Hardware Lian-Li PC-B25

This could be the case for me! Change out the 3 noisy fans for some ultra quiet SFlex fans and it should be fine.

 

They should change the name to B52...

 

just like to point out the cut outs in the top section to run the psu cable through and then the other cut out lower down to feed them back to the mother board. using these would seriously reduce the amount of cable clutter and probably get better cooling results for the case. not bad case. crap side panels.

 

You could have used those holes in your testing maybe the heat performance would be better then . Atleast it would have looked less messy.

 

Hmm..



A bit of a mess. I didn't see any mention of the special clips pictured elsewhere that hold the psu leads out of sight behind the motherboard tray. To me, that's an amazing design feature which I haven't seen anywhere else before. The rounded holes in the psu area and on the motherboard tray look like they facilitate this case cleanliness and I'd wager that, given a rethink about where the cables were intended to be routed in the case, it'd knock a few degrees off your temperature tests.

It does look sexy, although not a worthy upgrade from a P180. The only trouble with a P180 is, once you've got it loaded up it becomes a pretty immovable object!

 

Trouble? That's a security feature!

"Where's my PC gone?" /looks for the dents of drag marks in the floor.

 

http://www.bit-tech.net/content_images/2007/09/lian-li_pc-b25/b16.jpg

Those are the clips.

Don't worry - for testing I had the cables all tucked away. Unfortunately, afterwards I took the heatsink and HDD out, disconnected the fans and only THEN realised I didn't have any pictures of the hardware inside. Put it all back in in a hurry to take the above pics - which I wasn't happy to do, but had to settle with due to other commitments.

 

Ah nice! So, the clips and holes worked well?

And lol @ bindi. Good point

 

that's the feature i thought of when i bought my p182, so i can always find it

seriously, why is it so heavy? it took me all my strength to get it up-stairs (im a PC gamer) and after building it, i shall need to drag it downstairs, into the car, and then up-stairs again, this time fully loaded! how am i going to survive that?

 

its so heavy because its made of relatively thick cold-rolled steel. most other cases of similar size are at least partially aluminum, the P180 has no aluminum to my knowledge (except non-structural detailing)

 

To be totallly honest, I thought you made a right hash of that review. I'd been keeping a look out waiting for the first review to come along and I ended up in the hands of someone who really couldn't be bothered and had pretty little interest in what he was doing (badly).

You shouldn't have even bothered putting the gear back in it for a photo because you couldn't have made it look any worse if you tried! The cable management is a worthy part of a case review anyway

The side panel is that shape because it's filled with sound deadening materials, did you mention that?
Did you mention the hardrive cage can be turned 180 degrees? did you know it could?
Vented pci slot covers?
Is the PSU cover meant to have a big gap under it?
How did you not even notice the front fans weren't 120mm!?
and as already said: why no photo of "the only burst of colour from the large blue ring on the bottom of the door which lights up when the PC is turned on" cripes,

Were you literally putting your shoes and coat on as you were reviewing this case!?

Isn't that graphics card pretty much passively cooled apart from a slow fan? wouldn't that add to the increased temps of the card? although I think those temps are pretty good really. My 8800GTS runs on idle at around 70degrees at stock fan speed in my case!! Ha, which is why I'm looking!

You should have added an extra category to your rating selection: Effort! you coulda given yourself one then

It had to be said though, no offence intended...

.... it was just good to see a few more photos of it


I did enjoy the big handprint on the door http://www.bit-tech.net/content_images/2007/09/lian-li_pc-b25/b13.jpg


My thinking is; (if you haven't already dived into a reply to flame me) remove the whole harddrive cage and get the lian-li EX-23N fan cooled x3 harddrive cage for the top rack, the TR-3 in the floppy bay controlling temps/fans (and nice little blue screenage) leaving room for one dvd drive. That then leaves loads of airway in the bottom (ooer missus) from the front 2x120mm fans. or leaving room for a dual rad in the front.
Of course mod that blue light to red! and put red fans in the front for a red glow through the front doors side vents!
well I'm sold

A great compact stylish tower for the front room! Not everyone wants thermaltake cakka bling'd up to the eyeballs or a server with great big radiators hanging off the side of them in their front room! (or anywhere for that matter)

 

Don't worry, I'm not going to flame you - that's not the way we do things here and we're always open to critiscism, especially when they are constructive like yours.

To address some of the issues you raised, as I said at the start of the review, this is my first Lian-Li case and I'm not only learning with this specific product line, but obviously still learning with cases as a whole. There are a few things which we missed and have since amended in the review, such as the PSU cover which nobody in the office knew about at the time time.

There are a number of minor issues you raise, such as vented PCI slots which I was both aware about and took pictures of. However there is a cost/benefit element to consider when writing reviews and to comment on every single feature is something which is slightly impractical. Photography, testing, sourcing, writing and editing can take up enough time as it is and doubling the length of the review by discussing minor features like these would mean that the review was even further delayed.

In the past, before I joined BT, I understand that Bit-tech worked at this level of detail, however it does mean fewer reviews on the site - which can only be combatted by taking on more staff, which is problematic for a company of our size. Instead, we try to walk the middle line between quality and quantity.

I fully acknowledge that there elements of this case which I missed or didn't mention - I knew the sides were noise insulated, but given that the material did not fill the entire panel and the case was still audible, it did not seem correct to heap praise on this feature.

As for the PSU cover being on like that - that's how it was when we opened the box, which is the point of the pre-testing photos.

I admit I forgot to take the pictures of the installed system - but to say that I was on my way out of the door at the time gives the wrong impression and makes me appear unprofessional, an implication I resent. If I wasn't bothered with these picture then I wouldn't have taken them at all - instead I worked to correct my mistake and ended up overlooking the cable management.

The graphics card and hardware used in the testing is deliberately intended to be warm - hence the slow fan. We want to give the case some real heat to try and deal with, which is why we always use the same setup.

As for photos, I fully admit that I'm not a professional photographer and that my background is in writing. In the picture you link to I can't actually see a massive handprint, but I realise that there are fingermarks in places. Unfortunately, it's very hard to turn a case around and get the required photos without leaving handprints, especially on a easily marked case like this.

I do agree with you though - the case is gorgeous to look at and could be even better with a few LEDs.

Given the response to this review, you can all rest assured that the next bit-tech case review will take your advice and views into account. We make sure we always listen to the community here and always do our best to keep you all as informed and happy as possible. Each and every forum member we try to treat as a member of staff (in a way) with a say in the direction of the site and the content.

If anybody has anymore feedback regarding the review itself, the please feel free to contact me directly to further discuss the issue. You can PM me through the forums.

 

Thanks for the response CardJoe, to hear you are new makes me feel bad for my comments! (I don't want you to be getting any digs in the office!) And it's all part of the learning process, It's just a shame it was with something I had been waiting to see!

I must admit in most case reviews I've seen they never really do go all out with cable management as I assume doing this work every day must take the buzz out of it compared to the average guy who only really builds a PC every year or so and takes super pride and care in the job as its for themselves

And looking again at the handprint photo, it doesn't look anywhere near as bad on my works monitor as it did at home on my 2407WFP, in fact you can hardly see anything.


"I knew the sides were noise insulated, but given that the material did not fill the entire panel and the case was still audible, it did not seem correct to heap praise on this feature."

Now that is an important piece of info and greatly affects my purchasing decision and now I guess I'll have to wait for other reviews to see if they say the same thing before I jump in and buy one.
Did you remove the interior panel to see it was only part filled?

"but to say that I was on my way out of the door at the time gives the wrong impression and makes me appear unprofessional, an implication I resent."
but it is ok to say "The fact that we got annoyed having to add rubber grommets to the screws ourselves is a decent indicator of just how lazy we are"?
I wouldn't say that was particularly professional either.

I also felt that your final comment "a case which isn’t about being the coolest or the quietest, just about being the most stylish" wasnt really correct as that is exactly what this case was designed around and if they hadn't met this criteria then that was a huge negative for it. Of course it all depends on what you chose to put in it as to how loud it will be, but to me those temps seemed pretty decent and your comparison seemed to be against big fan filled cases for OCers and this isn't what this case is about.

anyway.... I'll shut up now.

And thanks for not jumping down my throat! (Or banning me on my very first post!)

 

Too late! I've already beaten the crap out of him for his noobness!

YOU WILL NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME, JOE! IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!

Do it again and we'll move your desk to the room with no windows (aka - the toilet).

 

Nah, he'll still meet people in there. I'd suggest banishment to the broom cupboard for a week.

 

Or the womens toilet. Nobody ever uses that.

 

Not even the women? must get pretty stinky in your office

:edit: I guess you dont get many women pc enthusiasts do you? and if you do they prolly look like geezers so would use the mens loo!

 

Kenco_uk, Just noticed you're from Bourne, I used to live there - It's an awful place!

 

It's a good thing my very attractive girlfriend hasn't read you saying that...

Besides, here bit-tech we have beetches of the highest caliber, Hiren captures and tames them from the wild, where they roam free and unmolested...sigh

 

It got a lot better a while ago