The Lean Lee Armor Suit PCP 50 Case Review
To showcase just how lightweight this case is, we'll take a look at the construction and features of the PCP 50. Despite its sleek design, the quality construction remains at the forefront of the case's design. The front panel of the case features three covers, which provide easy access to the interior. Behind the bottom cover, there's an intake 120 mm fan that helps with airflow.
With things opened up, we can take a closer look at the interior of the PCP 50. The bottom-mounted power supply sits raised on rubber pads to reduce noise and vibration, ensuring a smooth operation. There are also venting for airflow at the front, which helps to dissipate heat away from the components. Three hard drive bays that fit in a cage are held in by thumb screws, while up at the back, there's metal PCI Clips that secure the motherboard tray.
The 120 mm exhaust fan with a grill provides additional cooling options and allows for a high level of airflow within the case. There are also three empty 5.25 inch drive bays with screwless clip designs that provide flexibility when it comes to adding or removing devices. The motherboard tray features cable management holes along the side, which help to keep the inside of the case organized. A very large opening at the back allows for a CPU cooler back plate to be installed.
The room for cabling in the PCP 50 is surprisingly adequate, with a little over 2.5 or about an inch between the back panel and the motherboard tray. This may not seem like a lot, but it's enough to accommodate most cable management solutions. Installing the motherboard is made easy with thumb screws that hold it securely in place.
The power supply has a retention bracket that holds it surprisingly secure, even for longer video cards like the ATI 5870. The solid metal expansion slot clips are undoubtedly the best of their kind on any case we've seen. However, installing a ROM drive is made simple by using a toolless clip design. Unfortunately, our smooth installation gets thrown off track when trying to install hard drives.
The issue with the PCP 50's design may be due to its age or a different original intention. The drives face front to back in most recent case interiors we've seen, but here they're facing sideways. This creates a problem because the straight back design requires extra room to take the drives out, making it difficult for users to remove and install hard drives.
To make up for this, the drive cage can be removed from the front, but then you'll have to unplug and pull out all of the connected drives. This makes the process less than ideal if you're planning on adding or removing devices later on. The drives fit very simply into their tray when the front panel is removed, which allows them to be easily installed again.
When it comes to wiring, the cable management spaces are laid out perfectly in the PCP 50. However, if you want to clean up all of the wiring from the bottom, you'll have to get creative with your hiding spots. The cables themselves have no problem running along the back of the motherboard tray if spaced correctly, but unused connectors will have to be tucked behind the drive bay or power supply.
As for water cooling, there's not enough room in the PCP 50 to comfortably fit any internal radiators at the top. If you're planning on fitting other components like pumps and reservoirs inside, it may be difficult to find space. This limits the case's usability for certain types of builds.
In conclusion, our review of the Lean Lee Armor Suit PCP 50 case has shown that it delivers an excellently constructed midtower experience. The tool-free features make installation a breeze, and the aluminum material provides a lightweight yet robust feel. The exterior design is also very professional-looking, making it suitable for a wide range of users.
However, we would have liked to see some interior improvements in the PCP 50's design. Adding more than three hard drives or including 5.25 inch adapters would have been nice features. Additionally, moving to a sideways-mounted drive cage system might be a better design choice for a case of this size.
Despite these limitations, the PCP 50 rings in at a reasonable price point of $200 for aluminum cases. You're paying a premium for the quality and aesthetics that Lean Lee provides. Overall, we recommend the PCP 50 to anyone looking for an excellent midtower case with a focus on usability and professional design.
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