Long known for providing elegant, functional, and extremely well constructed computer cases, Lian-Li recently released another offering to their chassis lineup,  the PC-V1020 series.  The PC-V1020 comes in three color options; black, silver, and red.  Today we will be looking at the red version of this case.

The company line

“Lian Li Industrial Co., LTD was founded in 1983. We are the one of the largest and most reputable manufacturer of aluminum PC case in Taiwan . With over twenty years of experience in the computer products field, our dedicated team of engineers, production specialists and adminstrative staff provide the finest quality accessories available on the market.

In 1993, Lian-Li Introduced the new lines of computer hardware, including bracket( for case & interfaces), Mobile rack(for H.D.D.), mounting kit(for FDD & HDD), aluminum PC cases, IPC, external cases, server cases and more. We also provide OEM & ODM services, you are assured of designs that will meet your exact specifications, innovative ideas in manufacturing that will give your products an essential market edge.

Our outstanding quality has earned us ISO 9001 certification for all of our products. In addition, we back up our quality assurance with a two-yeara guarantee on most of our products.

R&D is one of the reasons why Lian Li is able to offer quality products to the market.  Whether it is for OEM or ODM projects, our experienced mechanical and electrical engineers are capable of providing our customers with the best solutions in product design.”

Follow along as we take a tour of the Lian-Li PC-V1020 and all it has to offer!

After making a trip from the Orient to the east coast of the United States, and then forwarded on to my location on the west coast of the United States, there certainly was ample opportunity for the product inside to arrive damaged. To Lian-Li’s credit, the way this case is packaged, it would actually take running it over with something to damage it. Suffice to say it arrived in perfect condition after a VERY long trip!

The outside of the box arrived with a few minor scratches and dings but as you can see by the pictures below, because of the hefty foam protection blocks as well as the thick cardboard used for the box itself, arriving to the customers in excellent condition will not be an issue.

The list of specifications shows that this case is well suited to keep everything housed inside nice and cool. The included three 140mm fans (two in front and one at the top) as well as the 120mm exhaust fan (rear) should do a great job of keeping the air moving inside. Also note that a video card of up to 305mm can be installed.  USB 3.0 compatibility and seven HDD bays are also excellent features.

Once removed from the box you will find an enclosed users manual, accessories buyers guide, and what appears to be an update to the users guide with more detailed instruction for proper HDD installation.

Because Lian-Li decided not to include a windowed side panel, both sides of the case are pretty straight forward. Made from the usual Lian-Li anodized brushed aluminum, both sides scream elegance and durability.  The panels do not have options to mount fans or any ventilation holes but are heavy, sturdy,and portray the clean simple lines that Lin-Li is known for.

The top of the PC-V1020 features a 140mm fan, the power and reset switches, and the front panel connections. The front panel features four USB 3.0 connections, an e-SATA connection, and a mic and headphone jack. The front panel connections are concealed when not in use by a lid.

Moving around to the front of the PC-V1020 is where you will find three 5.25 ODD bays two of which have matching covers. The third 5.25 bay has a built in 5.25 to 3.5 adapter which is perfect for adding another bay device should one choose to do so. The lower part of the front bezel is constructed entirely of aluminum mesh allowing for excellent ventilation and a non restrictive flow of air from the two 140mm intake fans.

Continuing on we take a look at the back of the PC-v1020. The top area is where you find the included 120mm exhaust fan, the opening where a motherboard’s I/O shield gets installed, and two holes for water cooling tubes to pass through. Although we would not consider this case to be an ideal candidate for water cooling, the option to do so is there. Moving down the back you will find eight available expansion slots which are covered by ventilated covers allowing for additional air flow. Just to the right of the expansion slots is yet another ventilation area. The bottom rear of the case is where the power supply opening is located. The power supply bracket is held on with four thumb screws.

Our external tour of the PC-V1020 concludes with a look at the bottom of the case. There are four aluminum casters included which have two rubber o’rings applied to each wheel. The o’rings will prevent vibrations and protect the surface the chassis rests on. The front two caster can be locked in place by simply sliding the lock mechanism rearward. The bottom of the PC-V1020 also features a removable dust filter which covers the power supply intake ventilation area.

If you are familiar with Lian-Li cases then you are accustomed to seeing the inside of their cases decked out in a shiny aluminum finish. The red version of the PC-V1020 breaks away from that tradition and has an anodized black aluminum finish to all the interior components. This is a great addition to the red version of this chassis and the color combination looks fantastic in our opinion.

In order to have a look inside the case the side panels must be released. To do this the lower two thumb screws are removed, then you loosen the top thumb screw and pull it outward, which releases the side panel locking mechanism. Removing the left side panel revealed a box packed with all the hardware one would need to assemble a system, and then some. There are ample screws, rubber grommets, and a nifty little storage box for all the hardware. Also included is a USB adapter cable which allows for two of the front panel USB 3.0 connectors to fit a motherboard header. If you need to route the USB 3.0 connectors through the rear of the case to access a port on your motherboards I/O area, they include a pass through PCI cover bracket which will accommodate that need. Brackets to convert a 3.5 bay to a 2.5 are also included which allows the mounting of a SSD drive to the hard drive rack..

With the right side panel off you get a look at the front panel wire leads and some of the cable routing holes built in to the removable motherboard tray.

The leads coming from the front panel are plentiful to say the least. There is the usual assortment of power switch, HDD activity, reset, and power LED wires as well as no less than four USB 3.0 cables. Also coming from the front panel is an e-SATA and HD audio connection.

Taking a closer look at the internal features of the PC-V1020 reveal several items of interest beginning with the removable motherboard tray. Having a removable motherboard tray can greatly assist you during the initial build of a system, but past that, their functionality is suspect at best. The cost of implementing the removable motherboard tray could have been better spent by including a windowed side panel in our opinion, but everyone’s taste is a little different we suppose.

One thing that really stands out is the ample options for cable/wire management. Lian-Li has done a superb job in giving the customer every opportunity to assemble a very clean looking system in to this chassis, and one that will have excellent air flow because of it. At the bottom of the case, just in front of the power supply is a nifty plastic bracket to feed your PSU leads through, adding additional cleanliness to the looks of your build. The motherboard tray has five cut outs for cable management, two at the bottom, one at the top and two on the front edge. One additional cut out is located at the top of the power supply bracket. One of the best cable management features of this case is the distance between the back of the motherboard tray and the right side panel. There is ample room to tie cables behind the motherboard tray and still easily get the side panel back on. You will really appreciate this feature as you assemble a system in the PC-V1020.

The motherboard tray also includes a large cut out which enables access to the back side of most CPU cooler retention brackets. How effective the location of this cut out is will depend on the motherboard and CPU cooler you are using, but the hole is large enough that it should accommodate most setups.

Lets visit the included cooling the Lian-Li PC-V1020 has to offer. The front two 140mm fans are housed in a removable bracket that is secured by four slotted rubber grommets. In order to remove the fans and thus get to the front filters, unfortunately the hard drive cage must be loosened and moved out of the way. It’s a good idea to remember not to tie anything to the hard drive cage when assembling a system so it can be easily moved out of the way when cleaning the front filters is necessary. The 140mm fan at the top of the case removes in much the same manner as the front fans. Simply grab the bracket and slide it forward to release the rubber grommets. There is however no filter at this location so you probably won’t find yourself having to remove this fan too often. The 120mm exhaust fan at the rear of the case is attached with the more traditional four screw design. There is a black grill attached to both sides of the fan. One other item of note is the fan power leads, the top and front fans come with adapters allowing either a 3-pin motherboard header connection or 4-pin molex connection to the power supply. The rear exhaust fan comes with a 3-pin connection only.

In order to mount a power supply in the PC-V1020 you have to remove the four thumb screws that attach the rear PSU bracket. Then attach the bracket to the back of the power supply and slide the entire assembly in. Then reattach the four thumb screws to complete the procedure. There is a support bracket in the power supply compartment which aids in keeping everything secure. The support bracket can be moved between four slotted attachment holes in the bottom of the case to accommodate any length power supply.

The seven bay hard drive rack is easily removable by taking out three thumb screws and sliding the cage forward and out. To mount a hard drive in the cage you use the provided thumb screws along with rubber grommets. The grommets are slotted to align with the drive rails on the hard drive rack. There is a sliding bracket on the left side of the hard drive rack which must be lowered to slide a drive in. Once the hard drive is slid in to place simply lift the slide bracket and secure it with the two thumb screws.

Here are some pictures of the assembly procedure used to install a hard drive.

In order to install a drive in to the 5.25 bays it will be necessary to remove the bezels, this is done by removing two screws for each bezel. The screws are easily accessible and once removed allow you to remove the bezel and slide the 5.25 drive in through the front. On the left side of the 5.25 bays are where the tool less design locks are located. These locks need to be released before installing a 5.25 drive. All you have to do to release the locks is push rearward on the handle to disengage them.

The Lian-Li PC-V1020 (Red Version) currently sells for around USD $259 which is on the upper end of PC Chassis products. While some may consider that a hefty price tag, rest assured the build quality, the sheer elegance and loaded feature set actually make this case a great value. From the awesome cable management opportunities to the ample cooling, the features are almost never ending. About the only thing we feel could enhance the PC-V1020 would be the availability of a side window panel. Hopefully one will be available in the near future as an accessory from Lian-Li. Of course there is always the option of installing a window yourself if you can muster the nerves to cut in to a thing of beauty!

Pros
Precision build quality
Clean lines
Excellent cooling
Cable management options
Red color with black interior makes for a great look
Hard drive installation method
Removable motherboard tray
USB 3.0 capable
Ample accessories

Cons
No side panel window availability
Hard drive rack must be removed to access front filters

If your in the market for a PC chassis that is packed with features, perfectly constructed, and just plain looks awesome then you need to keep the PC-V1020 (Red or otherwise) on your short list.  You will be hard pressed to find another case with as many features and looks as good at this price point. The Lina-Li PC-V1020 has richly deserved the OverclockersTech Gold Award!

Dino DeCesari (Lvcoyote)