Lian Li PC-A04 Aluminum Mini Tower Case

Manufacturer: Lian Li Industrial Co., LTD
Product Name: PC-A04 Aluminum Mini Tower Case
Model Number: PC-A04A
Price As Tested: Available from NewEgg for $109.99 in Silver or Black

Full disclosure: The product used in this review was supplied by Lian-Li

Just for a minute, we're going to stop looking for the biggest, baddest, most ferocious PC gaming case and look at something a little less hardcore. It's not even black, if you can imagine that..... Another thing that sets the PC-A04 apart from the norm is that it's limited to micro-ATX motherboards. Two or three years ago, this would have been a showstopper, but in recent times there have been some excellent uATX boards hitting the market. There are even some offerings that forgo integrated graphics in favor of more performance-oriented chipsets. ASUS and MSI both make X58 boards for instance, and there are also several P67 choices available. So, don't feel that you have to reign in your performance expectations just because you want a smaller, more attractive box beside your desk.

Lian Li has an enviable reputation for fine metalwork, particularly in aluminum. They also offer a very wide range of designs, from massive eATX towers, to special editions with AMD dragons decorating the side window, to tiny iTX hatboxes, and finally the middle ground. Today we're looking at the PC-A04 Aluminum Mini Tower Case, in silver. With its clean and sleek profile, it could pass for an Apple product. In fact, it's probably the perfect case for that hackintosh you've wanted to build after reading this article.

The outside of the case is a very strong visual statement that will appeal to a certain segment of the market that longs for the Apple style, but can't stomach the closed architecture or the pricing that goes along with it. In black, which is the other available color, it probably blends in a bit more with modern decor, but in silver it really stands out and says, "Hey, look at me!" So far I've focused on the exterior, but don't worry; we'll spend equal time looking at the interior and even look at a build sequence to show how it all fits together. Next, let's take a look at the actual features and specifications for the PC-A04, direct from Lian Li.

Lian Li PC-A04 Mini Tower Features

• Small Case with Two 120mm Intake Fans -The fans push cold air through the case in high volumes with low RPMs
• USB3.0 Multimedia I/O ports - User can easily access USB3.0, e-SATA and HD Audio
• Change the HDD Module Racks' direction - Up to seven 3.5-inch HDDs. Hard disks can face right, left or backwards
• Switch the HDD Module Racks - Either hard disk module can be on the top of the other, with anti-vibration thumb screws
• 370mm Maximum Video Card Space - Remove the HDD cage to allow 370mm long high-end video cards
• Top 120mm Fan x1
• Air filters (Front + Base)
• Tool-less Optical Drive Mounting
• Anti-Vibration PSU mounting rails
• Fan Speed Controller mounting location

Lian Li PC-A04 Mini Tower Specifications

• Model: PC-A04
• Case Type: Mini Tower Chassis
• Dimensions: (W) 188mm x (H) 386mm x (D) 460mm
• Front Bezel: Aluminum
• Color: Black or Silver
• Side Panel: Aluminum
• Body Material: Aluminum
• Net Weight: 4.1KG
• 5.25" drive bay (External): 2
• 3.5" drive bay (External): None
• HDD bay: 7
• Expansion Slot: 4
• Motherboard Type: Micro-ATX / Mini-ITX
• System Fan (Front): 120mm Fan x 2
• System Fan (Top): 120mm Fan x 1
• System Fan (Rear): None
• Front I/O Ports: USB3.0 x 1 / USB2.0 x 1 / e-SATA x 1 / HD Audio
• 2.5" drive bay (Internal): 1
• Maximum Video Card Size: 370mm

Previous Page - Next Page >>