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The Lian Li PC-TU200 is a well made, innovative case that is typical of Lian Li’s style and design. There are plenty of high grade touches that make it worth considering.
The handle on the top of the case may split opinion, especially in regards to appearance. Obviously Lian Li include this for the audience who move their system around on a regular basis, such as gamers who frequently attend LAN events.
Although unquestionably well-made, the design of the case isn’t without problems.
The power supply mounting system seems a little unnecessary, also locating the power supply itself just in front of the CPU cooler seems less than ideal. That said, the case is feature-rich and should appeal to those who desire features such as front panel USB 3.0 for fast data transfer.
Cable management is relatively good throughout and Lian Li have added a few plastic twister clips to help route some of the long front panel cables. The power supply cables can also be easily moved out of sight under the drive cage itself. The use of a modular power supply is recommended, as the case is naturally short on space and carefully routing an excessive amount of cables will not be easy.
It is difficult to judge the PC-TU200 too harshly. It naturally presents some challenges typically associated with small form factor cases but Lian Li have accepted they are often difficult to overcome and have offered a few new ideas into the mix, which has made the overall experience a pleasurable one. Careful selection of partnering equipment however is a must.
You can buy in either silver or black direct from Overclockers for £149.99 inc vat.
Pros
- Stunning aesthetics.
- Relatively well cooled.
- Highly portable.
Cons
- Limited space inside to route cables.
- Power supply mount needs to be removed to access any section of the motherboard.
Kitguru says: A quality product and it looks beautiful.
It looks ok, but im not sure about the handle. I can appreciate why its there, but it puts me off the shape. can it be removed?
Its a nice idea, but there are flaws. the corners of the case for instance, why not make the four protective extra ‘pads’ rubberised? they are aluminum, and I know the black version of the case will mark extra easy when moved about. Thats the biggest mistake IMO. id rather have a thin rubber pad on each corner of the case to keep the aluminum off the surfaces, rather than have it all stratched.
The price is also a little high.
Built my last system using this case. Removed the drive cage & installed the Addonics snap-in bay for hard drives. There was enough room to fit a H70 water cooling unit with the radiator fitted via a manifold to the front fan. To finish off a Seasonic fanless PSU & a Gainwind 670 Phamtom (with the shroud removed). Positive air pressure cooling that runs nice & quiet 🙂
I for one like this design – especially the handle.
It looks sturdy and has soft edges; I have been stabbed by the edges of my old case because of the twisted sheet metal (but hey, I just about lost an eye putting up a steel shed).
The grating for the large fan makes this case look like a cheap guitar amp, which is good in my opinion.
Looks very portable.
I love the appearance and I bought one after reading this review. I do agree and never actually thought about the rubberised corners. they should be rubber, not metal, as this will mark badly over time, as its meant to be moved.
Hopefujlly they change this in the next revision to be more ‘durable’. im sure lian li can get it looking right and not cheap.