most headphone jacks. The top USB connection is a MB header for USB3 and an adapter is included for USB2.

Cons: The front panel has a great design, but my bottom left push clip arrived busted or misaligned and I have to rip it out with so much force that I feel I will break something. One egg less for that.

Other Thoughts: I really like this case, I got it at a discount. I think the price for high end cases is too high. A high end mini tower should be $70 not $110 or more. It seems like you can either spend $40 and get a generic, OK case...or spend $100 plus...and feel like you spent too much causing the average consumer to expect it to do more than hold your parts and turn off and on.

Pros: If it's like the Lian-Li cases I've had in the past I won't be disappointed. Was on the fence until I saw another user made his ESXi server; his positive review settled the matter for me.

Cons: Still waiting for the courier to deliver it, but it only shipped yesterday so that's still pretty good.

Other Thoughts: I'm starting to think I made an enemy of someone at Newegg.</sarcasm>

Every time I buy a big-ticket item on this site I can expect it to go on sale a week later at a discounted rate (unless I don't buy anything in which case it never does). I got 20% off $90 but not twenty-hours later it goes on sale for 20$ off BEFORE REBATE. Normally it's "a day late and a dollar short," but in my case it's "a day early and twelve dollars shorted."

Pros: The case is well made and sturdy yet lightweight. It's a great combination. Definitely worth the money. The drive cages are basically tool-less if you can count screwing in the supplied thumb screws as tool-less. I sure do. I'm using this case as a mini ESXi home server.

Cons: The cable management isn't quite there. Although a great case it definitely doesn't have room to neatly route cables behind the back plate. You run of the risk of pinching cables if you attempt to route cables between the motherboard and drive cages. I may try to put more thought into it to maybe find some better solutions in routing.

Pros: Light weight. High quality. Plenty of room for mini ItX. Simple and functional design. High quality.

Cons: Front case cover is not deep enough to fit 120mm fans. Just a little deeper and 120mm fans would fit on front of case. Would be nice if the upper bay driver system was removable rather than riveted to be able to easily remove.

Other Thoughts: Great case.

Pros: - All aluminum (some said it is flimsy, but that was not a deterent since I have no plans to rest anything heavier than an external drive atop it)
- Plenty of room for MicroATX (I am using Intel graphics on-board so I do not know about long-profile cards but the HDD cages (two separate) can be removed)
- Three case fans included which are reasonably quiet to where you hear them, but not a problem - the front two have removable filters
- Fits standard PSUs
- The fans keep this cool enough that I feel cool air out the top vent and the PSU has yet to turn its fan on
- 7 x 3.25 slots that can be in two separate (removable) cages - I like this from an expandability view

Cons: - The tool-less screws required tools initially. Not a huge deal, but the PCI card slots were more of a pain than I expected to use/access
- Minimal cable management provided, but this is an ATX case so there should not be too much running in it to clutter it
- The top 5.25 bay (2 total available) is essentially unusable because of the top-mounted USB/PCI/Audio "front" panel connection wires. While it may be doable, I just used the bay below it

Other Thoughts: Overall, a nice case for <$100. I compared it with Silvertone and Fractal Design and decided on the all aluminum with included fans. I do not regret the purchase and can use this for a gaming rig if I ever decide to change as I like the simple black form without LEDs.