A Closer Look - Outside

Luckily, all the front covers, which were shaken loose during transportation, fit perfectly within the case. This is a good testament to the quality of the case, as there seem to be no blemishes or other damage at all. The rear looks quite ordinary upon first sight, but the PSU bay has been placed on the bottom of the case.


Both case sides do not have any holes or air vents. While this may seem like a downside of the case, such additional openings are not nessecary at all, due to the compartments within the V1010.


Taking a closer look at the front, startig at the bottom. The fan grill in the traditional Lian-Li design covers the 140 mm front intake fan. Between this area and the external drive bays are the power and the smaller rest button. The five drive bays have holes in them to further improve the thermal characteristics of the case.


Moving to the top of the case, you will find the eSATA, Firewire, four USB 2.0 ports and the usual audio connectivity. These are covered by a spring loaded latch. Toward the rear of the top are two additional holes, which are covered by aluminum parts. These are intended to route water cooling tubing to the outside of the chassis. Lian-Li has chosen to structure the edge of the side panels instead of rounding them up. This eliminates the danger of cutting yourself in a very fashionable way.


The rear of the case also holds a few surprises. The bottom area is taken by the PSU bay, which can be mounted with the fan either facing upward or downward. The PCI brackets are located in the middle. This means that the board is mounted upside. Above this is a 120 mm fan and a small switch. It has three settings: "L, M, H", which represent three speed settings of the connected fans. Such a feature is very nice, but may be hard to reach, when having the case under your desk.


Another feature, which is quite rare are the pre-installed coasters. There are two axes, each with two wheels and the rear one als has a pull out break, to keep the unit in place. The entire construction, including the wheels are made of aluminum. There is no profile on the wheels, so the case will still move around fairly easily on a wooden floor.