three-position fan-speed switch
Cooling Performance and Noise Considerations.
Earlier on, I mentioned the 3-way sliding switch for controlling the speed of the 2 front 80mm ADDA fans. There is a definite difference in noise levels between the three settings, and a noticeable (using the highly accurate place-the-hand-in-the-airflow test) difference in airflow. However, I didn't notice any measurable difference in temperature inside the case, using the A7V's on-board sensor, or a thermometer I placed inside the case to get a case temperature reading. My system did, however, remain cool - at idle with my 650MHz Duron running at 850MHz, the system/case temperature was 27ºC, and 28ºC under full load, compared with 30ºC and 32ºC in my KF-45A case with a 120mm intake fan. Not a huge difference, but noticeable, resulting in up to 5ºC difference in CPU temperature (ambient temp was 23C). I don't know how much of the temperature difference can be attributed to the aluminium construction, and how much to the decent effort Lian-Li have made with the fans, but in the end, this is a reasonably cool system. One thing I think it could benefit from though is a top mounted vertical exhaust, to remove heat from the top of the case - due to the depth of the case, there's certainly room for it. This would assist the power supply - power supplies aren't exactly renowned for their efficiency in removing air from computer cases.
With the panels all on, and the PC running, this case is fairly quiet. It's hard to be objective here - I don't have a Decibel Meter to accurately measure the sound output, but considering this case has three 80mm fans, I think it's not too bad. When the intake fans are running at low speed, it's about on par with my KF-45A, with its quiet 120mm intake fan.
Conclusions.
Is this case worth $315, before you shell out for a power supply? That's hard to say - being made of aluminium can't hurt it keep your system cool, and it certainly makes the case lighter. It's roomy inside, easy to work with, the thumbscrews make putting a system together in it a breeze, and it certainly seems like it's built to last. It's also pretty "cool" in the sense that it's different - and if it matters to you, expensive. When judged purely on its own merits (positive and negative), I think it's a damned good case.
When compared to its most obvious competitor - the CoolerMaster ATCS series, it's certainly got the thumbs up in the price department. However, for considerably less money, you can get a reasonable steel case, which if not as good at cooling as the Lian-Li, is certainly easier to modify (and less likely to make you cry if you make a horrible mistake and have to buy a replacement). I guess if you're lazy, and have the money, this case would be worth your dollars (I bought one, for pretty much those reasons), but if you have the time and patience, you may well be better off with a cheaper, more generic case.