Lian Li Showcases Three Cases With Only SFX PSU Mounts
Most of the cases Lian Li is showing at Computex 2016 only have room for SFX PSUs, and that's actually not a bad thing.
With hardware becoming smaller and more efficient, case manufacturers can get away with smaller case designs, focusing more on aesthetics than airflow. In a rather bold move Lian Li showed off three new cases at Computex that only have room for SFX power supplies: The PC-Q22, PC-Q37, and the PC-O10. Lian Li also showcased the enormous P90.
PC-Q22: A Small & Simple Mini-ITX Case
The PC-Q22 is the smallest of the lot, supporting a mini-ITX motherboard, a single dual-slot graphics card, two 2.5” drives, one 3.5” drive, and a 240 mm radiator. You can house an SFX PSU at its front end, and an internal cable reroutes the power connector to the rear of the case.
PC-Q37: A Dual-Chamber Mini-ITX Case
The PC-Q37 is also a mini-ITX case, but it has a wildly different layout. Rather than housing everything in a single chamber, one side houses the motherboard, graphics card and cooling, and the other side is home to the power supply, storage devices and cable clutter. Because it’s got a little extra room, it can house up to an SFX-L PSU, two 3.5” drives, a single 2.5” drive, and up to a 390 mm long dual-slot graphics card.
Inside the PC-Q37 is a special water cooling bracket that will hold a 240 mm radiator together with a pair of fans and a pump. Lian Li intends to ship this bracket alone, but also in combination with a mostly pre-assembled custom liquid loop. All you’ll have to do yourself is fill it with coolant.
PC-O10: Dual Chamber ATX Case With SFX PSU Mount
The PC-O10 offers an interesting premise. It only has room for an SFX power supply, however it actually has room for a full ATX motherboard with seven expansion slots, something we doubt any other manufacturer has attempted to date. Perhaps that’s a bit curious, but remember, CPUs and GPUs have both become much more efficient, so today's SFX power supplies offer more than adequate power for most setups.
Inside, there is space for an SFX-L power supply, four 3.5” drives, two 2.5” SSDs, and any length GPU you’ll need (Lian Li did not specify a number).
This case is not much taller than an ATX motherboard, and a bit wider than most mid-size ATX cases. It has a very clean appearance.
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P90: For Those Who Need Space
Last up is the P90, which succeeds Lian Li’s P80, offering a huge PC case with more room for hardware than you’ll likely need. The trend may be to move to smaller, but there is still a market for large cases that can house four-way SLI setups and elaborate liquid cooling loops. Therefore, the P90 also has room for two 480mm radiators, in case you think such cooling power is necessary.
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Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.
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grimfox In the sample build of the P90 there is no ODD visible. Is there any ODD drive support at all? for such a monsterous case this seems like there would have to be some sort of support for 5.25 bays. If anything for a fan controller.Reply -
BadCommand While I applaud any effort to get people to use less power in their rigs while using less space and case materials- this is asinine- these cases are every bit as big as ATX sized cases so why would anyone want to limit their buying choices in PSU's?Reply -
Quixit ReplyWhile I applaud any effort to get people to use less power in their rigs while using less space and case materials- this is asinine- these cases are every bit as big as ATX sized cases so why would anyone want to limit their buying choices in PSU's?
It really does beg the question. -
Anathemata ReplyWhile I applaud any effort to get people to use less power in their rigs while using less space and case materials- this is asinine- these cases are every bit as big as ATX sized cases so why would anyone want to limit their buying choices in PSU's?
It really does beg the question.
In the case of the Q37 and O10, the height/depth are not much greater than the Mini-ITX/ATX motherboards they house (a little greater vertical space for water cooling) and the width is only increased by the height of an SFX PSU, rather than ATX. In that case, it stays about 2" narrower than an equivalent design with an ATX PSU.
A modern SFX PSU can easily power a modern GPU/CPU combo, so nothing is lost, although it might cost a little more. If you are buying a Lian-Li case, though, I doubt you are worried about cost.
I like the design. If they had somehow incorporated the water-cooling solution into the back-side of the PC-O10 it would have been better. Looking at it there is definitely room, and could have cut off even more vertical height.