«Previous Page 1 2 3 4 5 -View All- Next Page»
Case Exterior
Once all the packaging material was removed, we slowly unveiled the true beauty of this case. One notices the anodising on this chassis is second to none, and is a great combination along with the ‘brushed aluminium’ of the case. What struck us as the most significant was the shade of red used. Rather than go for the following shades of red: Fire Engine/Chav red, American Patriot red (such as Mountain Mods cases) or the Chinese shade of the same colour; Lian Li have gone for an almost a ‘sunset red shade. This colour really helps to make the case stand out as a truly remarkable piece of work.
 Lian Li V354R Close Up |
|
 LianLi V354R Opposite Angle |
 V354R Case Front |
Once again the red gives this writer the view that it has a sunset feeling and of warmth, rather than that of a ‘loose-woman’ on a night out, looking as though she has put on her lipstick by the use of ‘Bob the Builder’s’ trowel!
Now that we have a look at the basic looks of this chassis lets have a look around the exterior of the case in order to glean some more information. The best way to start is of course with the front panel.
The Front Panel enjoys a rather clean look but sporting only one 5.25″ bay. However for this sector of the computer chassis market, any more would defeat the object and make this case much taller. Indeed the aforementioned bay enjoys a ‘stealth’ cover of which should take the pain out of having to modify a DVD Writer in order to fit in with the looks of the case.
5.25" Stealth Cover
Moving onto the power and reset switches themselves. These are not of the recessed type-normally found in other chassis, rather these sit flush with the front panel-lending the whole case a clean-uniform look.
- Power and Reset Switches
The above switches light up a blue, which in all honesty spoils the effect of this case somewhat. Blue LED’s are over used in the computer industry and we are starting to get a little tired of them. A Red or even a white LED would have been better served here. However if the truth must be made clear, this is a very minor complaint at best.
Moving down from aforementioned switches we encounter the memory card reader itself. This can read SD/MMC cards as well as a whole host of others. Depending on card used, access and write times are quick and reliable.
Memory Card Reader
Again we encounter a minor issue. With this plainly being aimed at a home theatre environment, there is a possibility that this could be placed on the floor. Due to this aspect the chassis itself will be more prone to dust and these particles could find their way into the reader itself. A flap that is a similar concept to the DVD Writer to stealth bay or a rubber grommet would have been better employed here.
Moving further down we encounter the microphone, headphone and USB 3.0 sockets. Lian Li have thought to include a nice internal USB 3.0 to 2.0 converter so you can install them onto your motherboard without using a pass-through cable.
- USB 3.0 Sockets
The front of the case utilizes two 120mm fans in order to blow air into the case and to cool your components. The fans are two LianLi 120mm and they are of the Red LED Variety. These fans are audible and one has the opinion that a single 140mm fan would have been better here , in order to cool any internal hard disk drive.
Before we move further a few more shots under slightly differing light conditions reflects the striking looks of this case in general.
 First View |
 Lian Li V354R Looks Two |
Case Badge
A wonderful first impression of the case.
After the rather wonderful first impression s of the Lian Li V354R case, let us move on and explore the rear of the case.
Once again, sporting a clean look, the rear of the case has some very handy features. The most apparent of these is the fan controller with ability to control a total of five internal fans (three fans come as standard). The next is that there is room for five PCIE Bays for those whom choose to utilise a MATX motherboard. The next is a rather interesting rear fans grill; rather than employ the usual tried and tested hexagon or circular hole shape, Lian Li have used a more of an oval array on the grill. This allows costs to be lowered (as it is less time on the laser cutter ) than the traditional hexagon shape. Lastly there is a bracket in order to mount a full-sized power supply unit which is held in place by the use of thumbscrews.
 The Rear of the Case |
 Fan Controller |
 PCIE Slots |
 PSU Mounting Plate |
Covering the rest of the chassis, one still gets the overall feeling of quality, with the silky-smooth anodised-brushed aluminium feel. The top panel of the case houses a 140mm NON LED fan which by itself is much quieter than the 120mm variety and the grill itself is of the same design as that of the rear panel.
 Top Panel with the case laid on its side. |
 A Closer View of the Top Panels Fan Grill |
Moving on to the side Panel the same quality is once again repeated. In order to demonstrate this the side panel was removed and photographed under a series of differing lighting levels.
 Side Panel One |
|
- Side Panel Differing Light Level
Lastly we come to the base of the chassis. Four Sturdy aluminium feet support the chassis and to minimise vibration.
- Chassis Base
