Lian Li PC-P60 Armorsuit

Verdict:

[+] ARMOUR
Solidly built; well designed; quiet; likeable

[-] ARMOR
Boxy looks

Lian Li cases are traditionally the sort of cases in which the Queen would reside if Her Majesty were a graphics card. The visuals are slightly muted, the material is top quality and the design touches do their duty in a reserved manner.

If you were to break into the CPC lab looking for items to steal, you might think that the Armorsuit was just an ordinary case and not worth nicking. However, with a price tag of £147, you'd be a mug to dismiss the Armorsuit as worthless.

ALUMINIUM ARMOUR

It's only when you pick up the case, pop off the side panels and start building a PC that you see where your money has gone. Firstly, the Armorsuit is built of aluminium, which is more expensive but lighter than steel, which is useful if you're a frequent LAN participant. Lian Li has overcome the inherent weakness of aluminium too - the Armorsuit feels solid, and stronger than many cases. Delicate components inside notwithstanding, a PC built in the Armorsuit can take a fair bashing (the clue's in the name).

As is typical of a premium case, and especially a Lian Li design, there are no sharp edges lurking inside. The side panels and all the other structural elements are extremely well machined, and easily move, slide or lock in place. It all feels like quality work that we'd take pride in owning.

THE DOOR

The front of the case comprises a door that can open from the right or left, and it shuts with a satisfying clunk. Lian Li reckons that it sounds like a car, but we think it sounds more like a high-quality PC case front door, which is hardly a criticism. The door is lockable, and there are padlock loops on the back so that you can lock the side panels too.

QUIET COOLING

Attached to the inner side of the door - and the reason for the raised section running down its centre - are three illuminated 120mm fans. The rear exhaust is a 120mm fan too, while the Mohawk-style section on top of the case accommodates a 140mm fan.

The roof fan is positioned in such a way that a 180mm-long PSU should fit, although there isn't much of a PSU shelf to support a long unit. The Armorsuit can also house an E-ATX motherboard, and should be able to keep a dual-processor system cool. However, we're concerned that there won't be enough room for much else after such a motherboard has been installed.

All the fans are included, and are powerful yet quiet. The top and front fans have a built-in speed controller in the form of a conveniently placed dial above the drive bays, behind the front door.

The Armorsuit is, as you can probably tell, much more suited to air-cooling than liquid. However, there are some options for the water cooler. There are two holes cut in the rear for water-cooling pipes, but as the roof vent only has screwholes for its 140mm fan, there's no room for a large radiator without modding.

EXPANSION

Above the front door, at the front of the Mohawk, is a sturdy flap that hides the four USB ports, the headset ports and an eSATA connection. These are angled, which makes the case ideal for placing on the floor next to a desk.

There are nine external 5.25in drive bays, and you can install the movable hard disk caddy behind any three of these. We wouldn't worry about installing disks in all three bays of the caddy, given the air intake from the front three fans. The caddy is designed to minimise the amount of disk vibration transferred to the case, while the case itself stands on 'anti-vibration feet'. There are also rubber grommets in the bits box to further dampen the sound of your hard disks, plus a tool for screwing in the motherboard spacer studs.

Screwing in these studs (and your motherboard afterwards) is made easier by the removable motherboard tray. You'll also find that the roof panel is held on by two Philips-head screws, so you can easily remove it and reach through the top (where the PSU is located) to tidy spare power cables and so forth.

CONCLUSION

Our first impressions of the Armorsuit weren't favourable - surely the Mohawk should extend along the whole roof? And what's with these fans on the door? However, closer inspection revealed that Lian Li has made the Armorsuit easy and pleasurable to use.

The removable roof panel and motherboard tray make building your system a simple task, while the front I/O ports are conveniently placed. The noise-dampening additions, from the feet to the hard disk caddy, are welcome too. Best of all, none of these additions comes across as a gimmick - just common sense and good design.

The Armorsuit is on the small side for a powerful PC and using water cooling will be tricky, which means that it doesn't get an unequivocal recommendation. For the same price, you could buy the Cooler Master Cosmos-S, which is slightly larger, but lacks the noise-dampening features and fan speed control of the Armorsuit. Its reserved looks might not be to everyone's taste, but the Armorsuit PC-P60 fulfils its obligations as a good air-cooled case.

You can buy the Lian Li Armorsuit PC-P60 from YoYoTech for £148.05 inc VAT (Price correct at time of review)

For more information on the Armorsuit PC-P60, visit Lian Li's website

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