Case Details and Layout, Cont'd
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As usual for a top-end Lian Li case, the V2110 is divided up into two chambers, allowing for efficient cooling of the hard drives and protecting the upper chamber from additional heat. The top section is home to the seven 5.25" bays at the front of the case. We also found ample room to work with even if a full size E-ATX motherboard is used; around 3" of clearance is available past the end of the motherboard tray and the start of the front drive bays.
Although all of the 5.25" bay covers have grilles, there is no direct intake fan located in the top chamber; likewise, there isn't any additional airflow provided for dual GPU systems. Lian Li does offer add-on GPU bay coolers in various configurations should the need arise, albeit at extra cost. Users who will run ultra high-end GPU configurations and wish to use a Lian Li case will probably opt for the Armorsuit PC-P80 or upcoming TYR PC-X2000. Both cases offer superior motherboard chamber airflow by means of large 140mm intake fans at the front panel.
That's not to say the V-2110 has no added provision for multi-GPU configurations; a support bar that vertically spans the center of the motherboard chamber caters to those mounting larger cards. This bar includes small plastic connectors that clip onto the back end of the graphics cards to hold them firmly in position and prevent vertical movement once they are in the PCI-E slots. We feel an unmodified case will probably be comfortable enough with 8800 GTS cards in SLI, but will certainly struggle with bigger cards like the 3870X2 in Crossfire X. Also, note this is not a tool-less design, which may actually be a blessing as often the mechanisms used to eradicate the use of screws are more of a pain to use and/or less durable.
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A removable motherboard tray is a must for a case of this class and we find the V-2110 has one that is easily removed by unscrewing two thumbscrews on the rear panel. Slotting the tray back into place is rather easy even when the tray is loaded with a large CPU cooler.
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Hard drives are mounted with thumbscrews and rubber grommets and can be removed easily because the grommets merely "slide" into the cage rails rather than being bolted into place. The mounting mechanism is very secure, works very well, and keeps vibration transfer into the case structure to a minimum.
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The PSU mounting bracket is reversible and can house two power supplies simultaneously if required. Vibration damping is offered by means of an additional mounting screw and grommet, which bolts through the panel that separates the upper and lower chambers to push against the PSU housing. Note that the case layout means the 24-pin ATX and ATX/EPS 12V cables will need to be around 19" long to reach most motherboard connectors without the need for an extension cable.
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Moving on to the top panel, a flap bearing the Lian Li logo can be flipped back to reveal the front connectors for audio, 4 USB ports, a 1394 port, and an eSATA connector. Internal cables are more than long enough to reach all motherboards if going the direct route, though they are not long enough to hide around the back of panels in all situations.
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24 Comments
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semisonic9 - Monday, June 30, 2008 - link
So this thing has two intakes and one exhaust, or only one intake?Also, is it just me, or do Lian Li cases never appear to watercool that well?
~S
bobtheterrible - Friday, June 20, 2008 - link
So after reading this I had to order one from newegg. I have 2 other older Lian-Li's at home already, and I love them.This new case is HUGE!
I couldn't believe how tall this thing was. If you're thinking of putting it under a desk, be sure to check your desks height first. Also the USB ports are located on the front top which is great if you have access to these, but kind of crappy if you're going to shove it all the way under a desk where it barely fits.
Quality of everything with this case is better than my other two Lian-Li's. I believe I have a PC-80 with a plexi window, and another larger one with a server board in it, but I don't remember the model # off hand.
This thing comes with tons of quality accessories.
It has plenty of space for HDD's, and I was able to easily fit 5-Raptor 300GB's in this case and still the thing runs silent and awesome.
Airflow is amazing.
Some of the fans on this thing are massive.
Anyways I'm happy with the purchase.
Thorsson - Friday, June 13, 2008 - link
I'd like to know the effect of taking the front door off, both in temp and noise. Can't see the point of those grilles if they're covered up, and the 140mm fan will just be circulating heated air. The effect of the Panaflo pretty much shows that circulation in the case isn't as good as it might be.Quality build, but paying this amount of money I expect top thermal and aural performance as well.
Googer - Thursday, June 12, 2008 - link
Rajinder,I have an oversized PSU and have no intentions of getting rid of it, does the Lian Li PC-V2110 accommodate a PC Power and Cooling 1KW-SR?
Googer
Rajinder Gill - Thursday, June 12, 2008 - link
Hi Googer,The HD cage is around 24 CM from the start of the PSU bay and the PC&P supplies are around 23 CM long. However, you can use the back section of the PSU mounting plate, as the cables from the PSU will then clear the HD cage as there is a recess at the back of them. Or you can remove the HD cage altogether. Either way, it will work.
regards
Raja
abnderby - Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - link
Lian li makes a nice case no doubt BUT full towers dont make easy placement of the box. In all of the different cases I have had and there are many. The best case has been my SC5300 5U server case by intel.The only drawback of my case is the fans which are like jet engines. And one of these days I will find some quieter fans for it with the same airflow.
What would be nice to see in these tests is a full case. e.g. all slots and drive bays full with eatx dual socket motherboard etc...
Then run your tests and see what the temps are.
Also why all of the useless 5 1/4 slots??? who uses all of those today? I have never been able to use more than 3 2 dvd's and floppy.
currently i run a intel se7505vb2 with 2 3.2 1mb 533 fsb xeons and 4 gb ddr, I know anand has this (hot board) with a scsi 160 raid to 4 scsi 73's hot swap and a sata raid to 6 sata 320's hot swap. with HD2600xt 512 audigy 2 win tv pvr150,
according to my "sensor readings my ambient motherboard temps are between 26 and 29 degrees celcius, cpu's are still warm i am getting new coolers finally which should help out.
but all in all the 5300 and 5400 if you can find better fans are much better than any case out there.
How about it Anand give it a try???
Duane
araczynski - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
nice, but even if i was rich, i think i'd rather buy a third or fourth backup graphics card to sit and collect dust rather than put it into sheet of aluminum. but hey, to each their own.BPB - Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - link
As a guy who's cut up his hands more than he'd like to admit working with Antec cases and the like (and I do like the Nine Hundred, I just wish it were better), I decided to go with the cheaper version of this case, the PC-V2010B. It cost $320, but I know I'll use it for years and years, and it's a joy to work with. I will probably onlu use Lian-Li or possibly Silverstone going forward. The Silverstone TJ07 does look nice, and it reminds me of my new Lian-Li.aeternitas - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
The innards look alright. Not a bad design.The outside, is horrible (for $400).
You cant just use brushed metal and make-believe its going to cover up the gaping flaws in a classy well rounded design. It looks like it should be home inside of a dark corner in a server farm room. Not my desktop.
It just looks ugly. Not as ugly as those plastic hot pink neon cases, but for 400$ it might as well be.
- Where is the etched metal logo/everything? I see a cheapass stick-on.
- Why do I see bare screws on the outside of the case? I can get the industrial look for half the price.
- Why the cheap metal door on top? Thats only asking to be in the way and get bent.
- Why does the door swing the wrong way? (think about how you typicaly set your PC for the innards to face you for easy access - Door swings in the way, not out of the way)
- Ect ect
Thanks for the review, but Lan-Li has always been the wannabe top class in case design and has always tried to do it with a bunch of etched metal and poor outward design around it. Its like old Honda designers trying to copy something from BMW.
I think i'll look twords Silverstone.
splines - Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - link
I can't disagree that Silverstone make great cases - they do, and just like Lian-Li you're paying the difference over commodity cheapo cases that look like ass and cut your hands up.But I do think it's important to note that Lian-Li was doing this long before a lot of these other companies decided to make a premium enclosure and frankly if I ever need to replace my PC-65 it will be with another Lian-Li case.
They do solid, classy and well-designed cases that are worth the money if you want something that will last you years. And you can ask anyone who's ever owned one that they are not in the slightest like a cheap-knock off.
I get the feeling you either don't own or never have owned anything like a Lian-Li and your arguments are based off what you see in these pictures. I'd suggest you go look at one, or better yet get a chance to actually work with one before you make too many rash assumptions.