Lian Li recently posted information about a new prototype chassis on the Xtreme Systems forum. The new case, called the PC-Q33 is a Mini ITX chassis with a unique hinged front panel that allows unfettered access to the internal hardware. Coming in bare aluminum or black brushed aluminum, the case supports Mini ITX or Mini DTX motherboards, 220mm long graphics cards, 200mm long power supplies, and 180mm tall CPU coolers. The PC-Q33 itself measures 229mm (W) x 330mm (H) x 248mm (D) which works out to approximately 9” x 13” x 10”.
Silver case feet hold up the case which has mesh grills on the front and both side panels. There is a mesh vent for a 120mm fan on the back of the case along with a vent on the bottom of the case for the bottom mounted power supply. Lian Li has stated that a removable dust filter may be added to the case if there is enough interest. Users can unscrew the side panels to access the hardware or additionally unscrew two thumscrews to release the top and front panels which open on a hinge to make installing all of the components easier.
Internally, the case supports three 2.5” drives and two 3.5” drives. Drives can be installed in a cage below the motherboard or on the inside of the front panel. The back of the case features two grommets for water cooling tubes (for external radiators) along with a removable PSU bracket and two expansion slots (ie for a graphics card).
Lian Li has asked enthuiasts to comment on the new prototype case, which you can do here.
Personally, I think the PC-Q33 looks great and I hope that it comes to fruition as a real product. The hinged front panel is a neat idea and should make it extremely easy to work on the PC. I could definitely see myself using a case like this for my next Mini-ITX build along with a card like the ASUS GTX 760 Direct CU Mini. I’m also interested to see what the modders and water cooling enthusiasts are able to do with the new case!
Been waiting for a case like
Been waiting for a case like this. Simple, no optical. And even beter, it’s by Lian Li.
Another bland black box?
Pass
Another bland black box?
Pass on this
I don’t know what the
I don’t know what the solution is, but another gray/black boring rectanglular case does not make me want to open up my wallet.
Airflow in this case looks
Airflow in this case looks shady at best 🙁
It is nice to see companies
It is nice to see companies experiment more and I like the front flips down. Already ordered my NCASE M1 though and I am WAY more excited for how everything seems to be done soo right with THAT case. (also manufactured by Lian Li)
Very nice case been waiting
Very nice case been waiting for these..I hope it support tower hsf…and they launch it earlier in the market
Yes, finally a small form
Yes, finally a small form factor case with an intelligent design of the airflow, rather than the usual sff nonsense where the psu is mounted directly over the cpu fan.
I really like this case A LOT. No air flow conflicting, great. No unneeded extra space for optical drives and multiple hard drives.
It looks absolutely perfect for what I want, room for a mini itx board with a big ol’ fan for low noise, room for a proper psu and exhaust vents that doesn’t force the hot air from the psu onto the mainboard and cpu. Room for an ssd drive. All wrapped in a case that’s about as small as possible, awesome!
I really hope this goes into production.
Couldn’t agree more with the
Couldn’t agree more with the comment above. I was so desperate for case like this that I protyped one myself out of acrylic.
The tiered tower design moves the PSU out the way of tall heatsinks and is just close enough to the motherboard that shorter cabling can be used. The hinged front and together with removable side panels would give the best access to the internal components and make it super easy to work.
It’s really nice to finally see Lian Li openning fully the exhaust fan (as aopposed to a perforation which is about 50% restricted). The airflow in this case will be fantastic even with the slowest and quietest fans.
It’s certainly not going to be everybody’s cake, but I was building my SFFs with the the hottest CPUs and large heatsinks for years now and really don’t care for long graphics cards, multiple HDD or optical drives and all the wasted space (and the corresponding size penalty) that comes with them.
I only wish Lian Li would have gone all the way and provisioned this for an SFX power supply. With fantastic choices from Silverstonre and Fortron, there’s really no need to keep ticking with the ATX bloat. If they did, there would have been just enough room at the bottom to mount a hot swap rack for 2.5″ HDD – a mod that I intend to make the moment this case is released.
Can’t wait!