High End Case Roundup: In Win, Lian-Li, & SilverStone
Lian-Li PC-X2000FN (continued)
The interior of the case, which has bountiful space by dint of the height and depth of the chassis, is built so that each area is compartmentalized for more heat control/ For example, the PSU area is in its own little box, and that’s just the beginning of the multitude of details that Lian-Li built into this case.
To wit, the PSU mount comes off so you can securely fasten the device before sliding the whole unit back in. There’s a vertical “HDD rack” to which you can mount your drives or use to help secure your graphics cards, but you can also remove it if you’d rather not use it. The ODD drive cage, 2.5-inch drive cage, and air filters are all removable. There are ample routing options, and there’s more than enough clearance behind the motherboard tray for copious cableage.
You can even see the attention to detail in the accessories that come with the PC-X2000FN. There’s a small clear plastic case with little sections for all the screws (why doesn’t every single case ship with one of these?!), and many of the screws themselves are actually thumbscrews that don’t require tools, including the motherboard screws.
Lian Li also saw fit to include plenty of silica gel and rubber rings for most of the screw mounts to cut down on vibrations, which is a nice touch. (Pro tip: Use them. Without them, we found that this case made a lot of unnecessary noise, and tracking down where each vibrating whine was emanating was not fun.)
Considering that there are so many screws in and accompanying the PC-X2000FN, we were surprised to find that the expansion slots didn’t require any for our graphics card; instead, it utilizes an all-metal hinged clip system that holds cards firmly in place.
We found it a bit of a pain to install optical drives, though, since you have to first remove a couple of screws to get the drive cage cover off, slot the drive in, secure it with thumbscrews, and put the cover back on. Of course, once you get it done, it’s rather cool-looking, and very secure.
There’s a dedicated 2.5-inch drive cage that’s just below ODD cage and can handle up to three SSDs or HDDs. There are actually two 3.5-inch drive cages; one is at the top of the case next to the ODD and 2.5-inch drive cages, and one is at the bottom, next to the PSU. Both feature hot swap capabilities and support up to three drives each. There are no drive trays; instead, you simply install four of those anti-vibration bumpers on a drive with long thumbscrews, slot it into the cage, and drop a little gate into place to keep it all secure. Around the back of the cages, you can use either SATA power or MOLEX connectors for juice along with a SATA cable for data.
It can be a little time-consuming to put together a system in the Lian Li PC-X2000FN, but it’s not at all hard to work inside the chassis. Further, once you have everything mounted and screwed into place, you can rest easy that everything is very secure.
To wit, the PSU mount comes off so you can securely fasten the device before sliding the whole unit back in. There’s a vertical “HDD rack” to which you can mount your drives or use to help secure your graphics cards, but you can also remove it if you’d rather not use it. The ODD drive cage, 2.5-inch drive cage, and air filters are all removable. There are ample routing options, and there’s more than enough clearance behind the motherboard tray for copious cableage.
;)
;)
Lian Li also saw fit to include plenty of silica gel and rubber rings for most of the screw mounts to cut down on vibrations, which is a nice touch. (Pro tip: Use them. Without them, we found that this case made a lot of unnecessary noise, and tracking down where each vibrating whine was emanating was not fun.)
;)
We found it a bit of a pain to install optical drives, though, since you have to first remove a couple of screws to get the drive cage cover off, slot the drive in, secure it with thumbscrews, and put the cover back on. Of course, once you get it done, it’s rather cool-looking, and very secure.
;)
;)
;)
;)
It can be a little time-consuming to put together a system in the Lian Li PC-X2000FN, but it’s not at all hard to work inside the chassis. Further, once you have everything mounted and screwed into place, you can rest easy that everything is very secure.
