Today Lian Li has released a pair of chassis which share quite a number of features and their overall styling. These small form factor cases are the micro-ATX PC-V359 and mini-ITX PC-Q36 modular chassis.
The PC-V359 and PC-Q36 retain the Lian Li signature brushed aluminium look but feature a full see through top panel and front panel window made of clear Perspex. These chassis are highly modular. Removing the top panel via thumbscrews allows the side panels to be slid away, an operation that takes "a matter of seconds". Once inside the removal of two further thumbscrews allows the 3.5-inch drive cage to be removed, as well as the entire front panel. Two further screws affix the back panel.
Both of these new chassis are built to accommodate air, water, and passive cooling apparatus and have twin heat zone designs. Filtered venting is located at the top of both side panels with support for a 240mm radiator on one side.
Obviously the two models differ in their capacity but the differences in maximum hardware compatibility aren't that great;
- The PC-V359 supports VGA cards up to 320mm (12.6-inch) in length and CPU coolers up to 160mm (6.3-inch) in height
- The PC-Q36 supports VGA cards up to 300mm (11.8-inch) in length and CPU coolers up to 170mm (6.7-inch) height
User friendly peripheral connectivity is enhanced by an I/O panel on the front right of both of these PC cases which includes a pair of USB 3.0 ports and HD audio. HEXUS readers might also be pondering why, where an ODD bay might usually be located, now there is just a front window to peer though. Don't fret, as Lian Li has located a slim optical bay at the bottom of the same front panel.
Lian Li informs us that this new pair of chassis will be available in black, silver, black/red and champagne gold finishes. They will become available very soon ("mid June") in the UK. The micro-ATX PC-V359 will cost £106 and mini-ITX PC-Q36 will cost £88.
