Lian Li PC-V358 Review

Lian Li PC-V358 Review

Manufacturer: Lian Li
UK Price (as reviewed): £129.95 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $179.95 (ex. TAX)

You might consider that Lian Li's form of late hasn't been spectacular. In the past, when case designs were more basic, the company's simple approach of using premium aluminium rather than steel was enough to justify their premium price. However, as other case manufacturers have innovated and continued to reduce costs, Lain Li has struggled a little to keep up. While it rarely produces bad cases, models such as the PC-Q28 and PC-A76 didn't exactly set our world on fire. For the most part, they were just a bit too lacking on features and performance to justify their premium price.

All of which makes us doubly intrigued to see what the company's latest models are capable of. We received a couple of new samples recently and the first out of its box is a new micro-ATX cube - the PC-V358.


The first thing that struck us about the case was that it looks superb. It's not the most innovative design we've seen but its clean lines make an immediate positive impression, and of course it's magnificently plastic-free. There are plenty of vents, which break up the design a little, but we think they're will incorporated. The case is very compact too, measuring no more than 390mm in depth.

It's a small detail to notice, but Lian Li has absolutely nailed the fan grilles on its cases over the last few years - they sit blissfully flush with the rest of the panel - and this is still the case with the PC-V358. The minimalists out there are probably swooning already, but apart from a stealthy slimline optical bay cover, the only detail on the front of the case we haven't mentioned is the power button.

Maybe in 10 years you'll be able to download the 'how it feels' file to your Google Gloves, but for now you'll have to take our word for it - the V358 is wonderfully well-made and at just over 4kg, it's a good 2kg or so lighter than most similarly sized models.


The right side panel as you look at the case plays host to two USB 3.0 ports and 3.5mm jacks for headphone and microphone, while the other panel just sports a mesh stretching most of the way down it.


The PC-358 is also available in black if silver isn't your thing but the brushed finish is visible whatever your choice. The rear of the case shows you just what lurks beneath with the PSU mount located in the base, while the underside of the PC-V358 is also pretty spartan, with just four standard Lian Li rubber-centred case feet on show.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 324 x 390 x 286 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Aluminium
  
• Available colours Silver (reviewed), Black
  
• Weight 4.2kg
  
• Front panel Power, 2 x USB 3, stereo, microphone,
  
• Drive bays 6 x 3.5in, 2 x 2.5in, 1 x slimline optical
  
• Form factor(s) Mini-ITX, micro-ATX
  
• Cooling 2 x 120mm front fan mounts (2 x 120mm fans supplied) 1 x 120mm rear fan mount (fan supplied) 2 x 120mmside fan mounts (fans not supplied)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 130mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 330mm dual-slot
  
• Maximum PSU length 200mm
  
• Extras 2 x 3-pin to molex fan adaptors