I have used many, many computer cases over the years across many different form factors and price brackets. This one and its little brother, the PC-O11 Dynamic, take the cake for best functional design for ATX form factor cases. But unlike its little brother, the XL doesn't sacrifice build quality a ton to reach a low price tag. Its build quality matches that of the original PC-O11WX, but its functionality is undeniably superior.
All brushed aluminum and tempered glass body panels, strong finish for the steel chassis, but some wobble from the side panels and how they're secured. Overall acceptable but not nearly as good as the Lian-Li build quality of old, like the PC-V and PC-X series. Certainly feels more made in China than made in Taiwan.
Every PC-O11 excels in ease of use, but this one more than the rest. The panel retention mechanisms are... interesting. Basically the top panel, which is secured by two thumb screws and a latch holds the two side panels in place. Remove the top panel and you can just lift the side panels off. This is different than the original PC-O11 which just used snap-in top and right side panels, and the left glass side panel was secured by male thumbscrews. I do wish the left side panel should be hinged like the Phanteks Evolv X, which is just the most convenient design and so robust.
This case is huge, a tad bigger than the original PC-O11WX. Both are by far the easiest cases I've ever built in, with this newer one eclipsing the older one slightly. However, despite its size, this case's cable management cut-outs are clearly designed for ATX motherboards, not E-ATX. E-ATX would partially obscure them, which is a shame since the PC-O11WX was perfect for E-ATX.
I don't have to go into too much detail about the installation procedure for all components, but for the most part it's super easy. Multiple places to mount SSDs, all out of the way. The one problem here is the hot swap bays - they're not exactly hot swappable if you have to remove the cage entirely and remove a bunch of screws in order to get a drive in or out! Worst "hot swap" design ever.
The power supply is separate from the motherboard area. The two pseudo hot swap cages can be removed and in so doing, you end up with two more power supply locations for a whopping total of three. I do wish the bottom, standard PSU location was elevated like in the original PC-O11WX in order to clear all of the bottom cable management cut-outs. My big 1600W PSU blocks most but not all, although all the vertical cable management holes are unrestricted and thankfully massive. My PSU's fat ATX cable with its stupid capacitor barely fit through the original O11WX cable management holes, to the point where the capacitor might be damaged for all I know, but it's a hassle free fit here since the cut outs are enormous. On the subject of cable management cut-outs, it could do with more secure points for cable ties, but it has a fair amount.
The big vertical bar that can hold SSDs and make the back of your case look neater actually blocks the fan of my 1600W PSU, something to keep in mind.
This case can fit TWO of the largest 360mm radiators or coolers simultaneously with no problem (it can fit the EK Phoenix MLC 360mm for example, which is longer than any 360mm radiator I think due to its pump placement). This is accomplished using the top and side mounting positions, they do not interfere with each other unless going for push/pull on the side radiator with a thick radiator and/or fans.
Sadly this case does not have a sliding top radiator bracket, which would make radiator installation a LOT more convenient. Just another thing Lian-Li should adopt from Phanteks. I think this case is too fragile to support such a design though, particularly when sliding a 360mm radiator in and out of the case, but if anything this would be a call to use a thicker chassis and thicker panels like the Evolv X.
The bottom can hold 2x 140mm fans or 3x 120mm fans, providing adequate intake for any single GPU. Just make sure you only use ball bearing or really good fluid bearing fans in the bottom and top positions in any case. Sleeve bearings wear and die prematurely when mounted horizontally, which means fluid bearings based on sleeve bearings also do. NoiseBlocker fans are guilty of this across their entire expensive range, I don't recommend them.
Airflow is adequate for any single GPU system. The optional 2-3 bottom intakes can suck up more air than in the original O11WX, blowing air right into the GPU (unless you've mounted it sideways - only do this if water cooled). The top and rear fans should exhaust. The side fans have an indirect, weird airflow path. The bottom fans have a large filter that slides right out from outside the case, the right side and top panels are also fully filtered.
The pros far outweigh the cons for the PC-O11 Dynamic XL. Not many people will use E-ATX, everything else I said amounts to like-to-haves. I cited the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv X numerous times, but I still prefer this case and even the original PC-O11WX over it, since these are just so much easier to build in. When it comes to ATX cases I really can't stand not having a huge vertically compartmentalized design like this. I can't go back to traditional cases, this is so much more convenient.
| Standing screen display size | 1 Inches |
|---|---|
| RAM | 64 GB ddr4_sdram |
| Memory Speed | 1 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 500 GB flash_memory_solid_state |
| Card Description | dedicated |
| Wireless Type | Bluetooth |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 4 |
| National Stock Number | O11D XL-X |
