Lian Li introduced a new brushed aluminum mid-tower chassis, the PC-A51. Supporting ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards, this case was originally previewed to the community in its prototype stage, and now provides, in its final retail form, features that are based on community feedback.
For starters, the new PC-A51 sports a reverse airflow design, allowing cool air to be pulled into the chassis from the rear thanks to a filtered 120 mm fan. An additional 140 mm fan installed above the front-mounted power supply pulls the hot air out of the case. Owners can even mount an optional 120 mm or 140 mm fan on the floor of the chassis.
In addition to the airflow design, Lian Li's new case makes use of all the internal free space, allowing for CPU coolers up to 175 mm (6.8 inches), power supplies up to 160 mm (6.2 inches) and VGA cards up to 400 mm (15.7 inches). There's also a "tool-less" top panel that can be removed for allowing users to install 240/280 mm radiators and AIO liquid cooling kits.
The Lian Li PC-A51 also features a new "versatile" HDD/SSD mounting system that allows system builders to install 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives on the individually removable hard drive bays. If these bays are removed, users can mount up to three 2.5-inch drives directly onto the tray, thus freeing up space and helping to increase the airflow. Another 2.5-inch drive can be mounted in the 30 mm (1.2-inch) space behind the motherboard tray.
Finally, this community-driven case provides an I/O panel packed with four USB 3.0 ports and HD audio connections, which is located on the front bezel. There's also a "stealth" bay on the front for mounting a 5.25 inch optical drive.
The chassis comes in four flavors: the PC-A51A (silver) / PC-A51B (black) for $149 each, the PC-A51WX (internal black w/window) for $189, and the PC-A51WRX (red and black w/window) for $199. The PC-A51A, PC-A51B and PC-A51WX will be available in North America at the end of February, whereas the PC-A51WRX will be available at the end of April.
