Friday, June 27th 2008
Lian-Li Launches the all new Tyr X500 HTPC/Gaming Chassis
Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the Tyr X500 chassis designed as a stylish midi-tower HTPC/Gaming chassis. Combining the usual toned down profile of HTPC cases with the arresting larger profile of traditional Lian Li chassis; the Tyr X500 stands out in style. Similar to the X2000 Chassis, there is no hiding of this case as it proudly resembles multimedia speakers, and boldly displays your tasteful style. The Tyr X500 is destined to become your next HTPC/Gaming Chassis allowing unprecedented high performance components to be encompassed in the home theatre environment without compromising on looks and appeal. Not as big as the full tower X2000, the X500 is ideally suited to smaller environments, while catering for bigger PC components than traditional HTPC systems.
Lian Li is well known for craftsmanship and quality, and the Tyr X500 is no exception. The stylish and unique side panels accept 2x 5.25" Optical Device Drives and one 3.5" drive, which are accessible from either the left or right side, while the front face is for ergonomics with a stylish diamond cut and airflow from side intake vents. Showcasing the new style, with an all black anodized interior, an easily removable front panel which covers 2x 120mm silent intake fans, protected by the removable and washable nylon dust cover and 2x 120mm exhaust fans, one for each heat zone. The top mounted multimedia ports include 4x USB 2.0 ports, 1x Firewire (IEEE1394), 1x E-SATA, and HD AC97 Audio ports. The patented tool-less latch allows easy access to the compartmented heat zones inside with enough room to support 300mm long VGA cards, plus 4x HDD's. Other traditional Lian Li innovations have been improved upon such as the removable motherboard tray with holes for better CPU cooling and added anti-vibration couplings, as well as the specially filed and brushed finish to reduce sharp edges giving the case both style, and an aspect of safety.
More features include support for ATX, and Micro-ATX motherboards, 7x PCI slots, water cooling support (holes for water pipes), 1x 120mm silent exhaust fan for the motherboard heat zone, 1x 120mm exhaust fans for the HDD and PSU bay heat zone and further support for extra long PSU via an extension kit. The PSU is mounted with anti-vibration and insulated rubber strips on the mounting platforms. Specialized HDD mounting cages (supports 4x HDDs total, 2x2 configuration) with special mounting brackets to prevent vibration as they fit into specially designed receptacles. Additional touches include vented PCI brackets which add to through flow of air and prevent heat buildup.
The case was designed with silence in mind, so specialized sound insulation material combines with the 2mm thick aluminum alloy side panels to keep your system whisper quiet. Taking things to the extreme in comfort and convenience, Lian Li mounts the case on rubber pads to minimize any vibrations that could add to noise. Using the extra large 120mm fans for airflow keeps noise levels at a minimum; reducing the high pitched whine experienced from smaller, faster spinning fans. Silent, stylish functional design is the Lian Li goal. The essence of Lian-Li products is the craftsmanship of the engineering. Intrinsic to the workmanship and quality is the customization which includes a whole host of optional extras that can be purchased to add more features to an already feature rich product.
Source:
Lian Li
More features include support for ATX, and Micro-ATX motherboards, 7x PCI slots, water cooling support (holes for water pipes), 1x 120mm silent exhaust fan for the motherboard heat zone, 1x 120mm exhaust fans for the HDD and PSU bay heat zone and further support for extra long PSU via an extension kit. The PSU is mounted with anti-vibration and insulated rubber strips on the mounting platforms. Specialized HDD mounting cages (supports 4x HDDs total, 2x2 configuration) with special mounting brackets to prevent vibration as they fit into specially designed receptacles. Additional touches include vented PCI brackets which add to through flow of air and prevent heat buildup.
22 Comments on Lian-Li Launches the all new Tyr X500 HTPC/Gaming Chassis
- Theres no airflow over the hard drives EDIT - oh wait i see that top fan lol.
- for some retarded reason they set the optical drives to slide out to the left of the thing(so GOD FORBID you ever need to set this bastard to the right of your desk)
- the single 120mm fan in the rear only serves to direct airflow away from the video card area
I can't find a picture of it closed up, so i don't know for sure if theres another fan on the side. Simply setting one more 120 over the video card area would make much more sense. This case does have water cooling potential though as you could probaly easily set a dual 120 rad in the front there, but how much air flow do those front 120's really give since theres a big metal face plate?It's just another bs overpriced lian li case. For air cooling, I'd still take an xclio windtunnel over this peice any day(and at just 1/3 of the price.)
I am sitting here looking at it though actually considering it as my next case if I ever build a water cooled system. dual 120 rad in the front for video cards, single 120 rad in the rear for the cpu, maybe 2 antec spot cool fans over the VRM's and a ram cooler and you'd be in business.
I must admit, I'm not entirely keen on the side mounted optical drives but it does offer some benefits, such as not having to have a constantly flashing LED when watching a disc of whatever kind.
Considering I like small cases, I actually prefer the larger X2000.
The main thing that bugs me though is how they fit into the HTPC branding, they're towers - to me that doesn't sit well.
As for the side 5.25 and 3.5" drives I like it a lot. Currently my COSMOS sits on my desk and the ODDs point away from my so I need to get up to access the drives. With the side design, the case can remain in the back of my desk but I get easy access to the optical drives which is nice. Or if its on the floor, the ODDs are easily accessible to.
~$390 is a little steep but its a Lian Li so you know your paying for quality and a damn nice case. How does the price compare to the x2000's? Did Lian Li even give a price for the x2000?