The Lian-Li PC-X500 Aluminum Case is a mid-tower case that works as a gaming case or even a home theatre PC.
With its beautiful aluminium construction and a simple design, this case will appeal to many.
Introduction
Lian-Li is recognized and known for their quality aluminum cases. Their cases have a simple, yet refined styling that make it appeal to a wide audience including gamers, HTPC builders, and even business users looking for a workstation. In fact, no matter which line you choose, you really can’t go wrong with one of their cases because the quality speaks for itself. Today, we take a look at the Lian-Li PC-X500.
A Closer Look
What gives the case its unique looks are the rounded corners at the top of the case followed with a silver decorative line running straight down the middle of the front of the case. The most unique feature of the case is that it allows you to put an external drive such as a CD/DVD Rom drive on either side of the case. This can be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but can bring potential problems. Since this case is also being advertised as a HTPC, this configuration may not be ideal when placing this midtower next to a TV stand or some other obstruction.
At the back of the case, you can see two 120 mm fans, seven PCI expansion slots, and four small holes at the bottom right used for watercooling purposes.
The case includes 4 USB ports, a Firewire port, 2 audio ports, and it was fresh to see an eSATA port as well.
The front panel of the case was removed simply by pulling it off. It reveals two 120mm fans in the front with a removable dust filter. Right at the center is a switch which allows you to control the fan speeds of those front fans: low, medium, and high.
Removing either panel of the case was very easy. There is a single thumbscrew on the back of the case on each side. All you do is unscrew the thumbnail, pull on it afterward, and the bracket will pull out to unlock the panel. After that, the panel can be removed by pulling from the top and removing it. This design is elegant in the sense that there is no need to worry about losing thumbscrews. When removing a panel, each panel is lined with a thin layer of foam which is used for some noise dampening.
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In order to install your hard drives, you need to remove the hard drive cages and installing the hard drives is as simple as using the provided thumbscrews.
Conclusion
This case really does scream of quality. The aluminum panels, the included fans, and the overall construction of the case. While the case is a bit too tall and big for my personal tastes, this case is an excellent case if you looking for a unique case and you have a lot of components in your PC. If you have a watercooling unit, then this case will accomodate it. The only main factor is probably the price. At a suggested retail price of about $360, this case is quite expensive in the US. At that price, it may be a turn-off since there are many other cases to choose from with similar quality from a more ‘local’ brand.
