Lian Li PC-V750WX Compact E-ATX Case

Lian Li PC-V750WX Compact E-ATX Enclosure Review

Manufacturer: Lian Li Industrial Co. LTD
Model Number: PC-V750WX
UPC: 840353005631
Price As Tested: $389.99 (Newegg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Lian Li.

When an enthusiast hears of the new Lian Li PC-V750WX E-ATX case, what comes to mind is a very large and unwieldy case like the NZXT Phantom 820, Corsair 800D or the Lian Li PC-90. Many people would be surprised the to find out then that the Lian Li PC-V750WX is able to accommodate a E-ATX motherboard within its 230mm x 440mm x 586mm size. This is 210mm (~8.26") shorter than the NZXT Phantom 820 I last reviewed. Lian Li used some unique features to fit ten expansions slots into a case substantially smaller than any of its competitors. The real question is, with a price tag of $390 can Lian Li provide enough features on top of its compact size to make up for the substantial price gap between it and its larger competition. Benchmark Reviews will be setting out on this review to determine if Lian Li has a feature set to accommodate the gargantuan price tag for its minuscule case.

For power users who want a full powered system without the associated bulk Lian Li designed the PC-V750WX. With ten expansion slots, E-ATX support, nine 3.5" drives (six of which are hot swap), USB 3.0 and E-SATA front panel, and an all-aluminum design, the Lian Li PC-V750WX lets users have their cake and eat it. So let us see if Lian Li has gotten the formula correct for its newest addition to its flagship V series of cases.

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.

PC-V750WX Specifications

Closer Look: Exterior

The one thing that cannot be said about Lian Li cases is that they are ugly, each beautifully crafted out aluminum sheets with fine workmanship all around. This tradition continues with the PC-V750WX, which is beautiful crafted, with elegant curves, and large continuous sheets of aluminum.

From the front, you can see that Lian Li has only included one 5.25" slot, users needing more bays for fan controllers or other components will need to look at other cases on the market. Also visible is the very large window that gives the enthusiast the ability to elegantly show off their components and hard work that goes into their system.

Starting at the top of the rear of the case a user can see the two grommets used for running the tubing needed for external water-cooling, below that we have the rear 120mm fan which we will look at more closely later. Below that, we have ten ventilated covers for each of the expansion slots. Next to the bottom two slots, we have the power receptacle that connects to the power supply in the front the PC-V750WX.

On the bottom of the PC-V750WX we have openings for two intake fans, one for our power supply and towards the rear we have an opening for the a extra 120mm fan that may be installed if the enthusiast removes the optional drive mounts in the bottom of the PC-V750WX.

From the top, you can see the openings for the two 140mm exhaust fans that Lian Li has included with the PC-V750WX. Also visible is the seam the separates the front sheet of aluminum and the rear. This single point is the only outward indication that the PC-V750W is built from multiple sheets of aluminum.

Lastly, on the front we have our power, reset, and front panel connectors. Lian Li has given the PC-V750WX an audio input and output jacks, two USB 3.0 ports fed by an internal header, one USB 2.0 port, and a E-SATA port allowing enthusiast a multitude of connections depending on their needs.

Closer Look: Interior Features

The interior of a case is where the beauty and functionality meet and the Lian Li PC-V750WX meets both requirements easily with its dark aluminum interior and tool-less features.

When the user first opens the PC-V750WX they are greeted with the beautiful black interior of the PC-V750WX. Lian Li included a bar that allows enthusiasts to attach braces to the case to help support heavy video cards. Behind that is the motherboard tray which has all of the standoffs needed to install everything from E-ATX all the way down to M-ATX allowing users to continue using the PC-V750WX even as their needs evolve.

Lian Li opted build the PC-V750WX in such a way that every aspect of the case can be dealt with without using tools. This includes the sides of PC-V750WX whose locking mechanisms are visible in this photo; to remove the sides all a user must do is apply enough force to pop each socket out of the locking mechanisms around the edge of the case. Inside of the PC-V750WX Lian Li uses thumbscrews to attach the covers for the unused expansions slots. Above the ten expansion slots is a 120mm fan with a model number of LI121225SL-4, it is a dual bearing design rated for 37CFM@18dBA. Lian Li also used two of these up front as intake fans.

From the rear, the power cable that snakes it way from the back all the way to the power supply up front is visible. This design is what allowed Lian Li to keep the PC-V750WX so small but it can make building inside of the PC-V750WX a little bit more difficult than a more conventional design. Lian Li included a very large opening to allow enthusiasts to work on their CPU cooler back plates without removing the entire motherboard. Bundled up towards the front are all of the connections that the Lian Li PC-V750WX's front panel.

Detailed Interior Features

Sometimes it is not until you look a little bit closer that you start to notice either the problems or the perfection of a case. Thankfully, it is more of the later and less of the former with the Lian Li PC-V750WX.

From the front of the drive cage, the power and data slots for our six SATA drives are visible. All the user needs to do to install new drives is attach some rubber grommets the side of the drive, unlock the drive cage using the sliders on the left, and then slide the drive into the drive cage.

The rear of the drive bay can be a bit problematic to wire up with so many connections in such a small place. During my build, I found that using right hand SATA cables was very useful. Depending on the setup of a user's power supply they can either use a SATA power or Molex power connections depending on what their power supply provides.

One of the unique elements of the PC-V750WX is the method by which the power supply is installed. In order to install the power supply the first step is to remove the plate that the power supply will sit flush with inside of the PC-V750WX. Then users will need to attach this plate to the power supply (Make sure the power supply is turned on at this point), Now you place the plate and power supply back in the PC-V750WX, plug in the power cable that runs to the rear of the PC-V750WX and then screw the unit into the case. This unique design is one of the reasons the PC-V750WX is able to have a small stature compared to other E-ATX cases on the market.

The CF-1410B is a 140mm 11 blade fan rated for Lian Li uses two of these as exhaust fans along the top of the PC-V750WX.

Along the bottom is an optional plate that can have three extra 2.5" HDD or two 3.5" drives and a single 2.5" drive. If removed a 120mm fan can be placed here to help bring in some more fresh air to the system.

E-ATX Case Final Thoughts

The Lian Li PC-V750WX is quite a good case but as with all Lian Li cases I find that cable management is not as easy as many of its competitors. I found that due to its size building was quite easy, especially with my "tiny" ATX motherboard and HD4850 but that without a modular PSU that cable management was still a bit difficult. At this point I don't really see that as a negative though as anyone building a new system, especially in a $390 case should have at least a partially modular power supply.

Lian Li PC-V750WX Conclusion

Performance in a case is about being able to quietly keep a system cool. The Lian Li PC-V750WX keeps the system cool without generating too much noise but the PC-V750WX tends to leak noise from internal components like the CPU heat sink and GPU fans. This would be more acceptable if the Lian Li PC-V750WX was not so expensive but at the price tag attached, I find it less than acceptable.

The Lian Li PC-V750WX is everything I look for in a case with its simple, sleek, dark lines. From front to back is a single sheet of beautiful dark brushed aluminum, and each side is made of a single perfectly flat continuous sheet of aluminum. The PC-V750WX is the kind of case I appreciate looking at from any angle. Once open, the enthusiast is greeted with the absolutely beautiful matching dark brushed aluminum interior that continues to look great through the window of the PC-V750WX once the system is finished.

The Lian Li PC-V750WX is extremely well built without a single piece plastic built into the case even in the most minor of components as the 5.25" drive bay covers. This is exactly what I look for in a case, and at the price that Lian Li asks for the PC-V750WX I expect no less. Although well-built it is sad to see that Lian Li only provides a one year warranty, thankfully with the only moving parts in the Lian Li PC-V750WX being the fans it is relatively cheap to fix any broken parts should a problem arise in the future.

Functionality in the PC-V750WX is above average, but not as customizable as a case carrying this price tag should be. Although it can do Tri-SLI/CFX or even fit a dual socket motherboard I think that these could be done just as effectively by a much cheaper case, even worse I do not believe that this case would be an effective design for water cooling which is sad with a price tag like the PC-V750WX carries.

The big problem with the PC-V750WX is that at $389.99 (Newegg) the PC-V750WX is in the top .1% of cases based on price with only three other cases on the market being more expensive. It is in my personal opinion that the PC-V750WWX does not provides the top .1% of performance, with cases like the Corsair 800D or the NZXT Phantom 820 providing the same feature sets selling for much less. In all fairness, Lian Li does offer the non-window version (PC-V750) for a more competitive price: $305 (Amazon).

The Lian Li PC-V750WX is beautiful, provides plenty of space on the inside while maintaining a smaller exterior, and will be able keep a user's system cool without making much noise but it is completely let down by an expensive $390 price tag. This case could easily be recommended at a $300 price tag but at $390 there is just not enough positives to consider it superior to much less expensive products.

Pros:

+ Large interior without exterior size
+ Quiet when running
+ Can accomidate a multitude of configurations
+ All aluminum design is both beautiful and light
+ Can accomidate up to nine 3.5" drives six of which are hot swap capable
+ Gorgeous exterior design

Cons:

- No filters on front intake fans
- Expensive - in top .1% of case prices
- With only one 5.25" drive bay enthusiests will be unable to use fan controllers or front bay water reservoirs
- Cable management not as easy as less expensive cases

Ratings:

• Performance: 8.50
• Appearance: 10.00
• Construction: 10.00
• Functionality: 8.25
• Value: 5.75

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Recommended: Benchmark Reviews Seal of Approval.

COMMENT QUESTION: Considering our rating, how would you score the Lian Li PC-V750WX?