Joined on 04/10/05
Impressive
Pros: Attention to detail and logical design. Every fan is pre-mounted on anti-vibration rings. Motherboard mounts already in place for ATX and thumbscrews provide the most solid mount for the motherboard I've seen. My first case with power supply on the bottom and the case seems much more stable for it. There's plenty of room in the case for aftermarket cpu coolers or liquid cooling (and pre fabricated holes for liquid too!). Cable routing was very easy, and I actually managed to put very many of them between the motherboard tray and the removable side panel (yes even that thick 24-pin)! Card retainers are sturdy and securely hold even my twin slot 8800 Ultras just fine. This case is very simple and easy to work with, everything you need is already included!
Cons: Cables from top mounted ports can interfere with top 5.25" bay. Front and top are a little too easily removed (and can be accidental). Thumbscrews for motherboard mounts can interfere with adjacent power cables (use the smaller thumbscrews in crowded places!). All those fans are 3-pin connectors with a converter to use a molex, which is fine for a fan or two, but when you've got 6 fans in a case with no fan controller, those molex adapters can really take up lots of space! About all that space for those long video cards, yes they fit, but it's a bit tricky to get them in place (suggest removing hard drive cage to make simpler).
Overall Review: I replaced all of the 120mm fans with the Enermax MAGMA UC-MA12 fans ($15 @ newegg) as soon as the case arrived. The fans included in the case are fine, but I had these in the previous Lian-Li and found them quieter and moved more air than the included 120mms. The blue ring on the front is kind of cool, but it really should glow in a ring or something cool like that. I really would have like to see it chase itself in circles as a hdd activity light, but it is still sharp looking in solid on. The case over all is very solid and smooth, I wasn't able to find a rough edge or cut myself anywhere in the process! As always I find myself very impressed with Lian-Li, and even owning a few of the other cases from them, this is surely king. The additional airflow and cooling in this case lowered the underload temps of my SLI 8800 Ultras by 6C over the previous Lian-Li desktop case.
Doesn't hold up against a Razer
Pros: Fully adjustable in nearly every direction (and weight) makes for a nice feel under your hand (until parts wear out). Cable is sturdy and well insulated. On the fly sensitivity and a sniper button make switching between tracking aircraft and precision sniping shorter than your respawn time.
Cons: Palm rest is barely held in place by a spring loaded arm attached with a single screw. After about 6 months of use, the screw kept backing out causing the rest to slide freely creating a horrible user experience. I changed to a less comfortable palm rest (which is now encountering the same issue). Feet are cheap, but well glued on, unfortunately that glue also picks up all sorts of dust and debris making a gooey mess that inhibits smooth tracking after a couple months. Half covered laser hole on bottom picks up the occasional crud from the feet, destroying any sense of accurate tracking until you can retrieve the offending clump of dust.
Overall Review: This was my first venture away from Razer mice since I bought my first one around 2001. Even though I was initially extremely very pleased with this mouse, over time the true durability and flaws came out. I'd stay away from these overly adjustable mice (it took me 2 weeks to get mine comfortable) and stick to a more traditional mouse.
Lots of options for enthusiasts
Pros: Easy setup in BIOS with structure that makes sense. Great OC support. EVGA Stands behind their products, talk to a real person who understands tech jargon and previous troubleshooting, even at 3am!
Cons: Internal I/O shield worthless, doesn't fit without contacting video cards in top PCI-E Slot Shipped with BIOS 1.01, Required BIOS 1.03 to use m.2 NVMe SSD Larger air coolers may not fit without pushing on RAM (even in slot 1) M.2 screws require a jeweler's screwdriver (not included)
Overall Review: I spent several hours trying to get the board to show the m.2 SSD in BIOS so that I could boot to it, much with tech support help. Only at the end of the entire affair did I realize (not instructed by tech support) that UEFI mode should show a Windows Boot Manager in BIOS instead of the SSD details.
SPEED!
Pros: Very Fast, quiet, and hasn't turned a coaster yet.
Cons: Tray feels a little flimsy, I wouldn't use it as a cup holder.
Overall Review: Replaced a highly rated similar spec Lite-On, and watched DVD rips cut from 35-40mins down to 10-15, burn times slightly less as well even at same rated speed.
Perfect... just one catch...
Pros: I've had this case for more than a year, and have just purchased a second one for another computer at the same desk to stack on top of the first. It's a beautiful case, very sharp looking, lots of attention to detail, very easy to hide cables for improved airflow, love the center mounted included 120mm fans.
Cons: Large footprint (but can fit full ATX). Difficult to find accessory kit (14cm fan B S-05, try e-bay). Installing 8800GTX or longer video cards requires the movement of the 120mm fans to the side of the case where not needed, so the video cards then get toasty. Doing so also puts the one of the PCI-E power connectors at a tight fit directly under the center crossbar, but can still plug cables in and out. NOT for high end SLI unless water cooling or willing to modify case for additional fans. If building performance system, greatly recommend addition of 80mm exhaust fan.
Overall Review: Annoying additional screws at front of top cover, not really a con, but small screws that have to be removed in addition to the thumb screws. Not a con b/c you can leave them out and looks fine. If having cooling issues suggest replacing 120mm fans with Enermax Magma UC-MA12 ($15 newegg.com), give another 20CFM airflow and are quieter than the ones sent from Lian Li. I also mounted an additional 120mm fan on the HDD cage. Overall a very good case, especially for a media center PC with lots of room for nearly anything you like.