Lian Li PC-90 Computer Case Review
Manufacturer: Lian Li
Product Name: PC-90
Price As Tested: $199.99 (Newegg)
Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Lian Li.
For many enthusiasts, fitting the very best hardware into a computer case comes at a high price. Unfortunately it means having large, unwieldy enclosures to house all of their hardware. To combat this, Lian Li has created an enclosure with unique properties to combat the growing bloat of systems, and to their credit it seems to has worked. By allowing users to fit the EVGA Super Record 2 motherboard into a case that is 20.15" x 9.05" x 19.25", Lian Li has effectively allowed users to have a smaller more manageable case with all the features of its larger cousins. Benchmark Reviews will evaluate if the Lian Li PC-90 computer case has all of the cards in its hand or if in the end it was a bluff and users are still better off with a larger enclosure.
In typical fashion Lian Li has created a very beautiful enclosure with the PC-90. Its dark brushed aluminum exterior, all aluminum interior, and unique design make it a joy to work even with the most powerful of components. All of this is done with Lian Li's legendary build quality and attention to detail. Even more impressive, users are able to fit HPTX motherboards like the EVGA Super Record 2 in a case that is 20.15" x 9.05" x 19.25" which only weighs 14.77lbs. Compared the 44lbs Corsair 800D the PC-90 is tiny allowing high power users to have a more manageable computing experience without the troubles of owning a giant case. So without further ado Benchmark Reviews will delve into the inner workings of the Lian Li PC-90 to see if this enclosure is as good as it sounds.
When reviewing a case you have four major things you need to look at. First, you need to look at build quality because no one wants to spend hours putting hardware in a case only to find defects or to have parts that will fail months later. Secondly, you need to look at cooling because as the heat output of components goes up, so do cooling needs. Third, you need to look at the acoustics of your new case because as anyone who has worked on or near servers knows adequate cooling can come at an acoustic cost unless a company put expenses into preventing this. Lastly, you need to look at the ease of build, which depending on your system may or may not play a big role in your choice of case. If you like, I spend lots of time inside of your case modifying parts then you want a system that you can easily move around in while making modifications. On the other hand if you want to setup your system and leave it then this becomes less of an importance and therefore can be moved lower on the requirements for your case.
Lian Li PC-90 Features
- Two 140mm fans in the front and one 120mm fan in the rear to keep hot air from damaging your hardware
- Supports six 3.5" HDDs and six 2.5" HDDs with easy installation
- Supports twelve 2.5" HDDs (using 3.5" HDD spaces)
- Space for top fan if users desire
- Users can easily acces USB 3.0, e-SATA and HD Audio front panel ports
- Can fit 400mm Video Cards
- Washable air filters
Lian Li PC-90 Specifications
| Model |
PC-90 |
| Case Type |
Full Tower Chassis |
| Dimensions |
230mm x 512mm x 489mm |
| Front Bezel Material |
Aluminum |
| Color |
Black / Silver |
| Side Panel |
Aluminum |
| Body Material |
Aluminum |
| Net Weight |
6.7KG |
| 5.25" Drive Bay (External) |
2 |
| 3.5" Drive Bay (External) |
None |
| HDD Bay |
3.5" HDD x 6/2.5" HDD x 6 |
| Expansion Slots |
10 |
| Motherboard |
HPTX/EATX/XL-ATX/ATX/Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX |
| System Fan (Front) |
140mm fan x 2 |
| System Fan (Top) |
None |
| System Fan (Rear) |
120mm fan x 1 |
| I/O Ports |
USB 3.0 x 2 /e-SATA x 1 / HD Audio |
| Maximum Video Card Size |
400mm |
Closer Look: PC-90 Exterior
The exterior of a case is what user's sees every day and no matter how functional an enclosure is internally if it is ugly users are not going to want it. Thankfully like many other Lian Li enclosures the PC-90 with its beautiful brushed aluminum exterior, simple, yet beautiful lines and exquisite attention to detail need not worry about ever being deemed ugly.
Right from the get go Lian Li makes it clear that the PC-90 is as much a piece of artwork as it is an enclosure. Just like the rest of the PC-90 Lian Li has crafted the front completely out of aluminum which makes for a very beautiful front face. One thing that users should note is that the PC-90 only includes two 5.25" drive bays and only one of those has a cover so that ODD drives are hidden.
In the rear you can see a very typical Lian Li design with the vented expansion slots, bare aluminum, and ports for water cooling. But what is most amazing is that the PC-90 has ten expansion slots on the back. This is one of the few cases that could comfortably run almost any setup that is thrown at it. Users could effectively SLI tri-slot video cards and still have room for other accessories.
The top of the PC-90 is pure function with only one optional opening for a 120mm fan that when unused is covered giving a nice uniform appearance to the PC-90.
Although many companies opt to use a plastic cover with a brushed aluminum face glued to them, Lian Li on the other hand has opted to use a solid piece of aluminum for the front face of the PC-90. With the metal clips included it is easy to remove the front face for needed maintenance. The dual 140mm intake fans included on the front are also covered with easily removable filters for cleaning when they become clogged with dust and debris.
Lian Li spared no expense when it comes to front panel high speed interfaces. They have provided two USB 3.0 ports, one e-SATA port, and a HD Audio connection for users.
Closer Look: Interior
The interior of a case is where problems can easily break the design of a case. Whether it be a miscalculation of size, the inability to properly route cables, or small annoyances they all can add up to make building and working inside of a case a rather unenjoyably experience. Thankfully for the PC-90 this is not true as Lian Li has provided plenty of room to easily accommodate any hardware that a user might add to their system.
Once you open the PC-90 up you see the vast amount of space that Lian Li has granted its users. Lian Li has even provided an opening so that users can easily attached aftermarket heatsinks on their dual socket motherboard. One problem I have with the PC-90 is that with no ability to route cables behind the motherboard tray the interior of the PC-90 can quickly turn into a rats nest. At the same time Lian Li has also opted to use a more traditional non-tool less setup for the two 5.25" drive bays. This may bothersome to a number of our readers but honestly as rarely as I remove my 5.25" drives I found that this as much of a problem as one might think.
From the rear it is apparent that the PC-90 was not designed for routing cables through the rear. As a matter of fact Lian Li only gave users 1/2" to work with and no routing holes. This is a shame since at 9" wide the PC-90 has plenty of room to route all of the cables from the top mounted PSU all the way through the case.
The secret to the PC-90's sleek exterior is Lian Li's unique take on hard drive storage within the system. Each hard drive is fastened to the beams that run along the side of the PC-90. Each beam can hold six 3.5" and six 2.5" drives or a total of twelve 2.5" drives. Each drive is fastened using a system of screws and rubber washers to help minimize the noise created by vibration. This unique design helped keep the size of the PC-90 down and helps create unobstructed airflow from the front intake to the rear exhaust helping keep users hot components under check.
Detailed Interior Features
The smaller features of a case can make or break it. Thankfully, this is something the PC-90 does not need to worry about as Lian Li's constant attention to detail is apparent everywhere users look.
Each of the PC-90 ten expansion slots is vented to help let the heat being generated by a system dissipate. At the same time Lian Li has included thumbscrews for each of expansion slots allowing for tool less component changes as a user's needs change.
Lian Li used two of their 140mm CF-1410B fans for the front intake of the PC-90. Lian Li's LI121425QE-4-A are each rated for 51CFM @ 25dBA while spinning at 1000 RPM. This makes them making them near silent while running and yet still providing plenty of air into a users system.
In the rear Lian Li has used their LI121225SL-4 which features a dual bearing design, with a 3 pin connection. This fan is rated for 37CFM @ 18dBA which keeps it extraordinarily quiet during its operation. Due to the design of the PC-90 it will have a positive pressure ratio with ~102CFM of air being brought in and only ~37fm of air being exhausted at the rear. For those of who like to keep our systems clean and free of dust this is a perfect design.
Yet another secret to the PC-90's small size is its top mounted PSU compartment that uses a rail system to support a user's PSU. Just like every other part Lian Li has carefully designed the PC-90 to take dual socket motherboards with up to four video cards. Because users will most likely being using 1kW+ power supplies that are quiet heavy Lian Li has provided support rails for users PSU to help support the weight of these heavier PSUs. At the same time it does provide a unique challenge when installing the power supply especially if it is not a modular design. The design will require users to pull all of their cables through the opening first then install the PSU.
Lian Li has included a USB 3.0 -> USB 2.0 converter that will allow users with older systems lacking USB 3.0 headers to use the front panel USB ports still. This is a much appreciated addition to the PC-90 that greatly expands its usability and a feature that I would like to see more companies emulate in their designs.
Lian Li PC-90 Final Thoughts
Lian Li's legendary build quality is shown throughout the PC-90 with its all-aluminum case design that weighs in at 14.77lbs. With dual cutouts in the rear for heatsinks, ten expansion slots, and a unique mounting function for the hard drives the PC-90 is setup perfectly for the power user or for a powerful dual socket workstation. At the same time it is nearly silent and looks great. The PC-90 can also accept a multitude of parts including GPU's up to 400mm/15.75" long making a 6990 look tiny inside of this massive case.
I only have one gripe and that is that there are no cutouts for cable management. At 9.05" wide it would have been very easy take a 3/4" off the width and add cutouts to allow users to route their cabling through the back. And with the unique design for the PSU it would have been easy to run the cables out of the top, along the back of the case, and out through cutouts to the cables respective components.
Lian Li PC-90 Conclusion
Performance when it comes to the PC-90 is all about silence and while it able to effectively keep my E8200 cool it still lacks the cooling prowess of the Antec 900 or Silverstone RV02. Thankfully because of its particularly quiet fans that create less than 25dBA of noise, it makes up for it with its silent performance that makes it perfect for many situations where a loud system would be unacceptable during day to day use.
With its subtle, elegant appearance the PC-90 is fit for any situation, whether it be a high powered office workstation or a high powered gaming machine. Lian Li understand that not everyone wants a visually distracting exterior on their cases and as such has created many cases that are far more subtle and beautiful than their brethren around it in the enclosure market.
As with other Lian Li designs the PC-90 is a beautifully built product that is perfectly polished to create a wonderful experience for users. Key to this experience is the fact that the PC-90 is built out of aluminum, so although it retains its strength, at 14.77lbs it weighs a fraction of other cases that are of comparable size.
The PC-90 is very functional allowing for users to fit almost any combination of parts inside of it. From a powerful dual socket workstation or server to a quad GPU gaming beast the PC-90 is designed to handle it all. One area I would like to see improved for functionality is the ability to easily route cables through the rear of the case in order to help with airflow.
At $199.99 (Newegg) the PC-90 is pushing at the upper echelons of enclosure prices and as such is an expensive product. Yet the price you get a gorgeous HPTX capable case, which is smaller than the competition around it, and weights a quarter as much. Still it would be nice to see the price drop a little to the $200 range.
The Lian Li PC-90 is an amazing case that although having a couple of faults is still a beautiful case that can accommodate a multitude of hardware configurations including dual socket, quad GPU setups without being as large or heavy as its competition.
Pros:
+ Light at only 14.77Lbs
+ Smallish for a HPTX capable case
+ Silent fan operation
+ Ten expansion slots
+ Able to user 400mm/15.75" GPU's
+ Removable intake fan filters
Cons:
- No cable routing cutouts
- Only two 5.25" drive bays
Ratings:
- Performance: 8.75
- Appearance: 9.75
- Construction: 10.00
- Functionality: 9.00
- Value: 8.00
Final Score: 9.1 out of 10.
Benchmark Reviews invites you to leave constructive feedback below, or ask questions in our Discussion Forum.
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Comments
Just me, and no slight to you, I'd not have knocked the price too much as aluminum is getting a bit high priced as is the chemical anodizing. Bang for the Buck says the $219 really isn't that bad to me. Looks like Lian Li has done it again.
I guess I look at it is when you go to Newegg over 70% cost less then $200 so that would make it in the top tier of pricing.
Is the left panel vented to aid in air flow over the drives?
It looks like you can't add/change cards, memory, etc without unplugging the drives unless you have lots of slack in the power and SATA cables.
There are no openings on the left panel to aid in the cooling of the drives. But again that should not be a problem for most systems.
Unfortunately changing components will require some disassemble with the PC-90 but I assume that unless you are also a reviewer that many users have fairly static systems.
This is a very interesting case design - not since Silverstone flipped a motherboard 90 degrees have I seen such an exciting-yet-obvious-in-retrospect case design.
I do not think I have ever read a review of a $220 case lacking wire management cutouts, or the room to tuck them behind the motherboard, that did not include a good castigation,impugnme nt, and or admonition. Also as Austin points out " it still lacks the cooling prowess of the Antec 900 or Silverstone RV02."
While acknowledging that looks and style are the definition of subjectivity. This case has what amounts to a Morse code of ...well...slots, much in the same fashion of those found on the back of my microwave. Not to mention that for being an "piece of art, they lack any architectural depth.
Not to be taken as a shot at you Austin. If you liked the case great. I do have to wonder however if this case (and many others by Lian Li) were to show up at sites around the net with the badge replaced with a different moniker. Would the comments and evaluations be so generous.
I think what you are seeing is people understanding that Lian Li walks to its own beat and doesn't follow what the rest of the market is doing. And in every design the build quality is superb.
Some food for thought though. If so many reviewers like Lian Li designs then one of two things must be happening. 1) Lian Li is paying off every major review company out there or 2) Lian Li genuinally makes a great product and that is why they score well almost every time.
You tell me which one is more logical.
Hence "Not to be taken as a shot at you Austin. If you liked the case great."
I did not anywhere question your sincerity.
"Some food for thought though. If so many reviewers like Lian Li designs then one of two things must be happening. 1) Lian Li is paying off every major review company out there or 2) Lian Li genuinally makes a great product and that is why they score well almost every time.
You tell me which one is more logical."
I don't have to think either. I actually meant what I wrote;
"I do have to wonder however if this case (and many others by Lian Li) were to show up at sites around the net with the badge replaced with a different moniker. Would the comments and evaluations be so generous."
I read reviews, and hear people complain about the very same lacking of the Lian Li cases in other brands...and give Lian Li a pass. That was what I said.That is what i am saying. You chose to take it in a different direction.
Go troll somewhere else.
Can you run the power cables for the hard drives from the top over to the back where the drives are? If so, that accounts for a huge number of cables on some systems. On others, it just reroutes a single hard drive power cable, but at least you can do that.
My only problem is 220.00 are you kidding me Li? My Antec Stacker was aluminum and twice the case this is for 290.00. Other than that, I like it.
Nice, clean, easy to read review too.
I look at my PC-60 cases and think hmm.. ok make it a little wider take move things around a little bit to accomadate 120mm fans (or larger) and voila! perfect case.. But no.. Come on Lian-Li!!!
Austin, Yeah my PC60 case has an i7 setup with a hyper 212 in it from coolermaster. Because it's in there I can't get the tray out.. (hense why I said new ones today need to be just a little deeper then the ones from they early 2000s.
I have worked with a couple Lian Li cases and although I have some quips about them I do appreciate their attention to detail.
Earlier this year I bought my PC A77F-B Lian Li which should last...well, until new motherboard standards arrive and I am compelled to buy such new tech.
As always here a BMR, a very thorough, complete review. Keep up the good work!
How hotter do 3 cards in Tri-fire/SLI get in there compared to the RV02-EW?
How much would the side fan improve the cooling?
Would the side fan get in a large heat-sink's way?
Can I buy the same fan Lian Li has in its case?
Secondly there is no place to put a side fan on the PC-90.
I have a silver Lian Li PC 60 (I think) which has served me well, but it was time to get a new one in order to fit in the newer crop of video cards which are getting ridiculously wide.
It's the smallest HPTX case I could find, and I generally follow a rule where any case I buy has to be able to accept any size component. This is because I have a few computers, and I tend to do a bit of 'hand me down' parts replacement. Eg. I can't hand down an e-atx motherboard into a m-atx chassis.
I use this case as a media center PC, located in a living area.
The draw of the look is that it is sedate.
As with all my computers, I want them to not stand out when located in a public space.
The case is also rather compact for the kind of parts compatibility it offers.
It's essentially the same external size as a Lian Li PC-50 (another case I have)(it's a pinkie-thickness wider), and has gobs more space inside.
To me, I see the PC-90 as a 'mid tower'.
Technically, the case is not perfect.
Two changes would make it ideal.
1) The power supply should be on bottom, with a triple 120mm fan array on top for a good radiator.
2) the mainboard should be moved out an inch+, and the drive mounting system flipped to be 'behind the motherboard'.
Also, the 5.25 bays could use a 3rd bay, so you could do this :
1) Optical
2) IO panel / card reader
3) fan controller panel
The cable management could be better with mainboard tray cutouts.
However, there is a reason why they are missing.
The case is built with the presumption that you want a compact HPTX system.
An HPTX motherboard would span the entire back panel, effectively blocking any cutouts should they be there.
Granted an ATX board would make good use of the cutouts...
-scheherazade
I'm not a brand fan of any sort. I simply find a large selection of minimalist appearing cases with Lian-Li, and out of all minimalist cases I've looked at, Lian-Li has just happened to have a setup I like at the time that I was in the market.
A non-Lian-Li case I have is the Aerocool Masstige. Terrific airflow, elegant, and rather cheap.
There are plenty of great cases from many companies.
However, out of the 'good air flow' category of cases, from most companies, the majority of their offerings are just flamboyant.
I don't want crazy colors, crazy grilles, blue lights stuffed everywhere, etc.
So that generally leaves one or two cases per company that I could consider, and a few dozen I could consider from Lian-Li.
Note :
In regards to cooling, I use the top 14cm opening with :
(14cm fan) (14/12 adapter) (12cm radiator) (12cm fan).
It's adequate for a solid overclock, albeit not breakig records.