Lian Li PC-A76X Case Review: The Limits of Aluminum
by Dustin Sklavos on September 30, 2012 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Lian Li
- HPTX
- E-ATX
Conclusion: If All You Need is Performance...
While the Lian Li PC-A76X's cooling design wasn't quite the homerun I was looking for, it was pretty close. Looking at the graphs doesn't really tell the whole story; Lian Li's design is competitive thermally without sacrificing noise for performance. That's the kind of balance we want to see in this price bracket, and the fact that it performs as well as it does without any kind of noise-cancelling material or padding in the panels is a testament both to the smart engineering that went into the PC-A76X's cooling design and to the fact that it's not how many fans you have or how fast they run, it's where you place them and how you engineer the airflow. If you want performance, you've got it, full stop.
Unfortunately performance isn't really the whole story. If that's all you care about and you need a large case, then the PC-A76X is going to be one of the best options available for you. But I have reservations about the build quality, the lack of conveniences, and most importantly, the price tag. However well it performs, it's plain to me that Lian Li is overcharging for the PC-A76X and its slightly less expensive sibling, the PC-A75X. The aluminum used to build the case continues to be fairly chintzy and thin, and I'm not sure it even has to be. This case is not designed to take any kind of abuse; aluminum finishes can be prone to scratching, and aluminum this thin is fairly easy to dent and warp.
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The case may also be quiet now, but it sure doesn't feel sturdy, and when a case isn't sturdy there's a good chance it's going to develop acoustic problems later on. I wouldn't be surprised to see it develop a rattle in the long term, and that's before acknowledging the lack of filters on any of the fans. No filters may improve airflow, but the PC-A76X might wind up being difficult to keep clean in the long term even without considering how easy the finish will be to scuff.
My bottom line is this: when a case costs $210, it needs to be well made. Period. It needs to be fairly easy to build in and failing that, it needs to at least justify the difficulty. The PC-A76X only justifies itself in its performance, performance that I'm not entirely convinced makes up for the lack of conveniences. More than that, I'm skeptical as to just how well it can serve its intended purpose as an E-ATX/HPTX enclosure as the severe lack of cable routing holes in the motherboard tray could very well cause the interior to start clogging up with cabling in a hurry.
There's a very good case waiting to be discovered in the PC-A76X, but this design is in dire need of refinement and Lian Li needs to both get with the times and justify the exorbitant price they're asking for this case. It's not the disaster that Cubitek's HPTX ICE was, where Cubitek wanted $359 for a case that couldn't perform anywhere near as well as cases half its price, but it's a lot of money for a case that's missing the features and polish competing cases have. If all you're concerned about is performance, the PC-A76X is probably going to fine in the short and medium term, but if you want to get the most for your money, this isn't it.
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picobico2006 - Sunday, August 23, 2015 - link
E' viceversaxc68000 - Monday, October 1, 2012 - link
Seriously. I can't get rid of my Wavemaster because literally every new aluminum case I look is crap in comparison. It was designed more for the P4 era and as such doesn't have any 120mm fans (except for the one I cut in the side panel). There is a market, but seems like no one is making cases for it. I've never seen a silverstone, but they look like a premium case I wonder about the panel thickness though.And seriously...you can see the LianLi badge is on crooked in one of those photos. They have definitely strayed from where they started from.
Captmcnet - Saturday, January 4, 2014 - link
NewEgg has this case listed for $190.The Lian-Li web site specs show 12 internal 3.5in HDD bays.
Your Sept 2012 review specifies only 9 such bays.
Which is correct please.
Wm McMullen
bill@mcmullen-fla.net
aguilpa1 - Monday, October 1, 2012 - link
My last two cases have been Lian Li, my first a V1000 about 6 or 7 years ago and that thing was built like an aluminum tank. The panels were thick and strong, I still have it as a media server. Based on that experience my second case a full tower is a PC-P80. While very large and roomy, the aluminum on this case was not as high of quality as the original and the has a lot less features. Somewhere along the way, Lian Li began cutting corners on both their features and quality of their aluminum. I hate to see when companies have a good rep going and they start taking advantage after awhile. My next case probably won't be a Lian Li.hyrule4927 - Sunday, September 30, 2012 - link
Not really why you're complaining about side vents. I have an Antec 1100 and my GPU temperatures are about 5C lower with a side fan installed. I observed similar benefits from a side intake fan on my old Cooler Master case.Iketh - Sunday, September 30, 2012 - link
if you design the intakes efficiently and their flow through the bottom of the case, there is no need for the side intakeside intake = more noise escaping from said GPU and very rarely come with a filter pre-installed, and of course vibration on the side panel
Steveymoo - Monday, October 1, 2012 - link
Actually, the extra noise part is not necessarily true. When I added a second GPU to my NZXT Hush PC, the GPUs would get so hot, the fans would max out. Instead of paying god knows how much for a new case with more adequate cooling, I drilled a hole into the side of the case, right above the GPUs, and fitted a 140mm Noctua fan, including a grill on the outside, and the rubber mount pins. The panel does not vibrate, and the temperature of my GPUs dropped by around 15C.As a result, my system runs way quieter under heavy load, and quietens down to a whisper during idle.
A side panel fan is definitely the best solution, it just has to be done right.
JPForums - Monday, October 1, 2012 - link
A side panel fan isn't necessarily the best solution. Though, it is the correct answer for many cases, there are cases designed to flow large volumes of air through the case with minimal obstructions. In these cases, a side fan doesn't necessarily help. Silverstone's Raven RV02/ Fortress FT02 have no side panel fan, but produce some of the lowest GPU temperatures on the market. I had a buddy cut a hole in the side panel of an FT02 to mount a fan for the GPUs, thinking he could get the temperatures even lower (very nicely done by the way). Unfortunately, it caused more noise, more turbulence in the airflow, and ultimately, higher temperatures across the board. He even re-cut it for a larger fan, but to no avail. He ended up ditching his modded side panel for an original with no fan.That said, there are plenty of cases, like the Cooler Master HAF series, where side panel intake is absolutely critical as front intake is clearly obstructed. This type of case isn't necessarily inferior, just different. Done properly, this cooling style isn't really any noisier than the more free flowing style. Given a high end video card or two in this type of case (such as your case), the side fan does in fact reduce overall system noise (as you described).
Sabresiberian - Monday, October 1, 2012 - link
I think you are really stretching here to try to make your point. Side vents aren't necessarily more noisy, and if you are getting any kind of increased vibration from a fan - you need to stop using dirt-cheap fans! Seriously!Personally, I want a side fan. I realize my opinion is influenced from the days when graphics solutions started overpowering case cooling designs to the point where pulling off the side cover and setting up a fan to blow across the video card was a necessity, but I've found that a side fan can still significantly drop the temperature of a card.
You can say proper design makes for a better solution, and certainly that has a lot of truth, but in the end moving air is going to be important enough to some builds that the side fan will be of great benefit. If you don't need or want that, buy a different case.
;)
rarson - Monday, October 1, 2012 - link
"if you are getting any kind of increased vibration from a fan - you need to stop using dirt-cheap fans!"My thought exactly.