Lian Li PC-Q11 review

Lian Li PC-Q11 Review

Manufacturer: Lian Li
UK Price (as Reviewed): £84.56 (inc. VAT)

In our recent visit to Lian Li we first saw its PC-Q11 in the early sample stages and in the more expensive UV-white coating. Since the company runs cases off in batches, after its first retail production run we received a sample from the same supply it also shipped out to its global distributors.


The PC-Q11 is the successor to the PC-Q07 with some important upgrades - like a front fan for starters. This means it can handle more powerful mini-ITX systems that require better airflow. It does still maintain the compact tower shape that favours height over length, making it about half the size of the recently reviewed PC-Q08 and also shallower, but taller than the Silverstone Sugo SG07. The squat size is significant because it limits the use of graphics cards to just 9.5 inches: the GTX 460 / HD 5770 range, in other words.


The model we received was the black version, which is currently about £15 cheaper than the red. We know the red looks pink in a lot of photos, as has happened with other Lian-Li cases, but it really is a stronger, deeper colour than is often portrayed. Feature-wise the colour is the only difference, but because Lian Li uses an external company to do its anodising, red simply costs more than black. The white models are not anodised though - it's a UV-paint that Lian Li has just introduced, however the cost is supposedly astronomical. Frankly, we wonder why use beautiful brushed aluminium if you're just going to cover it in paint.


Internally the case can house a full-size PSU, a double height graphics card, a single 5.25in optical drive, two 3.5in hard drives and two 2.5in hard drives, which is impressive considering the small space. The optical drive is even stealthed behind a high quality, sprung aluminium plate to keep the case looking beautifully neat and minimalist. Its front panel has two USB 3 ports, stereo microphone and headphone sockets, and the metallic-looking power buttons are actually backlit blue and red for power and hard drive respectively.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 200 x 260 x 326 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Brushed Aluminium
  
• Available colours Black (reviewed), silver, red
  
• Weight 2.42kg
  
• Front panel 2 x USB 3, stereo, mic, power and reset buttons
  
• Drive Bays External: 1x 5.25in. Internal: 2x 3.25in, 2x 2.5in
  
• Form Factor mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 1 x 140mm front fan mount (fan supplied)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 65mm
  
• Graphics card dimensions supported 220mm long, dual slot, full height