Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case Review

By Steven Iglesias-Hearst

Manufacturer: Lian Li Industrial Co., LTD.
Product Name: PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case
Model Number: PC-Q28B
UPC: 840353006133 / 4718466005342
Price As Tested: $114.99 (NewEgg / Amazon)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Lian Li.

Since this is my first venture into building a system inside an M-ITX PC case I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I started out. I had certain expectations of the Lian Li PC-Q28; I knew it would take a full size ATX PSU (up to 17cm) and double slot video cards (up to 29cm long). The Lian Li PC-Q28 PC case, while small, has a large internal volume and will make for an excellent enthusiast M-ITX case with a few tweaks and mods. In this article Benchmark Reviews will hopefully provide answers to all of the questions you may have regarding the capabilities of the Lian-Li PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case (model PC-Q28B), and more that you may have not considered.

It’s purpose as standard would best be suited as a mid to high power gaming PC with plenty of storage capacity. It will house up to six 3.5 inch HDD’s and one 2.5 inch SSD or four 3.5 inch HDD’s and three 2.5 inch SSD’s depending on your own preference. There is also a full size 5.25 inch ODD bay which can be re-purposed for a fan controller or single bay reservoir. As I stated in my intro, there is so much more to this case. The chassis is held together with screws rather than rivets which makes for easy dismantling and reconstructing for the purpose of modding or painting.

Model	PC-Q28
Case Type	Mini Tower Chassis
Dimensions	(W) 227mm (H) 305mm (D) 345mm
Color	Black Silver
Front bezel Material	Aluminum
Side Panel	Aluminum
Body Material	Aluminum
Net Weight	3.2 kg
5.25″ drive bay (External)	1
3.5″ drive bay (External)	None
HDD bay	3.5-Inch HDD x4 / 2.5-Inch HDD x1 3.5-Inch HDD x2 or 2.5-Inch HDD x2 ( It depends on the type of video card you use. )
Expansion Slot	2
Motherboard	Mini-ITX Mini-DTX
System Fan (Front)	140mm Fan x1
System Fan (Top)	120mm Fan x1
I/O Ports	USB 3.0 x 2 / HD Audio
PSU	USB 3.0 x 2 / ATX PSU (Optional)
Maximum Compatibility	VGA Card length: 290mm PSU length: 170mm CPU cooler height: 100mm
PSU	ATX PSU (Optional)
Package Dimensions	(W)274mm (H)399mm (D) 359mm
Gross Weight	3.7KG

Air Flow

PC-Q28 thermal solution, one 140mm fan in the front input cold air into the system,the 120mm fan on the top and the PSU’s fan bring the hot air out.

New side panel installation design

Simple entry, just push up to release the side panel, and push down on the side panel for closing.

Space

PC-Q28 can hold up to four 3.5″ HDD and a 2.5″ SSD in the HDD cage.The HDD cage can be removed without tools.

Drive rack in the bottom of the chassis, where you can mount two 3.5″ drives. It also support two 2.5″ drives or a 3.5″ and a 2.5″ drives. (The HDD height will affect the expansion card installation space)

Compatibility

VGA Card length: 290mm – PSU Space: 170mm – CPU Cooler height: 100mm

Dual LED Power Switch

(Blue LED for Power on / Purple LED for HDD reading)

Multi-media I/O ports

USB3.0 / HD Audio.

In this section we will take a closer look at some of the exterior features of the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case.

The Lian Li PC-Q28 PC Case features two external USB 3.0 ports and a headphone and microphone as standard.

To increase available room inside the case the PCI expansion slot retaining screws are on the outside. To avoid having a gaping hole in the back of the case there is also a sliding plate that covers the hole where the retaining bracket of your video card passes through.

The intake air filter is secured to the case using two screws so cleaning this won’t be one of the easier tasks to conduct, especially considering it’s located beneath the case.

The top case fan is held in place with flush fitting countersunk screws. Installed beneath the mesh is a fan filter. This top mounted fan is set to exhaust which makes the filter not only redundant but also quite possibly restrictive.

In this section we will take a look at the interior features of the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case.

For an M-ITX PC case the Lian Li PC-Q28 is quite spacious inside. The one element I don’t like too much is the HDD rack, mainly because it takes up too much room. The PC-Q28 supports ATX size PSU’s up to 17cm long and double slot video cards up to 29cm long. Up to seven HDD’s are supported in various combinations of 2.5″ and 3.5″ sizes. A maximum of three 2.5″ SSD’s are supported without additional mounting hardware, and a maximum of six 3.5″ HDD’s are supported.

There isn’t any kind of cable routing/hiding on the reverse side of the case. This side opens only to provide better access when you are installing your hardware.

The side panels on the Lian Li PC-Q28 PC case have a unique mounting system which allows for easy removal and replacement of the side panels.

For better access when installing your hardware into the PC-Q28 PC case, the hard drive rack can be completely removed.

Should you wish to take things further, the optical disk bay is also removable. In fact, the whole case is screwed together rather than held together with rivets. This is great news for modders as it allows you to completely take apart the case with ease. This also allows you to make custom panels too.

In this section we will take a closer look at some of the detailed interior features of the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case.

Intake is dealt with by this 140mm fan. Air is sucked up from underneath the case and is drawn through the silver chamber holding the fan. Only a 140mm fan is supported in this location.

Exhaust is dealt with by this top mounted 120mm fan. The exhaust fan blades are protected with a classic chrome fan grill.

In the bottom of the Lian Li PC-Q28 PC case is a two-drive hard drive rack. This rack allows you to install either two 3.5″ HDD’s, two 2.5″ SSD”, or one of each. Installing 3.5″ hard drives in this rack will hinder the installation of a dual slot video card as they will be too tall .

This section of the article is not so much of a full build log. I want to use this section to talk about some of the things I didn’t like and issues I ran into while building a system inside the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower PC Case. It’s not doom and gloom by any means. This is an M-ITX pc case after all; building a powerful system into such a small enclosure is not meant to be easy. I don’t think the PC-Q28 was built with All-In-One liquid coolers (or water cooling) in mind, but I persevered all the same and it paid off in the end.

Keeping the exterior styling the way Lian Li intended required using the exhaust fan to ‘pull’ air through the liquid cooling radiator. The fan screws are countersunk and sit flush in the top panel, whereas the case mounting screws supplied with my All-In-One liquid cooler weren’t. Then there was the issue of the fan grill which meant the screws supplied with the liquid cooler weren’t long enough to secure the radiator to the top panel of the case with the fan grill in place.

As you can see in the above image there was also the issue of installing the radiator to the fan. Once again the supplied screws were not long enough. I quick dig through my bits box later and I found just what I needed. These slightly longer screws solved both problems in one.

Mounting the All-In-One liquid cooler this way round also posed another issue; PSU clearance. In this orientation the pipes and filler cap of the cooler stopped me inserting the PSU all the way into the case by roughly 5mm. This was obviously a waste of time so I decided to make a compromise between exterior styling and functionality by using the longer silver screws to mount the radiator directly to the top panel of the case.

As you can now see there is no conflict between the liquid cooler pipes from the radiator and the PSU. There is also plenty of space for airflow too. Problem solved.

Cable routing or the lack of it is my other gripe with this case. Surely if you are telling enthusiasts that your M-ITX case can house an ATX PSU and a dual-slot video card then some sort of cable routing or hiding is needed. This one you will need to figure out for yourself, there are no hiding spots. your best bet is a modular PSU and only using the cables you ‘need’.

M-ITX systems are not niche any more. Plenty of functional PC cases are available and all the big motherboard manufacturers have at least one M-ITX motherboard available, with features ranging from standard to high performance. The problem with high power M-ITX motherboards is that users want to use high power components. These components such as tower coolers, ATX PSU’s and long dual slot video cards wont fit inside a traditional M-ITX PC case.

Lian Li have always catered for the more affluent enthusiast and their PC cases rarely get a poor rating. The vast majority of PC cases on the market today are made from steel and plastic, but Lian Li only use aluminum. Steel and plastic is the cheaper option – and the quality of some of the cases we have seen lately is excellent, but aluminum cases just look and feel so much more high class.

There isn’t much I would change about the Lian Li PC-Q28 PC case, but if I were to change anything I think I would swap the location of the PSU and HDD rack. This solution would solve a few of the gripes I had when installing a system inside this chassis and would make for better visuals should I want to put in a side window.

Important: In this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the Lian Li PC-Q28 M-ITX PC case a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that it is better or worse than a similar PC case that has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the Lian Li PC-Q28 PC case is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself.

Performance was much better than I was expecting. Since all of the components are squeezed into such a small enclosure you would expect worse performance. This can be attributed to the aluminum construction and high air intake. Quality components also come into play, but overall it is a good performer.

Appearance is difficult for me to rate with the Lian Li PC-Q28. I see it as a blank canvas, but many will see it as perfect the way it is. Most will say it’s too plain or will simply just love it. I like the look, it is nice and simplistic and says in line with the Lian Li tradition. The PC-Q28 is also available in silver finish as well as black.

The construction of the Lian LI PC-Q28 PC case is solid, everything about it feels high grade. The brushed aluminum finish looks great but it takes finger prints like it’s working for the FBI. You won’t need white gloves to handle the PC-Q28 PC case but a little after-care when you have built your system will restore the nice finish. The side panel fitting system is just great, you don’t need to use excessive force to remove and install them, they just slot in nicely. The entire case is held together with screws rather than rivets, the end result is a more sturdy design that is easy to de-construct and reassemble.

Functionality is where I feel a little let down. Lian Li have a long history of good innovation and I was expecting something more from the PC-Q28. When you look at this case as a blank canvas you start to see potential, it is for this reason I think the P{C-Q28 will be popular with the modding community.

Being a premium product, the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum M-ITX PC Case is bound to cost more than your average M-ITX PC case. In this instance the PC-Q28 costs more than a lot of full ATX PC cases. For this reason alone the PC-Q28 will get a lower value rating. Available online for $114.99 (NewEgg / Amazon), you can maybe find better, the Silverstone fortress comes to mind but there isn’t much else out there to compare to from other companies. Lian Li themselves make many other M-ITX cases with different features and price points.

If cash is not a problem, the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum M-ITX PC Case will allow you to build a high power system in a small enclosure without sacrifice. If you are handy with the old tools then the PC-Q28 is a blank canvas just waiting for your attention. As with all things in life there are good point and bad points. After weighing up the pro’s and cons I have decided to give the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum PC Case a our recommended award.

+ Lightweight
+ Excellent construction
+ Nice design
+ Takes ATX PSU (17cm max)
+ Takes double slot video cards (29cm max)
+ Good overall cooling performance
+ Prime choice for modding
+ 2 x USB 3.0 ports on front panel
+ Support up to seven 3.5″ HDD’s
+ Supports max three 2.5″ SSD’s without additional hardware
+ Removable HDD caddy
+ Unique side panel installation design

– No cable routing / hiding
– Expensive enthusiast PC Case
– PSU hinders CPU cooler choice
– Fingerprint magnet

• Performance: 8.50
• Appearance: 9.25
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 8.25
• Value: 7.00

COMMENT QUESTION: What score would you give to the Lian Li PC-Q28 Aluminum M-ITX PC Case?