Is my 10 year old case still good?

meme

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 15, 2004
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239
I have a 10 year old Liam Li case. I'm planning on building a new pc with it. I don't need watercooling or anything like that, I won't be overclocking it.

Is my old case likely still fine to use? My main concern is the front panel connectors. The last time I put a motherboard in, 3 years ago, the connectors already didn't all fit. The power light on the front of the computer doesn't work as a result, although that isn't important. But I don't want to get a new motherboard and find that a bunch of the connectors no longer work and it won't function properly.
 
Your case should be fine. If you are having problems with your front panel connectors they are easily enough repaired or replaced. Depending on which case you have you might even be able to get USB 3.0 ports for your front panel. Check Performance PCs for replacement parts. They probably won't have direct OEM replacements for the power/reset/LEDs etc but they should have generic replacements that would work. They do carry many Lian Li USB 3.0 replacement kits though.
 
Case probably doesn't have USB 3.0 or 3.1 Power switch, power LED and reset should all still work with most any motherboard (most are still ATX). You could add a USB 3.0/3.1 panel in an open 5 1/4" bay if you want.
Liam-Li did offer upgrade USB panels for some of their more popular cases so you could check the website to see if one is available for your case.
 
On the LED, I've found that there doesn't seem to be a standard on 2 wide pin spacing vs. 3 wide pin wiring.( [x|x] vs [x| |x] ). I've had to rewire the cables on my cases (Lian Li included) to get them to fit properly. Alternatively, the LED and/or cable could be done for, buy a replacement already wired up or bust out the soldering iron and buy your favorite colors. Put UV LEDs in a couple of my older cases right on the old wires.
 
Case probably doesn't have USB 3.0 or 3.1 Power switch, power LED and reset should all still work with most any motherboard (most are still ATX). You could add a USB 3.0/3.1 panel in an open 5 1/4" bay if you want.
Liam-Li did offer upgrade USB panels for some of their more popular cases so you could check the website to see if one is available for your case.

What do the upgradeable panels attach to?
 
Don't know what case you have so I was guessing a little. I have an old Liam-Li case that had USB 2 jacks on the bottom of the front panel. A few years ago I was able to purchase USB 3 jacks to replace the USB 2's!
 
My Lian Li case for my main computer is now 12 years old. Model is PC-767

I did a bit of modding and also replaced the USB/FW ports on the side with a dual USB 3.0 header.

So yeah, it should be fine.
 
What do the upgradeable panels attach to?
Which Lian Li case do you have? Most cases have a front panel I/O cluster that includes a couple of USB 2.0 ports, headphone and mic, and maybe a firewire port. That cluster is usually mounted on a single bracket that attaches to the case via a couple of screws. Pretty straight-forward swap out. If you can tell us which case you have we can probably help you sort it out.
 
Which Lian Li case do you have? Most cases have a front panel I/O cluster that includes a couple of USB 2.0 ports, headphone and mic, and maybe a firewire port. That cluster is usually mounted on a single bracket that attaches to the case via a couple of screws. Pretty straight-forward swap out. If you can tell us which case you have we can probably help you sort it out.

Liam Li PC-61. The front panel has 2 USB 2.0 ports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112025
 
Meme: liaN - there's an N at the end of the name, not an M.

And yes, as long as the case is still functioning properly otherwise, it'd work for a new build.
 
Liam Li PC-61. The front panel has 2 USB 2.0 ports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112025
According to this page it looks like this might be the right I/O panel. It lists it as being compatible with the PC-61(U2) which I think is the model you have with the two USB 2.0 ports. It replaces the two USB 2.0 ports with two USB 3.0 ports and as a bonus, it also has headphone/mic jacks that I think you are lacking on the front panel now. You can find it here but maybe Amazon or Ebay might have it cheaper.
 
Given it's running all 80mm fans I'd strongly suggest replacement if you're going to run any kind of mid to high end system.
 
Given it's running all 80mm fans I'd strongly suggest replacement if you're going to run any kind of mid to high end system.
Why? I have a CoolerMaster ATC-110 running a 3770K @ 4.5GHz and dual 780s without issues.
IMG_1625.jpg
 
Loud. Poor airflow by modern standards.
Not particularly. And while yes, the airflow doesn't compare to anything contemporary,
it is still perfectly serviceable.

Now, I'm not saying that one should go out and buy one of these in this day and age, but if you have one
or are inclined to keep it (they are beautiful cases), you can still make use of them.

I also have a CM PAC-T01 running a 2500K @ 4.6GHz and a 7970GE. No problems there either.
 
Given it's running all 80mm fans I'd strongly suggest replacement if you're going to run any kind of mid to high end system.
I don't know that I would "strongly suggest" a replacement but this is a very valid point. Today's modern cases, even the less expensive ones, generally come with 120mm fans. Larger fans can move more air at lower speeds making the case quieter. And if you look at the cost for that replacement I/O panel @ ~$25, that can be about half the cost of a new case. But as WhoBeDaPlaya intimates, if the old case works for you, use it.
 
I mean, as a hunk of metal with a few switches, it's probably fine. Motherboards work fine without cases if you're careful, so it's really just housing. But what I would watch out for is reusing the same old fans. I made the mistake of reusing a four-year old case once without replacing the fans... soon, the fans got to a point where they weren't cooling the PC adequately. It's important to remember that case fans can and do wear out over time, and it can be hard to notice because they still make noise and look like they're spinning, but they become less effective at cooling the system. Also, when buying a case, if you ever get another... never buy one with less than three fans (and it should always have space for more). You want a big one on top, one in the front, and one in the back. Not too hard to make extra holes in the case for more fans if you need to, in order to get three fans in the right places, fit a bigger fan, etc. If you have more than one mechanical hard drive in the system, you probably want TWO front fans, because those can generate heat and block airflow. Learned that the hard way. Modular power supplies are also great... you don't want a bunch of loose cabling gumming up the works. Some people are really good at this thing called "cable management" where they can neatly put everything in its place in ways that impress me... I am not one of those people, and my cables all have minds of their own. Only way to solve the problem for me was to just minimize the number of cables and use sleeved ones so it was easier to route them around things. A big mass of unsleeved cables like most PSUs have is pretty much unmanageable for a person like me that's not very creative or patient.
 
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