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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aeternitas - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
If you want to see what im comparing this to; http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents....">http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents....HexiumVII - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
Please post shots of the case while filled to the brim, like maxed out hard drives please!!Googer - Thursday, June 12, 2008 - link
Here's a Video (several thousand pictures) of the Case.http://www.vimeo.com/1004500">http://www.vimeo.com/1004500
aguilpa1 - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
I have no doubt the build quality is exceptional as I have the V1000B myself but this has no circulation to it? Plus it looks like they still haven't figured out how to make a removable mobo tray? If Anand plans to make this a test case I would think that would be priority. I have had to change mobos enough to know its important.Rajinder Gill - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
Sorry, page 3 has been updated - the tray is removable.Stock airflow is designed with silence in mind and is adequate in most cases. We'll probably end up water-cooling everything as I have a couple of spare PA 120.2's which should fit in the base nicely with a bit of modding..
regards
Raja
yyrkoon - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
Removable motherboard trays do not make a good case, although I personally would not mind one as well. I have probably the 'cheapest' in the Lian-Li line (the PC-G50), which as far as I know is no longer made, but dahm the case is less than 16" tall ! Cramped, but it looks nice, unlike those embarrassing cases another user mentioned, and its very compact, which is why I bought it aside from the fact that it uses(or can use) 3x 120mm Fans with the Lian-Li 4in3 HDD bay add-on.I also own an Antec P182 case, and while I think it is very well built especially considering layout(and I do like it), it just seems so much like a monster by comparison, and it is only a few inches taller . . . I guess my full tower 'lovin' days are over with.
strafejumper - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
looks decent to me, most cases especially "gaming cases" look incredibly bad to me, like embarassingly ugly to have in your house. This one looks pretty good although i've never owned a lian-li so i don't think i fully understand whats good about them.Currently i still have this chenming/chieftec case: http://www.case-mod.com/images/chen_black_lg.jpg">http://www.case-mod.com/images/chen_black_lg.jpg - add a light in the window, a modular psu, and a couple decals and it looks great, i've had it a long time and no plans on changing it.
This is kind of the best case i've seen though hp blackbird : http://h20435.www2.hp.com/gallery/files/Gallery-De...">http://h20435.www2.hp.com/gallery/files/Gallery-De...
i really like how it is suspended and a nice low angle in the air instead of resting on some plastic feet, and the arm that suspends it is really sturdy (i think i read someone stood on top of the case and it was fine.) I Gotta fit one of those in the budget one day just for the case :)
Noubourne - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
I have not seen anyone mention a Panaflo for a very long time now. I have a couple of those 120x38s sitting around, and they really can push the air.I have since switched to Yate-Loons though, and I am very happy with their performance.
I liked this review. Good to see what some increased airflow will allow in this case. I would like to see even more of that kind of thing in the future with some noise measurements added on.
I'm currently running an Antec 900 and it's a very open design like some others, but the large exhaust fans really reduce the amount of noise generated by the machine. I've had more closed designs in the past that do a good job of keeping the noise contained.
At any rate - the ability of a case to cool and keep quiet are always my two main considerations. I'd love to see case reviews compared on those two points using standard methodology to get an idea of how different cases perform.
Rajinder Gill - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
Hi,All good points that we should consider. It's been a long time since we looked at cases and the excuse of needing a new one for the motherboard stuff kinda rifled into reviewing one.
I still love the Panaflo's, they are unique in some ways. I had a spare lying around so ran with it and now it finds home for the exhaust on the V-2110.
The noise measurements are one area I should have looked into and it was on my mind, so certainly worth adding to anytihng down the pipe in the future..
I approached this a little nervously with it being my first case review and all. Also had some video that I did not quite cut but will endeavor to do so on future reviews. Thanks for the approval anyway :)
regards
Raja
just4U - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - link
Raja, others have been a little perplexed by the new hard drive setup by Lian-Li (looking at other reviews) In your opinion, Is it any better then their old design?