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Lian Li unveils the Ebonsteel series of steel chassis for budget-minded builders

By Koh Wanzi - on 20 May 2016, 10:35am

Lian Li unveils the Ebonsteel series of steel chassis for budget-minded builders

The PC-K5WX comes with a windowed side panel. (Image Source: Lian Li)

Members of the DIY community probably know that Lian Li has thus far made mostly aluminum cases that come with premium price tags attached. But that’s changed as the Taiwanese case manufacturer has just announced a brand new line of cases dubbed the Ebonsteel series. As the name suggests, these cases feature a steel construction, and are actually more affordable than Lian Li’s other aluminum cases.

There are currently four cases in the line-up, comprising the PC-K5X, PC-K5WX, PC-K6X and PC-K6SX. The way it looks, Lian Li might be trying to revive its old line of K-series cases like the PC-K58.

The PC-K5X and PC-K5WX are nearly identical to each other, save for the fact that the “W” version includes a side panel window. Both cases support ATX-sized motherboards and ship with three 120mm fans. There’s also space for up to a 240mm radiator, and room for four 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives. The front panel utilizes a mesh design, and the bulge on the right side panel – presumably to provide additional room for cable management behind the motherboard tray – represents quite a departure from Lian Li’s traditionally sleek and clean designs.

The drive cages on the PC-K5X and PC-K5WX can be removed to make room for longer graphics cards. (Image Source: Lian Li)

The PC-K6X and PC-K6SX are the more versatile cases, and pack more room for more powerful components. The “S” indicates a silent chassis, so that particular model features sound dampening material on the side panels and a front door that can swivel to cover the optical drive bays.

The PC-K6's front panel has been designed to mimic the look of brushed aluminum.

These are ATX cases as well, but they support graphics cards up to 310mm long without needing to remove any drive bays. There is also space for CPU coolers up to 170mm tall, which should cover most of the coolers on the market. In comparison, the K5 series of cases will take only cards shorter than 250mm, assuming you don’t remove the hard drive cage.

The K6 cases also have seven drive mounts that will work with both 2.5- and 3.5-inch drives. When it comes to cooling, they include the same three 120mm fans as the K5 series, but support a larger 280mm liquid-cooling radiator.

They are also more in line with the design aesthetic that we’ve come to expect from Lian Li, with a plastic front panel that mimics brushed aluminum.

Lian Li hasn’t neglected the details either, and all the Ebonsteel cases come with basic essentials like rubber grommets, vibration dampening, and dust filters on the fan intakes.

With that said, certain omissions and design choices still single these out as budget-oriented cases. For instance, there are no dedicated 2.5-inch drive mounts to be found anywhere, and the K5 models have only one USB 3.0 port on their front panels.
The prices in US dollars are as follow:

  • PC-K5X (US$56)
  • PC-K5WX (US$60)
  • PC-K6X (US$93)
  • PC-K6SX (US$109)

Source: Lian Li

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