Lian Li PC-TU200 Case Review

1. Introduction2. Lian Li PC-TU200 Case (Exterior)3. Lian Li PC-TU200 Case (Interior)4. System Installation5. Testing Methodology and Thermal Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Lian Li are world-renowned for producing some of the highest quality chassis in the enthusiast sector.

When they offered to send us an Mini-ITX case from their range we were eager to see how it would compare with other HTPC cases we have reviewed recently.

Today we’re going to look at the Lian-Li PC-TU200 Aluminium Mini Tower case, targeted at small form factor enthusiasts and for those people seeking a sleek, portable HTPC case.

Can the PC-TU200 hold it's own in a ever-growing, competitive small form factor market? Do big things really come in small packages?

Official Specification:

• Model: PC-TU200
• Case Type: Mini Tower Chassis
• Dimensions: (W) 220mm x (H) 320mm x (D) 360mm
• Front Bezel Material: Aluminum
• Color: Black / Silver
• Side Panel: Aluminum
• Body Material: Aluminum
• Net Weight: 3.15Kg
• 5.25″ drive bay (External): 1
• 3.5″ drive bay (External): None
• HDD bay: 3.5-Inch HDD x4 / 2.5-Inch HDD x2 (One used in the 3.5-inch bay)
• Expansion Slots: 2
• Motherboard Form Factor: Mini-ITX / Mini-DTX
• System Fan (Front): 140mm fan x1
• System Fan (Top): None
• System Fan (Rear): None
• I/O Ports: e-SATA / USB3.0 x 2 / HD Audio
• Maximum Compatibility: VGA Card length: 300mm
• PSU length: 140mm
• CPU cooler height: 80mm

The PC-TU200 ships in a small, very colourful box, showcasing how attractive and feature-rich the case is. It also highlights how Lian Li were inspired to design the case itself …  mimicking a protected flight case.

Both side panels sit flush with the frame and are easily removed by sliding latches located at the rear of the case, which quickly ejects the appropriate side panel. This is very handy should you require fast access to the interior. It also shows Lian Li aren’t afraid to be innovative on such a small case design.

The front panel section is home to a few notable features such as 2x USB 3.0 slots, a single E-sata port and front panel HD audio. A ventilated mesh section fills a large portion of the front of the case with the standard power and reset buttons located just above.

Taking a closer look at the front intake ventilation, a sizable Lian Li badge is located in the middle of the fan mesh which hides a suitably sized 140mm, Lian Li branded fan. This provides almost all of the airflow into the case, which should be more than adequate, as most systems that will be housed in this chassis will consume a low amount of power and subsequently generate little heat.

Looking at the rear of the case, you will find the 2 latches mentioned above, a large vented area which spans from the top of the case to the bottom of the I/O cutout and a power supply mounting plate. Located just below this are 2 ventilated PCI covers.

Looking inside the case, you will be greeted by an entirely exposed aluminium Motherboard tray & Drive cage, a feature that Lian Li are renowned for providing in most of their cases. However, this is nicely accentuated by the visible black sections from the inside of opposite side panel.

There are several cable small routing holes situated at the top of the Motherboard tray, that provide ideal cable management options for sata and front panel cables.

In addition to the cable holes, Lian Li have also made things easy, by providing 4 sata data & power ports, integrated in to the drive cage. This results in a clean, unobstructed front section, allowing the front fan to adequately cool the system with optimized air flow.

Located at the top of the case is a small area designed for mounting a drive bay, this is coupled by the bezel at the front of the case, which drops down on a small hinge when the drive bay is open and pops back into place when the drive is closed, providing a very sleek, minimalist look. Unfortunately the mechanism on the review model was damaged in transit.

As with any small form factor case, there are certain challenges faced during the installation process. The most prominent challenge is the lack of space to work with. Lian Li have accepted that this isn't a problem that can be overcome and have opted to make almost everything inside the case removable.

Installing the motherboard is nothing out of the ordinary with a mounting support for Mini-ITX and Mini-DTX form factors.

Any internal storage can be mounted inside the drive cage, however, a single SSD can be mounted underneath the cage. It is recommended at this point to install any PCI/PCIe components as this cannot be done once the power supply has been installed.

With the drives in place, its now time for the power supply to be added. This is easily added to the system by screwing in the PSU support mount, pulling the cables through the PSU hole at the rear of the case and connecting them prior to sliding the power supply gently into the case. The power supply can then be secured to the case.

Test setup:
CPU: Intel i5 655K
CPU Cooling: Scythe Big Shuriken with 120mm Noctua NF-S12 fan
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3
Power Supply:  ThermalTake Smart 430w
Memory: 2x2GB Mushkin Silverline 1333Mhz
Storage: 40GB Mushkin Castillo
GPU: VTX 1GB 6450

In order to test how well ventilated the case is, we will fully stress both the processor and graphics card using a combination of system stress tools. The CPU stress test will contain a 10 minute run of Prime95 (blend) at stock speed whilst the GPU results will be recorded after a 5 minute run of Furmark.

As the graphics card is passively cooled, this will test the efficiency of the case’s cooling solutions. Running both tests for the selected length of time is sufficient enough for the temperatures to plateau and carries a low risk of damaging hardware, should any problems arise.

The processor was operating well within expected parameters however the passively cooled graphics card ran a little hotter than we had hoped. I believe this to be primarily caused by the drive cage obstructing much of the air flow to the bottom section of the case.

The Lian Li PC-TU200 is a well made, innovative case that is typical of Lian Li’s style and design. There are plenty of high grade touches that make it worth considering.

The handle on the top of the case may split opinion, especially in regards to appearance. Obviously Lian Li include this for the audience who move their system around on a regular basis, such as gamers who frequently attend LAN events.

Although unquestionably well-made, the design of the case isn’t without problems.

The power supply mounting system seems a little unnecessary, also locating the power supply itself just in front of the CPU cooler seems less than ideal. That said, the case is feature-rich and should appeal to those who desire features such as front panel USB 3.0 for fast data transfer.

Cable management is relatively good throughout and Lian Li have added a few plastic twister clips to help route some of the long front panel cables. The power supply cables can also be easily moved out of sight under the drive cage itself. The use of a modular power supply is recommended, as the case is naturally short on space and carefully routing an excessive amount of cables will not be easy.

It is difficult to judge the PC-TU200 too harshly. It naturally presents some challenges typically associated with small form factor cases but Lian Li have accepted they are often difficult to overcome and have offered a few new ideas into the mix, which has made the overall experience a pleasurable one. Careful selection of partnering equipment however is a must.

You can buy in either silver or black direct from Overclockers for £149.99 inc vat.

Pros

• Stunning aesthetics.
• Relatively well cooled.
• Highly portable.

Cons

• Limited space inside to route cables.
• Power supply mount needs to be removed to access any section of the motherboard.

Kitguru says: A quality product and it looks beautiful.

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