Getting Inside:

Like all Lian-Li cases, thumbscrews hold the outer panel in place. However, with the PC-C32, these aren't the only screws you have to take out in order to remove the top. At the front, there is a small black screw at each side that must be taken out. This initially caused some confusion as Lian-Li cases usually only use thumbscrews for attachment. The small black screws at the front aren't necessary to hold the top panel in place, though you probably want them there in long-term situations.

You get all the necessary accessories with this case. All required screws to hold the motherboard and other devices in place, a case speaker/buzzer (since there isn't one mounted in the case) and cable ties are included. You can also see the included rackmount handles; these can be screwed onto the exterior of the case if using the case in a rackmount situation. The rackmount handles actually look quite nice when attached, and I recommend that you use them in any situation since they make the case much easier to move. Lastly, there is also a one-page double-sided manual/installation guide showing you how to do everything with pictures included.

Thumbscrews at the back.

And small black screws at the front.

What's included.

Taking the top panel off the case, you're immediately treated to a spacious interior. As mentioned before, this comes at the cost of a large footprint, but after all, how else are you going to support a full-sized ATX motherboard? The motherboard area is fairly open and unimpeded, since the drives are far away, but the crossbar holding the internal fans does come close. Thankfully, the fans can be removed during installation if space is an issue. Overall, the interior is conducive to a clean layout.

Inside.

Quite roomy.

Twin 120mm internal fans.

One thing that you'll always sacrifice in going from a tower case to a desktop-style one like the PC-C32 is drive bays. There is room for only two 5.25" drives, one of which can be converted to an external 3.5" device. There are four internal 3.5" drives bays, with three of them in one cage and the last one sandwiched between the two 5.25" bays. You probably would not want to put more in a case like this because of heat issues.

Space near the drive cages is limited and things are cramped. A bad or even ordinary design could have made drive installation very irritating, but Lian-Li came up with a nice solution: The removeable drive cages are held in place with a single thumbscrew, but the thumbscrew is permanently attached so the cage itself; this prevents you from dropping or losing the screw after removing it, which is likely given the location of the drive cages in the case. The cages lock securely in place and do not wiggle at all.

Drive cages held in place with thumbscrew.

HDD cage.

Thumbscrew.

Taking the drive cages out, you'll find that for the most part there are no sharp edges or corners, making them friendly to handle. For the 5.25" bays, the drive covers attach directly to the cage, so you'll have no problem getting a device to line up properly with the front. They aren't tool-less, so you'll have to use old-fashioned screws. Same thing goes for the HDD cage, though it uses a different mounting method that has the HDD attached to grommets that sit between it and the cage. You'll still have to use screws, though.

Drive cages.

Drive covers attached.

HDD cage.

Looking at the mounts where the drive cages were, you can see that they are properly made. The screws on the top act as guide to hold the drive cages properly in place. It's really details like this that show whether or not a case is quality made. The front panel connections have also been neatly put together.

The crossbar that runs almost down the middle of the case is where the case's two 120mm fans (25mm thick) are attached; they hang down from it. You can remove these fans, reverse their direction or slide them to any position along the crossbar. Both fans are also protected by grills on both sides, preventing any catastrophes from occurring. They are 3-pin fans but also come with 3-to-4 pin adapters. As this case has no intake fans, it's recommended that you use them to generate airflow.

Front panel connectors.

Drive cage mounts.

Crossbar.

The fans should probably be pointed to direct airflow towards the motherboard and CPU area; this will naturally cause some air to flow in from the front and out the back, though perhaps not as effectively as intake and exhaust fans would. However, intake fans aren't an option on this case because of the limited room at the front. Thankfully, the back is well-ventilated to allow hot air to escape.

Crossbar.

Fans directed towards mobo area.

Expansion slots.

Thumbscrews are used on all expansion slots covers, which are replaceable and ventilated as well. Having thumbscrews here is a very nice feature, though you probably want to tighten most cards with a screwdriver. As mentioned before, the motherboard doesn't suffer from any major obstructions, though the closeness of the fans may warrant their removal during installation. One issue to be aware of with this case is clearance; there may not be as much room for a tall HSF as in a normal desktop tower case.

I measured from the base of the motherboard to the edge of the side, and there is less than 15 cm (6") of space. This isn't that bad, and the PC-C32 should be able to accommodate most HSFs, but just be aware of this limit. The case just about as tall as most cases are wide, so this explains the available space.

Fans will generate some intake.

Motherboard area.

Clearance for HSF.

Back is well ventilated.

PSU bracket.

Fans come with 3/4-pin adapter.

As with most Lian-Li cases, the PSU is mounted on a bracket. This allows you to screw the PSU to the bracket outside of the case, and then slide it in and secure it with thumbscrews. This is very convenient. As mentioned before, attaching the rackmount handles is optional but I would recommend it. Each handle takes three screws to attach, and once that is done they feel very secure. The handles allow you to move the case very easily, and they actually look quite nice.

Handle attachment.

Looks quite nice...

... with the handles.

You might have noticed a cut-out on the top panel in some of the previous pics. This is a fan cover for an optional 14 cm fan that can be installed here. (I did not have access to it for the review) This fan would sit right over the CPU area, and thus could aid greatly in cooling, depending on the configuration. Furthermore, this would take up extra space over the CPU area, decreasing the height available for a HSF.

Top has cutout.

Cutout for optional 140mm fan module.

The cover doesn't make a huge mark on the case, and so it still looks great if you decide not to use the optional fan here. I doubt many will, considering that 14 cm is an odd size for a case fan.

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