Project Iceberg (v2)

In the first few weeks of using the Iceberg I realised that my choice of case, the Lian Li PC-6089A, was flawed. I chose the case almost entirely for cosmetic reasons and it's design has delivered a few practical issues that need addressing:

• The two intake fans draw air (and dust) in from underneath the case. Now I am not convinced of the efficiency of this arrangement, although the Iceberg was running with total stability and my temperatures were not unusual (~50ºC - CPU and ~40ºC - system). Surely a straight, unobstructed path of air would be better than the one in use here, where the airflow has to make a 90º turn on its way into the case? Also, as a result of this design, the intake air filter is underneath the case and is therefore tricky to get to. This filter needs cleaning regularly and, while Lian Li have made the operation tool-free (more thumbscrews), you either have to lay the case on its side or hold it up while you extract the filter. Obviously this is not ideal.

The perspex door, while pretty, was also giving me headaches:

• It needed cleaning regularly as it attracts an awful lot of dust and even cleaning with an anti-static spray hadn't helped much.
• The door is hinged on the left when, to my mind, it should be hinged on the right. Why? Well the case window is on the left, so the logical position for the system unit is to the right of the user, so that he/she can see through the window (otherwise what's the point?). Therefore it would be more convenient if the door were hinged on the right. Better still, with only minuscule design changes, Lian Li could have made the door reversible, giving the user the choice.
• Another problem with the door is that, when closed, it is too close to the fascia of the case. So I couldn't install any devices that would prohibit the door from closing and I had decided that I needed a rheobus.
• The door has a frosted area that covers the 5¼" bays. At first I thought this was a really cool idea because it kind of hides the beige optical drives that I was using in the Iceberg. However, it also hid the LCD display. Now I have to question Lian Li's logic here: they (presumably) know that the vast majority of their customers will either stealth their 5¼" devices, or opt for aluminium fascias for them. They surely also realise that LCDs and VFDs are popular with their customers. So why the frosting?
• Finally, I am not too keen on the window that is supplied with the PC-6089A. I love its shape, size and blue tint, but the godawful pattern of blue squares doesn't look right in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, the PC-6089 is a beautifully engineered, practical and attractive case... it just wasn't right for Project Iceberg.

So I classed the rig as a dry run and began planning version 2!