Lian-Li in steel..... Lancool. Another New Model.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:33 am

Link with review. Something different for sure. A steel frame with aluminum outer panels.....makes for a nice exterior, with the internal benefits of steel. Also this case looks to be excellent for modding. I don't know about the HD mount system, but it no doubt could be improved.

seraphyn · Post by **seraphyn** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:40 am

I hope it's a bit heavier too, my newly arrived A05b is as light as a feather. But Lian Li's are already quite modding friendly, being made from aluminium as a whole.

sheninat0r · Post by **sheninat0r** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:10 pm

But why did they have to give it a whole new brand name...? Lian-Li Steel Series or something like that could have worked fine. I think Lancool as a name isn't good. It reminds me of kids with CCFLs and LEDS plastered all over their cases...

PretzelB · Post by **PretzelB** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:13 pm

It's a shame I just got a P182 because that looks about perfect for me. The idea of steel to reinforce the aluminum seems like a great idea. I actually like the drive mount system too. Ah well.

Tullphan · Post by **Tullphan** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:26 pm

sheninat0r wrote:But why did they have to give it a whole new brand name...? Lian-Li Steel Series or something like that could have worked fine. I think Lancool as a name isn't good. It reminds me of kids with CCFLs and LEDS plastered all over their cases...

The Lancool is OEMed by Lian Li for Lancool.
Lian Li calls it the PC-7KB.
I was tempted by this case, but was told it probably isn't as quiet as the Sonata since it doesn't have the indirect air intake venting the Sonata does. Whether or not it runs cooler, I don't know.

Longbow · Post by **Longbow** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:36 pm

i'm thinking about this one for my next box, as i would like to have something slightly lighter n easier to carry.

has anyone ordered 1 already?

on a closer look, i don't like the PSU cage. the intake and exhaust fan grill are as good as antec.

zoob · Post by **zoob** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:24 am

Looks pretty decent.. if they made it about 1.5" taller, we could cut it up to fit a PA120.2 in the front!

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:54 am

Hello,

Nice find -- the removable motherboard panel is unusual, and the "sideways" HD frame is actually reasonable. I guess the top-mounted buttons and ports are okay...

The reviewer really likes it -- except they mention that it is "Not the quietest". And for bottom (120mm) fanned PSU's, check out the cradle bracket:

walle · Post by **walle** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:15 pm

A few comments and minor observations.

HDD cage.
Despite not appearing to be hassle free I like that you can change the way the HDD cage is facing, turning it around would improve airflow and allow you to reduce the rpm on the fans whilst still maintain sufficient cooling, so definitely a nice touch hereâ€¦

PSU cage.
A real bummer, and it escapes me how any designer could so bluntly have failed to see its flaws, however; it looks to be around 10 â€“ 15mm space between the PSU and the top of the chassis which would make it possible to flip the unit around and go duct version ala Solo (unless you wish to resort to some minor Dremel action of course). But flipping it around (despite the work involved with the ducting) would be the better way to go IMO since it would allow the PSU to cool itself despite being positioned in the topâ€¦

Noise.
As briefly touched in the review, noise is bound to be a problem with two 120mm fans pared with hard drives seated behind a perforated mesh do not suggest quietness, and unfortunately I (for one) canâ€™t see an easy enough modification that would solve this one without having to do some serious structural changes to the chassis itself, but, perhaps it could be countered somewhat if you tuck away the chassis under the deskâ€¦perhapsâ€¦

Power and reset.
I like the position of the power and reset buttons, perfect location if you have the chassis placed on the floor next to your desk, or even under. Should you have it placed on top of the desk it should still not be a problem since you learn quickly to locate both the power and the reset buttons without having to visually see them. This of course does not apply for the USB ports etcetera, but two out ofâ€¦ is not to bad, after all, itâ€™s the two most important buttons weâ€™re talking about here.

Almost forgotâ€¦
For those members whom are conducting field operations on various different locations I recon this chassis is durable (yet light) enough for those frequent LAN party transports, and at the end of the day I recon its for those people this chassis was tailored for.

Cheers.

Longbow · Post by **Longbow** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:51 pm

walle wrote:PSU cage.
A real bummer, and it escapes me how any designer could so bluntly have failed to see its flaws, however; it looks to be around 10 â€“ 15mm space between the PSU and the top of the chassis which would make it possible to flip the unit around and go duct version ala Solo (unless you wish to resort to some minor Dremel action of course). But flipping it around (despite the work involved with the ducting) would be the better way to go IMO since it would allow the PSU to cool itself despite being positioned in the topâ€¦

i'm not sure if you can install the psu upside down without drilling holes, the psu mounting plates seems unremovable.

the mobo tray is a really nice feature, had some real trouble with my current setup.

bump for more feedback.

as for the noise, i'm pretty sure remove the front fans, and undervolt/replace the rear fan would reduce it by quite a lot

NyteOwl · Post by **NyteOwl** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:33 pm

A quick look at some photos seems to indicate that PSU "box" is riveted on to the back panel. If so a couple of minutes with a drill would have it out of there and ready for a more open customized support bracket. Not something though you really should have to do. Wake up LL!.

That said I kind of like the case but can't find a Canadian dealer that keeps either the LanCool or the Lian Li version.

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:07 pm

I don`t disagree with the sideways hdd cage, I provides some extra space for the video cards. I would like it to be removable, besides the existing one doesn`t seem to contribute to case stiffness.

I`m disappointed about the PSU mounting, especially after having seen the PC7 +III series from Lian Li.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:00 am

Here's another Lancool model with a review......The Lancool k10. This one is quite a bit more fancy, with a door and other stuff.

Lancool K10 home page.

Eclipse · Post by **Eclipse** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:35 pm

Definitely gonna grab one once I've saved up the cash. The K10 has some extra sound insulation material built into the panels, as well as 2 extra USB ports, and (most importantly) an eSATA port on its multimedia panel. Besides the front panel door (which can be removed), that looks like the perfect case to me.

NyteOwl · Post by **NyteOwl** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:35 pm

Now if I could find a Canadian dealer that carries them ...

F for Fragging · Post by **F for Fragging** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:21 am

After reading about this enclosure I'm in doubt if I should buy an Antec Solo for my new hardware.

Here are some other reviews I could find:

bit-tech.net
techPowerUp

I intend to buy this hardware for my next build:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Intel P43 motherboard
The soon-to-be-released ATi Radeon HD4850, probably one that's passively cooled
Only one Western Digital's Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB
Enermax PRO82+ 385 or 425
All without overclocking

My considerations and questions are as follows:

Prices are equal at approximately â‚¬ 70, but the Lancool K7 isn't available yet.
The Lancool K7 has an black aluminum front panel, which looks a lot better than the silver plastic front panel of the Antec Solo.
The Lancool K7 has a removable motherboard tray unlike the Antec Solo. This should make securing the motherboard a lot easier, but I hope the tray is still retractable if a large Thermalright HR-01 Plus CPU heatsink is mounted on the motherboard. The reviewer from techPowerUp mounted a large heatsink on the CPU socket and noticed that it didn't fit because of the angle at which the motherboard tray needed to be reinserted. As a consequence he had to mount it inside the case anyway. I think the HR-01 Plus will fit though, because that reviewer used such a radial heatsink which seems to be a lot wider than the HR-01 Plus and similar tower heatsinks?
The Lancool K7 doesn't have elastic suspension for the 3,5 inch drives like the Antec Solo, but it requires the 3,5 inch drives to be mounted sideways and it does have rubber grommets for vibration reduction. It seems that it won't be a lot of difference when it comes to hard disk drive noise, in the SPCR review of the Samsung SpinPoint F1 it was mentioned that soft grommet mounting would probably be adequate. Because the hard disk which I want to use has even lower noise levels I don't think I need to worry about it.
The Lancool K7 seems to have more space than the Solo, probably because of the rotated 3,5 inch drive cage.
The Lancool K7 has a suboptimal PSU mounting solution, but I don't want to modify the enclosure to fix it though. Should I be worried about increased noise production if I simply bottom mount the PSU without any modifications to the PSU mount?
The Lancool K7 has one 120mm fan in the rear and two 120 mm fans in the front versus two 92 mm fans in the front for the Antec Solo. I probably don't need to use fans in the front for my configuration though, right? Maybe I should place just one fan in the front? I'd replace the rear fan in both cases with the Scythe Slip Stream SY1225SL12L (800 rpm) fan. I'll remove that fan grill inside the enclosure on the back of the rear fan which comes with the Lancool.

The question is after all, would the K7 be as suitable for quiet PC as the Antec Solo?

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:34 am

Tough choice. You're dealing with a new case that few people have actually seen. I suspect most of the initial reviews were done by people whose main focus was something other than silence.

A review by SPCR would be much better..... but since that hasn't happened, if I were in your shoes, I'd go for it. The Lancool cases certainly look good, with as much modding potential as any.

Teh Lurv · Post by **Teh Lurv** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:11 am

One thing I like about both those cases is that the spots for the front intake fans are completely cut out, no intake metal grill underneath the filters and front bezel. The presence of unnecessary intake fan grills is one of my quibbles with the Solo.