PC Components

Lian Li PC-O11DX Dynamic Midi Tower with Two-Chamber Design Reviewed

In Zusammenarbeit mit Profi-Übertakter Roman "der8auer" Hartung!

In this review we take a closer look at the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic. It was developed in cooperation with the German overclocking expert Roman “der8auer” Hartung and is fundamentally different from the normal PC-O11 of Lian Li. Due to the influence of Roman Hartung, Lian Li made decisive changes to the case and adapted it to the professional’s ideas. The result is an ingenious midi tower with a two-chamber design that is particularly suitable for PC enthusiasts and friends of custom water cooling.

The attractive price point of the case, which is here at € 129.90 * and thus 100 € cheaper than the “Standard” PC-O11. What the Dynamic variant really has to offer, what differences there are to the normal case and how the Midi Tower performs in system construction, we will show you in this test.

Packaging & Scope of Delivery

Lian Li packs the PC-O11 Dynamic in a brown cardboard box that shows a normal picture of the case on the front and a representation of the rough parts on the back. Of course, the “der8auer” logo is also present here and directly indicates the influence of the famous German overclocker. Inside the box, the case is held by thick foam and protected by a plastic bag from scratches and fingerprints.

The scope of delivery contains the most necessary materials and includes the manual, a bag with black screws, three Velcro cable ties and a rubber block. What the latter should or can be used for, we couldn’t explain and the manual didn’t give any hints.

Design

Let’s get to the design of the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic. The left side and the front are made of real glass, while the rest is mainly made of steel. Only the trim strip on the front, which also contains the I/O panel, was made of aluminium. The overall impression is that the case is very robust and stable, but due to the selected materials it also weighs just over 10 kg.

The glass panes have black frames and are simply hung into the housing by invisible mounting hooks on the back. Very successful solution as we find, since no tools are needed and the clean impression is not defaced by ugly screws. The I/O panel of the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic is equipped with one USB 3.1 type-C port, two USB 3.0 ports and the usual audio connections.

Since the case has a two-chamber design, it looks different on the back than expected. The slot for the power supply is located next to the slots for the expansion cards of the mainboard. Directly above is another slot, which can be used either for two 3.5-inch drives or alternatively for another power supply. A second power supply could be especially interesting for overclockers or very complex custom water cooling systems.

The lid of the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic can be easily removed by removing two screws without tools. Below it, a magnetic dust filter is revealed, which lies above the mounting slots, which can accommodate either three 120 mm fans, two 140 mm fans or radiators up to 360 mm. At the bottom of the case there is a very similar cutout including a dust filter, which of course is meant for the same number of fans or radiators.

Let’s get to the interior of the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic. In order to get to it, the cover must first be removed, which is only fastened with two knurled screws. Then the side panel on the back and the panes on the front and left side can be lifted out upwards. You already have access to all sides of the case. Due to the two-chamber design, the main chamber is quite empty without a system, because only the visually impressive main components such as mainboard, graphics card, cooling and, if required, two SSDs are to be seen here.

If you turn the case over, you get a view of the power supply slot and other possibilities to install data carriers. The cover in the middle has several direct functions. On the one hand you can store all possible cables behind it and on the other hand it can hold another 3.5″ or 2.5″ data carrier. This cover is cut somewhat narrower at the bottom so that the main power supply has enough space and can be dimensioned accordingly. Here one notices that Lian Li and der8auer have certainly thought about it and wanted to use every centimeter optimally.

A special feature of the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic is the offset mounting position for the cooler on the side of the case. This should allow the space to be used optimally again. Due to the offset, a total of three 360 mm radiators fit into the housing. Normally they often get in the way at the corners, but this is not the case here. In addition, large or long graphics cards can still be installed, as these are not disturbed by radiators etc. in the front.

In the main chamber, the eight slots for mainboard expansion cards are protected by reusable covers. Directly above is the only obvious Lian Li branding inside the case, which comes in the form of a silver aluminium badge. Since Roman “der8auer” Hartung helped a lot with the design process, his trademark will of course also be presented here. Even a little higher, additional fans can be installed in many housings. However, this is not the case here, as Lian Li also leaves room for possible equalizing tanks of a water cooling system. Alternatively, 80 or 90 mm fans may be installed. Unfortunately we couldn’t test this, because we don’t have such a fan at the moment.

Workmanship

With the PC-O11 Dynamic, Lian Li and Roman “der8auer” Hartung have created a truly very interesting midi tower that convinces with its price, design and of course quality. But why is that? At a price of less than 130€, only very few comparable cases can be found. The price is due to the mainly used materials, which consist mainly of steel with the exception of a few decorative strips, instead of aluminium, as is often the case with Lian Li.

Despite the lower manufacturing costs, we could not find any negative points on the housing with regard to workmanship. It is manufactured consistently very high-quality and makes a stable impression. We were particularly impressed by the well thought-out installation of the two tempered glass windows on the front and side as well as the side panel on the rear. All of them can be hooked in and thus mounted completely without screws, which not only makes mounting easier, but also looks very good. The real glass panes also have rubber-coated coatings, which can prevent vibrations.

Equipment

Regarding the equipment, the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic leaves it rather with basic features. Fans can be found in the case. However, we don’t find this bad as many standard case fans are often not the best in terms of volume and performance anyway. Otherwise, the case naturally offers very good hardware support. Graphics cards up to 420 mm long, CPU coolers up to 155 mm high and power supplies up to 255 mm long can be installed.

Technical data

Dimensions (W x H x D) 272 x 446 x 445 mm
Material Steel (interior)
Aluminium (front)
Tempered glass (front, side panel)
Weight approx. 10.1 kg
Form factor E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX
fan slots 3x 120 mm (bottom)
3x 120 mm / 2x 140 mm (cover)
3x 120 mm (side panel, front side)
Radiator slots 1x max. 360 mm / 280 mm (cover)
1x max. 360 mm (bottom, no SDDs required)
1x max. 360 mm (side panel, next to the mainboard)
Filter Bottom, lid, side panel
Drive bays 2x 3.5-inch drives (internal)
4x 2.5-inch drives (internal)
Power supply unit 2x ATX (optional)
I/O Panel 1x USB 3.1 Type-C (internal connection)
2x USB 3.0 Type-A (internal connection)
1x per Audio In/Out
On/Off switch
Space available Maximum graphics card length: 420 mm
Maximum CPU cooler height: 155 mm
Maximum power supply length: 255 mm
Price € 129.90 *

On the other hand, the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic shines with very good Wakü support. Up to three 360 mm radiators can be mounted simultaneously in the housing. One in the lid, one on the bottom and one on the side of the mainboard tray. In addition, the housing also has sufficient space for expansion tanks and complex custom water cooling systems. There is also enough space for enough storage media and if you want to go crazy, you can even install a second power supply.

Gaming PC in Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic

Of course we have assembled a system with this impressive case and used a MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon used in ATX format. The heart of the system is appropriately a headed the8auer i7-8700K Advanced Edition CPU with overclocking to 5.0 GHz. The CPU is supported by a total of 16 GB Team Group T-Force Dark DDR4-Memory with 3.000 MHz and one ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Strix Graphics Card. For the required power supply a modular BitFenix Whisper M with 650 Watt was installed.

Of course, we also need a suitable cooling system for the components mentioned. For this reason, a complete water cooling system is used for our processor. In this case we have chosen the Raijintek Orcus RGB with 360-mm-Radiator, which does a decent job and also looks nice. In addition, we installed three Lian Li BR Lite fans in the lid to carry warm air to the outside. Of course, good cable management also helps for an optimal cooling result, which is why in this case we would prefer a Phanteks extension cable set, which is also optically very good.

As you can see on the pictures, we installed the graphics card vertically. That was Lian Li PC-O11 riserkabel necessary, whereby the rear slot bezels can be easily exchanged and the graphics card can be mounted upright on the bottom of the case. The look is definitely brilliant and finally you can see the cooler design of the graphics card. Nevertheless, it’s a pity that the mounting places for SSDs or fans on the floor are completely omitted.

The two-chamber design of the case suits us very well during installation, because it offers enough space to easily assemble all components. Power supply unit and data carrier find their place in the “hidden” chamber. From there, the necessary cables are routed to the front through rubberized bushings. Particularly practical are the lateral, slightly inclined feedthroughs next to the mainboard, whereby the cables can be laid very easily. The three included Velcro cable ties are also very useful, because we could tame the cable tangle behind the mainboard tray a little bit like that.

Conclusion on the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic

The result of the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic is more than positive, because the case definitely convinced us. It is aimed above all at enthusiasts and users who want to install and present an elaborate custom water cooling system with up to three 360 mm radiators. Thanks to the glass front and the glass side panel, this is also perfectly possible. The workmanship looks through the bench away very high quality and also the invisible assembly of tempered glass panes is a very good solution.

Especially the interior is to be emphasized again, because it shows that the Dynamic version is a lot more sophisticated than the normal PC-O11. The massive space for radiators, the cover / data carrier holder in the second chamber and the modular HDD cage which can be replaced by another power supply make the enthusiasts’ hearts beat faster.

You can get all this for less than 130€. You have to accept a few compromises with regard to the materials used, but this does not detract from the workmanship and general quality at all. So we can fully recommend the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic* and will probably keep it in use for quite some time. If you don’t like the black version 100%, you can alternatively enjoy a white version.

Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic

Workmanship
Design
Features
Cooling
Value for Money

Excellent!

High-quality enthusiast case with excellent workmanship, ingenious optics and excellent value for money.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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