Lian Li PC-18 Mid Tower Chassis will be available early November

Lian Li has launched the PC-18 mid tower brushed aluminium chassis. This chassis, available in silver or black, is designed to "feel compact while fitting powerful air and water cooling options inside," says Lian Li. Feeling compact is relative, so to be clear, the exact dimensions of the PC-18 are; Depth 490mm, Width 210mm, Height 452mm. Lian Li's chosen design is said to hark back to "classic Lian Li minimalism".

The front face of the Lain Li PC-18 is characterised by the upper two 5.25-inch drive bays and a grille covering a pair of 120mm fans. To keep the front face minimal and 'old school' the only other feature on the front is the subtle, silver embossed company logo. Modern features such as the common USB and HD audio ports join the system power button just over the front top of the chassis concealed behind a metal flap. Behind the almost-front I/O section Lian Li has designed in another grille, this time as an exhaust for a 140mm fan.

Inside, air flow and flexible component mounting has been considered carefully to appeal to PC enthusiasts. Lian Li asserts that the chassis will always feature positive air pressure to remain as dust free as is reasonably possible. Side vents offer flexibility over air flow directions and users can fit up to two extra 140mm fans of three extra 120mm fans and mount up to 360 (3×120) radiators for liquid cooling.

The exterior pair of 5.25-inch tool-less drive bays are complemented by an array of fixed storage device possibilities in a removable, vibration dampened, and tool-less (3 x 3.5-inch and 1x 2.5-inch) HDD rack. There is an option to fit two 3.5-inch / 2.5-inch drives behind the motherboard tray depending upon whether the HDD rack is fitted.

Maximum compatibility on offer is as follows; Both CPU cooler and the PSU can be up to 160mm tall. VGA cards up to 285mm can fit alongside the HDD rack, though removing the rack makes room for 410mm cards. For your build you can make use of either micro-ATX or ATX motherboards. There are a 7 expansion slots on the back of the chassis.

Due to the PC-18 chassis configuration and the options it makes available to systems builders Lian Li thinks that it would be eminently suitable for systems requiring front mounted audio controls, video capture ports, fan controllers, hot swap bays, bay mounted reservoirs or even just a pair of ODDs.

We are told that the Lain Li PC-18 will be available in early November at Overclockers UK for £119.90, or at various outlets in the USA "soon", priced at $149.90.