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The Lian Li EX-33
The front part of the Lian Li EX-33 is impeccably-built and continues in Lian Li's tradition of beauty and elegance in simplicity. It is even hard anodized instead of being given the usual paint job. The front panel is made from a single piece of aluminium and has pretty smooth edges along the sides. It is secured to the secondary assembly by 4 screws on each side. Overall, the black perforated grill design gives it a very eye-pleasing appearance.
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The case looks pretty simple from the side. The drive cage was made from cut and stamped stainless aluminum sheets. Considering I paid $46 (RM160) for this, I was hoping for a little more aluminum. The drive cage and the front panel are sturdy and well-built, although I would like to note that the riveting that connects the drive cage to the bottom part of the unit is pretty soft on tension. However, I don't know if this was done intentionally to reduce vibration or just a result of shoddy riveting.
The interior is roomy and it is easy to slide the drives in. The rails holding the hard drives are securely riveted to the drive cage, so no worries about the drives shaking around once you screw them in. There are round ventilation holes cut into the top and bottom of the drive cage to improve airflow within the drive cage.
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Lying between the front bezel and the fan is thin section holding a filter in place. The filter is a pretty simple affair, but one that works real well at filtering out dust. Need to remove the filter? Just poke your finger in and pull it out. You can then wash and dry it.
The Fan
The fan used in the Lian Li EX-33 is probably sourced from Lian Li's sister company, ADDA which is a well-known maker of industrial fan solutions. As the label states, it's probably the 1212LB series of fans from ADDA. They have a power output of 3.24 W and a noise rating of 24 dB.
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The fan is attached to a dedicated mount that isn't attached to the drive cage. That, I believe, is a smart move as it will reduce the amount of fan vibration transfered to the drive cage. The fan is mounted using standard screws, but the holes they go into are fitted with vibration dampers. As someone who owns an aluminum case, I know what vibrations can cause - ceaseless rattling and annoying buzzes. So vibration dampers are always a welcomed feature.
