Lian Li PC-V354

Zitat: Pro: + Lightweight aluminum casing + Able to fit long graphics cards Contra: - Installation or maintenance process involves many screws We counted. Twenty. That´s the number of screws we had to remove - mind you, these are proper screws, not thumb screws - before we can install an optical drive to the 5.25-inch drive bay. You would probably require to meddle with just as many screws for future maintenance needs too. In our modern times where even a couple more mouse clicks can be one too many, the sheer number of screws on this Lian Li casing is simply unacceptable. Other manufacturers have gone completely tool-free and even when they don´t, we can´t remember the last time we were faced with twenty screws. We can understand some of the reasons why. Using directly screwed on side panels require less space, especially for a mini tower chassis. Also, one of the side panels effectively doubles as a removable motherboard tray. Perhaps Lian Li knows that its users will not be upgrading their hardware that often that this will become a problem. For us however, it made the installation more of a hassle than it should, potentially overshadowing the merits of this case. Users looking to troubleshoot or perform maintenance in the future stand to face a daunting number of screws as well. On the other hand, Lian Li has done a pretty good job with the removable drive cages and the allowance for longer graphics cards. One can fit a full size power supply unit inside the V354, with the only downside being the proximity between the PSU and your expansion cards. As a result, we recommend space saving features like a modular power supply and modest-sized CPU coolers. Overall, the aluminum V354 is handy enough for LAN gamers and yet possess the class to be in the living room. Unless you´re the kind that constantly change their computer hardware, in which case, we hope you have an electric screwdriver handy.

Zitat: We begonnen met de constatering dat vrijwel alle Lian-Li behuizingen niet standaard te noemen zijn. Dat geldt ook voor de PC-V354. Over het uiterlijk is goed nagedacht en veel afkeurende blikken krijgen de behuizingen van dit merk dan ook niet. Dat Lian-Li geen goedkoop merk is weten we ook, de gemiddelde prijs van 157 euro voor de PC-V354 benadrukt dat nog eens. Dat is gewoon veel geld voor een kleine behuizing. Dat neemt niet weg dat het een interessante kast is; voorzien van fancontroller, kaartlezer en USB 3.0 aansluitingen moeten we concluderen dat de behuizing vrij compleet is. Opvallend flexibel is de PC-V354 ook, zo kun je van alles verwisselen. Bijvoorbeeld de casefans, harde schijf kooi, maar ook de USB 3.0 poorten. We zijn dan ook enthousiast over deze behuizing, wat ons betreft een aanrader voor wie zoekt naar een fraaie kast voor een compact systeem. Pluspunten Luxe uitstraling USB 3.0 en kaartlezer Flexibel Voldoende airflow Fancontroller voor vier fans Minpunten Geen koelgraten voor voeding Prijzig Openen behuizing wat omslachtig 3-pins kabels van voorste fans eigenlijk net te kort Erg weining ruimte voor brede CPU koelers

Zitat: The Lian Li PC-V354 is one of the most advanced smaller form factor cases we have tested. There is no restriction to use an ITX motherboard like we have seen in previous reviews of cases this size, and with the V354 you have a much broader list to pick from when it comes to heatsinks that will fit. No longer do you have to use an ineffective cooler to try and tackle the heat produced by an overclocked processor. Not only is your choice of coolers greater but so is your pick of graphic cards. For those fortunate enough to own cards like the Radeon HD 5970 or Nvidia GTX 580 there are no worries about them fitting in this case. Going dual graphics cards? Still no worries as both will fit. Room for a power supply capable of feeding the two video cards? Still no problem as the V354 can even house a longer than average PSU. Other PC case manufacturers should take note here. Building a gaming rig in smaller cases is a growing trend. So if they want to take part in the trend and carve their names into the ranks, they offer something similar to the V354. The only black mark we could come up with, if you want to consider it to be one, is that you will have to remove several tiny screws in order to reach the interior of the case.