Lian Li: Quality Cases, but a Wallet Breaker
Hey guys, Icarus here. I thought of a new idea: reviewing computer component companies as an overall company for its products, and review them from a computer hardware reviewer looking at new computer components from different perspectives. Today I will talk about Lian Li.
When I hear the word Lian Li, a few words come to mind: classic, excellent quality, and a long tradition for building only the best cases with the best construction, structure, and material. If you have never seen a Lian Li Case, you are missing out; just one look at its classic look and the interior design will put you all in awe.
Lian Li has been around for a very very long time now, and they have always been known as an excellent company of cases. They’re known for their own “Lian Li classic look” that they have created on their own, and I respect them for that. They have stayed in the “normal” computer case type for a pretty long time until a few months ago when they released their first new gaming computer case. The new gaming cases still had the feel and similarity of a classic Lian Li, but the classic look was utilized with the modern gaming impression. This case is also great.
However, Lian Li has one large concern: the price of the case. Although it is understandable to raise the prices of cases because they are made of the top material and with the top structure, many Lian Li cases are still over $250. This is somewhat outrageous for a case; a computer builder on a somewhat tight budget, who is among the abundant mid-budget computer builders, cannot slap down three hundred dollar bills on a single component of a computer, especially the case. The importance of the case is to safely shelter and create a pathway for the components to cool down, but unless the components are also very good, the case will not be worth it.
Many Lian Li cases are also large, with too many hard drive cages and optical drive cages to fill. This makes it hard to fully utilize the case itself, making the case have a bad price-to-performance ratio.
So, from the perspective of a computer builder, Lian Li is an excellent company for cases. However, from a budget point of view, Lian Li will not be on the list for many computer builders.
Icarus
Related Posts
Icarus and Computers Top
The Case Review: The Antec Three Hundred
Ok, well, I got the motivation to write another article tonight. This time, I’m going to review the new Antec Three Hundred Case.
Hmm… well, one look at this case, and the first thing that occurred to my mind was how similar this case was to the Antec 900. Although it seems as though Antec is going through another evolution of the Antec 900, the real evolution is the Antec Twelve Hundred case, just so that there is no misunderstanding.
The Antec Three Hundred has similar internal structures as the Antec 900, with enough room for 6 hard drives, an NVidia 8800 series GPU, and one 120mm fan with another one 140mm fan. This case also includes fan filters, which is a large plus because there will be minimal dust in your case to have potentially harmful damages to your internal components.
The one con in this case is the look. Although this case was created to be a more affordable gaming case than the Antec 900, the gaming look that Antec created is not quite there. It would be unfair to compare this case to the Antec 900, but there are just too many similarities to completely ignore the influences of the Antec 900 case.
So, overall, this case is very nice; just not my example of a gaming case.
Icarus
Related Posts
Icarus and Computers Top
Computer Cases: Which One would Suit My Needs the Best?
Hey guys, Icarus here again. I’ve talked about budget gaming computers and workstations and such, and made a list of components for you of what I would suggest. But since I made this blog to teach and inform you all about computer hardware, I’m going to teach you how to pick your own components. Today, it’s the case.
So, there’re so many cases out there. I’m almost certain that there’re way more cases out there than motherboards, Intel and AMD chipsets combined. So, which one should I get?
Well, first consider your needs, such as:
1. Do I need to be able to move this case around constantly for LAN parties, work, etc.?
2. How much space will I need for i.e. dual-GPU set-up, many harddrives?
3. Am I going to use air-cooling or water-cooling?
4. Do I care about noise, or would I need a quiet case?
5. Would I want to organize my cables, or just leave them be?
Those are just some of the key factors you must consider when picking out a case.
Notice that, no where in that list, looks and aesthetics of the case are in there. Why? Because that should be the VERY last thing you should consider. There’re many cases out there with awesome looks but horrible interior, such as sleek looks but horrible air-cooling. So remember, looks come LAST.
Now, once you narrow down the choices to a list that fits on a piece of paper, now consider your budget. Which ones fit in your budget? Which one seems to give you the most positive aspects for its price?
Now, after you do that, you can consider looks. I myself don’t really care about the looks, but I know that there’re many of you out there who have different opinions, so I’ll leave the looks up to you.
Seems overly simple right? Well, it really is that simple. It’s just that there’re so many choices, like motherboards, out there that it seems as though the list of cases is endless. But don’t worry, once you follow these simple steps, it won’t be hard anymore. It’ll be easy and fun.
Hope this guide helps. See you all later!
Icarus
Related Posts
Icarus and Computers Top
The Hardware Review: Cooler Master RC-690
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Mid Tower Case Retail
This is the RC-690 case, one of my favorite cases of all time. It’s the predecessor to the Cooler Master 590, but I like the looks of this one a lot more, with its sleek black chassis. It also is somewhat better than the 590: 7 holes for 120mm fans(that’s usually all you’ll need… 8 is a bit overkill), more room for HDD’s and optical drives, and best of all, it’s “SLI approved”… although that just means you can SLI two cards, this monster can fit 2 8800GTX’s. That means it can practically fit anything, maybe not the 9800GX2… but almost all GPU’s will fit comfortably in this mid-tower case.
It also features tool-less assembly and friendly parts(no sharp edges to cut your fingers off :P), so no hassle for assembling your dream computer. For $79.99 at Zip, you get a case with awesome air-cooling potential, room for many HDD’s and optical drives, tool-less assembly, and a sleek-looking black aluminum case; you can’t miss it.
Well, that’s all for now, see you all later!
Icarus
Related Posts
Icarus and Computers Top
The Hardware Review: Cooler Master Centurion 590 Mid-Tower Case
COOLER MASTER RC-590-KKN1-GP Centurion 590 Steel Mid Tower Case Black Retail
This case is just… simply awesome. For $64.99 at ZipZoomFly, you get a solid mid-tower case which can take up to 8 120mm fans, which will make for great air-cooling, solid aluminum chassis, a lot of room for extra HDD’s and optical drives, and best of all, it can fit fairly large graphics cards. This case is reminiscent of the Cooler Master RC-690 case, which is also an excellent case, but with a few small improvements. First of all, it has more room for front-mounted fans, which will keep all of your drives cool, and 2 more vents at the top for air output. IMO, with 3 fans in front intaking air and 4 fans outputting hot air, all of your components will have an excellent air-cooling system. The front mesh also helps for taking in air and keeping the same, sleek look. The case also features toolless and friendly assembly, so putting in all of your components will be very easy.
Well, that’s all for now. See you all later!
Icarus
Related Posts
Icarus and Computers Top « Older Posts — Newer Posts »