Lian-Li revealed to us in a press release earlier today that it’s putting out a portable PC chassis, dubbed the PC-TU300. The computer case, the company says, features a “rugged, portable chassis compact enough to count as carry-on luggage.”
It’s big enough to accommodate a full ATX-size computer, but small enough to work as carry-on luggage. Clearly, Lian-Li is aiming for the convenience factor with its newest enclosure. As an optional bonus, it can even be coupled with an accessory that gives it a set of wheels, perfect for maneuvering through airports and the like. It features a thick aluminum shell, mechanisms for locking, and its corners are reinforced to prevent “bumps and pokes” to the fragile parts of your computer.
In the press release, Lian-Li emphasized mobility as one of the case’s selling points. It weighs in at only 3.8kg, which is quite light considering that it’s been crafted to support a full ATX rig with multiple graphics cards, and it measures 218mm x 398mm x 440mm. And it’s equipped with a handle if rolling is not how you roll.
“The TU line is famous for its luggage-like durability and reliability and the TC-01 takes these qualities a step further,” Lian-Li writes in a press release. “The Trolly Cart has two anchor brackets which are screwed into the side panel of the case. The trolly itself can then be attached to provide smooth rolling on flat surfaces, and easily removed when not in use. The PC-TU300 is good choice for the traveler, whether for a local LAN or an international trip.”
On the bottom panel, buyers can expect dual 120mm filtered air intakes, while one rear 120mm fan, and two filtered removable 120mm fans, exhale air out both the back and top panels. Additionally, the PSU snatches air from the floor of the enclosure, dislodging it to a vent on the side.
The install, Lian-Li promises, is fairly straightforward, as the PC-TU300 was conceived for those looking to build a computer with few tools required. Although the PCI cards need to be screwed in, wherever possible, the company made it so that parts can be installed completely by hand. Both the PCI cover and drive cage are ingrained using thumbscrews and the side levers are able to be locked with a thumbscrew as well. Similarly effortless are the fan filters, which clip in and snap off when cleaning is required.
Lian-Li advises to not prejudge the PC-TU300 on its petite stature. In fact, there’s enough room in the enclosure to house a 300mm VGA card, a CPU cooler up to 160mm tall, and a PSU up to 160mm in length. It’s capacious enough to fit a full-size ATX motherboard while the hard drive cage and PSU are mounted towards the front to save space. In its removable hot swap HDD cage, you can install up to two 3.5-inch drives and one 2.5-inch drive for a trove of storage space. You can even fit a slim optical disc drive in the drive bay located at the top of the foremost panel. Also present is some space behind the motherboard tray for managing your cables.
The PC-TU300 will arrive in the US early this month with two different SKUs. The PC-TU300A will retail at $230 while the PC-TU300X will run at about $250. There’s no word on what the differences between the two models are or how much the trolly is expected to cost. However, if you attend a lot of competitive gaming events, or you just like to take your rig on vacation, the PC-TU300 and optional TC-01 Trolly are tempting options to accomplish just that.
