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Features
One of the first things I noticed about Lian Li is that they don't tend to use a lot of cheap plastic in their cases. The bottom of the case had scratch-proof ABS plastic bumpers. These are unlike the ones I have seen on some cases that simply fall out after a couple of motherboard swaps. You can also start to notice the total depth of the case, which will allow for some extra room for better air-flow.
Here is a quick view of the back of the case where you'll notice that this case isn't all that big, which will allow for little effort if the system needs to be moved. Also notice the use of thumbscrews for just about everything. By having a rear plate for the power supply, tidying up your wires will be a lot easier to do, then you just slide the PSU back into the case.
Unlike its big brother the PC-70 series, the PC-65B doesn't have a plate getting in the way of the power supplies' auxiliary fan. The quality of aluminum is readily apparent here. Notice the aluminum fan grill, all Lian Li's I have come across have these grills on any included case fan. The security lock is visible to the upper left, any Masterlock® will pop right on which is nice if your company allows you to use a Lian Li for your work system.
Removing the bezel, which is remarkably easy, you can see the fan-speed control and reusable air filter. The filters that come with most Lian Li's aren't very good at stopping dust as well as some others, but they don't hamper CFM either. If you remove the filter you'll notice that there are no grills from the inside which can be good if you like airflow, and bad if your wiring gets stuck. The fan speed control has three speeds, and due to the fact that the bezel is so easy to remove is easily adjustable. 2 USB 1.1/2.0 compatible ports are located towards the bottom and are accessible through a small flap on the bezel. When they are not being used the flap closes easily to keep the streamlined look.
On the opposite side located inside the case are 2 intake fans of the ball bearing variety. These fans are connected to the fan control via 3 pin which are then connected to a 4 pin molex. Notice the 3x3 1/2 bay here. The PC-65B also has a slide out 4x3 1/2 bay which uses thumbscrews for attachment. It is placed in front of the 2 intake fans for good hard drive cooling. This was one of the key points for me since I use 1 36gb 15,000 rpm SCSI, and 2 80gb 7,200 rpm IDE's in RAID 0. the SCSI drives run extremely hot, and with good cooling like the PC-65B has I can expect the drive to have a good lifespan by staying cool.
Here is another feature that I noticed the PC-70 series doesn't have. The PC-65B even comes with a top 80mm blow hole which is important since most case air that is above ambient case temperature tends to flow upward. The 80mm fan helps in that respect to further improve overall case airflow. This fan like the rest of the fans in the PC-65B contains ball bearings for long life and vibration free operation.
This is something that caught my eye. The external USB connector is wired into 2 separate pieces which will make installing the USB a lot easier since e you can install it on to your motherboard before installing into the case. Conclusion From what I've seen so far from Lian Li, the PC-65B is just another pinnacle in the development of what a case company should be. It is always the little things that count when you assemble a system by yourself, and when you buy a Lian Li, it makes that job much easier. Features like thumbscrews, 2 piece USB cabling, 3 speed fan control, and the impeccable black anodized finish. These are the kind of things I used to not really care about until I observed them on a Lian Li. Just the sleek lines of the fit and finish makes this recommendation easy by ClubOC...
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