Lian Li PC-Q30 Case Review: A Mini-ITX Chassis With Flair

Name: Lian Li PC-Q30 Technical Specifications And Features
Author: Igor Wallossek

by Igor Wallossek November 18, 2013 at 10:00 PM

Technical Specifications And Features

Lian Li's PC-Q30 employs horizontal airflow. Cool air enters through the two openings on either side of the case and is blown out the back, along with the system’s heat, via a fan. There’s no opening at the top, which means passive cooling isn't in the cards.

Technical Specifications
Model Number	PC-Q30
Form Factor	mini-ITX, DTX
Dimensions	223 mm (Width) x 357 mm (Height) x 300 mm (Depth)
Colors	Black or Silver (Outside and Inside are the Same)
Material	Aluminum
Weight	2.13 kg (Completely Empty) 2.30 kg (Empty)
5.25" (external)	None
3.5" (internal)	None
2.5" (internal)	4 x 2.5" for Hard Drive/SSD
Expansion Slots	2
Case Fans	1 x 140 mm
I/O Ports	2 x USB 3.0 / HD Audio
Component Size	Graphics Card: Up to 200 mm Length and 125 mm Height (Including Power Connectors) PSU: Up to 125 mm Length CPU Cooler: Up to 130 mm Height (Including Fan)
Power Supply	SFX (Not Included)
Street Price	Approximately $135

The power button on the front of the case features a blue LED to convey the system’s status and a red LED to show storage activity. It’s the same button used on many of Lian Li's other cases. There is no reset button.

The back of the enclosure's front cover exposes the attached cable, which you can detach. This actually makes installation easier, since the front cover can be set aside without detaching cables from the motherboard.

The front panel is more of a side. It sports two USB 3.0 and audio I/O (microphone input and headphone output).

The only potential issue we found was the PC-Q30’s four metal feet. They won't discolor the surface they're set on like the soft plastic ones tend to do, but they will scratch your desk if you're not careful. The lack of insulation against vibration didn't turn out to be a problem, surprisingly, due to the small footprint making contact.

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About the author

Igor Wallossek

Igor Wallossek is a Senior Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware DE. He tests and reviews CPUs, GPUs, games and headsets.

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Top Comments

gofasterstripes 4 years ago

Lian Li proving, again, that they're a little less sane than everyone else...

I kinda like it, nice concept. There's too many boring PC cases!

Other Comments

afrobacon 4 years ago

It's hideous.
gofasterstripes 4 years ago

Lian Li proving, again, that they're a little less sane than everyone else...

I kinda like it, nice concept. There's too many boring PC cases!
jimthenagual 4 years ago

Doesn't quite do it for me. Good for them for trying something new, but it's not something I'd buy.
monsta 4 years ago

Yuck....
bemused_fred 4 years ago

Ugh. How incredibly gauche.
jimthenagual 4 years ago

It makes me want to play donkey kong on the screen.
killerclick 4 years ago

I like it. Then again, everything is better than a laptop.
JohnMD1022 4 years ago

Ugly with a capital UG !!
vertexx 4 years ago

Does that thing dispense Bitcoins? It looks like it should be dispensing something....
rolli59 4 years ago

Definitely a matter of taste.
edmoncu 4 years ago

UGLY! I don't understand the 'uniqueness' of this being a thing of beauty. it's a total opposite! Being different is not just about being different!
clonazepam 4 years ago

So a designer at Lian Li was sitting around feeling all nostalgic about his Macintosh (1984-1993), and was looking at all the interesting slideshows of said computers that had been turned into fish bowls, or just a hideout for cute cats. Then the idea for this came to him/her.

It's not something I'd do for myself. I can see how plenty of people would appreciate the design. I know my 8 yr old daughter would absolutely love that fan. Get some software to turn your monitor into a strobe light, and you have a party in the making! lol

Igor's awesome. Good job. Could a 140mm fan be rigged up to that CPU(APU) cooler?
warezme 4 years ago

Tell your grandpa, it's a new fangled microfiche, he'll get it.
g-unit1111 4 years ago

It looks like an airport or store kiosk.
ta152h 4 years ago

Whoever thought this was an attractive case should not be allowed to do any decorations in the house.

It's ugly as Hell. Different is easy. Different and attractive is difficult. This is different, sure, because no one else wanted to build something so ugly.

Their train is different and pretty. They normally miss, that's for sure, but every now and then they get it right. I have the train,and love it. This ugly thing? I'd sledgehammer it. It would look better that way.
g-unit1111 4 years ago

Anonymous said:

So a designer at Lian Li was sitting around feeling all nostalgic about his Macintosh (1984-1993), and was looking at all the interesting slideshows of said computers that had been turned into fish bowls, or just a hideout for cute cats. Then the idea for this came to him/her.

It's not something I'd do for myself. I can see how plenty of people would appreciate the design. I know my 8 yr old daughter would absolutely love that fan. Get some software to turn your monitor into a strobe light, and you have a party in the making! lol

Igor's awesome. Good job. Could a 140mm fan be rigged up to that CPU(APU) cooler?

Actually I'm thinking more some designer at Lian Li travels a lot and was thinking "Hmm...... how can I get my PC to have the feel of that machine at the airport that prints out your boarding pass?"
cobra5000 4 years ago

Lots of negative posts but I think its pretty cool. A case like this, demands a stylish cooler and gpu, if you add one. I have been itching to do a small form factor..
nekromobo 4 years ago

Any suggestions whats the cooler of choice to replace that case-fan? Something like Noctua NF-A15 ? For that absolutly silent service..
RedJaron 4 years ago

I don't mind the look of this. The cooling solution doesn't make much sense to me, though. The exhaust fan is effectively under the board. That means the flow has to go past the edges, but not across. That seems really inefficient, and possibly eddy inducing right above the board. And I'd forget trying anything but a blower-fan GPU in that case ( though that should work quite well considering the fan intake is right up against the case vent. The passive cooled card's fins are right next to the vent too, but they're not inline with how the air wants to flow.

It just seems clumsy from a thermal/airflow perspective.
DanglingPointer 4 years ago

Get the most powerful Kaveri and pair it with a 7850 next year! Or whatever the most powerful GCN card that can fit!

Mantle enabled games that are multi-gcn-gpu aware will be able to take advantage of assymetric AFR (assymetric crossfire rendering)!!!! Then you'll be able to play BF4 on high quality on 1080p!

But that's only if Mantle lives up to the hype! It is still all theory on slides from AMD and DICE.