Computex 2019: Cases, custom loops and RGB fans at Lian Li

With our Computex 2019 now drawing to a close, Leo managed to fit in one last visit – to Lian Li. Here, the company was showing off a range of new cases – included the highly-anticipated O11 Dynamic XL – as well as some nifty RGB fans and liquid coolers.

The first new case Leo got to see was the Odyssey X. This is pretty unique in that it can be configured in two different ‘modes' – Dynamic mode or Performance mode. Interestingly enough, the chassis is actually rotated depending on which mode you pick – Dynamic mode is focused on aesthetics, and the case becomes very tall, but Performance mode flips the chassis so it is longer, creating space for thicker radiators. It's certainly an interesting approach.

Lian Li's O11 Dynamic XL has certainly been spoken about a lot since it was announced back at CES 2019, and here Leo got to see it in the flesh. It still supports up to 2x 360mm radiators, but the key thing is now support for E-ATX motherboards. This also means more room around the radiators themselves which will make building custom loops that bit easier. There's also a snap-out radiator tray that sits in the bottom of the case, allowing you to install your radiator and fans outside of the chassis and just pop the tray back in when you're good to go.

We also something new related to the original O11 Dynamic – a new distro plate for the case made by EKWB. Joe Robey was on hand to talk to us about the plate, which he says is mounted on the side of the case ‘to continue the ethos of the dynamic case' and keep your options open for one or two graphics cards, and one or two radiators, and the CPU block. We didn't hear a price for the distro plate, but it will be available through Lian Li or EKWB.

Lancool II was another new case on show, and while it looks more conventional than the Odyssey X or O11, it's not without its own set of features. These include another pop-out radiator tray at the front, with space for up to 360mm radiators – again allowing for easy installation – while we also saw the case with a 240mm AIO installed in the roof, with another two fans mounted on the PSU shroud. In other words, there's a lot of room for cooling. We were also told it's not going to be too expensive, coming in around £90-100.

Moving on now to the Galahad 240 AIO liquid cooler. This is interesting as the pump isn't on mounted on the CPU block, as per almost every other AIO on the market, but instead it sits attached to the radiator – Leo reckons this is to get around Asetek's pump patents. The CPU block also sports a magnetic cover which you can remove completely – to show off more of the RGB lighting – or you can even attach your own magnetic cover if you want.

Lastly, we also saw some nifty concept fans which were actually 3D printed. The idea with these fans is they connect to each other via gold contact pins which handle both the PWM and RGB signal, meaning you only need one cable per ‘block' of fans – we saw three running daisy-chained together. It's certainly a neat idea that would help a lot with cable management.

KitGuru says: That's it for our coverage of Computex 2019 – do let us know what has caught your eye this week!

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