Lian-Li V1100 Black Case Review :: Lian Li PC-V1100 Black Exterior

One of the cool things about this case is the black color. Some may call me a bit nostalgic but I find that black just makes the case stand out and has the advantage that if the case gets dirty it’s easier to hide. The PC-V1100 Black Plus has 5 5.25” External Drive bays, allowing for the installation of up to 4 optical drives and a 3.5” inch FDD with the included adapter.

The side door has a grill to look at the interior of the case. Most cases either have a window or a grill to look inside them but some have a door without a window or a small grill like this one. The window is positioned right where the 120mm fan is positioned on the case, this fan blows over the CPU area on the interior.

The IO of the case is positioned on the bottom of the front of the case. The IO consists of two audio jacks, a Firewire port and two USB 2.0 ports. The positioning of the front panel IO is rather curious, as I’d rather see it on the top of the case where you can plug the audio cables in and give yourself more room to move your head around with cables but that’s a matter of aesthetics.

The bottom of the case has special wheels rather than feet on the four positions where they would normally reside. The wheels can lock into place, so that the computer won’t roll off when locked. The wheels lock into place with a sliding bar on the bottom. Moving the case down the hall to another room is as simple as rolling it down the hallway. Lian-Li is one of the world leaders in case innovation and this is a great feature.

The rear of the case has seven PCI Slots, the usual number on an ATX motherboard. A generic IO shield covers the IO area. The PSU location is on the bottom of the case, allowing the installation of a decently sized PSU without issue. The bottom of the case has screws to mount the HDD cage and the divider for the PSU area. Removing the screws allows the use of a longer PSU.

The front door of the case opens showing the five 5.25” drive bays for the optical and other drives. The door has a lock that holds it locked to secure the PC. Lian Li includes a 3.5 to 5.25” drive converter to allow the use of a FDD on the case. Under the five 5.25” drive bays is the Power button. This case does not have a Reset button as most do. One really good feature of the case is that the entire case is insulated. The side door and top of the case has insulation that allows the PC to be quieter than without it. The PSU area has a funnel that allows the sound of the PSU fan to be muted.