Date: June 14th, 2010
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Lian Li
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CONCLUSIONS AND AFTERTHOUGHTS
When presented with a chassis like Lian Li's PC-P50WB, it is very hard not to heap praise on it like a smitten middle school girl. There is, nevertheless, a hell of a lot to recommend this case. It looks good, has a fabulous feature set with many excellent tool-free elements and top shelf cooling. What more do you want? A window, you say? Well, Lian Li has you covered there, too.
With classic good looks, the chassis makes a bold statement without going over the top with excess bling. The PC-P50WB is advertised as totally tool-free and I was able to accomplish the installation without any tools at all. I particularly like the expansion card locking mechanism and this feature is by far the best of its kind. The optical and hard drive mounting solutions are also tooless and quite nice, and Lian Li has even made installing the motherboard an easily accomplished task without having to resort to any tools. Cable management features abound and the case was a real pleasure to work in.
Cooling performance was excellent and fan noise was quite acceptable, giving this chassis a wide audience among PC enthusiasts. The fit and finish are top notch and I couldn't be more pleased with the features and performance of the Lian LI PC-P50WB.
There are, however, some puzzling issues with the case that left me scratching my head. For example, the I/O panel was surprisingly sparse for a chassis with a retail price of $250 US. Also, the fans throw a lot of light around the case and a dimming feature or on/off switch would be a great addition. Lian Li markets the PC-P50WB as a gaming case, but limits enthusiasts to graphics cards measuring 11.4-inches or less, effectively eliminating the very latest gaming hardware.
Nonetheless, even with these relatively minor shortcomings, the Lian Li PC-P50WB is still a stellar chassis and deserves consideration. Keep this case in mind for your next build. I think you'll be glad you did.
Pros:
- Excellent fit and finish
- Lightweight aluminum
- Top quality materials
- Classic good looks
- Excellent window treatment
- Totally tool-free installation
- Great cooling performance
- Quiet
- Four rubber-mounted blue LED fans included
- Plenty of cable management aids
Cons:
- Skimpy front I/O
- Won't accept very latest graphics
If you have any further questions about this case, please ask them in our forums HERE.
