Lian Li Unveils New PC Cases During 2021 Digital Expo 2.0 Event

[Tsing]

Image: Lian Li



Lian Li has published its 2021 Digital Expo 2.0 event. Available to watch on Lian Li’s official YouTube channel, the three-part series provides details on a few of the manufacturer’s upcoming PC cases and fan products. These include the LANCOOL III, a brand-new prototype case that features hinged glass side panels and shroud panels that extend around the front of the case for easier opening and closing, and the Q58, a small form factor case that offers impressive modularity, radiator support, and cooling performance. Lian Li also shared information on another prototype called the UNI FAN SL120 INFINITY, a version of the SL120 modular fan with infinity mirrors.



UNI FAN SL120 INFINITY...

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[THUMPer]

I'm really interested in the Q58 and the A4.

 

[Brian_B]

I still like LL cases - almost all my builds use them.

But I've definitely noticed they've started to become hit or miss.

Case in point: I built a rig with a Lancool 2 back in December. It was a nice case. Very similar layout to the one in the picture above - if not identical. And just before that, a Rosewill Cullinan V500 that was pretty much the same thing - probably came off the same assembly line.

Not aluminum, but high quality, nice tight fit on everything, nice hinges and fasteners on everything, magnetic latches, dust screens, etc.

So my latest build last week I put together my newest computer in a Lancool 215. Supposedly just a bit shorter than the Lancool 2, I was expecting similar build quality. It wasn't even close, unfortunately. It felt more like what I would expect out of Rosewill or any of the cheap knockoff brands - stamped metal, kinda loose fit everywhere, anemic fans, etc. Despite being a Lancool named case, it wasn't anywhere close the the 2, or the Cullinan for that matter. The only thing that felt "premium" about it was that they threw in 2 velcro ties for cable management.

The 215 isn't a horrible case, and the price wasn't outrageous, but it wasn't what I had come to expect from Lian Li as a premium brand.

I had one other similar experience with another midtower case about 5 years ago, PC-K5X. I thought I had bought a counterfeit case at the time, it was that poor - the side panels were so poorly stamped you have to bang on them to get them to latch in.

 

[THUMPer]

After the son took over CEO spot, they really scaled back on designs. No longer making limited edition type of cases, and not using all aluminum in their builds. And for that, I haven't bought a Lian Li case for 10 years. I still have a couple, and one I use as my HTPC case. But nothing new. I hope to change that soon.