Lian Li PC-10N Review

👤by David Mitchelson Comments 📅05-11-13
Conclusion

Lian Li are well-known for making some of the most spectacular, feature-rich and quirky cases on the market. Choosing aluminium as their material of choice and having their very own factory has allowed them to monopolise over the competition.

Whenever we receive a Lian Li sample, we’re never let down by the quality of engineering. PC-10N has an all-aluminium construction which lends itself to being very light and robust. As is typical of most of Lian Li’s product line, the 10N oozes style and finesse. Adopting a sleek and professional appearance, we’re confident this mid-tower will look great as part of any home office.

Throughout the chassis, tool-free mechanisms are there to be used for the installation process and they make the job of getting from start to finish much easier. We especially like the inclusion of the hinged water cooling bracket which can be detached from 10N if desired. Having the option to configure a 240mm radiator away from the case and in a different location than the roof is very thoughtful and creative.

We also discovered the thermal design with the push/pull arrangement of cooling fans worked very well indeed, yielding encouraging results straight out of the box.



There are however a few things to note which are worth mentioning. We’re pleased to see the inclusion of the PSU filter but unfortunately the case has to be placed on its side in order to remove this and clean. Typically, a system sits on the desk or beside it, moving it into a place to tilt it over – with all the cables plugged in will be cumbersome. We’d have liked to see a filter detachable whilst the case is stood up. Cable management is slightly different inside 10N due to the rail system for the motherboard tray, as a result extra care and attention is needed to get cables routed. Lian Li’s choice of brackets aren’t in the best of places and it can be tricky. Lastly – the hinged water cooling bracket demands either a push/pull configuration or just simply a pull. The design of the bracket hinders a 240mm radiator being installed on its own with the cooling fans on top for a push configuration (which most system builders use). A slight redesign of this would extend compatibility!

An all-aluminium mid-tower is never going to be cheap but we think the PC-10N, considering all that is included, is a great buy for just short of £100 (120 EUR).

PC-10N is a contemporary mid-tower that exudes class. Those wishing to indulge in an all-aluminium enclosure that also has support for 240mm radiators for less than £100 should look no further!

Pros
+ Sleek, professional aesthetics
+ Premium quality – all aluminium
+ Tool-free mechanisms for installation
+ Handy hinged water cooling bracket
+ Support for high-end components
+ Good value for money
+ Decent cooling performance

Cons
- PSU filter requires case to be turned on side
- Cable management can be tricky
- Cannot use WC bracket in push config – has to be pull or push/pull



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