Lian-Li PC-B12 Aluminium Chassis Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. Lian-Li PC-B12 External4. Lian-Li PC-B12 Internal5. System Installation6. Testing Methodology & Performance7. Acoustical Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

All Lian-Li cases are special, and the PC-B12 is no exception. The build quality is truly inspirational, and the amount of thought that has gone into every aspect of the design is admirable. For instance the anti-vibration mounting of hard disk drives, which is both easy and functional. We also love just how easily everything screws or slides in place, and all without screwdrivers.

The PC-B12 has several other nice features; the hard drive cage can be removed and the rear air duct does allow you to use the chassis in more environments without the worry of restricting air flow.

In terms of thermal performance the Lian-Li PC-B12 chassis performed well but not quite at the class leading level. That said, if you were to use a more powerful, compatible CPU Cooler – for example a Noctua NH-D14, then the performance will likely improve significantly. The 2 x 140mm fans and 1 x 120mm fans are moving a lot of air around the chassis but if hot air from the processor is forced upwards, then the case can struggle, due to a lack of top mounted fan.

The acoustic performance is very good. A sound level output of just 36 dB is very impressive for a chassis that has 3 fans and as such will appeal to a wide audience. Clearly the sound proofing and high build-quality is paying off. If you were to replace these fans with Be Quiet! variants, then we would expect emissions to drop to around the 32dBa mark.

Overall, we really enjoyed building a system into the B12, it is just so nice to work with. The only problem was with the 8-pin CPU Power cable which we just couldn't route where we wanted.

The Lian Li PC-B12 can be purchased for around £120 from Overclockers.co.uk which is quite competitive, considering the use of high grade aluminum throughout.

Pros:

• Amazing build quality.
• very strong feature set.
• low noise levels.

Cons:

• A bit tight on space for cable routing.
• A top mounted fan position would help cooling performance.

Kitguru says: An excellent case which is built to the highest standards.

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