A Closer Look - Outside

Right out of the box, the Lancool II Mesh Performance makes an excellent impression in regards to material mix. While the market in general has really embraced the drive to utilize less plastic, the Lancool II Mesh Performance comes with two fairly thick glass panels and an all-steel exterior. While the original Lancool II had a fairly restrictive front, the Mesh variant comes with a beautiful mesh punched right into the cover itself.


The front is made out of metal and comes with two large vents, and a Lian Li logo has been put on the bottom edge of the enclosure. You may pull the cover off to reveal two retail-grade 140 mm intake units. This is an upgrade from the original Lancool II, which just comes with a single 120 mm variant. Also, the mesh variant lacks any RGB elements, which makes it simpler. In the rear, everything looks pretty traditional with the PSU bay on the very bottom.


Both side panels utilize glass panels that cover around 70% of the surface area. As you can see, there are no visible screws on these, which is great! Below the main side is another panel with fine holes punched into it. Just like the Lancool II, you may flip both of these down not only to access the area below the shroud, but to give you the grip to pull open the glass panel on hinges. All these elements are held in place by magnets for easy access. The bottom elements on the main side come with a nifty little shape and a small air vent. On the backside of the motherboard, behind the glass panel, Lian Li has included two covers on the motherboard tray, so things look clean regardless, which is pretty awesome.


In the rear, the PSU cutout comes with a single set of mounting screws and plenty of space on both sides. Above that are seven expansion slots. Each slot is covered by a reusable metal cover next to an additional air vent to the right. In the very top is another 120 mm fan set to push hot air out the back of the Lancool 2 Mesh. Elongated mounting holes allow you to align the fan with your CPU cooler. Interestingly enough, the design of the actual vent has also been updated to a traditional honeycomb design for less restrictive airflow.


The same holds true for the top, which is protected by a large magnetic dust filter that covers an air vent you may utilize for two 120 or 140 mm fans or a radiator of up to 240 mm. There no longer is a mounted 120 mm fan here out of the box, so while the Lancool II Mesh Performance still has the same number of pre-installed fans, you now get a better set.


In regards to I/O, Lian Li has kept things rather simple with two USB 3.0 and audio plugs alongside the usual power and reset buttons. As this Lancool II variant does not have any embedded RGB lighting, there is no such controller built-in either. However, the mesh version comes with a fan controller that allows for three manual modes on top of an automatic one. An interesting note is the rubber-covered opening for a Type-C plug. You better not loose that little unit or will have an ugly hole here. Lian Li allows customers to buy the connector separately for $12 instead of including and charging for it.


In the bottom is a dust filter that is extremely sturdy and a bit hard to pull out, but it may be removed for easy cleaning without tipping over the full system.