Xoxide LL-61
Warrior Case Review
Date : Thursday, 22 August 2002
By: Stygian
Provided By: Xoxide Modifications
Introduction
Xoxide is making quite a name for themselves in the market for pre-modified cases. With an extensive lineup of modified cases, from those for the price-conscious, to those for the people who want a kickass case that has been made even better, they have appealed to a wide range of the computer-saavy population, as most anyone could find a case at Xoxide that they liked. And, by looking at their ResellerRatings grades, it seems that they are not only making good products, but also dealing with customers very well. I last looked at Xoxide's Z-60 ClearStorm, and found it to be a well-cooled and good looking case for the mid-level user, as it included a well-placed window but wasn't pricey. Well, today I'll be looking at the upper-end of Xoxide's case lineup; is the LL-61 Warrior worth your hard earned cash?
Specifications
When one thinks of "aluminum case", the name "Lian-Li" comes to mind almost instantly. In fact, the two are almost synonymous in my mind. The reason is of course the quality of Lian-Li's cases that most anyone desires. Xoxide has taken Lian-Li's excellent PC-61 case and used it as a starting point for the LL-61 Warrior. Most people would be happy just with the stock PC61; let's see what Xoxide has added.
No PSU is included, as it the standard with most Lian-Li cases. This may actually be a good thing, in that it keeps the price of the case down while allowing the user to have a choice in PSUs, as most people who will be buying this case will already have selected what PSU they want or like.
 Straight outta the box. |
 Front view. |
 Back view. No PSU included. |
Upon removing the LL-61 Warrior from the easily-identifiable Lian-Li box, we're greeted by the familiar look and feel of the Lian-Li mid-tower cases. This case is damn light! The PC61 has been hard anodized to a deep black colour, and the brushed look on the surface will be recognizable to many of you. The standard 4 * 5.25" external drive bays are present, as well as 3 * 3.5" external bays. Three 3.5" bays can be a nice addition, as some of you may still have a floppy, and then a zip drive, and perhaps a 3.5" USB hub. The mods that Xoxide has applied to this case are noticeable from the get go. A large window on the left side is accompanied by 2 x 80mm fans below it. In addition, there is a 120mm "chimney" fan installed at the top of the case. The rear of the case is, however, standard Lian-Li fare. A single stock 80mm fan is in place for exhaust here, and thumbscrews are found everywhere, holding everything in place.
 Power, reset and LEDs. |
 4 front USB ports. |
 Bottom. |
The power, reset and LEDs are found to the right of the external 3.5" drive bays. Directly below are the many vents in the bezel for the 2 x 80mm front intake fans. The bezel itself is virtually made entirely of anodized aluminum as well, allowing it to match very well with the rest of the case. Right at the bottom of the bezel we find the 4 front USB ports. These can be a bit hard to hookup, as we'll see in a bit, but they nonetheless provide a feature that many of us will have a use for. With the growing popularity of portable storage devices, easy USB port access has become more wanted than ever. In addition, some people will just like plugging devices such as gamepads into the front, rather than the back. Lastly, there are the standard feet on the bottom, as found on most mid-tower cases. No real need for swing-out feet on a mid-tower case here.
Accessories and Getting Inside
Accessories are pretty much limited to the standard stuff. You get both coarse and fine-threaded screws, and a separate bag with the motherboard standoffs and screws. A few tie wraps are also included; most people will attest to the usefulness of these wondrous inventions. A nice one-page manual(well, pamphlet) is included which explains, using mostly diagrams, how to install the motherboard, install the PSU, or change the air filter, among other things.
 Accessories: A nice diagram manual plus the usuals. |
 Thumbscrews everywhere. |
 Side panel slides back 1", then comes out. |
One thing no one will forget about Lian-Li are the thumbscrews. This case is no different, and because of this, access to its insides is very simple. Two thumbscrews hold each side panel in place, and after their removal, the panels slide back about 1", and then come out. You'll also notice that the window on this case is held in place like the one on the Z-60 ClearStorm. Rather than using double-sided moulding and having the window sit in the inner groove, it is simply epoxied into place around the moulding. That doesn't matter though, as from the outside, the window looks just as good as any other.
 Window is epoxied on, but moulding is still used on the edges. |
 Side internal view. |
 Front internal view. |
On the inside we see the internal HDD drive cage, which holds up to five drives. It is situated directly behind the 2 x 80mm front intakes, so you'll have little need to invest in an HDD cooler that takes up a 5.25" drive bay. Placing your HDD in the provided cage should provide more than enough cooling for it. You'll also note that the sharp edges have been covered with a plastic cover, saving you a trip to the bathroom to get a band-aid. The inside of the case is very shiny, so unfortunately some fingerprints do show up. Not a big deal though. There is more than enough space in this chassis, but the ease with which the components, such as drives, can be installed is what really makes efficient use of the space. We'll see this more in detail in the installation section.
 Back of the inside. |
 Front w/ bezel removed. Drive covers attach to chassis, not bezel. |
 Bezel held in place by plastic clips. |
Removing the front bezel is very easy. This has been a problem with a lot of cases, but not with the Lian-Li's. You simply have to grab the recessed handle below the front USB ports at the bottom and gently pull outward and upward. The bezel comes out with nominal force, probably because of the plastic clips. The bezel, however, is not held so loosely in place that moves around. After removing the bezel you'll note that the top of the case is riveted into place, so if you want to remove it you'll have to do some drilling. The drive bay covers are attached directly to the chassis, and NOT the bezel. This is a definite plus, as if any of you choose to install a baybus into this case, you won't be annoyed by a bunch of wires each time you have to remove the bezel. Even though the drive faceplates simply snap into place, I found that this held them quite steadily in place. Probably 'cause they're aluminum and not plastic :) There are no stamped out metal places to be removed behind these drive bay covers either. If you know what I mean, you'll probably know what an annoyance it is to have to twist and snap those things out.
 Fan speed adjustment. |
 Power/Reset/LEDs wires at top; USB ports wires at bottom. |
 ATX I/O panel. |
Also behind the bezel is the fan filter and its metal cover. The filter can be easily removed for washing and should hopefully keep a lot of dust out of your heatsink. Also, the standard Lian-Li fan speed controller is seen here as well. It would be nice to have access to this switch somewhere on the front bezel so that it would be easier to change the two front fans' speed. Coming from the front of the case are the wires for the mobo headers and for the front USB. The connectors for the motherboard headers feature a nice design; there is a connector for all the wires in the middle, and this can simply be detached when you want to remove the mobo, leaving the other half still connected to the mobo. This way, you won't have to fiddle with those tiny mobo header connectors all the time. The USB connectors are numerous, as there is a connector for *each* wire. This had to be done, as there are probably multiple pin configurations for the USB headers on different motherboards. Each connector is clearly labelled, however, you'll still need to consult your motherboard's manual for the pin configuration. To finish things off, a standard ATX I/O panel is included, with punchouts for the most common configurations.
Installation
Installation is made very easy by Lian-Li's use of thumbscrews
and a nicely placed motherboard tray. But that's not all that make this case
a joy to work with.
To remove the mobo tray, four thumbscrews must be released at the back that
are holding the tray securely in place. The tray then easily slides out, as
there is a groove which it slides along. I personally can live without a motherboard
tray... but then again, you can probably live without Internet access as well...
maybe. One thing is for sure however, and that is a motherboard tray makes installation
a helluva lot easier, especially when installing heatsinks onto Athlon CPUs,
or putting in DIMMs.
 Removing the mobo tray. |
 Tray slides easily into and out of case. |
 Clip mobo standoffs. |
 Thumbscrews access to expansion slots. |
Once the mobo tray is removed, you'll notice that no standoffs have been pre-installed. The type of standoffs that are included are the clip in type. Some people prefer the security of the brass screw-down standoffs, but the clip on type are easier to install. They aren't hard to get in or to remove, but I felt they could have held in place a little more tightly. No problems were encountered in regards to this, however. As you probably know by now, Lian-Li's feature thumbscrews even for the expansion slots. As with all their thumbscrews, a screwdriver can also be used if you want to ensure a more secure fit for say, your AGP videocard.
 PSU plate. |
 HDD cage slides out the side. |
There is a plate for the mounting of the PSU, and it is also held in place by thumbscrews. Once removed, your PSU is screwed on to this plate by four screws. Makes it a bit easier to attach the PSU this way, I think, as once it is attached to the plate it can be slid in from the back. This gets rid with having to insert the PSU from the inside. Moving on to the inside of the case, we see the HDD cage sitting at the bottom. It can be removed by taking out two screws. The HDD cage then slides out sideways, not towards the inside of the case, which minimizes the chance of having to deal with obstructions.
 Drives mounted directly to chassis in 5.25" bays. |
 3.5" external drive cage comes out the front. |
5.25" drives are mounted/screwed directly to the chassis; drive rails are not used. The drive covers can simply be pulled off, (they can be just as easily be put back into place), and then the drive can be slid in from the front. Installating a CD-ROM drive in the top drive bay did not interfere with the placement of the 120mm "chimney" fan at the top of the case. This is because they are not exactly at the same level, so there is no chance of contact. However, the top of the CD-ROM drive comes close to the bottom of the fan, and there is no grill installed on this fan. I would have liked to see such a fanguard in place, as the cables/wires to and from a drive may catch in the blades of the fan. Lastly, the 3.5" external drive bay cage can hold up to three drives, and it is held in place by three thumbscrews at the front. Once these screws are removed, the cage slides out the front - again, a good thing, because if the cage slid out the back, towards the inside of the case, one would have to deal with obstructions such as a cables, expansion cards and the like.
Cooling and Mod Possibilities
Lian Li cases already have pretty good cooling qualities stock, and Xoxide's mods have gone even further to enhance these abilities. But Xoxide did not just focus on function; with their attention to detail, the form has quite a pleasant appearance. Firstly we'll take a look at the stock cooling features.
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Up front is the air filter that is in front of two 80mm Adda fans, each rated at a decent 31.4CFM@28dBA. Having two 80mm intake fans in the front is better than the single up-front fan that most cases provide. The filter is easily removed by sliding the cover up and then out, and the filter can be washed and re-used. This should hopefully keep a lot of dust out of your CPU's heatsink, allowing it to perform better for a longer time. It should also save you some inside case cleaning. You'll also note that there are no stamped out grills in front of the two 80mm fans here. This should improve airflow a bit, but keep in mind the filter cover may limit airflow a little, along with the bezel vents.
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The fans blow straight into the area of the HDD cage, providing a built-in HDD cooler. No need to mount your HDD in a 5.25" bay! Both of these 80mm fans are connected to the built in fan controller, which has three speeds, low, medium and high. There is a single molex connector coming from the fan controller and this provides power to both of these fans. The front bezel's air vents are quite good, and although having nothing in the way of the air intake would be better for cooling, it probably would look ugly as hell.
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The rear 80mm fan is held in place by plastic push pins, and sadly, is restricted by a stamped out grill. I would've liked Xoxide to have cut out the stock grill and used a finger guard instead, but this would impede the use of the easy-to-use push pins to hold the fan in place. The inside of the fan has a grill over it, also held in place by plastic push pins, and it should hopefully prevent any stray wires from getting messed up. To go the extra mile, another 80mm fan could be added here, just underneath the stock 80mm rear exhaust fan.
 Quality look from Xoxide. |
 Would like a fingerguard here. |
 Side 80mm blowholes (intake). |
Here we finally see Xoxide's professional work. The top 120mm "chimney" fan blows outward and is rated at 88CFM. The fan has washers installed to cut down on vibrational noise and also has moulding put in place around the edges for that quality look. I couldn't really ask for more in a blowhole. However, the inside of the 120mm fan does not have a grill in place, and I would like to see one here, as wires from the drive that one has installed in the uppermost drive bay could potentially come into contact with the fan blades the way things are now. The dual side blowholes are positioned to bring in air onto your expansion slots, and they also have moulding and washers installed with them. Both of them have pass-through connectors, so you can plug one into the other and then just have to make one connection with one of your PSU's power connectors.
I realize I have made many minor complaints about the cooling setup, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it. In fact, it is quite good, as I noticed that case temperatures (and CPU temps) with all covers on and the fans on was actually lower than with the covers off and fans off. That can probably be attributed to the excellent design and airflow. The only major thing I would have like to seen included would be a baybus/fanbus unit to simplify wiring and allow for better control of the fans.
Conclusion
What we have here is an excellent case that has been worked on by an excellent case modifier. The PC61 is already an excellent case for anyone to own, and Xoxide has managed to bestow even more cooling prowess on to this case. They have also made their mods look good, not that the LL61 didn't look good in the first place. With this case, you'll get all the Lian-Li amenities that have been much talked about, such as a lightweight aluminum chassis, thumbscrews (everywhere), a built-in fan controller, and parts that make installation or upgrading of components very easy. There is very little that can be improved on this case, with the sole exception of the addition of a baybus/fanbus unit. I didn't find the case *too* loud, but the 120mm chimney fan could be annoying at quiet times. The biggest con for most of you out there will be the price, which as of 2002-08-17, is $269.99USD. This is without a PSU. But hey, with quality comes cost, no?
As a quick little note, the LL-61 Warrior we looked at today is actually the newest revision of what Xoxide has been calling the LL-61. The old LL-61 Warrior had a slightly different fan configuration. If you like the LL-61 Warrior, but don't like the black colour, they also make the LL-60 Warrior, which is based off of the PC60USB.
Pros
Cons
As before, it was very nice to work with another of Xoxide's creations. I want to thank Xoxide Modifications for providing the review unit and for being so quick to respond to my questions. Be sure to check out their site if you like this case, or if you're looking for any modified case!