Put in your input for the PC-Q07 update. What would you improve?

[Lian Li Tech]

Lian Li is planning to update the Mini-ITX PC-Q07 (http://www.lian-li.com.tw/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=319&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=f). For current owners or people familiar with the case what are some features that you liked about the case that you want to see in the next rendition? What are some aspects that you would like to see improved?

Others that may not be too familiar what are some features or any other aspects that you want in a Mini-ITX chassis?

We will listen to all input, and your ideas just might make it to the final cut.

Look forward to your posts. :)

[Ivanlabrie]

I think a similar case but with matx capability would be great, kinda like the Silverstone SG09...I've been wanting to go sff but with the capability of using my MVG and a big air cooler like my Silver Arrow and full size gpus, but there're very few choices.
At first I was thinking on getting the pc-a04 but it's kinda big for a small case anyway, and the air cooler options would be limited.

[Waterlogged]

As the owner of a Q07 (W.I.P "black project"), it was difficult to come up with changes but, after several days of staring at and thinking about my case, my thoughts on this Q are...

Size...width; +17mm, height; same, depth; +52mm.

Remove 3.5" drive support but support 4 or more 2.5" drives.

Keep usb ports where they are at bottom (but slide them off center) and move power/reset next to usb.

Seperate removable MoBo tray with 12mm gap between MoBo tray and side panel (this will free up room for 2.5" drives or cable management).

That's about all I can come up with for now but if I think of something else, I'll post it as well.

[Lian Li Tech]

As the owner of a Q07 (W.I.P "black project"), it was difficult to come up with changes but, after several days of staring at and thinking about my case, my thoughts on this Q are...

Size...width; +17mm, height; same, depth; +52mm.

Remove 3.5" drive support but support 4 or more 2.5" drives.

Keep usb ports where they are at bottom (but slide them off center) and move power/reset next to usb.

Seperate removable MoBo tray with 12mm gap between MoBo tray and side panel (this will free up room for 2.5" drives or cable management).

That's about all I can come up with for now but if I think of something else, I'll post it as well.

A little bigger, no 3.5" support, and more space for cable management. Anyone else second this?

[UrbanVoyeur]

Support for mATX.
Slim optical drive up top, to make room for more drives.

And two changes related to the power supply:
- the option of a solid panel where the power supply mounts for those who want to use a pico PSU: http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-160-XT-192W-Adapter-Power-Kit
- an add-on drive cage that mounts under the existing one for people who will use a pico power supply. With a bracket that extends down to the bottom of the chassis for stability, but does not interfere with the add-on/video card mounting.

[NKrader]

Slim optical drive up top, to make room for more drives.

yep

little bit taller, add second pci slot for double thickness gpu?

[soundx98]

Please make the USB ports on the front USB 3.0

[NKrader]

Please make the USB ports on the front USB 3.0

i still have yet to have a computer with usb 3.0, isnt as common as one would think. i had to buy the 2.0 conversion for my a77

[soundx98]

I replaced the usb 2.0 with the Startech usb3splate (newegg #N82E16812400100) PCI slot adapter for my ASRock h77m-ITX mobo. It's a 20pin USB3 to 2x USB3 female adapter.
If you remove the USB 2.0 cable assembly, it matches the front panel mount perfectly. http://www.startech.com/Cables/USB-2.0/Internal-and-Panel-Mount/2-Port-USB-3-A-Female-Slot-Plate-Adapter~USB3SPLATE

[chinaguy]

Yes to 4 x 2.5 inch drives
Yes to USB 3 on the Front +Headphone/Mic jacks(set to one side so not to get in the way of the MoBo)
Yes to Slim DVD Drive Bay
Yes to ITX/mATX fitting
Yes to fitting a 2 slot graphics card
Yes for room to fit a third party HSF
Yes to better cable management

But remember you are building for a "Niche Market" here and some people would like room to fit a H100 in there for a bit of OCing.


Maybe someone in your office could try building a PC with a ASUS Maximus V Gene, i3770, 2x8GB Corsair Dominator, Zotac GTX650 and 1xSSD + 2x2.5 1TB drives. Just do a search in this site of the most popular components used, the ones I have are just off the top of my head for an example.

[enio]

Yes to 4 x 2.5 inch drives
Yes to USB 3 on the Front +Headphone/Mic jacks(set to one side so not to get in the way of the MoBo)
Yes to Slim DVD Drive Bay
Yes to ITX/mATX fitting
Yes to fitting a 2 slot graphics card
Yes for room to fit a third party HSF
Yes to better cable management

But remember you are building for a "Niche Market" here and some people would like room to fit a H100 in there for a bit of OCing.


Maybe someone in your office could try building a PC with a ASUS Maximus V Gene, i3770, 2x8GB Corsair Dominator, Zotac GTX650 and 1xSSD + 2x2.5 1TB drives. Just do a search in this site of the most popular components used, the ones I have are just off the top of my head for an example.

Please keep the general idea of the case. That is standard PC components build around MITX motherboard. There are already plenty of cases for MATX to choose from.
Also the keeping look of the case would be much aprecieated. Not like Q27.

Most important:
-second PCI slot without height change (the most common mod of this case and Q03 by the way)
-ventilated bottom of the case (second most common mod)
Plenty of examples if google mods for Q07


Stuff from current cases:
-motherboard on the side with tray (like PC-Q02, PC-Q03)
-tool less ventilated side panels
-plastic encased front panel buttons

Expected improvements:
-slightly higher feet
-keep the rails for HDD mounting on the bottom for 3,5 in and 2,5 but REMOVEABLE (in this option one PCI is occupied)
-front USB 3.0
-5.25 bay (standard components, there is already Q03 with slim ODD or use Lian Li EX-553)
-PSU ATX overhang the motherboard with 70 - 80 mm cooler height
-include short cable for front panel (short extender for easier manuver during setup)

Optional stuff:
-extend depth for 2 slot VGA cards up to 230 - 240 mm (maybe even more important)
-put HDD rails on the front panel, THEN
-adjust POWER button and front ports so they dont interfere with HDDs.

-4 x 2,5 HDDs you can fit no problem with the current edition Q07 and slim ODD so make specific case just for that is no.

[enio]

Maybe something like this would be good. This model does not have the ventilation on the bottom and motherboard tray but it shows the general idea of the updated case.
The front mounted 3.5 HDD is oriented horizontaly on the side to allow for full length VGA (up to front panel). The case depth is extended to 248 mm.
http://i.imgur.com/3D3CT4kl.png

[Lian Li Tech]

Hi Enio,

Thanks for your input. Allowing for bigger and longer cards is definitely something we are thinking about.

You say that you do not like the look of the PC-Q27 (the one shown at CES was a pre-production model), however in your preferred updates you mention "slightly higher feet" and "ventilated bottom of the case", which are present on the current idea for the PC-Q27. What were the aspects that you did not like of the PC-Q27 prototype?

[enio]

Moving HDD to the front was great idea and it created more depth for GFX by itself. The bottom HDD is not necesseray and the measurment that I gave above is out of the hat because there are always going to be bigger GFX cards that someone will want to put in the case.
Yes the higher feet are needed and also the ventilation holes are missing.
Maybe Q27 could have power button moved to the side. Did you try with the buttons and ports on the top? Do the USB ports interfere with full lenght GFX? Its just that little details. The overall design is great and while I have Q07 sitting here on my desk I just put those features on its model (didnt edit it that much). Its nothing original on my side because Ive seen Q27 already.
I have seen two prototypes of the new case. The one without the front gap is better looking.
One thing is that now I have Q07 and I am used to look of it. Its my personal opinion but I wish there was more disscussion here about it.
The other thing is I think that new case can look better.
I would definetly be buying Q27 for its features.

[Lian Li Tech]

Ok, thanks for your suggestions. We did think about putting the ports on top, however I think that we will try relocating them somewhere else. For graphics cards, of course the more space the better, but at the same time we have to find a balance as we do have other models that allow for larger VGA cards.

We are now in the finalization stages of the PC-Q27, and should be announced in not too long. We appreciate all your suggestions as it helps us make a better case for the all. If you or anyone one else has some suggestions, we welcome your input.

Also, you might be able to catch a more finalized version from the pictures and videos at CeBIT.

[enio]

I just saw silver prototype with LiLi sticker on the bottom and generaly clean front. It looks great! Is there going to be bay cover like Q11. Are there any plans for pearl white? I remember cutouts for fronts of ODDs made by Lian Li to replace so they match the front. The options this small tower will provide (without need for mod). Heh better gaming mostly :) Its perfect for pretty much every computer Ive owned. One HDD, and GFX (DTX board and two single slot GFXs in CF or SLI?!?!? hehe). Not to say that they all had 10 HDD bays 10 5,25 bays.

[Lian Li Tech]

I just saw silver prototype with LiLi sticker on the bottom and generaly clean front. It looks great! Is there going to be bay cover like Q11. Are there any plans for pearl white? I remember cutouts for fronts of ODDs made by Lian Li to replace so they match the front. The options this small tower will provide (without need for mod). Heh better gaming mostly :) Its perfect for pretty much every computer Ive owned. One HDD, and GFX (DTX board and two single slot GFXs in CF or SLI?!?!? hehe). Not to say that they all had 10 HDD bays 10 5,25 bays.

Glad you like the look. The stealth bay cover is not decided yet. As for the colors, we usually just have cases in anodized black and silver.

[prava]

What I would try to do, guys, is to add some options to the case, in order to gain more flexibility. The mITX market is growing with yet more options every day, and I believe that the premium Lian Li's craftmanship should follow suit with the new trends. For instance, I'd suggest you try to dissect a case that has been designed for a few users and that you will be producing, in order to understand exactly why we have resorted to such endeavor instead of simply buying from one of the premium producers.

http://www.ncases.com/gallery/m1/

Personally, I'd...

a) Limit the case to SFX power supplies. Such a small case has no need for a big power supply.

b) Add the posibility to put a fan on the bottom. The bottom HDD mount could be sticked on the front, as there is enough space for that.

c) Limit the case to slim ODD. That extra could be used for another HDD mount.

This, imo, would totally improve this case, A LOT.

[enio]

Is the second PCI slot still in the plan? CeBit model looks like it has one PCI. This case is perfect for new short cards. They are not Radeon yet (at least I dont know) but GeForce from ASUS (just GTX 670 been announced). Most performance cards have double DVI ports, on two PCI slots. There is one from ZOTAC short perfect for these small towers.

The option for bottom mounted fan in place of HDDs is good idea. Even if it would be just slim 15 mm one.

Colour and bay stealth are secondary, but if there was white... :)

[Lian Li Tech]

Is the second PCI slot still in the plan? CeBit model looks like it has one PCI. This case is perfect for new short cards. They are not Radeon yet (at least I dont know) but GeForce from ASUS (just GTX 670 been announced). Most performance cards have double DVI ports, on two PCI slots. There is one from ZOTAC short perfect for these small towers.

The option for bottom mounted fan in place of HDDs is good idea. Even if it would be just slim 15 mm one.

Colour and bay stealth are secondary, but if there was white... :)

The second PCI slot is not 100% decided.

You are a stickler for white :D


What I would try to do, guys, is to add some options to the case, in order to gain more flexibility. The mITX market is growing with yet more options every day, and I believe that the premium Lian Li's craftmanship should follow suit with the new trends. For instance, I'd suggest you try to dissect a case that has been designed for a few users and that you will be producing, in order to understand exactly why we have resorted to such endeavor instead of simply buying from one of the premium producers.

http://www.ncases.com/gallery/m1/

Personally, I'd...

a) Limit the case to SFX power supplies. Such a small case has no need for a big power supply.

b) Add the posibility to put a fan on the bottom. The bottom HDD mount could be sticked on the front, as there is enough space for that.

c) Limit the case to slim ODD. That extra could be used for another HDD mount.

This, imo, would totally improve this case, A LOT.

The M1 is a beautiful case.

We will most likely have an option to put a fan at the bottom of the case, as can be seen from the prototype models at CES and CeBIT.

Regarding the slim ODD, this is kind of a toss up, as there advantages and disadvantages to both. But we will mostly likely stick with the 5.25" bay for the PC-Q27.

[enio]

http://tw.page.mall.yahoo.com/item/p024729380530
Was the first prototype taller? It appeared this way with the USB in the front. From the back it looks like little more space and that second PCI would have fit. Oh well. I will have to cut it. Even the 7790 has double DVI now. Hope some 650 Ti Boost model will have all connectors on one PCI. Great to see this case finished.

I cant get it out of my head. Bottom HDD cage is an option, because if fan is installed it wont allow it. Then so additional cut for second PCI could have been kept. Why the ventilation pattern with that circle is so important? Is it for DC port and internal PSU board?

[enio]

I already planning this system and I have a question hehe.
Would it be possible to mount 2,5 HDD with 3,5 HDD on top of it on the front panel?
The holes in the front are made that they use OH-01A anti vibration thumb screws. So if I put stand offs in the 3,5 HDD bottom and screw the thumb screws together there should be some space under. Have you checked that if this is possible? The ITX motherboard RAM slots could use low profile memory modules and that is what I am afraid wold interfere.

[Lian Li Tech]

I would not recommend it as the spacing between the memory modules and the drives would be extremely tight.

[DougieFresh]

I've built several systems in the PC-Q07 for family and friends. It's a great case. I actually like the case so much I got to the point where I created a special plate for the PC-Q07 that allows you to mount a 80mm fan and a picoPSU jack to the ATX opening of the PC-Q07 and even created a business out of it! Thanks, Lian Li!

Like a previous poster, I also believe SFX PSUs are the way to go with the PC-Q07, if you're not using a picoPSU. I'd like to see an SFX plate similar to the ATX plate that is supplied so that OEM PSUs from FSP and Seasonic that don't come with an ATX/SFX adapter plate can be used without purchasing one.

The hard-drive mount at the bottom also needs a little more height, especially for the 2.5" HDD mounting. A better way to mount an SSD is needed since it lays too flat and makes it hard to get the connector in.

The side-panels need to use the new system Lian-Li has with their other cases. 12 tiny screws is enough to make you crazy.

This is a bit silly but you guys are innovative enough to do it: some kind of material or coating that keeps fingerprints off!

Really, most other things I can think of seem to be covered by your other models.

I owe a lot to Lian-Li. It was your cases that got me into mini-ITX, your PC-Q07 that helped me start a very small business with the picoPSU mounting plates and I fell in love with aluminum mini-ITX cases so that now I have an import business around those as well. I think of all the Lian-Li systems I've built: PC-Q07, PC-Q08, PC-Q09, PC-Q11, PC-Q25, PC-C37, etc... and every single person remarks how beautiful the cases are.

Please keep innovating and keeping PCs beautiful. THANKS!

[enio]

Great job on PC-Q29! That 5,25 bay is always useful. Maybe not for ODDs but for other elements. Programmable LCD? :D