Lian Li Computex 2015 Booth Tour

Lian Li had close to a dozen new or prototype-level cases on display at Computex. I’ve added most in the gallery at the end of this post, but I’ll go through a few of the highlights here as well.

The first one is the PC-V33A, which is a box-like case in which the motherboard is mounted horizontally. The top cover is made out of single piece of aluminum, but it opens up for easy installation. 

The case above is more of a conceptual prototype where Lian Li is playing around with a taller case design. Instead of having hard drive bays next to the motherboard, there’s room for four hard drives in the top chamber, which allows for better airflow in the main chamber. 

One of the more down to earth designs is the PC-K621, which is also Lian Li’s first non-aluminum case. Traditionally Lian Li has kept the Lancool brand for value cases, but it seems that the company is trying to consolidate everything under a single brand now. The PC-K621 is made out of steel and plastic, but it does feel very sturdy and despite the fact that the front panel is made out of plastic, it has a metal-like look in it. Pricing will be about $70, so while it’s not exactly a value case it’s still considerably cheaper than the rest of the Lian Li cases.

One minor change Lian Li has made to its cases is changing the power button material from plastic to aluminum. The company received many complaints of the power button not having the same feel as the rest of the case, so as any respectable company Lian Li listened to its customers and made the change. 

And obviously no Lian Li booth tour is complete without the computer desk case. Lian Li has modified the design a bit so that one can now easily sit with legs under the table, which was one of the issues the earlier cases had (note: that’s Kip Hartwell, Lian Li’s marketing rep, in the photo, not me). The desk is still expensive, though, and Lian Li doesn’t really have any plans of making a value model, but it’s a relatively small niche anyway.

Gallery: Lian Li Computex 2015 Booth Tour

Check out the gallery above if you’re interested in seeing what else Lian Li had to offer!

be quiet! Showcases New Silent Base 600 Case & SilentWings 3 Fans

be quiet! had two new products to show in its suite at Computex. The first one is Silent Base 600, which is a smaller and more affordable version of the Silent Base 800 that was first showed at last year’s Computex. Typical to be quiet! brand, the company focused on building a quiet case, yet still offering excellent cooling performance. be quiet! will be offering models with and without the side window, and the case comes with two pre-installed Pure Wings 2 fans (140mm in the front and 120mm in the back) with support for up to seven fans (six in the windowed model). GPUs and CPU coolers of up to 400mm and 170mm are supported respectively and the Silent Base 600 will be available in September in three colors (orange, black & silver) with MSRPs of $100 (no window) and $115 (with side window).

Gallery: be quiet! Silent Base 600 at Computex 2015

The other new product be quiet! showcased is the third generation SilentWings fan. be quiet! modified the shape of the blades to produce higher airflow without increasing the noise level and SilentWings 3 is also the only consumer-oriented fan with a 6-pole motor. Both PWM and non-PWM models will be available in October with the Euro MSRPs being about 20€. 

Gallery: be quiet! SilentWings 3 at Computex 2015

BitFenix Shows Massive Atlas Case & LED Light Stripes

BitFenix had one new case on the show floor called the Atlas. It’s a massive “dual-chamber” design that aims to build a very clean look since the PSU, hard drives and basically all the not-so-pretty components are placed behind the motherboard. 

Gallery: BitFenix Computex 2015 Booth Tour

I’ve added more shots of the Atlas in the gallery above. One interesting detail is the screw-less hard drive bays, although in a case this huge only four bays is a little limiting. Personally I feel that Atlas mostly wastes a lot of space by focusing solely on creating a cleaner look. Nowadays there are many cases that hide the PSU fairly well and with good cable management you can achieve a clean look without twice the size. I guess the Atlas could still have a niche for users who really need a lot of space for e.g. radiators, but I feel like it’s more of a concept at this point rather than a final product.

While nothing new, BitFenix also had its Pandora mATX and ATX cases on display.

BitFenix had its own LED light stripes inside every case, which light the system up and give the user the ability to properly see the components inside. You only need two stripes for lighting the innards and obviously the stripes are available in multiple colors to fit everyone’s preference. I asked about an RGB version, but I was told that and RGB version couldn’t produce as pure colors and producing white light (which is one of the most popular models) wouldn’t be possible at all. In addition, RGB would add unnecessary cost due to a controller requirement, so at least for now BitFenix is only shipping single-color stripes.