Deciding between the Lian Li 60 and the Cooler Master ATC-210???

[tecumseh]

Cooler Master ATC-210 will cost me an additional $140.00 w/ a 350 watt ps!
The Lian Li is only $200.00 w/ a 350 watt ps!

So which would you chose??

 

[Ausone]

I'm in the same boat and will probably choose CM ATC-210 because of better construction and appearance.

A while ago, there was a long thread in Ars Open Forum about a Lian-Li PC60USB case rattling loudly due to resonance with its fans. While this could, in principle, happen with any aluminium case, it seems to happen more often with Lian-Li cases than with CM cases. In fact no one reported a similar phenomenon with CM cases. While this might be due to the smaller population of CM owners, it may also be due to difference in construction quality. At least, choosing CM seems to be a safer bet in avoiding the resonance problem. Moreover, CM has two fans compared to three fans for Lian-Li.

Although quietness has the highest priority in my decision making regarding my second box, I have also taken into account some aesthetics. No offense to Lian-Li owners, but I'm not so much impressed with Lian-Li's design. On the other hand, I'm really impressed with CM ATC-210's design. I think it's aesthetically on a par with Macs, or perhaps even better. Lian-Li lacks in elegance, compared to ATC-210. But aesthetic evaluation is quite subjective, so others may feel differently.

Costwise, Lian-Li wins obviously, and Lian-Li may be more cost-effective, depending on how one values both. However, to me, getting a rattling, noisy case is something that I'd like to avoid at all cost since it defeats my objective for getting a new case, so the price difference is not of much significance. Moreover, to my eyes, CM has better design and appearance that partially justifies the price gap.

 

[ku]

I personally used the Lian-Li myself and I must say, it is great. You won't regret getting the Lian-Li. However, I have never used the CM. I hear from people that Lian Li is just a better case with price not being a factor.

 

[bluesky]

I have a PC-60, but I don't know what's so great.

Few things I don't like.
The standoff for m/b.
It's so fragile.
The reset button is hard to press.
HD bracket.

 

[tazdevl]

No complaints here with the PC60. But if you need me to get a bat and hit you on the head for being stoopid please let me know. If you can get one $60 cheaper than the other.... do you need me to answer your question?

Both are great cases... Coolermasters are generally more expensive than LianLi, quality is the same. The 210 will not cool as well as the LianLi. That's what happens when you put a door on the front that blocks the airflow.

bluesky, you must have gotten a fake LianLi. You want a reset button that's easy to push? I've had a few cases like that and hit the button in the middle of a clan match... not good. Or do you have sausages in place of your fingers? As to it being fragile... I've sat on it while I modded the hell out of it and it's just as solid as the day I pulled it out of the box. HD bracket... what, you don't like mounting your HD's vertically? Put them up in the floppy cage then and pull out the HD cage. The 210 just stacks them up vertically, wouldn't call that a great leap ahead either.

Ausone, the ratting in the LianLi's is not a big deal and not a lot of people encounter it. I did and discovered that it's the PCI slot covers that come with the case. All you need to do is either wrap the middle or one end of it with electrical tape or bend the middle of it out. In my book... not a big deal. If quiet is your concern... let us not forget the rheostat that comes with the PC60 to turn the fan speed down and reduce noise. Last time I checked the 210 did not have that. Aesthetically, the only difference between the LianLi and the CM 210 is a colored door which blocks airflow coming in the front of the case. Please... more in line with the Macs. LOL. They are just as boxy and shiny as a LianLi.

Next time please do a search, there have been at least 20 other posts that asked the same question in the last 2 months.

 

[Ausone]

<< If quiet is your concern... let us not forget the rheostat that comes with the PC60 to turn the fan speed down and reduce noise. >>



tazdevl, I know, but it doesn't really make much difference in the end if quietness is the ultimate concern. For you can always run a fan at 7V by modding the fan. If I get Lian-Li, probably I'll always run its front fan at the lowest setting, which is 7V. If I get CM, I'll mod its fan to run at 7V. Then, it comes down to the number of fans, in which respect CM may has a little edge (both seem to use fans of similar CFM & noise, which means you can replace stock fans of each by the same type of fans.).

Thanks for your info about rattling of Lian-Li case. It looks if you are not so unlucky, you won't have much trouble with rattling. Without rattling, probably the difference in quietness may be minimal.



<< The 210 will not cool as well as the LianLi. That's what happens when you put a door on the front that blocks the airflow. >>



It's also because of the lack of any intake fan and a fewer number of fan. It only has a rear exhaust fan and a top exhaust fan. Given that other models of CM have intake fans, this may be the result of putting the front door. The front door itself, however, may not be so detrimental. Given that CM is designed to be cooled by exploiting thermal convection, it might be able to achieve the same level of cooling as LL PC60 if it had an intake fan at the bottom of case, like ATC-101.



<< Aesthetically, the only difference between the LianLi and the CM 210 is a colored door >>



That's a big difference indeed, but not the only one. Personally, I find the design of CM 210's lower front panel to be more sophisticated than Lian-Li's, too. CM 210 is Mac-like, but in a good sense. It's not iMac-like.

 

[TalonDSM]

I have a LianLi 61 USB and there isnt one thing I dont like about it. You deffinetly wont regret buying the Lian Li. Some say the CM cools better, but if you replace the stock fans on the Lian Li with some that perform a little better, it cools just fine. I have replaced all my fans, I run 2 Sunon 36 cfm in the front, and one Sunon 42 cfm in the rear. Little louder but my system temps are room temperature, and under load only 2-3 degrees higher. This case is just beautiful, anyone who says they are POS isnt in the right mind. The only thing I dont like about it is wiping the finger prints off lol. IMO I would take the Lian Li over the CM, I dont like the way the CM looks in the front, it doesnt look bad, I just like the Lian Li better.

 

[oakfan]

I must admit I did like the look of the Cooler Maser case when I saw it at Fry's. However, as someone who likes buying expensive toys, even I could not justify the cost differential between the Lian-Li & the Cooler Master, which is why my second Lian-Li case should arrive tomorrow.