Lian Li can be coined as one of the best CPU case manufacturers in the present-day world. Lian Li released the O11 Dynamic back in the year 2018 and at the time of the release, the O11 Dynamic at that period was a magnificent case that definitely can delight every PC enthusiast. With top-notch build quality along with the availability of modern-day features and also a lot of room for a person to work around with different components.
Lian Li O11 Dynamic
The O11 Dynamic was designed by DER8AUER who is famous for his world records on overclocking of graphics cards and CPUs and the case itself comes with his signature in it. The case offers a perfect combination of everything that a PC enthusiast or a gamer could need. It comes with tempered at the front and side, but the case is quite a good one even for those who want to go for air cooling options.
However, the best thing that I am in love with this case is the side panel mechanism where there are no visible screws to mount the glass panel. All the mounting procedure is worked in the top and then is covered by the top panel that again comes with captive thumbscrews.
Exterior
The exterior of the O11 Dynamic feels sturdy and comes with a tempered glass panel at the front and at one side that combines with brushed aluminium in proper proportion. The other side is covered with a metal frame and the same is also available on the top and all the vents are covered with magnetic dust filters. The IO panel is situated on the front with the most up to date features and connectivity options.
Interior
The interior of the case is indeed crafted with utmost care to each thing. The case doesn’t come with front ventilation but it can accommodate 3x120mm fans on the side and bottom and 3x120mm on top or 2x140mm on top. It is a dual-chamber design case that one can use for a neat and clean setup keeping all the cable and the unnecessary things hidden from the main chamber.
The main chamber can house the motherboard along with the GPU and your cooling components. The case is targeted towards water cooling and it would be a delight for the water cooler lovers with ample rooms to play around.
The second chamber can accommodate 6x 2.5″ HDD’s/ SSD’s or 3x 3.5″ HDD’s. The motherboard has an angled layout that is used as cable management and using the plate one can hide all the messy cable inside it. Furthermore, the case can accommodate two power supply units that can be swapped against the drive caddy. It could be a real handy one for the overclockers who might be in need of extra juice for extreme overclocking.
The potentiality of O11 Dynamic
The O11 Dynamic is truly a unique case of its own, having ventilation at the side. There are many who might wonder, having the ventilation located at the side, might not be a good option to have sufficient airflow, but, firstly the case is aimed at water cooling. However, in terms of air-cooling, this case also excels in that respect.
However, the only downside is the rear exhaust as there is no room to place a fan that can pull the air out from inside of the case. However, if you plan the placing of the fans properly, then this won’t be a big issue at all. The best combination, if one is going for an air cooling option is to use three fans for intake on the side and 3 on the bottom as intake. The top should be utilized as an exhaust so that the hot air can be removed from inside the case.
Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL
The O11 Dynamic XL is launched in 2019 and it is a larger version of the original case, still bearing the Der8auer badge for his initial work on the O11 Dynamic. However, O11’s unique design utilizes the width as well as length making the XL variant only 18.5 inches longer than that of the non-XL variant.
Exterior
The O11 Dynamic XL resembles the O11 Dynamic in terms of design with some notable changes. The side panels and front panel all lift upwards and are held in place by the top panel, which must be taken off first like that of the O11 Dynamic. However, there is an addition of a plastic latch that needs to be pushed in order for the top panel to be removed. The I/O is based on 4x USB 3.0 ports along with Type-C, Audio, Power & Reset buttons and an RGB button.
Interior
The interior of the O11 Dynamic XL bears a similar resemblance with that of the non-XL variant but there are a few notable changes that Lian-Li has made on the new one. The case now can support the E-ATX motherboard as well but you need to add the additional frame that comes with the case. However, doing so will disable the option to install a radiator at the side, and to my best guess, it won’t be an issue at all.
Lian-Li also included the addition of a fan at the rear which one can utilize for exhaust purposes, unlike the non-XL variant that didn’t have the option. Furthermore, the O11 dynamic has a limitation of 120mm fans everywhere except for that of the top, which could optionally fit two 140mm fans, however, the O11 Dynamic XL adds support for a further two optional 140mm fans on the bottom tray.
The O11D XL also comes with hot-swappable HDD drive bays with big handles for easy installation and they can be removed for additional space for a 2nd PSU. Moreover, it also comes with blanking plates that can be used for covering any unused fan mounts and turning them into SSD mounting points. It also brings the latest RGB trend to it without overdoing it.
The potentiality of O11 Dynamic XL
The O11 Dynamic XL has similar potential like that of the O11 Dynamic, with the few added alternatives that really make this one a good case to opt for. Further, if you are an overclocker or a water cooling lover, then you won’t be disappointed by this one. It has good airflow and can also be used with an air cooling solution.
The O11 Dynamic vs the O11 Dynamic XL- Choosing the right one!
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If you are now scratching your head regarding which one you should go for, then let us help you to identify the key differences between these two and also after that you can decide yourself which one you should pick as your new case.
The O11 Dynamic is a great PC chassis with tons of room around to work around. However, it has a limitation of the exhaust due to the absence of a rear fan mount making it a bit harder for those who are going to use a CPU air cooling solution, furthermore, the O11 dynamic has a limitation of 120mm fans everywhere except for that of the top, which could optionally fit two 140mm. However, the O11 Dynamic XL does offer a dedicated rear exhaust fan alongside the option to have room for 140mm fans both at the top and bottom.
The interior is somewhat similarly designed except for O11 Dynamic XL that comes with the inclusion of blanking plates that can be used for covering any unused fan mounts and turning them into SSD mounting points. It looks quite similar on the outer side having the only notable difference in the IO panel where it comes with more USB 3.0 ports and also the inclusion of an RGB panel.
Conclusion
So if you look through the differences in both of the chassis, you already know which one is better, however, you must keep the price factor also in mind before jumping in garbing one of them. Both of them tend to perform similarly in terms of cooling and have a very small difference in terms of features.
The O11 Dynamic is currently priced at 130$ and comes with pre-installed fans and the O11 Dynamic XL is priced at 200$ without the inclusion of fans. Therefore, if you can use the extra space that the O11 Dynamic XL offers you should then only for it, otherwise, the O11 Dynamic is quite a good option till now to choose from.
