Lian Li O11 Air Mini Review

How many slots do you need? 

Should the Lain Li O11 Mini be an ATX case or a MATX case? You get to decide. Going down the MATX route will reward you with more space for liquid cooling radiators while the 7-slot ATX route will give you broader motherboard support and access to more rear I/O options with expansion cards. 

What matters here is that you get to choose and that Lian Li ships this case with the hardware that you need for both options. 

  
In 7-slot mode, Lian Li states that this case does not support liquid cooling radiators at the top of their enclosure. This is not true. We could fit a 240mm liquid cooler within the case with an ATX motherboard. That said, users of motherboards with tall DRAM kits and tall VRAM heatsinks will not be able to do the same. This is why Lian Li says it isn’t possible, not because it isn’t, but because they cannot guarantee it with all DRAM kits and motherboards. 

Below is a chart that showcases what hardware can be fitted into the O11 Air Mini in 7-slot mode. 

  
In 5-slot mode, the O11 Air Mini supports more liquid cooling options, which is good news for those who are planning an elaborate liquid cooling loop. Users of Mini ITX motherboards will be able to use the small size of these motherboards to fit thicker radiators at the bottom of the chassis, should they desire to do so. 

  
Below is a chart that highlights the HDD/SSD support of Lian Li’s O11 Air Mini chassis. Note that the case’s left-mounted 2.5/3.5-inch slots are not usable when 120mm fans are mounted in this location. You can either mount fans here or HDDs here, not both.