| Lian Li PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Emily Ladouceur - Edited by Olin Coles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 15 May 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lian Li PC-A09BLian Li has been putting solid cases on the market for years. They have been incorporating aluminum into their designs for some time now. The PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case is one of the aluminum designs on the market. Benchmark Reviews has taken a look at several Lian Li cases. So we will see how this one stands up to the others. Lian Li doesn't follow market trends. It seems to be to their benefit to stand alone. Their company has earned the image of high-performance and high-quality computer chassis.
The PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case is offered in black aluminum alloy. This mid-tower ATX case is perfect for the middle-market with its affordable features and excellent value. About the company: "Lian Li Industrial Co., LTD"Lian Li has been putting well made products on the market for approximately seven years now. Here is a little tid-bit about Lian Li from their website.
Lian Li PC-A09B Specifications
Closer Look: PC-A09B ExteriorCases seem to come in many shapes and sizes now-a-days. Consumers demand the variety. Their needs dictate the type of case they are looking for. Lian Li has every type of case availalbe on the market but the Lian Li PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case is the right size and shape to work for most consumers. The Lian Li PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case only comes in black. This makes it easy for the consumer since the optical drive bezels most often come in black. As you can see in the pictures below it is a subtle design built for function.
The PC-A09B offers a very clean and simple interface for consumers. The black aluminum alloy is clean and simple, no special accents. The anodized finish gives case its fair share of glamour to make it desirable to everyone.
The front panel layout is very straight forward. The consumer does not need to search the corners for the status lights and power/reset buttons, so it's convenient to have them in just one central location.
Lian Li has relocated the I/O panel to the front bezel. The PC-A09B moved the I/O panel from atop the chassis, which was viewed as an unbearable place for plugging in just about everything. (See Lian Li PC-A58B Mid-Tower Case: Non-Production Release Article) Many computer enthusiasts may be happy with this design.
The Lian Li PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case has ventilation fans at the back and bottom front of the case which aid in cooling. Detailed Exterior FeaturesLian Li has always made cooling one of their key design strengths in all of their products. In the PC-A09B the cooling is kept very simple. At the front of the case is a 12cm fan for air intake.
At the back of the aluminum alloy mid-tower ATX case is a single 12cm fan for the exhaust. This is very simple design where the air is supposed to flow directly over the hard drive(s) and motherboard. Like some of Lian Li's other computer chassis, the PC-A09B series has the intake air fan on the front grill. This design prevents excess amounts of lint and dust into the system chassis.
The underside of the PC-A09B is comprised of the aluminum-alloy chassis finished with four black hard-rubber feet at each corner. As you can see there are four screws at the base of the chassis which allow you to alter the direction of the hard drive cage.
At the rear of the PC-A09B black aluminum alloy mid-tower ATX case is the power supply mounting plate. Lian Li has included this component in almost all of their chassis designs.
It may make it easier for users who exchange power supplies regularly. Although the mounting plate seems a bit excessive.
Closer Look: PC-A09B InteriorNow its time to take a peek inside. Let's see if Lian Li kept the simple design throughout the PC-A09B.
As you can see the aluminum surfaces have burred edges to prevent injury to your hands. This will come in handy to those consumers who often change their hardware.
The hard drive rack in the PC-A09B, much like many of the Lian Li cases, is able to be removed and rotated as the consumer sees fit. There will be one main decision while building your computer: keep the cage in-line with the length of the case and you get better cooling, turn it perpendicular (default) and you have better cable management. What is more important to you?
Also, to make hardware modifications, the PC-A09B has a removable top. I would say this chassis would come in handy to any hardware enthusiast.
As you can see you are provided all the screws you could ever need. They also include several anti-vibration grommets for the HDD cage. Detailed Interior FeaturesSeeing the image below helps explain why the Lian Li PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case is perfect for the first timer or the seasoned hardware enthusiast. It is all in the simple design. There is no question as to where something is supposed to go or how it will fit.
The fans have nearly a straight shot over the hard drives and motherboard. This keeps your drives safe from over-heating.
The hard drive rack inside the Lian Li PC-A09B is designed to allow for a tool-less installation. 
Essentially the mechanism is a tray, which supports the hard drive by grommet-laden screws in the disk.
As you can see the Lian Li PC-A09B has a patented Anti-vibration HDD cage. This is a nice little addition to keep your hard drives safe. Classical Series Final ThoughtsThe Lian Li PC-A09B Classical Series Mid-Tower Case is a solid chassis with a simple design, made for ease of replacing hardware. At $99.95 it is a pretty decent deal. The simple design would help both the consumer new to hardware modifications and the hardware enthusiast. This case is also perfect for office environments. It is attractive enough to blend in with any decor.
Conclusion: Lian Li PC-A09BLian Li shipped the PC-A09B in a brown cardboard box similar to most of Dell packages: light color text and line art graphics. This wasn't quite what I expected from Lian Li, since I have seen some cases from them in glossy full-color boxes. The box is not attractive and the presentation was sub-par for a premium product. When it comes to the appearance, I really think that the PC-A09B offers a whole lot more than the average budget consumer would expect. The black aluminum alloy mid-tower ATX case really does keep the Lian Li tradition. The construction of the PC-A09B is extremely solid. Not one construction flaw was discovered during this review. Although owners of the PC-A09B will probably never put this chassis through hard or abusive handling, it was built to handle it. Don't think that with such a simple design performance and functionality are compromised. With the airflow directly over the HDD cage performance is optimized. It is also easy to replace parts. For such a well made product with an aluminum construction a price of $99.95 is a steal. Which would make all consumers across the spectrum happy to purchase. Save a little money and get a solid product. The Lian Li PC-A09B is a beautiful black aluminum alloy mid-tower design. I would recommend this case to anyone for home or office. It would be perfect for a first time hardware enthusiast. Pros:
+ Attractive and simple design Cons:
- Needs tool-less treatment Ratings:
Final Score: 8.7 out of 10.Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.
Related Articles:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
