Verdict and Conclusion
This was not the first Lian Li case I had been able to work with in person. However, this case was the first this small I had ever had the pleasure to turn into a system. And I was not disapointed to say the least.
After spending a nice amount of time with the PC-Q16 I have to say Lian Li has not skipped a beat in their build quality at all.
The finish is well done and I was unable to find a sharp corner anywhere on this case. It was not too long ago that it was almost a rite of passage to shed blood on a computer build every time system components were replaced. Those days are thankfully over.
With the removable motherboard tray it makes installing a motherboard pretty easy. I really would have liked it had Lian Li chose to go with a slot for an expansion card. The space is there but for some reason it was not included. A low power video card would have turned a low powered htpc into a nice little powerhouse to handle new games at lower settings.
Noise is nothing to worry about with this case. Even with the fan spinning at full blast it is hard to even hear it unless you put your ear up to the side of the case.
Since this case is a Lian Li you get the solid build quality associated with the brand. But you also have to pay for that quality. Searching around on the web this case is generally found for around $170. That sure is a nice chunk of change for a case. But the fact that it does come with a power supply helps ease the pain a bit.
I’ll summarize a bit, the above is a lot to read. We’ll start with the pros:
- Very quiet
- Includes a power supply
- All aluminum construction
- Great looking
There are cons too:
- Price is a little high, but you get what you pay for
- Wasted space where an expansion slot could be added
Lian Li has been known over the years for the quality of their cases. The PC-Q16 does not fail to impress. If you are looking for a sophisticated and impressive looking case that is still well build you will be hard pressed to find a case much better for your ITX system.
SCORE
9.1/10
