Lian Li PC-7S

Josh Collins can't resist the temptations of Lian Li.

Let’s just get one thing straight from the very start – this case is gorgeous. With a sleek and classy anodised aluminium fascia, it’s classic Lian Li styling. Additionally, the fascia is easily detached. The power button is also classy, delivering a firm, confident click.

The cooling of the PC-7S is well considered for the size and budget of the system, sporting two 120mm fans with blue LED lighting – one front intake and one rear exhaust – and an additional mount for an 80mm fan on top. This layout offers clearly defined and simple airflow from the front of the case to the rear, with the ability to also remove hot air caught between the PSU and 5.25" bays through the top 80mm fan mount. Furthermore the inlet fan is covered with a mesh grill to help keep those horrid little breeding dust bunnies out of your system.

The PC-7S offers three dedicated 3.5" drive bays conveniently placed behind the 120mm intake fan with the potential to convert one of the four 5.25" drives into an internal or external 3.5" drive bay.

The internal design and layout includes a shroud that covers the PSU and the ends of the upper 5.25" drive bays. This shroud contributes considerably to the ability to hide cables from view and thus provide a clean and spacious case interior.

We found that the Lian Li could handle the space-devouring 8800 GTX, but only with the loss of one HDD within the 3.5" caddy, so 8800 GTXs in SLI and lots of drives is out of the question.

Weighing 5.1kg with a full array of features, this is an aluminium enclosure at it’s finest. Overall the case displays an abundance of detail, quality and refinement. With all edges rolled, filed or capped with rubber C-stripping, the PC-7S is a joy to work with.