Evolution of Lian Li's SOHO Server Cases
by Joshua Buss on May 16, 2006 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
PC-201B - Exterior
Our look at the newer PC-201B isn't going to be quite as extensive as our look at the PC-V2000, mainly because the two cases are so similar on the inside. However, the exterior is markedly different, as we'll see in the next couple pictures. |
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Diverging from the rounded corners of the PC-V series, the PC-201 is exceptionally box-like, hinting more towards the classic Lian Li cases. The front is a one-piece door, accented by the only color differences on the case along the top, bottom, and right side and a newer, cursive Lian Li insignia.
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It's certainly more monolithic than the PC-V2000, but whether or not that's the look you're going for is something you'll have to decide before picking one of these two cases over the other.
Behind the door you'll find the same total number of 5.25" bays, but none are ready for a floppy drive. However, as time goes on, the usefulness of a floppy is slowly fading away and this probably won't concern too many people. For those who really need the external 3.5" bay, several e-tailers are selling the PC-201 with an included bay adapter.
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Along the right edge about half-way up is the slot for the lock for the door. The front ports have moved from the very bottom to the very top, which is a good move considering the majority of people using this case won't likely put it anywhere up high anyway.
Just like the PC-V2000B, the PC-201B has a very high quality brushed aluminum black finish that doesn't show fingerprints or scratches too easily.
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The inside bezel is arguably even more void of decoration than the outside - here looking at the bottom you'll only find the power and reset buttons, which are actually mostly translucent becase the power button glows blue indicating the computer is on, and the reset button glows red with HDD activity. The large grill is the only ventilation for air coming into the front of the case, which helps with keeping the case as free of dust as possible.
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The door itself has a very solid feel to it, with no real worries of how well it will stay shut thanks to the well-made latch. The spring-loaded ball doesn't make it too difficult to close the door but doesn't leave the closed position feeling flimsy either. It's also nice that Lian Li included a soft strip the whole length of the door to dampen any vibrations and keep the sound of the door closing from being too harsh.
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Looking at the rear of the case it's even easier to see just how boxy the PC-201 really is. Other than the lack of rounded corners though, the differences between the PC-V2000 and this case are so minuscule they're not even noticeable, except for the fact that the rear 120mm fan in this case is now an intake by default. (It is of course possible to orient the fans in either direction, should you choose to do so. However, we're inclined to stick with the default orientation that Lian Li chose.)
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cgaspar - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
The V2100B is just the V2000B with a door, and no silly side window.Be careful with which power supply you buy for this case - the PC Power & Cooling 850W unit I got didn't fit, because it was too long.
Also be careful with which CPU coolers you use if your motherboard has a CPU on the bottom edge, as there is almost _no_ clearance between the motherboard and the case. I had to replace the Zalman CNPS7000B I was using. On the other hand, this is the first case where my Extended ATA montherboard didn't feel cramped (this thing is _huge_!)
Other than those minor issues, I've been extremely happy with the case. My 8 500G SATA drive array is running along quite nicely.
Missing Ghost - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
Who would use IDE for this.....And with a lot of 2 port expansion card?Also, the cables that you used are out of spec. (40 cm max I think)
This case is meant for SCSI.
JoshuaBuss - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
I used IDE 'cause it's all I have on hand. More importnatly though, it takes up significantly more space than SATA cables, making it apparant how well the case can handle that much cabling.ohnnyj - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
I love my PC-V2100, been a wonderful home to my AMD SLI system for over a year now. Build quality is excellent but I have but one gripe. The USB cables for the front panel are not nearly long enough to reach my motherboard. Perhaps they have fixed this in an updated model.JoshuaBuss - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
the front panel cords in the PC-201 are very long.. you'd have to route them all over the place for them not to reach pretty much anywhere on a motherboard.rowcroft - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
I liked the article, always fascinated with cases. One thing I would have liked to see was an E-ATX motherboard though- it would give a better idea of the case flexibility. I would think most people buying this case would be putting a workstation class mobo in it. I've been looking for a good box to build a dual opteron rig around and this looks like a contender. Thanks again!Xenoid - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
Would have been nice to see some temperatures on the cpu/video between the cases and other popular enthusiast cases. Overall, nice article and quite a nice case.JoshuaBuss - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
I'm hoping to follow this look up with a more in-depth comparison of performance once I have some real sever-style equipment.mkruer - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
I have this case. Never had an issue with it other then the rubber wheels not staying on when moving the system around. The only thing I would like to comment on, is that if you are building a “quite system” there are a few things you can do to improve that subjective score of 3.0/3.5 of 10 to 7.5 to 8.5. first remove the drive mounting (you can unscrew it) and suspend the drives is a harness. This will eliminate 99% of the reverb from the case while the drives are on. Next replace the 120mm fan. I don’t know why but the fans that are included with the case are not that grate for making a quite system.Finally at the front of the case where you would mount CD Rom drives. Place it some foam. It really doesn’t effect the air flow but it will deaden any sound that my be coming from the mother board.
I have very sensitive herring and if I can leave the system on full boar and still go to sleep then I know that its pretty dang quite.
Lifted - Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - link
That reverb has been driving me nuts lately. I replaced a drive and moved a couple to different places, and it seems to have gotten a bit better, but still shows up now and then.