Introduction and Specifications

An ASUS ROG-enfused mini-ITX case

The PC-Q17 WX is a compact, all-aluminum mini-ITX enclosure designed to appeal to gamers, and it features certification from ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers). As with so many mini-ITX cases on the market there is room for a full-length graphics card, allowing the case to house a powerful gaming build.

The PC-Q17 WX is smaller than the mini-ITX cases I have looked at recently, with the trend for larger, micro-ATX sized designs prevalent in the last year or two. It is still quite a bit larger compared to the smallest designs on the market, with the NCASE M1 the smallest I have reviewed thus far. There is always an advantage in component support from a slightly larger case, and this case boasts full-length GPU and ATX power supply compatibity – though you will need a compact PSU to fit both of those concurrently (more on this later in the review).

As expected from Lian Li, this small chassis doesn’t just feature aluminum, it is all aluminum, making it ultra light with a premium feel. Getting to your components is easy thanks to side and top panels that simply snap in place with the company’s push pin style connectors, and there is a large acrylic window to show off your mini-ITX build. If you like its looks the only thing left is too see what fits inside and find out how it performs!

Before we continue here are the specifications from Lian Li:


Specifications

  • Model: PC-Q17 WX
  • Case Type: Mini Tower Chassis
  • Color: Black
  • Front bezel Material: Aluminum
  • Side Panel: Aluminum
  • Body Material: Aluminum
  • Expansion Slot: 2
  • MB Type: Mini-ITX
  • HDD bays:
    • 3.5" HDD x3
    • 2.5" HDD x5
    • 5.25" drive bay (External):
    • 1 Slim ODD (Slot-In)
    • (optional: 1x 3.5” or 1x 2.5” HDD)
  • System Fans:
    • Rear: 80mm x2 (Optional)
    • Top: 140mm / 120mm x1 (Optional)
    • Base: 120mm x2 (Optional)
  • I/O Ports: USB 3.0 x2, HD Audio
  • PSU Type: ATX /SFX
  • Maximum Compatibility:
    • VGA Card length: 270mm
    • CPU cooler height: 140mm
    • PSU length: 150mm
  • Dimensions (WxHxD) 201mm x 276mm x 407mm
  • Net Weight: 2.7kg

First Impressions

The PC-Q17 has a brushed finish that looks lighter in these photos under the bright lights than the black color it will appear in most environments.

The front panel offers a pair of USB 3.0 and 3.5 mm audio ports

The case has a sharp, angular design when viewed from the side.

The top panel also functions as an external radiator mount, and there are cutouts for the liquid cooling hoses that work with standard all-in-one units as well.

While this enclosure design is too small for a standard 5.25-inch bay, there is actually optical drive support from a slot up top.

This requires a slot-loading notebook drive to mount to the included bracket, and (as I found with the Lian Li-constructed NCASE M1) this implementation works well if you require optical media support.

Around back you can see there is no PSU cutout, as this is mounted internally and the power routed to the rear with an integrated extension cable. The pair of expansion slots support dual-width graphics cards (length of up to 270 mm supported), but the case does not support 120 mm fans – in the back. More on fan/radiator support on the next page.

On the bottom we see hard drive mounts and the four rubber-bottomed feet.

The accessory package includes all needed hardware (including plenty of rubber hard drive mounts), an ATX to SFX power supply bracket, and there is a pair of red LED lighting strips which can be used to illuminate the ROG logo (or placed anywhere else), if desired.

Next we’ll take a close look inside the PC-Q17 and then look at a quick gaming build.

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