The EX-10Q, as the cases will be called, actually looks pretty good. Lian Li’s PC chassis tend to feature a very clean aesthetic with sharp and simple lines, and that ethos has clearly been carried through into the design of these enclosures. The fact that the new drive-cases are built out of aluminium should also make them fairly lightweight, as well as helping to dissipate heat that the drives inside generate.
As for connectivity, the manufacturer smartly decided to opt for USB 3.0, allowing for a maximum, but unachievable, throughput of 5Gbps. The enclosure will of course be backward compatible with USB 2.0 for those who don’t have a computer equipped with the newer interface, but transfer speeds will be accordingly limited. Unfortunately, there’s no option for eSATA, but this is fairly forgivable on a 2.5in enclosure. Internally, the case will be compatible with SATA I and SATA II drives. However, given that the case itself is only 12mm thick, only 2.5in drives with a standard 9.5mm or smaller height will fit.
The EX-10Q enclosures will be offered in red, blue, silver and black, and should cost around $30 each (around £23 including VAT). Lian Li has not given a specific date for UK or general availability just yet, but the cases should start appearing at retail shortly.
