Recomendations between Lian Li cases

[Saivior]

This is my first build. I received a gift certificate to newegg and I want to upgrade my case. I have a hard budget of $160 shipped and I need some help deciding between these cases:

PC-65B - $150.05 shipped.
- I like the window, but is there going to be a problem with cooling or noise with only 80mm fans?
PC-60B plus II - $155.00 shipped
- No window, but 120mm fans ...
PC-7b plus II - $115.00 shipped
- No window, 120mm fans, but I read that it isn't constructed as well as the other two.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

This is the first upgrade for a brand new system that I would like to last for quite a few years. I will be doing it piece by piece as my budget allows. It will, hopefully, culminate in: (I don't plan on finishing until Christmas time)

AMD 3700+ San Diego (939)
ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4
Nvidia 7900GT
2x - 250g HDD
Better power supply than I currently have
Various other nick-nacks (media card reader, dvd burner...)

 

[scrawnypaleguy]

Lian Li PC-7B

$100 w/ window + shipping. I've got it, it's not flimsy at all. MUCH quieter than my friend's PC-60B with 1 x 120mm and 2 x 80mm fans. If you want it quieter, I suggest replacing the stock 120's with yate loons, and you really don't need the 120 above the video cards unless you really want to, it'll just add noise.

 

[acegazda]

personally i think the pc-60 plus is the way to go because the air duct (which adds to the coolong performance contrary to popular opinion) in addition monarch has it for 145 shipped black here!
it is however a little noisier than the pc-7b but not a lot from what i hear.
The cooling is superior though.


PS u can save $20 by going with the silver version... but if you want black its still an ok deal.

 

[acegazda]

also...
for a power supply go with a fortron blue storm 400w or a 500w if you can afford it.
Other great psus are the enermax liberty (400w or 500w or 620w) and the
and seasonic 430w or 500w
u could really go eaither way with the wattage... 500w will allow for more drives in the future but enermax has an 80% efficiancy so the 400 might be fine.
U wont be needing an SLI certified either...

Seasonic 430w
Enermax Liberty 400w (modular)
Fortron blue 400w

good luck

 

[Saivior]

Thanks for the input so far.
The problem (if you can call it one) is that I have a Gift Card for Newegg.

 

[scrawnypaleguy]

That rear fan duct on the PC-60 won't work if you use a large aftermarket heatsink. My friend with that case used an XP-90 and it wouldn't fit.

 

[pkme2]

I use 2 PC-60s. I added 120mm Yate Loons to my top exhausts. Since my rigs are AMDs, I find the generic AMD HSFs work great with the replacement YLs. This case is quite good on cooling. I tried an Arctic Freezer and it wasn't necessary. The unit sells for $99 on Newegg.

 

[Boztech]

I would definitely go with the PC7 Plus II. Better, more quiet cooling and could support a 120mm rad for H20.

 

[imported_Miyagi]

Have you considered any other brands.. i'm a fan of the Antec cases these days...

Maybe check these out...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129173

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129145

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129158

Just a different thought...

Cheers,
Miyagi

 

[Saivior]

I was thinking about the Antec P-160 but the front grill kinda lost it for me... and I have heard just too many good things about Lian Li cases, so I am going to jump on the band-wagon.

How much easier does the removeable motherboard tray make life?

 

[Operandi]

Antec make nice functional cases but they have nothing on Lian Li when it comes to fit and finish.

Of those three the PC-7B is the easy choice due to its use of 120mm fans, but in all honesty I find all the PC-6 and 7 series a bit to bland looking.

I went with the PC-6070 for my system, though I did modify it for improved air flow. Currently they are up to the 6070 Plus II which makes a few improvements on air flow, it could be an option if it?s in your budget.

The PC-V600 looks like a great option. Compact design, much better looking (in my opinion) then either the 7B or 65B, and dual 120mm fans. Seems like the only down side is the compact design may limit the use of some taller aftermarket HS/Fs.

CoolerMaster also has PAC-T01 (Praetorian is a stupid name for case) which is very similar to the PC-6x series but built much better and a more of a looker as well. It dose use 80mm fans but you get four of them vs. three on the Lian Li.

 

[RallyMaster]

Removable motherboard trays are one thing I always look for in a case nowadays. I have run my computer on the motherboard tray when I'm doing things to my case or when I'm overclocking for easy access to the CMOS jumper.

 

[you2]

The Lian li 60 comes with 4 fans - 2 120 and 2 80. The 60a plus (not plus ii) can be purcahsed for around $117 @ directoron. They both have 4 fans - the plus has the air fan that blows over the pci cards - the plus ii have a fan on the side of the case (li-lian website list both the plus and plus ii ont heir website and shows the differnce). As i said the plus is $117 at directon. My only complaint with the li-lian (over the pac-t101 or antec-160) is that they do not have quick rails on the 51/4 drives. The hard disk is a non issue - it goes into a cage that is easy to remove. My other case (older antec models and kingwin 424 (which is a nice case but no longer sold) have rails.

 

[Enig101]

When I eventually gather the resources to purchase a new PC, I'll be going for Lian-Li. Out of the most praised case manufacturers, I simply like their design the most. With the performance as a given, it was an easy choice for me. At the moment I am probably going to get the PC-7B plus II because of the price, space, and dual 120mm's.

Originally posted by: Saivior
How much easier does the removeable motherboard tray make life?

From what I've read, the cases are roomy enough for this not to be a significant con. I don't have any personal experience though (yet).

Originally posted by: Operandi
The PC-V600 looks like a great option. Compact design, much better looking (in my opinion) then either the 7B or 65B, and dual 120mm fans. Seems like the only down side is the compact design may limit the use of some taller aftermarket HS/Fs.

About this case. I like the V1000 alot, but the price of those models is too high for my budget so this case interested me. The reverse/compact layout of the case puts the PSU right over the CPU. I wonder how that affects cooling. On the other hand, the exhaust by the expansion slots would pull the rising heat from the mobo nicely. I'm still considering this one. It is ~$50 more than the PC-7 plus II.

 

[cyberkost]

This should have been a poll . Had it been one, I'd have voted for PC-7B ... because that's what I picked when faced a similar choice ... for all the known reasons: Ok style, excellent build quality, 2x120mm fans, washable filter. The only problem with this case (could be the same for PC-60/65) is that the cable from the front audio ports barely reaches the connector on Karajan module on my DFI LanParty (I have to use individual "pin extenders" in order to have the front ports working -- and, ironically, the window is there just to make that poor cable job exposed). This cable should be plenty long if you use a soundcard though.

 

[TrevorRC]

If you're holding off 'till X-Mas, don't bother spec'ing it now. Save your money then make your decision then. Core will completely change the game. [As in, a 3700+ will be what the 2800+ sempr0n is now.]

And, I have the PC-65B, and though it's a nice case, I probably wouldn't reccomend it. Very sharp, scratches very easily. As in, virtually any movement will damage it.

--Trevor

 

[Saivior]

At this point the PC-7B is leading because of price, mostly, and that the features are virtually the same as the higher priced PC-65B.

If anybody has any other ideas or opinions, they are still very welcome.

 

[you2]

I picked the 60 plus since it was nearly the same price as the pc-7b and it has four fans. The removeable mother tray was a minor consideration.

 

[cyberkost]

Regarding the scratch'ability of Lian-Li -- I did not manage to put any scratches (despite moving it a few times) on my PC-7B during several months I've owned it ... I guess I haven't tried hard enough ... But seriously, I'd tend to say that it's not easily scratched (I know I'm contradicting TrevorRC here, who probably has more experience in this matters) ...

 

[Saivior]

Ok, going with this same "style" of case, is there any other case that anybody would recommend? I am looking to purchase the case next weekend (after i get paid).