Lian Li PC-A51 Review

Up Close:  Exterior Overview and Front

There’s nothing quite like the slippery smooth feel of hairline brushed Aluminium.  (Ok, there are a few things, but none we can mention here).  With every panel finished to an extremely high standard the PC-A51 oozes style and quality in exactly the same way that Kim Kardashian doesn’t.  Measuring just 230x393x489mm (WxHxD) it’s also quite small for a case that’s able to accept full size ATX boards as well as CPU Coolers up to 175mm tall.  The PC-A51 is available in Natural Aluminium without a window, Black without a window, Black with a window and a Black interior (seen here) and Black with a window and with an accented red interior.

The quality doesn’t stop with the major panels though, the fit and release of the Aluminium roof vent is just sublime, and although we might have preferred a flush fitting window, Lian Li have gone to the lengths of bevelling the edges of the one they have fitted.

The front of the case is formed from a single sheet of Aluminium and is removable to allow access to the single 140mm extract (yes extract) fan fitted behind it, exhaust ventilation being provided by rows of paired oval slits down the front edge on both sides.  As we’ll see later, your PSU will also be exhausting through these slits.

The front I/O is also elegantly arranged with a row of four USB 3.0s and a set of audio sockets.  Beneath these we see a slot opening mechanism for a 5.25″ drive.  Lian Li obviously thought it would be as abhorrent as we do to spoil the looks of this case front with the carbuncle of a DVD drive fascia.  Below this and centrally located lies the short travel power button, while just off to the right and almost imperceptible we find the small HDD activity and Power LEDs