Lian-Li PC-C50 HTPC Case

Introduction:

A home theater PC is a specialized project. Aside from the standard considerations of the components that will make the unit functional, there are many factors that are have to be focused on. For starters where are you going to be placing the computer, chances are you will have it in or near many other home components. If you use a standard case, it may be an eyesore on your cabinet. Also if the case is not protected against vibration then it could interrupt your movie playback, with irritating humming, or even worse cause physical interference with other equipment. When you are looking to build a HTPC it is highly recommended that you take special care to select a case that will assist rather than hinder your purpose. Lian-Li is one of the most respected case manufacturers specializing in HTPC designs. They are known for lasting craftsmanship and classic design. Today we will be taking a look at the PC-P50. The manufacturer is so confident in their product they are letting the specifications and features speak for themselves. Lets take a look.

Features:

• 5.25 optical drive
• Full Size PSU
• 2 120mm Fans included
• USB 3.0 front panel
• Memory card reader included
• Anti Vibration Feet
• 2.5 drive slots
• Supports Graphics cards up to 250mm In length
• Full height PCI slots
• Anti-Vibration Grommets
• Anti-vibration springs

Specification:

Model	PC-C50
Case Type	Desktop / HTPC
Dimensions	(W) 445mm x (H) 167mm x (D) 325mm
Front Bezel Material	Aluminum
Color	Black or Silver
Side Panel	None
Body Material	Aluminum
Net Weight	3.2 KG
5.25 Drive bay	1
3.5 Drive Bay	3
Expansion Slots	5
Motherboard Support	Micro ATX/ Mini-ITX / Mini DTX
Fan Slots	6
Fans Included	2 x 120mm
IO ports	3x USB 3.0/ HD audio/ e-SATA/ MS/SD Card reader
Maximum video card length	250
PSU support	ATX

This is a pretty standard set of specification I’m excited to see what this case will actually do.

Packaging:

There is nothing out of the ordinary with the packing. I could not believe how light the case was.

A Closer Look:

In our experience Lian-Li cases are always very well put together. There are some cases you cannot install a motherboard without cutting yourself on the sides, this is not one of them. The inside of the case is very spacious once you take the modules out. There is a lot of room to work inside this case. Pay attention to the bracket at the back of the power supply. Lian-li has been so thoughtful as to include a removable bracket so you can rotate the PSU to your needs. This case is even equipped with a port for water cooling. The USB cables for the front panel are designed to plug into the ports, and the cables are more than long enough to meet your needs. They also included the on board header adapter in case your motherboard supports on board USB 3.0.

Installation:

Test Rig:

• Mother Board: Gigabyte H55-USB3
• Power Supply: OCZ Modxstream 700 watt Modular
• GPU: Sparkle GTX480+
• OS Drive: Kingston SSDNow V100 128Gb
• Secondary: OCZ Agility 2 60 Gb

Installing the motherboard was very easy. All of the wholes were drilled well and did not provide any issue. I didn’t even have to pound the IO panel into place like I have had to sometimes in the past. Looking at the size of the case I was a little weary of fitting my graphics card into the space, but it went in without issue. There was even enough room to route the cables around the back of it. This was a very smooth process until I tried to install the center bar.

You can see from the pictures here, that the center bar is VERY close to my graphics card, in fact once the bar is screwed in it is preventing the removal of the power plugs from the card. Although it is very close, they are not touching. On a plus side the center bar is aluminum and will conduct heat so it may be acting as a additional heat sink. This is a very unique problem that is only going to happen with a Mini-ITX board and a full size graphics card with heat pipes, but it is still something to note.

The rest of the system went together without an issue. I installed the second solid state drive in the 3.5 hard drive caddy for ease of cabling. One feature I liked is the unoccupied space created by the optical drive and the power supply is very nice for cable management. The cables coming out of the power supply are not stressed or strained, and the space would allow you to use a significantly larger power supply.

Conclusion:

Lian-Li has produced another high quality case. There were a couple close calls with the video card, but as i mentioned, they exist only in the unique scenario of a m-ITX motherboard and a full size graphics card. The case is remarkably quiet, and even with the solid aluminum body, there is no audible vibration. The system is very spacious but still maintains a small form. I was able to put a very full bodies graphics card in the system with room to spare. The two fans do a good job of keeping the system cool and there are definite cooling expansion options.