Final Thoughts, Pricing, Conclusion

Final Thoughts

Lian Li PC-T1R Mini ITX Spider Test Bench Review - Cases and Cooling 35

After receiving a box of red anodized aluminum parts and screws, we were able to piece together a fully-functional mini ITX test bench with ease thanks to the creativity and ingenuity of the members of the Lian Li team. The spider look is absolutely stunning and I appreciate the ability to change the layout of everything from the motherboard tray to the power supply and spider legs. 

 

Lian Li PC-T1R Mini ITX Spider Test Bench Review - Cases and Cooling 36

Cable management was one of the biggest challenges with this case. Lian Li did their best to include cutouts in the aluminum to route cables from the PSU, but I still would have liked more options to clean up the cabling. I would have also liked easier ways to swap out other hardware like the hard drive and optical drive. We also would have liked a PCI card bracket to ensure any add-on cards would be secured during testing. I’m sure they thought this bracket would detract from the spider look, but it should have been an optional item for consumers.

 

Pricing

Lian Li PC-T1R Mini ITX Spider Test Bench Review - Cases and Cooling 37

As of Sept. 25, the Lian Li PC-T1R Mini ITX Test Bench is available at Newegg.com for $129.99 in silver, red, and black flavors. This test bench is also available at MWave for $124.99 and Future Power PC for $116.18 before shipping.

 

Conclusion

Lian Li PC-T1R Mini ITX Spider Test Bench Review - Cases and Cooling 38

We’d like to thank Lian Li for providing the PC-T1R for our review today. This is the most unique test bench I’ve ever assembled and I was very impressed with the quality of the material, anodized components, and installation procedures. The overall look of the spider was achieved successfully while still retaining the test bench functionality, which should be huge kudos to the engineering team at Lian Li. 

One of the only issues I had with this case was with routing cables and keeping them off the ground by using the included cable management clamp. This clamp will work fine if you have a modular PSU, but the power supply we used had lots of extra power cables that needed to be organized. Overall, the PC-T1R is a great option for those who enjoy using mini ITX systems in an open-air environment.  

 

Strengths

  • Very unique and creative

  • Easy to swap out motherboard, hard drive, and power supply

  • Simple construction with mostly thumbscrews

  • Very light material and durable construction

 

Weaknesses

  • Expensive

  • No cooling options to add fans or watercooling parts

  • Cable management system still needs work

  • No PCI bracket to secure graphics or other add-on cards

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