- Aluminum ATX Full Tower
- USB 3.0 x 2 / USB 2.0 x 2 / HD Audio Front Ports
- 2 External 5.25" Drive Bays
Good Case
10/29/2012
This review is from: LIAN LI PC-A76 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Pros:
See review "The Limits of Aluminum"
Cons:
See review "The Limits of Aluminum"
Overall Review:
After owning this case for a bit more and discovering what it truly has to offer, I decided to change my review. This is a 4 egg case, so I rated it 5 eggs to even out my earlier review.
Everything I said before still stands, I just misunderstood how to take advantage of this case. The top 2x120mm fans should be for silent fans or closed loop liquid cooling. Loud fans that push a lot of air are somewhat useless, as the air flows from the front of the case to the back. These fans should only be used to get rid of excess heat, and the quiet stock fans from my earlier cases work perfectly here.
The HDD column serves as a PERFECT mounting bracket for 3x120mm fans. You can slip some rubber pads into the HDD slots (just like you're installing a HDD) and zip-tie a fan through the 50+ holes in the HDD column. Just like that you have 3 silent fans that can finish pushing air from the front of the case to the vital parts.
I noticed no noise difference between using 2x120mm fans on top of the case and keeping the aluminum plates locked in. Take advantage of this.
Opening the door on the case does increase airflow (and noise). My idle temps drop by about 6 degrees C with the door open (after about 15 minutes of leaving it open).
Do NOT use the fan kits that come with the case. The metal screens that Lian Li supplies are extremely prone to vibrating and hitting the edge of the fan cut out. Instead use a generic fan grill; it looks nicer too.
Since you're using an aftermarket CPU cooler (most likely a very large one) you'll only be able to fit one 140mm fan into the side of the case. My side fan actually fits so snug that it touches the heat sink of my CPU cooler. Keep an eye out for 140x20mm fans, they'll give you more breathing room. The fan that I can fit onto the side panel sits right in front of my two GTX 560s, which is perfect for sucking that hot air out. If you have an XL-ATX motherboard you'll have the same luxury.
This case isn't silent, but it's close. The stock case comes with 4 fans. I'm using 10, and the case has impressed me with how quiet it is. It's about as loud as my mini fridge.
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- Zachary S.
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Verified Owner
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Owned For:
1 month to 1 year
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