Lian Li PC-J60WRX Review

Conclusion

Reviewing a Lian Li case is always a pleasure, and the PC-J60 WRX is no exception, although I do have to ask if i’m the only one who can’t help but think of an electric blue Subaru when I read the name?  Will they be bringing out and STI version???  Well, it might not be electric blue, but the WRX version does have a deep metallic red accent to the slotted air vents.  However if, like us you’re not mad keen on this particular design aesthetic then you’ll be relieved to know that Lian Li produce a version of this case where the vents are black and therefore perhaps much more in keeping with the mature brushed Aluminium tone of the rest of the case.  The only other thing we’re not to sure about is the decision to have the beveled edge acrylic side window externally mounted so that it sits proud from the rest of the case.  We’re not saying there’s anything wrong with this, we’re just not sure it wouldn’t have looked better mounted flush interior to the panel and flush with the sides.  If the window doesn’t cause you get your panties in a twist then it’s no big deal.  What we really do like about the exterior of the case though, aside of course from the spotless lines of the sleek line brushed Aluminium panels, is the way the front I/O has been slightly relieved into the front of the case.  It’s only a small detail, but we think it really sets off the whole of the otherwise uninterrupted Aluminium front panel.

So we’ve established that the J60 may not be to our personal tastes but is no doubt regardless a thing of beauty, How can we say this?  Well Neither Kim Kardashian or Jenifer Lopez have ever particularly floated our boats, but it’s hard to argue with the opinion of millions of men who seem to find teir physical attributes rather stimulating in the trouser department.  Basically what we’re saying is that we don’t like it, but we appreciate it has a certain appeal.  But what of the Specification?  Well it certainly ticks all the major boxes  For starters it will accept CPU coolers up to 160mm in height, GPUs up to 410mm long, and PSUs up to 210mm in length.  Although there’s thankfully no storage space round the front to make things look cluttered, there is space round the back and under the false floor for up to 5×2.5″ drives or 5×2.5″ drives, with 4 of either being mounted in removable racks and 1 of each respectively being stealth mounted vertically on the rear of the motherboard tray.  Also mercifully, there are no concessions made to 5.25″ drives.  Finally, the manufacturers are starting to get it!

And so to cooling…This is a bit of a tough one, as we genuinely can’t decide if we’re being to hard on the J60.  Let us explain.  It wouldn’t be unreasonable in a case such as this for allowance to be made to fit both 120mm and 140mm based cooling solutions in both the front and the roof of the case, and whilst the J60 can take a massively thick 240mm radiator in the front, and a 360mm radiator up to 45mm thick in the roof, no concessions at all are made towards 140mm based rads.  Theoretically, with a case width of 210mm, the space is there, but for some reason Lian Li have elected to forgo the 140mm based rad.  Actually, do you know what, we’re happy with things as they are.  The solution Lian Li have is elegant and enables the design aesthetic to shine through.  For all we know, had they decided to push the envelope the case wouldn’t have looked half as nice as it does. 

Thus far things have been pretty positive, in general terms we really like this case.  There is though a worrying trend.  In reviewing this case there have been several points at which we’ve noticed that Lian Li’s legendary quality has been found t have faltered, not least of these was the fact that we only received a small portion of the screws in the heat sealed bag that should have contained everything we needed for mounting the motherboard, HDDs and SSDs.  Is it a biggy?  Well it kind of is actually.  If you bought this case and didn’t get all the screws you needed to complete your build you’d be pretty pissed.  OK, so you may well have some lying around from another build, but that’s hardly the point.

All this brings us neatly to the point.  At £179 the Lian Li PC-J60 isn’t exactly cheap, in fact it’s rather a lot to pay.  Yes you’re getting a beautiful case, and yes you’re getting the usual Lian Li build quality(ish), but there are a heck of a lot of other cases out there that do exactly what the Lian Li does at a fraction of the price.  Take for example the fully tempered glass finished Anidees case we looked at recently.  It’s simply stunning and delivers its wares at a full £50 less than the PC-J60.

Is the J60 a bad case?  No.  Is it a tad over priced?  Yes.  Will you regret it if you buy one?  God no!  And you know what, having bobbed back to the case a few times in the writing of this review, that red trim is starting to grow on us.  Next thing you know I’ll be fancying girls with big bottoms, and because of this it earns the OC3D approved award. 

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