Lian Li Remote Control Spider Case

Lian Li Remote Control Spider Case

Manufacturer: Lian Li

Last week at Computex we swung by the Lian Li stand to gawp at its latest aluminium case creations, and were treated to an unexpected show from one of the most innovative mods we’ve seen in ages. We’d already seen the Lian Li PC T1R mini-ITX test platform after its debut at CEBIT and while we’re still uncertain about the need for such an elaborate setup to test mini-ITX motherboards, you can’t deny that it’s a unique offering.

For Computex 2010, Lian Li knocked the crazy dial up a few notches, and with the help of its Japanese distributor, fitted a black PC T1R with an assembly of remote controlled servos on each of its four legs, allowing the case to move, jiggle, dance and even wave!


While this is obviously a trade show special that Lian Li never intends to bring to market (a Lian Li representative told us fitting a PSU and motherboard to the spider would knock it off balance), it’s a great example of what can be done with a little bit of ingenuity and the right starting point, and was one of the highlights of the week. It certainly made a nice change from PVC-clad Taiwanese girls screaming into megaphones and handing out pens.

While the PC T1R might not be the most practical mini-ITX platform outside of its public relations duties, Lian Li had a much more functional mini-ITX case on show in the form of the mini-ITX PC-Q08. Taking full-size PSUs, hard disks, optical drives and graphics cards, but a mini-ITX motherboard, this case isn’t too far from the size of a Shuttle unit, but packs all the user choice of a full-size chassis.


Unlike many mini-ITX cases, it also packs a fair amount of cooling by default too, with a 120mm exhaust fan and a 140mm intake fan. Lian Li was displaying the case in black and red aluminium, as well as a glossy white finish and we can’t wait to get one in for review. Mini-ITX is a platform with fantastic potential beyond the slew of Atom-based cases we’ve seen so far, and bar the SilverStone SG05 no other case has offered a realistic home for full-size hardware alongside a mini-ITX motherboard.


Lian Li wasn’t obsessed with the mini-ITX form-factor though, with the wraps coming off of a new full tower chassis, the PC-V1020B. While the sample we saw wasn’t a final production model, it looks to be an evolution of the curved chassis we’ve seen from the Tyr PC X1000 and Tyr PC X2000, now used with a more conventionally internal layout.

A large hard disk rack extends down the whole front section of the case, while the divider of the PSU compartment of the Tyr cases chops storage space into smaller units placed above and below the divide. There's another hard disk caddy crammed into the PSU compartment of the PC-V1020B and a handsome pair of handles to help you lug your PC around. While the meshed fascia might pose some dust filtering problems, there's still time for Lian Li to incorporate some removable dust filters, as with the Tyr X1000.

Fancy building your own radio controlled case? Perhaps one that makes the tea? Fancy a mini-ITX case with all the compatibility of an ATX chassis? Let us know in the forums.