14 DAY TRIAL // Lian Li launched a great many computer casings over the past few months, each meant for a certain type of computer, whether small form factor, HTPC-type or full-sized gaming rigs. The company, naturally, has no intention of stopping the flow of releases now. Still, it has no problems with changing the overall flavor. This is why, this once, instead of a PC enclosure, it released a line of casings for hard disk drives. The series goes by the name of EX-10Q and works with both SATA I and SATA II HDDs.
The first thing that will strike onlookers is that the EX-10Q has support for the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard. This means that whatever storage devices are placed inside them will communicate with host PCs at up to 5Gbps. The bridge chip that Lian Li implemented is the VL700. Of course, for universal compatibility, USB 2.0 ports are also supported, though the transfer rates will be limited to 480Mbps in this case.
The EX-10Q are made of aluminum and can support, as already noted, both SATA I and II drives because of their so-called flexible design. All in all, they measure 75x12x130 millimeters (W.H.D) and, thus, can only accommodate drives with the 2.5-inch form factor.
On the bright side, the hardware maker assures that no AC adapter will be required to run its creations, since they will make do with just the amount supplied by the USB port itself.
The Lian Li EX-10Q is, in the company's own words, the means by which “Lian Li once again proves its time-to-market ability in more than just computer cases but complete PC-related products.” Multiple color options are available, namely silver, black, red and blue, and they all cost US$30. More information can, of course, be found on the official website.