LIAN LI PC-A17B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: When I decided to build a FreeNas network-storage machine, I realized that I needed a case that could accommodate a large number of drives. This case, with (9) 5.25" bays works perfect. The case itself is very well constructed - no defects or problems with the one I received. The top is removable allowing you to better route cables and access the power supply (great if your PSU is modular). The case is very light weight, has nice airflow, and is beautiful to look at.

Cons: The Power/Disk LEDs on the front are very bright. I ended up putting some black electrical tape over them.

Overall Review: I have installed three Lian-LI EX-34NB drive units, allowing this case to hold a total of (12) 3.5" HDDs. The included HDD rack is removable, but if you decide to use it, it holds (3) 3.5" HDDs and has a 120mm fan attached.

Pros: This case is very well made, and the removable motherboard is a treat. All panels are removable, making configuration and cable management easy as pie. The hard drive mounting system is awesome, and the case came with a bazillion little pieces that are oh-so-nice including a little plastic toolbox for screws and bolts and thumbscrews. A toolbox! Nice.

Cons: The front case LED power and HD activity LED connectors was a 3 pin connector, and would not fit on the motherboard. The others fit correctly, this doesn't, ill have to rewire it myself. With the CORE i7 and EVGA x58 trisli board, the motherboard will not remove properly when the heatsink is mounted. I reccomend installing everything you need to install, then mount heatsinks once you know you will not have to remove mobos anymore. The top fan makes it impossible to mount oversized power supply units, specifically, the 'CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply' The removable power supply 'tray', however, is very nice, so im just letting it overhang the back of the system a bit. I will design my own bracket system for the case.

Overall Review: Nice case, but go with a different model of Lian-Li if you are planning on an oversized computer system. I will be stealing a full tower and modding it for my system, then will donate the lian li case back to my place of employment.

Pros: It's a Lian Li, need I say more.

Cons: The price.

Overall Review: Simple is beautiful and I wish more case manufacturers would take note. Maybe if the engineers were banned from designing the exterior it wouldn't be a problem.

Pros: Very quiet. Well engineered. Mobo standoffs seem to be fine. Good looking case. The 3.5" internal drive brackets are movable and include rubber grommets to reduce hard drive vibration.

Cons: The front bezel has a curious mounting system. The mounting brackets that hold it on are hinged so that the bezel has a small amount of play. Once you tighten it up it seems fairly rigid, but I've got 10 HD's in a couple of the supermicro 5.25"-5x3.5" drive enclosures, which pushes the total system weight up pretty high. If I pick it up with a hand under the front bezel there is some shifting on the part of the bezel, resulting in being slightly out of line until the screws are loosened and it's put back into position.

Overall Review: I like this case a lot.

Pros: I ordered two of these cases. They look great, and I especially like the ESATA, USB, Firewire, and audio connectors located on the top of the case. The case fans are large and can move a lot of air. The cable retention clamps on the bottom of the motherboard tray make it easy to route a lot of cables.

Cons: I encountered quality control problems with one of the two cases that I ordered. Two parts of the internal case structure that were supposed to be riveted together were not. The rivet was there, but it was only riveted to one of the two metal elements pushing the other element out. The motherboard tray does not slide into the case but rather hinges into it which just does not work as well as if the tray slid into the case because the IO plate is mounted to the chassis. When installing the motherboard tray the motherboard screws have to remaing loose to allow for positioning of the motherboard rear connectors through the IO plate holes. It is easier to mount the motherboard to the tray with the tray installed in the case. The motherboard tray design on my Lian Li PC-6077 case was better. The case chassis metal is a bit on the thin side. The metal in my PC-6077 case is thicker. The chassis is rather flimsy until everything is fastened together, and then the case becomes rigid.

Overall Review: It is obvious that a lot of thought went into the case design, but when paying $200 for a case I should not have to experience quality control problems. I rated one of my cases a 5 and the other one a 0 because it is can't be used. The average was 2.5 so I rounded to 3.

Pros: This is my first Lian Li case also. I currently own and use 2 Antec 900 cases, but was looking for something a little different. This case is just that, a little different. I like the all aluminum build and I really like the power supply being on the top of the case. One problem with the Antecs is that the 4 pin extra 12+ volt line may not reach. I also like not having 2 fans in the front, allows for more choices on how to install 5.25” drives and accessories, such as a fan bus. The case is quieter than the Antec, which makes the wife happy.

Cons: The two 120mm fans that came with the case are adequate, but I swapped them out with 2 high end Scythe fans. There is more than twice the airflow with the same noise level.

Overall Review: Overall a very good case that weighs less than the Antec 900, is it worth 70$ or so more, that is a tough question.

Pros: Removeable motherboard tray Wire management good Lots of screws (I like screws, screwless is a gimmick), and handy box for screws Hard drives slip into place Very silent

Cons: If you are going SLI you will probably have to move the hard drive cage.

Overall Review: I had an Antec Nine Hundred case until it was stolen from me. This is a better case.

Pros: Good air flow, plenty of bays, 3 fans (120mm) that are pretty quiet, top mounted USB / audio panel, looks pretty!!!

Cons: There is a design flaw with the HD cage. The cage interferes with the screw holes for the bottom bay. The cage is pop riveted so you can't easily disassemble the cage, place the HD in and re-assemble the cage and place it into the case. I was unable to use the bottom bay which is why it doesn't get 5 stars from me. Also played around with this for longer than I care to admit and it just got the better of me. Maybe someone else has a simple solution, but I couldn't figure it out. I have to admit the price I paid was too much for this inconvenience. Also if you have a large card there may be cable interfernce between the HD and the back of the card especially if you're running multiple cards and drives (but this should be obvious if you check the measuments of the components so not a real flaw or loss of an egg but just kind of PITA). Other con is the price was steep when I made my purchase!!!!!

Overall Review: I tried contacting Lian Li for an additional cage (they have an attached fan and I'd like it for the additional GPU / CPU cooling) but have yet to hear back from them so that should cost them another egg. I have used Lian Li exclusively for my builds and for the computers that I build for others and I have to admit that I will now look at other manufacturers before I make a final decision whereas before I would just look at the LL stock and find something that fit my needs regardless of the price. New Rig = MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5; CPU: Intel Core i7 920; Video Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 X2; Memory: 6GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR DDR3 1600; HD: VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS; Power Supply: ABS Tagan BZ900 900W; Optical Drive: LG Black 22X with LightScribe; O/S: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit; Case: LIAN LI PC-A17B