Lian Li PC-TU150
One briefcase please, hold the brief
LIAN LI HASN’T MADE a super-compact PC case with a carry handle in quite some time. The TU150 is a long-awaited follow-up to the classic TU100 and TU200 cases, which were released years ago and, frankly, were ugly as hell. Nobody wants their sweet portable gaming PC to look like a shell case for their ailing Fleetwood Mac cover band’s solitary amplifier. If you disagree with that statement, put down this magazine, and go buy your bandmates another amp!
The TU150 is an altogether more tasteful affair, engineered for the best possible use of space, and crafted from aluminum and steel, with a tempered glass window or silver finish available at no extra cost, should that take your fancy. The panels pop off the TU150 with a little pressure, allowing for screwless disassembly. There’s no RGB lighting to be found here—not even a tiny HDD activity LED—but the TU150 still looks significantly more attractive than its predecessors, like an armored briefcase containing nuclear launch codes or your grandmother’s mac and cheese recipe.
The brushed aluminum front panel is topped with a simple front I/O, which has two USB-A 3.0 ports and a speedy USB-C 3.1 port, along with two 3.5mm jacks for a mic and headset, plus the power and reset buttons, of course. It’s nothing to write home about, but it has all the usual features, and looks nice and snug tucked into a trapezoid slice in the metal casing.
We were worried that so much aluminum might make the TU150 feel flimsy, but it’s anything but. Lian Li has brought its usual case construction chops to this design, with a solid steel frame underneath those brushed aluminum panels, ensuring that the entire case feels exceptionally robust. Even the carry handle, which now snaps down magnetically to sit flush with the roof of the case when not in use, is anchored directly to the frame. We wouldn’t be worried to carry an expensive build around in this.
Lian Li’s use of space inside the case is inspired, from a PSU adapter cable that routes along the top of the case to the stripped-back motherboard tray that allocates ample space for cable management. The power supply mounts to the upper-front of the case, which leaves plenty of room for a graphics card, although, unfortunately, you’re limited to SFX and SFX-L power blocks.
There are two separate drive mounts, one for 2.5-inch SATA SSDs and one for either an SSD or 3.5-inch HDD. The latter sees your drive secured to the roof of the case, which looks a little strange but works well in the limited space.
COOL CASE
Cooling is an issue that frequently arises when it comes to ITX cases, but we’re happy to say that the TU150 performs reasonably well in this area. There’s a decent amount of clearance for the CPU cooler, especially for an ITX case, making this ideal for compact builders who still like a chunky air cooler. The case only takes 120mm fans ( and comes with none as standard, so bear this in mind, should you be considering a purchase), allowing for one at the front and back, and potentially two in the floor of the case, as well.
There isn’t much room down there at the bottom, though. If you want to use an AIO cooler, you’re limited to a single 120mm radiator at either the front or back, and some bulkier GPUs will preclude the use of fans in the case floor. There’s no included dust filter here either, which feels odd, given that the front fan mount is protected by a fine mesh shield. The case is well ventilated, with tall feet and tidy perforation on the base, rear, and sides, but that set off some alarm bells regarding dust being sucked in through the underside.
It’s a minor concern that could be sorted out with a custom dust filter, so we can’t mark the TU150 down too much. This is the best ITX case we’ve seen in a while, matching robust materials with a clean new design. At $110, it’s sensibly priced for what you get, sitting in the same ballpark as ITX cases from Phanteks and NZXT, so we can’t complain about the price either. The TU100 is dead; all hail the TU150!