Taiwan's Lian Li has today announced the latest addition to its ever-growing line of chassis in the form of the PC-8N.
The mid-tower solution, pictured below, is somewhat simple in appearance but packs plenty of functionality into its 210mm x 450mm x 490mm hairline-brushed all-aluminium frame.
Users will find a single 120mm intake at the front and a 120mm exhaust at the rear. There's room for mATX or ATX motherboards, a rear-top-mounted PSU, four 5.25in optical drives, a single 3.5in/2.5in external drive, and three internal 3.5in drives, too. That's joined by seven PCI expansion slots, a front-facing I/O panel, and room for graphics cards up to 290mm in length.
Seems to have most areas covered, and it'll be shipping next month. Trouble is, it'll arrive with an MSRP of $109 - and that's excluding VAT, so we'd expect to see it appear on our shores dangerously close to the £100 mark.
Sounds a little pricey for what Lian Li's describing as a "general purpose" chassis, so why the premium? It's a result of Lian Li's desire to maintain high-quality build standards. The PC-8N looks simple at first glance, but it's packed full of little Lian Li extras - including a hairline-brushed anodised-aluminium finish, a patented anti-vibration HDD cage, folded edges to prevent any sharp areas, vibration-absorbing EMI springs on the top cover, anti-vibration grommets on the motherboard tray, vented PCI brackets to aid with air flow, and easily removable panels on both the top and front.
Sounds as user friendly as any Lian Li chassis, but the stumbling point in today's economy might be the price tag. Particularly when the likes of Enermax and NZXT are rolling out impressive-looking chassis for as little at £37 and £40, respectively.
