14 DAY TRIAL // Back at Computex, in June 2010, Lian Li offered a preview of the Q Series PC-V354 mini-tower chassis, and the enclosure maker appears to have finally made the last preparation, being ready to finally start shipping it by the end of the month.
Mini-tower casings are not as widespread as mid-towers of full towers because their shape and size restricts the amount of expansion slots and storage drive bays that can be implemented, among other things.
Still, HTPCs or LAN party systems find this form factor more than advantageous, so Lian Li figured it would at least address this niche market in style.
Thus came to be the Mini Q Series PC-V354, a brushed aluminum chassis measuring 245 (W) x 320 (H) x 420 (D) mm and weighing 4.17kg.
For optical disk drives, the chassis is equipped with a single 5.25-inch bay, while several HDD cages have enough room for multiple hard disk drives.
The HDD cages are modular, which means they can allow for extra, optional VGA space, should end-users so desire.
The enclosure also features a SD card reader and can accommodate mini-ITX and mini-DTX motherboards.
Furthermore, the product has several expansion slots and a front I/O panel that, in addition to audio ports, actually boasts USB 3.0 connectivity.
For those interested in a reminder, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard is the latest generation of USB technology and has a maximum theoretical transfer rate of 5 Gbps (4.8 Gbps to be more exact).
Finally, the Lian Li enclosure boasts two 120mm front fans and a 140mm spinner at the top.
The company will begin selling the Mini Q Series PC-V354 mini-tower by the end of the month, in three color versions, namely silver, black and red. The red one will cost $199, whereas the other two models will be available for $179.