Introduction
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The past few years have shown a wide variety of changes in the computer world, one of the most important is broadband internet service. Broadband has allowed small offices and home users the ability to use the internet in new and exciting ways. It has also allowed the expansion of home and office based LAN's. With this revolution taking place servers are becoming a common buzzword. All of this comes down to one thing, the new age is here and data is king. People are buying bigger, faster and LOTS of hard drives to store various types of data. This trend has made servers that can hold lots of hard drives appealing to the market place and that is where Lian- Li stepped up to the plate. Lian-Li rarely needs an introduction. They are a top competitor in the aluminum case industry and turn out quality products. In 1993 when aluminum cases hit the market Lian-Li was there and was one of the first to offer them. Computer enthusiasts around the world couldn't wait to get their hands on one of these cases. To find out why, let's look at their newest model the PC-63A.
Features at a glance
- 2 5.25 bays
- 2 3.5 bays (external)
- 8 3.5 bays (hidden for HDD)
- 3 80mm fans (front intake)
- 2 120mm fans (exhaust)
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So you may be asking yourself. What's all this talk about internet, servers, and LANs for? The PC-63A is perfect for home/small office server! Do not be fooled by the model name of this case. The dimensions are no where similar to classic PC-60 in size. In fact, this case measures 18.5"X8.25"X24.4"(HXWXD). This is approximately 2 inches longer then the PC-70. This allows additional space needed for larger motherboards. It is perfect solution for any ATX based main boards including Pentium4/XEON servers or power workstations. As you may have noticed it's not by any means a tall case. This allows a standard ATA(18") cable to be used even in the upper most bay. This case supports two 5 ¼ and two 3 ½ drives. The case provides a good home for the "All in wonder" roms which are becoming more and more popular. If you are currently sporting 3-4 roms perhaps it's time to condense your hardware.
As you can see the lockable casters are mounted on a set of feet that widen the case's stance for maximum stability and mobility. The feet and casters are non-removable so you're stuck with them if you don't like them or at least until you decide to modify the case. Lian-Li has added 2 USB ports to the front of the case which is a nice feature for use as a workstation. If motherboard manufacturers follow the legacy free trend this may become a necessity.
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The PC-63A continues the tool-less design that has become a standard among top notch case manufacturers. The PSU bracket, side panels and rear PCI slot covers are easily removable with the provided thumb screws. The layout of the drive carriage is also a simple efficient design. This intern makes for easy component installation. The non-removable motherboard tray is large enough to accommodate any motherboard. It utilizes the pop-N-style motherboard mounts. This style is preferred by many because if you happen to forget a mount you can simply pop it in from the backside without uninstalling the main board. If you prefer to route your cables over the back of the tray and then out be warned. You have an extremely limited amount of clearance between the back side of the tray and the side panel. As you can see, the PSU is placed in a rail type mount. You will have no problem what so ever with dual fan power supplies such as the infamous Enermax. In addition, Lian-Li has supplied a large bag of hardware to mount almost any component imaginable.
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In theory the case's lightweight all aluminum construction acts as a huge heat sink. But as technology moves forward and hard drive spindle speeds raise they produce more heat. Active cooling is recommended. If you are running high end SCSI hard drives it's a must. The front face on previous models designs was airflow restrictive and greatly affected the performance of the fans. This new look by Lian-Li is both stylish and innovative. It has obviously been developed for the utmost air flow pushing cool air directly over your hard drives for maximum cooling efficiency.
As you can see this case features three 80mm fans. Each fan has a 4 pin adapter with the four fans then being "daisy chained" together. This method is some what sloppy but effective with each fan producing 33.5 CFM @ 27DB. I was some what surprised Lian-Li didn't install an adjustable fan control switch like on some of the other models and this feature is missed. It was just as unexpected that Lian-Li did not provide any type of air filter for the front intake. This is a feature that could easily be fixed by adding a sheet of black mesh filter and would eliminate the hostile takeover of dust bunnies. I do not believe any additional hard drive cooling would be required, but if so you could always replace the fans with a high output ear busting model.
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Lian-Li has changed from multiple exhaust fans to a larger single 120mm fan in the top and rear of the case. Larger fans are a major advantage because they produce more air flow at a lower RPM and DB rating. Each 120MM fan is producing a respectable 80.5 CFM @ 38DB.
Final Thoughts
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I'm sure that all of us would agree things change with a blink of an eye in the computer industry. One thing that hasn't change is the fact Lian-Li has produced one outstanding aluminum case after another for almost a decade. The simplicity of the case is very appealing to me and more importantly is efficient. This case has the most important feature of any case and that is air flow. The three intake fans pull air directly across the hard drives and once in the case the warm air is quickly removed by the two 120mm fans located in both the top and rear of the case. This provides constant circulation of the air in the case. In theory there would be a total of 100.5 CFM in while 161 CFM were pulled out providing a great deal of circulation. These features coupled with sturdy construction, ample working space and ease of access due to tool-less design make this one of the finest server cases on the market. The case will be available within the next month or two and have an estimated retail price of $250. An investment in this case would be a wise one and one you will be happy with for years to come.
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Pros:
- Stylish design
- Optimal Front Air Intake
- Lockable casters
- Top blow hole
- Front USB ports
- 120MM exhaust fans
- 8 internal HD bays
- All Aluminum construction
Cons:
- No air filter
- Only 2 5 1/4 bays (maybe short for some users)
- No fan speed control
