Lian Li PC-C32 HTPC Case Review

Testing and Results

We’ve not tested too many HTPCs recently and while the PC-C32 can accommodate our set of full size case testing hardware we don’t feel that that’s representative of an HTPC build – you’re not going to drop in a 130W quad-core CPU into a system primarily tasked with playing video. Instead we’ve used an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 processor fitted into an MSI G41M mATX motherboard alongside a GeForce 8800GT. While obviously far from top end, this is more representative of the hardware you’d find in a typical HTPC.

Somewhat unsurprisingly considering their roughly similar designs and layouts the PC-C32 performed identically to the Moncaso 972 we’ve looked at previously, with the twin 120mm cooling fans keeping the CPU at 42°C above the ambient room temperature at load and our BFG GeForce 8800GT OCX at 53°C delta T under heavy GPU load. While these temperatures hardly indicate stellar cooling it’s certainly enough to keep our HTPC kit happy. The PC-C32 is definitely not a case for overclocking or really high end kit though and we’d certainly think twice before dropping in a high end processor and GPU without populating those spare fan mounts.

Where the PC-C32 really excells though is in noise, or rather the almost total lack of it. The twin centrally mounted 120mm are practically inaudible and combined with a suitably quiet CPU cooler and PSU the PC-C32 is, as you'd hope, a great platform for a sleek and silent HTPC.

Final Thoughts

HTPC cases have typically suffered from being over-designed, over-featured and painfully overpriced, targeted at those mythical 'enthusiasts' who have more cash than sense. The PC-C32 we feel is different. There’s no superfluous touch screen, no overblown price tag and no over-engineered features – everything that’s been included has obviously been well thought out and has a genuine use.

Support for full size ATX hardware is an asset for a media PC, as is the roomy interior, silent cooling and numerous noise reduction features like rubber hard drive mounts. Build quality is genuinely superb too without going into overkill, as the 1cm thick aluminium plating of the Moncaso 972 did.

The PC-C32 isn’t perfect though. The lack of any kind of dust filtering on the ventilation holes is baffling especially as Lian Li often includes this feature on its desktop cases and the out of the box cooling will struggle to keep the high end hardware the case is capable of housing cool. It’s also a seriously big bit of kit and unless your TV unit is very large or you’re rich enough to have a rack mounted entertainment centre hidden in your home cinema we think you’ll struggle for this beast to remain an inconspicuous addition to your living room. The omission of an inbuilt IR receiver and remote is also a shame for case that’s primarily for HTPC use.

Nevertheless, the PC-C32 is still a very capable HTPC chassis and at £120 is a good deal cheaper than similar offerings from Zalman or Silverstone. While it might not be perfect, and will still be too expensive for those looking to build an HTPC on a budget this is still a high quality case and is well worth considering if it meets your requirements.

• Build Quality
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

Score Guide