LIAN LI PC-Q03B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case

Pros: Small, light, and solidly contructed

Cons: none

Other Thoughts: Made a whisper quiet killer Linux workstation with this for under $570 with shipping. Ubuntu 12.10 installed with everything working without a hitch! This is all you need:
- ASRock Z77E-ITX LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
- Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
- Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD3 mSATA 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
- LIAN LI PC-Q03B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case $89.99
- Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
- SeaSonic SS-300ET Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE
- SAMSUNG Internal Slim 8x DVD Writer 8X DVD+R
- StarTech Model SLSATAF12 12 in [304.8 mm] 12" Slimline SATA to SATA with LP4 Power Cable Adapte4

Pros: Small
Clean
Well built

Cons: Bright power light - should be tiny led or be tunable by end user - too bright for htpc.....
Is that my only complaint - i think it is and i am right picky...

Other Thoughts: An Update:

The Noctua fit like a glove. Ultimately the system went together quite well, easier than i had hoped after seeing the Q03 case. I debated over springing for an SFX PSU but read elsewhere that having an oversized, high quality PSU in the Q03 box was a good idea; this is due to the PSU providing the main chassis fan for the case. So with an oversized PSU, it never works anywhere close to its capacity and therefore the PSU's heat v/s its fans cooling capacity leaves the PSU quite cool with its fan barely spinning up. Between the Anatec PSU and the Noctua PSU cooler the system is all but dead silent from 3' away and my temps at idle range from 38-42 C; under HTPC loads the temps bump up to 40-45 C with no additional noticeable fan noise, though i do note that speed must increase per the increase in moving air. Running Prime95 just as a safety test, temps ranged from 42-48 with the occasional spike over 50C, up to 54C, but these spikes are short lived; as these spikes did occur the fans spun up to audible for the first time since powering the system up and the temps quickly dropped back to the ~45C range with the fans dropping dropping back to near silent almost simultaneously. Following the 120 minute run of Prime95 the box was cool and silent after 3 or 4 minutes.

Final Build Specs:

-Lian Li Q03-B
-i3 3225
-xfx 6670
-Samsung 840 SSD - 120GB
-WD 2.5" HDD - 750GB
-unknown slim optical/BluRay drive
-Anatec 650w 80+ Gold PSU
-Asus p8z77-I deluxe/WD
-8GB Memory

Lessons learned for the Q03 box:

-I like the oversized, high quality PSU - allows the PSU to double as a chassis fan why remaining practically dead silent during all use other than stress testing

-the Noctua is definitely not a replacement for the radiator on your race car, but on an ITX build in a pretty small box with an SSD, 2.5" HDD, slim optical blu-ray, 6670 graphics card and an efficient PSU overkill doubling as a chassis fan, the Noctua is perfect.

-keep lots of little SATA cables around during this build - every inch of cable you dont use is better cooling in your case and i imagine that if you picked up this board space and cooling are likely to be the two items atop the priorities.

Final Thoughts:

If i hadn't stumbled into most of the parts at no cost to me, i would have built my HTPC a bit more basic; having said that, this is a sweet machine. As a long time Gigabyte builder, i have no regrets with the Asus MB. it is apparently well built, has yielded a very stable system and allowed me to have a powerhouse full of features in a case smaller than my shoe boxes.... Just wish Asus would head comments on color scheme - i could never use their color schemes building a gamer or enthusiast rig for a client, say in a HAF-XB - i would get laughed at! Quite a shame as i really like the Asus BIOS.........

Pros: - compact
- high quality materials
- fits ATX power supply
- no wasted space
- cleverly engineered

Cons: - compact
- reduced airflow (possibly?)

Other Thoughts: This case is absolutely amazing. The finish of the material is great, the interior materials are all high quality. The layout is very well thought out, given the cases small dimensions. The fact that it can take a full ATX power supply sold me, given it's tiny dimensions. It also fits a PCI-E video card, 1 thin 3.5" HDD, one slim optical drive, two memory sticks, and a stock Intel CPU fan.

I bought the very low profile (VLP) memory sticks and they helped save space. By far, the power supply hogs almost all the space in the case (about 1/3 of the available volume). That being said, I have an i3 3220 running in there and it seems to be relatively cool (30 degrees idle). So, the airflow/heating hasn't been an issue yet.

Overall, sweet case, well-though out and designed, excellent materials. I don't mind having paid a premium for it, since I think it will last a while and it is very compact/mobile. I had to buy it from moc.nozamA since Newegg didn't carry it. It also saved me money on tax!

Pros: This case is very nice looking and is very well made as are all Lian Li products. ( This is my 3rd. )

The removable side panels are nice, although the gear is so tightly packed inside it doesn't get you access to much.

Cons: It could use another slot so one could mount extra USB brackets to the case as they are always in short supply it seems.

Other Thoughts: Maybe ditch the mini dvd slot altogether? Make it so you can mount the 2x 2.5" drives AND a 3.5?

I'm pretty happy with it just the way it is.

Pros: This is a well-designed, attractive case that can be hidden away or put on display. By designing for a slim tray optical disc, with no other front panel openings but USB port, Lian Li provides a clean, minimalist appearance. The screwless design makes getting into the case for upgrades or maintenance very easy; the sides snap on or off. Another good design feature: a drive tray that can hold a single 3.5" drive or a pair of 2.5" drives; no adapter required. I installed a 2.5" SSD and a 2.5" 1t HDD. The drive tray sits in the bottom of the case, and the motherboard mounts vertically on the right side (that's right as you look at the case from the front). The no-fan design means this case is great for a media PC that sits in the living room; slots in the sides allow for heat escape. My CPU cooler has a fan that helps move warm air out, and the 55w i3-3225 CPU doesn't generate much heat in the first place.

Cons: Space in this case is at a premium, and it can be difficult to maneuver your hands in there. Think twice about getting a huge CPU cooler, because it's likely going to be too tall to fit. It would be nice if a pair of 3.5" drives would fit, but there's just not enough space without running into the CPU cooler. If your motherboard supports an mSATA card, take advantage of that for a third drive, if you need it (but that means giving up that slot for a WiFi card; get a USB WiFi stick instead). Or, if you don't need an optical drive, you can mount a 2.5" drive in that tray. As for video, you can forget a huge graphics card that covers 2 slots on an ATX board. Use a motherboard/CPU combo that offers HD4000 graphics onboard instead. The lack of case fan means you should go with a low-power CPU or you may run into heat issues.

Other Thoughts: This is a mini-ITX case, so it's obviously not intended for rabid gamers who need large, pricey graphics cards, or high-volume video editors who need scads of RAM and multiple large hard drives inside the case. Your motherboard choices can be somewhat limited. As far as I can see, the Intel DH77DF is about the best one available. Combined with a CPU that supports onboard HD4000 graphics, it will satisfy the majority of non-gamers or video editors. The result is a quiet, stylish PC you'll be proud to put on display... or not. :-)

Pros: Small
Light weight
Black
Sturdy
Motherboard tray comes out for installation
Fits my ASUS C60M1-I perfectly
USB 3.0 on the front
Enough space for 3 SSDs

Cons: Sadly my case did not come with the USB 3.0 -> USB 2.0 adapter cable like it shows in the instructions. So I am without front USB ports until I can purchase the adapter separately.

Other Thoughts: I should note the OCZ Revodrive 240gb PCIe card barely fits in the case. It just barely fits both length wise and height wise. Keep that in mind when buying ram with huge heatsinks or a card with large heatsinks.