Lian Li Q58 Review

Lian Li showed the Mini-ITX Q58 case at their Digital Expo 2.0 in June and now the time has come for a full review. This Mini-ITX model has a volume under 15 litres, supports a full length triple-slot graphics card and is supplied with a PCI Express Gen 4.0 riser. This combination of features promises great things (and also caused some headaches during the build process…)

Main features

• Compact Design and Enormous Versatility. The Q58 is an all-new 14.5L mini ITX aluminium chassis that can fit an SFX or an ATX PSU. This small form factor case offers impressive modularity, radiator support, and cooling performance.
• The Q58 is a modular case with high-end materials that create an elegant style. The top of the chassis is an aluminium mesh panel and the front panel is a solid aluminium panel, with the black version sporting a dual texture finish.
• Swappable Side Panels. The two sides panels are composed of four removable hinged panels, two 3mm thick tinted tempered glass panels, and two fully mesh panels. The location of each panel can be swapped according to the user’s preference.
• The glass side panels are equipped with a curved slot hole at the rear to attach the panel to the main chassis with a thumbscrew that holds the glass in place even when the panel is opened. When the glass panel is installed at the bottom, the fixed thumbscrew prevents it from completely sitting on the table, avoiding any possible damage
• Uncompromised Storage Support. There are 4 different storage mounting spaces in the Q58, users can mount up to 4×2.5-inch SSDs or 3×2.5-inch SSDs+ 1×3.5-inch HDD.

Specification:

• Motherboard support: Mini-ITX
• Expansion slots: 3
• Included fans: None
• Fan mounts with SFX PSU: 2x 120/140mm roof, 1x 120mm floor
• Fan mounts with ATX PSU: 1x 120/140mm roof, 1x 120mm floor
• Radiator mounts with SFX PSU: 240mm/280mm roof, 120mm floor
• Radiator mounts with ATX PSU: 120mm roof, 120mm floor
• Internal drive bays with SFX PSU: 4x 2.5-inch SSD or 3x 2.5-inch SSD + 1x 3.5-inch HDD
• Internal drive bays with ATX PSU: 2x 2.5-inch SSD
• 5.25-inch optical drive bays: None
• Front I/O ports: 1x USB 3.0 type-A, 1x USB 3.1 type-C, audio
• Dimensions: 250mm H x 342mm D x 170mm W

 

Testing

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an AMD Ryzen 5 5800X, Sapphire RX 6800 XT 16GB and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Lian Li Q58X4‘s cooling capabilities.

Test System:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5800X (8 cores/16 threads)
• CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma
• Thermal compound: Arctic MX-5
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi BIOS F62b
• Memory: 32GB G.Skill TridentZ Neo RGB DDR4-3600
• Graphics card: Sapphire RX 6800 XT 16GB
• Power supply: Seasonic Focus SGX-650 Gold 650W
• SSD: 500GB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 M.2 NVMe
• OS: Windows 10

Cooling Performance

Cooling Performance Overview

The Lian Li Q58 survived our cooling stress test by the smallest of margins, however the main thing is that it did indeed deliver the goods. With the two fans on the AIO cooler running at 1,000rpm the Ryzen 7 CPU throttled slightly however when the speed was increased to 1,500rpm the CPU could perform to full effect. That is no mean feat when you consider our Mini-ITX PC was drawing 530W at the wall socket and had to shift a significant amount of heat. Our main takeaway is that air flow inside the Q58 suffers as a result of the inevitable mess of cables inside this tiny 14.5 litre chassis.

Closing Thoughts

We like the Lian Li Q58. It looks cute and interesting, and also packs in some unusual ideas. Balanced against that the Q58 is a bit of an oddball that will inevitably please a slice of the KitGuru audience while simultaneously baffling many others.

The problem, as we spell out, is that the Q58 is almost too clever for its own good. It can support either ATX or SFX power which will satisfy those of you who hate to pay a premium for an SFX power supply. Those of us who adore SFX will point to the crazy limitations that ATX imposes within this tiny, svelte chassis.

Our advice here is simple; if you are going down the Mini-ITX path and are spending more money to build a smaller PC you should stop mucking around with ATX and go the whole hog with an SFX power supply. Of course it will need to be an SFX power supply that can power your mighty RTX 3080/3090 or RX 6800/6900 graphics card, as anything less will look out of place in the Lian Li Q58.

We were initially intrigued by the integrated PWM and ARGB fan hub at the rear of the case, however we quickly realised it was irrelevant to us as our chosen Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma has a small fan/ARGB hub on the radiator. Clearly there is no harm in having an unused feature but this illustrates the point that changing one component can shift your perspective during a review.

There was a more serious consequence  from our choice of the Celsius+ cooler as the coolant hoses attach to pivotting unions at the pump body. This feature can be really useful in  a regular mid-tower chassis as it allows you to route the hoses without suffering any kinks. Inside the Q58 it meant we were unable to follow Lian Li's illustration in the user guide, with the result the hoses went the ‘wrong' way and were awkward to route.

We mentioned in our video that we struggled with the idea you could install a 280mm AIO in the roof of the Q58. Lian Li has responded by telling us the fans need to be installed above the radiator in pull, rather than push. We have decided the Q58 does indeed merit a second look so be sure to check back and follow Leo's further adventures with the Lian Li Q58 in the near future.

You can currently pre-order the Lian Li Q58X4 for £136.99 from Overclockers UK HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

• Stylish good looks, particularly those split side panels.
• Q58 X4 and W4 models support PCIe Gen 4.
• Support for a full length triple slot graphics card.
• Clever design gives the choice of ATX or SFX power.

Cons:

• Cable management is difficult.
• Installing an AIO means you have to find a path for the coolant tubes.
• You have to remove the top panel to gain access to the SSD caddy or open the side panels.
• We want to see a version that is Full Mesh (and some may want Full Glass)

KitGuru says: Lian Li's Q58 is stylish, unusual, quirky and also slightly frustrating.

Become a Patron!

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here