Wahoo
Computers Lian Li "VH" PC-71 Server Case Review
Date : Thursday, 13 December 2001
By : Diceman
Provided by : Wahoo
Computers
"ooooooo......aaaaahhhh"
INTRODUCTION
Hello again folks! Time for us to take another peek at something very cool. You'll notice something unusual about the above VH logo pic. It seems to look brushed...and there's a flash to the pic meaning it would have to be a real logo on something and not a graphical logo or banner right?....RIGHT! You guys are just too slick for me to get one by you huh?....lol. Well, what I'm gonna show you today is something special. It's a Lian Li PC-71 Server Case.....with a Custom VH Laser Etched Logo on the side!! That's right, it's not a sticker, or an applique. It's the real deal folks! Laser etched onto the aluminum skin of a Lian Li!! Wahoo Computers is the only place that I'm currently aware of that have their very own laser. They wanted me to show you folks they are now carrying the Lian Li PC-71 for their customized systems, and to spice things up a bit, we thought we'd add a kickass laser etch to it :o)
Wahoo computers have been around for a year and a half and can perform any mods to any cases including laser work, painting drives, stealth mods, acrylic work, etc. They have been doing laser etched logos for a year and a half as well as have access to the latest and greatest cases and cool hardware. Since this is a "first-look" at the new case being offered by Wahoo Computers and not really a review of one of their full blown packages....to get an idea of what they are capable of and what they have to offer.....take a look at the Wahoo Viper review and the Wahoo "Schema" PC-60 review done of some other sites. I hope to be able to show you a full blown VH case next time but for now, let's concentrate on the PC-71 which is now being offered by Wahoo Computers as a base to an uncompromising system.
PC-70 (The Case)
Let's take a look at the PC-71 itself. I've already reviewed the PC-70 before so I'm not gonna get into great detail. You can read my PC-70 review right here. I'll make ya wait till the next later to see the etchin` ;p
I'm gonna quote this from my original PC-70 review but I think it says it all about the size to weight ratio of this big case.....
"First thing I noticed when the box landed on my door was how big it is. I knew this was gonna be a server case....and the box certainly helped reaffirm that. I jerked the box off the ground so fast I almost did a backflip (matrix style) because the box was so much lighter than it appeared =)"
Benefits
Specifications
The Lian Li PC-71 Server Tower. (iCute" PSU shown not included) The sleek jet black brushed aluminum finish is quite attractive. The "shade" of black this case is should make it fairly easy to just paint your drives a flat black and they should blend right in. I'll be checking that out myself in my next article/mod on this behemoth :o) Keep one thing in mind though about the black of this case. It IS NOT black ALL the way thru the aluminum. It is only a hard anodized coating..... meaning, if you scratch it deep enough, you'll see silver! The rear of the PC-71 will accept 4- 80mm fans in its stock form and comes standard with two of them (2 fans pre-installed near the cpu area).
Lian Li didn't skimp on the included accessories with the PC-71 either ( well, except the damn instruction on getting the USB cables connected!!LOL!). In the little white box that'll accompany the case you'll find enough screws to put the extras on Ebay, along with a stick-on cable organizer ( usually used for the main psu cable), some nice black push pins to hold things like grills to fans, and a few wire ties are even included.
No slide-out motherboard tray, but you shouldn't miss it in this beast! If you can't fit your stuff in here, then you've got issues...LOL! This case will accept ANY standard, or extended ATX motherboard I've seen on the market including dually boards. It's Huge inside.
More on the Case
I took these pics for those who are wondering just how big of a difference there is in size from the PC-71 and the PC-60 series. If the inside the PC-71 was completely empty of cages, I could place the PC-60 right inside it. :o)
The top of the Lian Li is rivoted on just like the rest of the product line. Rivoted top panels seems to be the popular thing these days with cases. Who told them we don't need to take them off?! Oh well, nothing a small drill bit couldn't undo :o) Also notice the rear inner fan grills. Lian Li seems to have come down a notch in this category. If you look at my last review of the PC-70 here, you'll notice that the included rear fan grills were the standard chrome finger guards and not these unfinished, and kinda fugly, ones. Also note they only "tacked" them on with the press fittings in opposite corners using only 2 on each grill instead of the 4 it would use. I don't know if this was because they expect you to take them off and wanna make it easier or they were just trying to save money...heh. Either way, not a selling point of this case by any means.
Now we zoom in on the front of the chassis behind the brushed aluminum bezel. You can see the 3-3.5" bays located in the pull out drive cage. A unique feature in and of itself. 3 thumbscrews ( 2 at top corners and 1 center bottom) hold the 3.5" drive cage securely in place ( which, I think that'll do it...lol). The usual dual 80mm fans in the lower front with a built-in and removable (huh?) air filter. You can also notice the 4-port USB hub built-in just below the front intakes. The infamous built-in Lian Li "fanbus" fan speed controller is also there as normal allowing you to set the fan speed as 1, 2, or 3 ( 3 being the full 12v and going down from there). I have yet to see the actual voltages at which the 1 and 2 run at. Sorry guys If I knew I'd tell ya..heh.
Here's a closeup of the little USB door on the bezel. It's a simple "flip down to open" and "flip up to shut" flap. Also notice the typical Lian Li styled faux carbon fiber trim which resides on the top and bottom of the removable bezel. It's a real nice classy touch that they didn't have to do, but did. The Lian Li aluminum case badge isn't too shabby either as far at stock case badges go. But it's not as cool as a VH badge..thats for sure :o)
Closeup of the lower front HDD cage. It's removable by loosening just a couple of thumbscrews and nicely slides right out . The PC-71 will hold six (6!) 3.5" hard drives in the lower compartment. The good and the bad about this is 1) the HDD cage sits right in front of the dual 80mm intake fans so it's assured cool air all the time..2) If you happen to fill up the HDD cage, you'll block ALL of the incoming air to the case itself and it'll be like blowing into a wall. Most of you however will likely only have 1-3 HDD's and this setup will be a very good one. Now as far as the fans go , I COULD NOT find the specs to these fans anywhere. So here's the brand and model #'s in case you can find it. ( 80mm ADDA DC Fan model# AD0812HB-A76GL ) ADDA's own web site don't even list them =\
LIAN LI PC-71 (The Etch)
When Wahoo Computers contacted me about taking a look at the Lian Li PC-71, they also mentioned they have there own laser and could custom etch something for me on the case!! Well, who am I not to jump on that train?! I thought for about a millisecond and said "VH LOGO!".hehe. They said "Not a problem". Then , to blow my mind, they said they'd go ahead and laser etch that puppy right onto the side panel of the PC-71!! I was like "whoa!" Take a look at the end result.....
When I took this case outta the box the first time and layed eyes on that logo....I had to sit down and just gaze at it....lol. It was like such a proud moment. It was like one of my kids names on their. VH, something so close to me, laser etched on the case. A happy day indeed. The logo itself looks alittle more white in the pics then it really is. It really is more of a grey/silver in this case. That being the "burnt" black anodizing produced by the laser making it an off grey/silver color. It's very sharp! Also happens to make the front buttons on the case perfectly....heh. The quality of the laser etch was perfect! So crisp without a single flaw I could see with the nekkid eye :o)
The rear of the PC-71 next to some recent (toy) purchases of
mine :o)
PSU not included in this case that I recieved,
but the iCute
didnt look too bad in there :o)
Wahoo Computers offers a variety of different laser etchs for your custom sytem including the famous biohazard, atomic, etc for the reasonable add-on price of $29.99. A custom etch you'll need to call for a quote but , again, I'm sure they can do anything you could want. A favorite game, a favorite sports team, maybe a favorite site would be a good logo. You could even put a favorite saying or phrase. The possiblities are endless and there's just nothing cooler then to have it etched on either the case or a plexi window. Both look extremely cool. Very personal kinda compliment also.
CONCLUSION
Well, there ya have it folks. The Wahoo "VH" PC-71. Well, its just a Lian Li PC-71 with a laser etched VH logo on it, but it's never the less cool and shows just a touch of what Wahoo computers can do. They have been carrying and modding the PC-60 for some time. The addition of the PC-71 will surely garner them a few more peeps looking for that "slightly bigger than the next guy" system, or the person that really needs all that space for a server box ( albeit a kickin server box ..hehe), or one who has lots of drives,etc. The PC-71 is definetely one of the best cases on the market today. You won't find many to argue that point. There's just something kick butt about having all that aluminum in such a beautiful package. With the abilities of what Wahoo can do to a case like this, you can go from "elite" to "god-like" for just a few hundred....lolol! You can get one etch or ten etchs on a case ( which is what I want....lol) They should have their site updated with the addition of the Lian Li case options by the time of this reviews posting.
I'd like to thank Mark from Wahoo computers for allowing me to give you guys a closer look at the Lian Li PC-71 and for his work on getting the VH logo to look so damn good :o). If you're in the market for a really decked out system and you're looking for the most customized system you can get, put Wahoo Computers on your short list and give them a look-see. If you have any questions/comments you can drop by the VH forums or email me here.