Lian Li PC-V351 reviewed

Lian Li's PC-V351 looks reasonable and retains the company's quality workmanship. The cube-shaped enclosure boasts a practical design that takes a Micro-ATX motherboard, yet still retains full ATX PSU compatibility. It also supports full-size graphics cards, which is great news for hardcore games. Using the chassis is relatively painless, as long as you've got a screwdriver at hand, and the slide-able motherboard tray and well conceived cable management system are neat touches that bring a smile to your face. My biggest gripe is that I don't think Lian Li has grasped what the HTPC business is about. The shape is awkward for a computer that's supposed to reside in your living room, and I don't think anyone would want to put this big black box next to their flashy HDTV and AV surround sound system anyway. Sure it comes in a choice of black, silver or red, but it's just not sexy enough. If you really want a HTPC chassis that'll look amazing in your living room, check out Silverstone's stunning CW02. It even comes with volume knobs, display and a remote control. The downside is that it comes with a price tag that is 2.5 times more than the PC-V351. If you're not looking to build a HTPC and just want a small form factor PC that has a good amount of room for a number of PCI cards, a few terabytes of HDD space and a TV tuner or two, naturally, the PC-V351 is good value. As an HTPC, it is severely lacking.