mid-tower
A regular fixture at CES, revered chassis manufacturer Lian Li is once again at this year's event, showcasing its latest addition to the LANCOOL range of cases, the Lian Li LANCOOL II Mesh. The Mesh builds on the LANCOOL series with an integrated mesh front panel for improved airflow. An alternative to the original LANCOOL II chassis, the LANCOOL II Mesh encompasses a mesh front panel and flip shroud panels which are designed to provide better airflow throughout. This allows builders with high-end CPUs and video cards to still receive plenty of cooling, as mesh panels allow more airflow to circulate in comparison to solid panels, as such with the original LANCOOL II model The Lian Li LANCOOL II Mesh is a mid-tower chassis constructed from...
Lian Li Launches the PC-A51 ATX Mid-Tower Reverse Air-Flow Chassis
It seems that the further down the chain of PC components, the more companies there are to produce the hardware. For desktop PCs we have two main CPU...
20 by Ian Cutress on 2/14/2014Fractal Design Launches Core 3000 USB 3.0
Last year, we looked at Fractal Design’s Core 1000, their entry level chassis that can be had for under $40. It performed “okay”, which is about all you can...
11 by Jarred Walton on 2/1/2013Corsair Carbide 200R Case Review: How Low Can You Go
Corsair entered the enclosure business from the top with a measure of care to establish a solid brand identity. The Obsidian 800D was released as a flagship product and...
25 by Dustin Sklavos on 12/15/2012Fractal Design Define R4 Case Review: Evolution, Not Revolution
Around November of last year we had a chance to take a look at one of the most popular enclosures from up-and-comer Fractal Design, the Define R3. Impressions were...
54 by Dustin Sklavos on 7/20/2012Corsair Carbide 300R Case Review: Corsair For the Masses
Ostensibly, Corsair's Carbide line of enclosures are their budget cases; the Obsidian and Graphite lines both start where the beefy Carbide 500R leaves off. Corsair's least expensive entry is...
44 by Dustin Sklavos on 6/29/2012Lian Li PC-A55 Case Review: Unfortunate Name Befits the Design
Marking our fifth venture into Lian Li territory in recent years, the PC-A55 enclosure we have on hand is another unique, slightly-off-the-wall design from a company we've come to...
64 by Dustin Sklavos on 6/16/2012Corsair Vengeance C70 Case Review: Going for the Gamers
Corsair has had an excellent run as a case designer, showing growth with each new enclosure by adding some features, subtracting other ones, moving things around, and generally continuing...
52 by Dustin Sklavos on 5/17/2012V3 Gaming PC Avenger Review: A New Challenger Appears
We've had a few boutiques come through here, but what V3 Gaming PC wanted to approach us with was something different than we're used to seeing. Many of the...
32 by Dustin Sklavos on 5/16/2012Antec Eleven Hundred: The P280's Gloves Come Off
Towards the end of last year, I took a visit out to Antec's campus in Fremont to see two new cases: the headlining P280, and the shortly-to-follow Eleven Hundred...
40 by Dustin Sklavos on 4/9/2012Corsair Obsidian 550D: Starting to Specialize
We've been keeping track of the evolution of Corsair's line of enclosures since the Graphite 600T was released. Even as the newer enclosures generally found themselves lower and lower...
59 by Dustin Sklavos on 3/29/2012Lian Li's PC-90: The Hammer Strikes Hard
The majority of the enclosures from Lian Li that we've tested so far have been designed for mini-ITX and micro-ATX builds, but today we have on offer one of...
54 by Dustin Sklavos on 2/21/2012SilverStone Temjin TJ04-E: Devil in the Details
The overwhelming majority of cases from SilverStone we've reviewed so far have been based on some very unorthodox designs, featuring layouts that feel ATX in name only. Yet when...
26 by Dustin Sklavos on 2/10/2012AVADirect Silent Gaming PC: An Exercise in Balance
One of the benefits of going with a boutique builder is being able to get custom machines that are a little more specialized than what you might get from...
16 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/30/2012Antec Three Hundred Two: Stay Cool, Budget Enthusiasts
While flagship enclosures are certainly interesting and there are some great deals to be had even just north of $100, competition south of that border is mighty fierce and...
50 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/24/2012BitFenix Outlaw: When Inexpensive Doesn't Mean Cheap
A lot of our case reviews lately have been for enclosures that hover around the $99 price point and then range below. The big, expensive ones are exciting and...
23 by Dustin Sklavos on 12/23/2011Rosewill Ranger: All About Compromising
When you start dipping well below an MSRP of $99 for an enclosure, you'll see manufacturers having to make compromises in the design and build quality in order to...
33 by Dustin Sklavos on 12/14/2011Lian Li's PC-A05FN: Alternative Thinking at a $99 Price Point
If you're willing to shell out the money for them, there are a lot of interesting alternative enclosure designs on the market. Companies like SilverStone, Thermaltake, and Lian Li...
65 by Dustin Sklavos on 12/7/2011NZXT Phantom 410: The Boutique Favorite Goes On a Diet
If you browse custom builds across different boutiques, you'll find NZXT's name comes up an awful lot. One of their enclosures, in particular, tends to see a lot of...
15 by Dustin Sklavos on 12/2/2011Puget Systems Deluge: Revisiting the Art of Custom With X79
It's been a little while since we've had a Puget Systems desktop in, and so far we haven't yet tested any of their big dog gaming machines. Everything else...
72 by Dustin Sklavos on 11/24/2011Fractal Design Define R3: A Fan Favorite Keeps the Noise Down
One of the perks of this job is getting to see some up-and-comers get championed by our readership and then turn around and find out what the fuss is...
84 by Dustin Sklavos on 11/11/2011