INTRODUCTION
When looking for a case for a new high-end PC construction project, Lian Li always appears among the interesting manufacturers. In my opinion, Lian Li is synonymous with quality; design; elegance and exclusivity. This time I’ll see a case that has all those features but is also reasonably priced.
LanCool is more of a brand unto itself than a series of Lian Li products. Lian Li is considered by most to be a high-end brand, so in order to diversify into the mid-range consumer market without negatively affecting the Lian Li brand, they started the LanCool brand. In some places it is sold without “Lian Li” in the product name. Anyway, what really matters is that Lian Li targets the lower price tier market with the LanCool brand / series.
One of the differences that I have noticed about the Lian Li versus LanCool cases is that Lian Li primarily uses aluminum, while LanCool uses SECC steel for the construction of their models. Okay, here are the technical specs for the LanCool PC-K58:
LanCool Dragonlord PC-K58
Average tower size
Dimensions 496 x 214 x 498 mm
Weight 9.45 kg
Materials High quality CECC steel
Compatible ATX and Micro motherboards
Expansion bays 5 x 5.25 ”
4 x 3.5 ”
Expansion slots 8
Maximum PCI card size 290 mm
Front ports 2 USB 2.0
AC97 and HD audio
Front cooling system: one 140mm 1000rpm fan
Back: a 120mm fan at 1500rpm
Top: two 140mm fans (not included)
Extras No tools required for installation
Supports CrossFireX and 3-way SLI systems
Anti-vibration system for hard drives and fans
Cable management system
Pins for liquid cooling
Although the price is not very high for this case, I would like to put this case in the high-end segment due to all the additional features. A big advantage of this case is that it is quite spacious and supports high-end graphics cards.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The LanCool PC-K58 comes in a very large and heavy cardboard box. And it is normal since it is a big box and it is made mainly of steel and therefore it is quite heavy.
Accessories include; a printed manual; an anchor adapter for the power supply; a motherboard speaker; a plastic cable management clip, a Molex adapter, and some screws. If anything, the accessories made me more curious about the assembly process to come.
LANCOOL PC-K58 IN DETAIL, OUTSIDE
My first thought about the design was that it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it was still sober. I guess it’s the block building style that makes me think of SF. I really liked the design, which is of course my subjective opinion. Regardless, the ending is absolutely top of the line. The entire exterior of the case is completely black, except for the case back which has the old gray steel look. The sides of the case are very simple, there is no window or side cooling system. In fact, it is possible to purchase a side panel with a window and the “Dragonlord” series logo printed on it.
Something that I have seen more and more coming with higher-end cases is the metal grille at the front. It’s great because it allows air to get in and out of the case more easily, but it keeps dust out.
The rear of the LanCool Dragonlord PC-K58 is quite interesting. The first thing I noticed was that the power supply is placed at the bottom near the floor where the coldest air is always. Above the recess of the power supply, there are eight expansion slots. Note that all slots have back plates with louvers to increase ventilation. The location of the tubes for the liquid cooling system is more or less halfway up. This is good because it allows us to keep the circuit short. Another nice touch is the fan screws that have Lian Li’s proprietary anti-vibration feature.
The bottom and top of the case share one essential feature: the structure of the fan slots. Unlike other manufacturers, LanCool has a metal grill that looks more like a sunscreen window in an old house than a typical beeswax cake. The bottom fan also has a dust filter, which is great as it will keep floor dust outside.
The front connectors are located on the top of the case in the middle of the power and reset buttons. The connectors are two USB ports, a microphone, and an audio output. Take a look at the pictures below to check.
LANCOOL PC-K58 IN DETAIL, THE INTERIOR
When I removed the side panels I was surprised by their rigidity, they are really thick and heavy. It’s not a bad thing, I guess. LanCool hasn’t bothered to paint the back or inside of the case, which is in the traditional metallic gray color.
The first thing I noticed was the fact that this case has a cable management system. There is also a recess on the back plate of the motherboard for the CPU. Another detail I noticed is that the LanCool has already clamped the standoff (between the motherboard and the back plate of the motherboard). The lower part of the case is mainly occupied by the space for the power supply. As you can see, LanCool has placed a rubber vibration damper for the power supply.
Another great detail in this box is the tool-free installation of the expansion slot cards. The system that LanCool uses with this case is very easy to work with and provides a secure anchor for expansion cards. At the top of the rear there is a 120mm fan with a rotation speed of 1000rpm which naturally makes it very low noise.
On the “ceiling” of the box there are two places where 120mm or 140mm fans can be installed. As you know, hot air wants to rise, so these fans would spin to blow air out of the case. The inside front of the box is divided into two clear areas. The lower area is dedicated to the installation of hard drives and the upper part houses the optical drives or other systems that use the 5.25 “expansion bays.
The 3.5 “drive rack supports a maximum of four drives, both 3.5” and 2.5 “. LanCool has a great solution for installing hard drives. Simply place the drive in the tray; adjust the plastic adapters and push the tray into place The trays are held in place with rubber fasteners so that no vibrations are transferred to the case.
If present, most manufacturers have a 120mm fan at the front. LanCool has opted to put a 140mm fan in the front and this is great because it manages to perfectly cool the hard drive trays as you can see in the images above.
From the other side of the case, there isn’t much to talk about, except maybe the cable management system. The dust problem seems to be very difficult to avoid completely, no matter what case you try. I think the best way to avoid it is to use dust filters in one form or another. In this case, LanCool has really taken it to another level by fitting dust filters to all the air intakes in the case. The front of the case has a double dust filter, one that is removable and can therefore be easily cleaned.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION IN BOX LANCOOL PC-K58
I started with the optical drive, which was easily installed thanks to the tool-less system. The installation of the hard drives was not a mystery either, I just took out a tray, inserted the hard drive and made sure it was secured and then just put the tray with the installed hard drive in place in the rack. No screwdriver required.
Installation of the power supply was also easy thanks to the unique anchoring system. Simply place the power supply on the rubber feet and snap the anchor arm into place. Keeps the power supply firmly in place without the risk of it sliding sideways.
The chassis is very spacious and I am pleased to report that it supports expansion slot cards up to 290mm in length, which means that it supports all graphics cards on the market except Radeon HD 5970 cards. The fans LanCool has chosen for in this case they are very quiet, mainly thanks to their large sizes and low rotational speeds.
CONCLUSIONS
This was actually my first experience with the LanCool brand / series of products and I must say that I am very impressed. If I had to pick one thing about this case that I really appreciated, it’s the fact that the installation procedure is completely “tool-free.”
In my opinion, there are two things that LanCool can improve with this case. First they need to paint the inside and the back of the case and second why not add an eSATA port between the front connectors. Of course, as always, the more additional features we ask for, the more expensive the product becomes.
In all other respects, I cannot do more than praise the work of the LanCool designers. All in all, the PC-K58 is a high-quality case with great features like: super easy installation; good finish and good design. Perhaps best of all, its price is around $ 80.