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Overall, the Lian Li PC-C50A is a great HTPC case with very few flaws. The silver aluminium finish looks even better in the flesh than it does in our photos but for those who don't like it, Lian Li also offer it in black-anodized aluminium. One of the nicest design touches is the optical drive bezel which means you aren't forced to have an ugly black optical drive ruining the visage of this beautiful design.
It is perfectly sized to fit under your TV and has a plentiful selection of front panel connections including three USB3.0 ports and an SD card reader. Thankfully Lian Li haven't tried to make the C50 too small, causing compatibility problems with many components. This means you don't have to compromise on the hardware you decide to use and can easily build a very powerful system without physical restrictions.
Although there isn't a huge amount of headroom for a decent CPU cooler, it is possible to fit in a factory-filled watercooler like the CoolIT ECO providing that it isn't too thick. This means that you could overclock your system if you use a decent Micro ATX motherboard. But, with a Mini-ITX motherboard like the Zotac H55-ITX Wi-Fi, we couldn't recommend overclocking as the motherboard simply isn't designed to handle it.
We're sure that the reason that many people don't choose to use a high-end HTPC case is that they usually carry a high price tag. We had a look around the internet and couldn't find the silver version of the PC-C50(A) for sale in the UK but did find the black version (PC-C50B) for sale at Overclockers for £160 inc. VAT. This is quite expensive considering you can purchase a well-featured ATX case for around the £100 mark. But for those who are willing to part with the cash, we are confident the C50 won't disappoint.
KitGuru says: A great HTPC case, let down only by it's high price.
I love Lian Li products, but I continually ask myself ‘are they really worth the premium’?
Sure the aluminum quality is fantastic, but I dont think they radically try new ideas and their premium prices are simply staggering at times.
We bought this in black for our living room and my husband built the system up over a weekend. we are very happy with it, it looks very nice in the living room
Caseking.de ship these to UK if anyone wants the silver one. you pay less too, even with shipping.
I am in the process of building a media center and have three cases shortlisted. this would have been one of them but I think its too expensive for what you get.
[A year later…] I am building a media center and I’m am seriously considering buying this one.
However, I read in another review that in order to equip their blu-ray reader (which was 19cm deep) they had to sacrifice the HDD tray behind it. Did you experience this problem? How deep could the optical drive be to still leave room to max out the HDD trays?
Thanx
No dust filters! Are you kidding me? For a “premium” case, this is simply inexcusable. I am looking at replacing my Antec NSK2480 which is about half the price of this case, and one of my main reasons for replacing it is the lack of dust filters. The Fractal Design Node 605 is cheaper and includes dust filters.