Lian Li Test Bench PC-Q06

Category : Cases

Published by Marc Büchel on 08.08.10

The PC-Q06 belongs to Lian Li's first series of benchtables. These are made of ananondized aluminium and they're therefore lightweight and good loking. Ergonomics being the most important thing about bentables we have to clarify if the Q06 is able to convince especially at this point.








On the following pages we will show you the strengths and weaknesses of the Lian Li PC-06.

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 -Top / Bottom
Page 2 - Preview	Page 5 - Interior
Page 3 - Front	Page 6 - Conclusion

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Preview

At this point we would like to thank Lian Li for providing us with the Testsample.

Specifications

Model	Lian Li PC-Q06 Test Bench
Case Type	Bench Table
Dimension (H x W x D) w/o ATX plate	210 × 205 × 250 mm
Weight	1.2 kg
Material	Aluminium
Color	Black / Silver / Red
External Drive Bay	ODD x 1
Form factors	ATX / Micro ATX
Expansion Slots	2 / 8

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 -Top / Bottom
Page 2 - Preview	Page 5 - Interior
Page 3 - Front	Page 6 - Conclusion

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Front

Looking at the PC-Q06 from this angle you already see that it's well manufactured. Centered you find power- and reset-button as well as two USB-, a microphone- and a headphone-connector. Also the 5.25'' slot bezel fits perfectly.	Power- and reset-button which are used here can be found with many other Lian Li cases and the leave a very good impression. Regarding external USB connectors version 2.0 is supported.

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 -Top / Bottom
Page 2 - Preview	Page 5 - Interior
Page 3 - Front	Page 6 - Conclusion

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Top / Bottom

Without the additional ATX plate the PC-Q06 is suitable for Mini-ITX boards. From topside you can reach the hard drive cage. At this point it would have been nice if Lian Li equipped the case with some kind of a "click-mechanism" to easily exchange hard drives. Almost annoying is the process of exchanging a hard drive when a motherboard has already been installed.	At this point you find four very well made feet which provide this small and compact bench table with a safe stand. Furhtermore there also is a air filter which prevents the power supply unit from sucking in dust from outside.

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 -Top / Bottom
Page 2 - Preview	Page 5 - Interior
Page 3 - Front	Page 6 - Conclusion

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Interior

At a first glance the PC-Q06's interior looks nice and tidy but as soon as you start taking a closer look you'll spot that for example the installation of hard drive can be a quite hard going. Generally the interior is a bit too compact for our taste.	The area where the power supply unit touches the case has been equipped with rubber that reduces vibrations. Below the power supply you find perforated aluminium that the unit always gets fresh air. On the picture on the right hand see you can clearly see why we say that the Q06 might be a bit to compact. It's been almost impossible to install our Enermax Revolution 85+ power supply.

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 -Top / Bottom
Page 2 - Preview	Page 5 - Interior
Page 3 - Front	Page 6 - Conclusion

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Conclusion

General		+	-
The PC-Q06 belongs to the first series of benchtables, out of which we've also tested the PC-T60. Unfortunately you'll spot a lot of things which aren't very ergonomic and also not very well thought. Therefore a better looking design doesn't mean that the bench table is more practical.		- Design	- Ergonomics
Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics		+	-
Looking at the PC-Q06 Lian Li makes absolutely no exception regarding the manufacturing quality because as usual it is on a sensationally high level. All edges are deburred and if neccessary folded. Therefore the chances that you cut yourself during the process of building are very close to zero. Unfortunately as soon as you start looking at the PC-T06's ergonomics you'll recognise that it's not better than the PC-T60 which is in fact useless as a bench table. The big weakness of the PC-Q06 is, like with the PC-T60, the ergonomics. Exactly this is it what should be very good with a bench table. Exchanging hardware really should be fun and not something you really don't like doing. Looking at the manual it lacks of significance. The pictures are ok, but they are too small and when you try to spot details you have to look very hard. The best way of building up your system using a Q06 is you just do it without the manual because in worst case it will be irritating. In direct comparison to the PC-T60 the PC-Q06 has a very safe stand which is crucial for a test bench. If you use the additional ATX plate you will have to stack several distance screws that wiring can be done below the plate. Such handiwork definitely isn't what we expect from Lian Li. Furthermore installing a power supply requires nerves of steel. Because of the bench tables very compact size the biggest power supply units you should put in are standard ATX ones. Our Enermax Revolution 85+ is just a bit longer and it's been almost impossible to install it. Also the hard drive: this should be installed before you mount the motherboard but especially with a test bench users are very likely to exchange their hard drive quite often. In our case entirely useless was the eight slot card holder because it collided with the motherboard.		- No sharp edges / corners	- Manual - Spacer screws - Depth - Hard drive cage
Recommendation		+	-
Because of the fact that the PC-Q06 fails completely regarding ergonomics we cannot recommend this product to overclockers or any groups of buyers with a similar utilization profile.			- Overclockers - Enthusiasts - Gamers

The Lian Li PC-Q06 Test Bench can be bought at Digitec to a price of CHF 99.- (est. EUR 71.-).

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 4 -Top / Bottom
Page 2 - Preview	Page 5 - Interior
Page 3 - Front	Page 6 - Conclusion

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Author: t.rothenburg@ocaholic.ch Redacted by: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch