A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the TU150 is quite compact and features a very clean and edgy design combining flat surfaces with fairly sharp angles. This is not the first time Lian Li has offered ITX cases with a handle. Some of you may remember the TU100 and TU200 enclosures, which are in stark contrast to the TU150 which shows off how far the engineering has come as it is so much more elaborately designed than its predecessors.


The front of the chassis is completely clean and features just the Lian Li logo on the bottom. You may pull the cover off to reveal a removable dust filter with a fine mesh, which protects the cutout for the 120 mm intake fan. While this is a non-issue, there is a bit of unused real estate here which could have been put to good use for additional storage drives, for example.


In the rear, the second 120 mm fan mounting possibility lines up perfectly with the CPU area and forms a nice wind tunnel should you install an equivalent intake fan in the front and the same as an exhaust in the rear with the CPU cooler right in the middle. Below that you will find three PCIe expansion slots, which is excellent as this means you won't have to worry about possible issues when fitting a GPU that is taller than two slots.


The main side panel is made out of glass, and Lian Li has done an excellent job of ensure there are no visible mounting screws anywhere. On top of that, even though it is barely visible, the clear panel has a black strip on the top to cover both the 3.5" drive bay as well as the PSU bay from view nicely. This will be more apparent once the system is assembled. On the opposite side, you are greeted by a solid brushed aluminium panel with an air vent where the SFX PSU sits within the TU150.


The top of the chassis holds the most elaborate component of the TU150—a handle that pops out nicely with a light tug and retracts into the top of the enclosure with a gentle push. While made completely out of aluminium, it is reinforced and screwed directly into the SPCC metal case frame, so you won't have to worry about it breaking off as you carry your fully loaded system. Underneath the cover, you can also clearly see the routing of the PSU cable, as well as the mounting location for either a 2.5" or 3.5" drive in the ceiling.


Lian Li has done away with USB 2.0 in the TU150 and offers a pair of 3.0 plugs and a real USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C plug in addition to the traditional audio I/O. There are only the small reset and larger power button besides that. Interestingly enough, there are no LEDs present at all. While this is a mere cosmetic annoyance, those who go for SSDs only would benefit from an HDD activity indicator as it could be the only way of telling if a system has frozen up or is just hard at work. There would have been no harm in providing a tiny white LED in this area of the chassis.

Taking a peek at the underside, you can clearly see the mounting holes for two additional 120 mm fans in the floor of the chassis. While these could prove useful in providing additional active cooling directly to the GPU, Lian Li has chosen not to add that fine dust filter in the front of the chassis here, which leaves your system more susceptible to dust buildup.