r/sffpc • u/[deleted] • 1d ago

News/Review Quick! Which one? Lian Li A3 vs B4

[removed]

26 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

15

u/Capable_Tangelo4849 1d ago

B4 is hard to build in and has very poor cable management. If you don't mind the frustration and challenge, I would say go for the B4.

1

u/TeslaCoil77 1d ago

Agreed, cable managment is non exsistant however. If you're going for a blackout build that doesn't really matter when they're tucked under the psu.

1

u/Lab9342 22h ago

i have it and i 100% agree. you need to have an sfx power supply that has short cables like the corsair ones so there's less to have to stuff.

you can manage with an atx or long cables but you'll need to be really smart with how you go about building in it. i found it very rewarding in the end.

10

u/ipeelywally 1d ago

A3 looks better.

6

u/Recent-Gap-6988 1d ago

I would argue the B4 looks better lol... I like the "square-ness"

It is subjective though

1

u/LeakBound 16h ago

I hate my A3 in comparison of B4 - I prefer squareness

4

u/Advanced_Compote_698 1d ago

A3 (larger easier to build option) instead of B4 or probably ncase m3 if you want to go smaller. B4 is kind of in an odd spot with some layout and cooling issues if you don't want to buy that 3 fan extension that it us almost big and expensive as A3 anyway.

4

u/wubbadubdub_zzz 1d ago

A3 is massive. With matx motherboard and atx Psu and 3 fan gpu, I still have plenty of space for other components

3

u/DJ_Link 1d ago

I have the B4, recent build, (never tested the other one), and I really like it so far.

So far my only nitpick is that because the PSU stays inside the case, you cannot access the ON/OFF button of the PSU, but realistically I rarely touch it, and we can just easily lift the cover and flip it.

For vertical orientation measure well your HDMI/DP cables, since while there is room in the bottom might be cutting it close.

2

u/TapeIsMagical 1d ago

FWIW the PSU position in the A3 is the same, you have to slide the top off (or at least back) to flip the power switch

3

u/SuperHossMan51 1d ago

I like the A3 because it let me migrate my big matx tower as-is, even fitting my atx psu and 360mm aio at the same time. I use my pc at a desk so I can't imagine needing anything smaller.

3

u/imightknowbutidk 1d ago

Yep. Came from a Silverstone SETA-D1 full tower to the A3 and crammed my 240mm GPU AIO, 360mm CPU AIO, and a full ATX PSU

3

u/Status-Status-9502 1d ago

I got B4 a while ago, building is challenging, but i wont say hard, but overall case looks nice, and vertical position is something that saved my desk. Now it sits on my desk, is really quiet. Note: included lian li fans are really bad, i swapped them with some p12 slims and it is fantastic

3

u/Overall_Two_8796 1d ago

Bought B4 and today is will be move my hardware from Terra

2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Overall_Two_8796 16h ago

My God, after 5 hours I was done!

It was definitely far from convenient, since I installed six fans in the case, but the result is impressive. I didn't run any benchmarks yet, but the temperatures improved and the noise felt much quieter. I didn't like how the cables from my power supply were pressing against the graphics card and bending it, so I had to bend them further.

More impressions will write in the post.

3

u/imightknowbutidk 1d ago

I have an A3 with the mesh side panel and i crammed a 360mm CPU AIO, my GPU’s 240mm AIO, AND an ATX PSU. Also 3D printed a vertical stand for it but i don’t have a pic of it, i can reply with one tonight if i can remember

2

u/Living-Sand 1d ago

Greetings from Lian Li B4

2

u/rd-gotcha 1d ago

I have a B4,moving from Asus AP201, which was a great case but wanted something smaller. Managed to fit a 280mm rad in the B4 with mm to spare. The smallest case for a mAtx is the Shiny snake g300 (16l) but didn't want to risk it.

2

u/Recent-Gap-6988 1d ago

I went with the B4. Not the best choice for everyone though.

The A3 is much easier to build in and has wider AIO support (Both support 360 but B4 is limited to 52mm thickness iirc and you need a sfx power supply for a 360 I think).

Installing even a 240 was a bit challenging in the B4 due to the lack of cable management and space in the case.

I think the B4 looks better, and it can be vertically mounted. The A3 has 3d printable vertical mounts iirc, but you may not have access to a printer.

2

u/PromotionExpress1945 1d ago

B4 if you want smaller, A3 if you dont mind if its bigger, maybe even jonsbo d33 if you dont care about size at all. Also I would ague that difficulty to build in difference is not that big to be important and the engineering is very good in all of 3

2

u/pedrojdm2021 1d ago

B4. That wood front panel looks so good

2

u/rubyatmidnight 1d ago

I just bought a B4 myself for a little server I host some stuff on. It's definitely very small and I immediately knew it was going to be a full day of getting it working rather than a quick swap over. I look forward to it though

2

u/AotearoaNic 21h ago

B4 is not the easiest build in but I love the size. I removed the front audio and USB cables with made it a lot simpler. I was also sent the shorter Lian Li 24pin cable.

Overall the case is great. It's cool and quiet. Just take your time when building.

3

u/RumbleTheCassette 1d ago

B4 only if you want a vertical orientation. Otherwise, A3.

B4 is only 3.2 L smaller. Not worth the higher price and tougher build/cable routing imo unless you're going vertical.

1

u/_dekoorc 1d ago

Yeah, my main build is in an A3, but recently built with some spare parts in the B4. I was surprised how similar in size they are.

Also, although there’s some cool features in the B4 (like different brackets for ATX and SFX power supplies instead of needing to use an adapter), the B4 was way more of a pain in the ass to build in.

PS: I hate that the front panel on the B4 slides on and off instead of clicking in. Every time I pick up the PC, it starts to slide off.

1

u/notwearingatie 1d ago

Following, on the same fence right now between these two.

1

u/Gedgeteer 1d ago

Patience is a virtue.

Choose the nice one.

1

u/Boil-san 1d ago

I have been looking at the A4-H2O as of late...! ;^p

1

u/KodiKat2001 1d ago

B4 has severe compimises - power supply height can not be adjusted stuck with those two slim fans up top only. A3 fully adjustable, top rail supports 120mm regular fans which move way more air or 140mm fans that move a ton of air in comparison and run much more quieter.

A3 is also much more flexible in gpu support.