Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL Full Tower Case Review

TweakTown's Rating: 93%

The Bottom Line

Lian Li's O11 Dynamic series adds the EVO XL to its lineup with a bigger footprint and a few new features that might appeal to some. However, the price is steep, and no fans are included.

Pros

• + Geared for watercooling enthusiasts
• + Supports 3x 420mm radiators
• + Unique ways to mount a GPU
• + Invertible motherboard design
• + Great cable management system

Cons

• - No fans are included
• - High price tag of $235
• - PCIe slot covers do not match other pattern

Should you buy it?

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Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

Today, we will look at one of Lian Li's XL cases, the O11 Dynamic EVO XL. The O11 Dynamic series of PC cases from Lian Li is one of the most popular cases of all time; this time, however, it is a larger and heavier model. Water coolers will rejoice in supporting up to three 420mm radiators, all at the same time! Priced at $234.99, the O11 Dynamic EVO XL is not for the budget-minded. Why don't we look at what else the O11 Dynamic EVO XL offers?

Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$234.99	$234.99	$234.99	$234.99	Buy
	$234.99	$234.99	$234.99	-	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 2/19/2024 at 7:02 am CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Packaging

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The outside of the packaging shows the O11 Dynamic EVO XL, while nothing else is present.

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Opening up the packaging shows a good amount of high-density foam with a clear plastic bag protecting the O11 Dynamic EVLO XL during shipment.

Outside the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL

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With all the packing materials removed, the O11 Dynamic EVO XL stands tall and stout, much like the many O11s that came before it. Dimensions-wise, the O11 Dynamic EVO XL is 531.9 x 522 x 304mm, about 38% larger than the O11 Dynamic EVO.

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A slightly tinted full, tempered glass side panel shows off the internals of the O11 Dynamic EVO XL nicely. The full-length bottom dust filter is accessed with a center pull.

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The front panel, which consists mostly of tempered glass, includes a removable and relocatable I/O with a USB 3.1 Type-C port, four USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and an HD combo mic/headset 3.5mm jack. The I/O panel can be relocated to three different areas to suit the individual user's needs. An aRGB strip also runs from top to bottom on the right side.

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The rear panel has tons of ventilation for components such as the PSU and radiators; Lian Li claims that they opened up the ventilation airflow by at least 14% compared to the older O11 Dynamic XL. Up on the far left side is the power button, with a wrap-around design, two more buttons labeled M and C, which function for an RGB lighting control, and a reset button in the middle.

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The rear of the O11 Dynamic EVO XL is where the magic happens. The ability to invert (reverse mode) the motherboard tray is a big trick that the O11 Dynamic EVO XL can accomplish with only a few thumbscrews. Fan support for up to two 120mm fans is stacked on each other. The motherboard tray can be moved higher or lower by relocating a bracket or two. One issue is a mix of two ventilation patterns: a honeycomb pattern on the body and a horizontal style on the PCIe slot covers. The PCIe slots have a tool-less installation approach with a single thumbscrew held securely in four PCIe slots.

This design eliminates the need to install several screws to support a heavy GPU. A cable grommet is also present at the top center of the rear to aid in the various GPU positions for easy cable passthrough. The PSU, which lacks a PSU installation bracket, installs between two 3.5" drive bays.

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The top of the O11 Dynamic EVO XL has the same circular mesh pattern ventilation found on the rear panel, which can be removed via a single thumbscrew in the rear.

Inside the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL

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Removing that mesh ventilation panel reveals the removable top mount for up to 360/420mm radiator or up to three 120/140mm fans.

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Taking off the rear side panel, it shows a radiator mount, PSU, and many storage options. Again, just like the top and bottom of the O11 Dynamic EVO XL, up to a 360/420mm radiator or three 120/140mm fans can be installed in the side mounting location. Moving further right is a cable management and SSD bar, which can accommodate up to three 2.5" SSDs. Two HD drive cages, located in the top right and lower right, each can accept up to two 3.5" or 2.5" drives, as well as being pre-wired with SATA and power cables for easier installation.

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Stripping down, the O11 Dynamic EVO XL is quite large and can accommodate a large amount of hardware and all its cooling needs. The bottom has a removable mount that can accept up to a 360/420mm radiator or up to three 120/140mm fans. Another trick the O11 Dynamic EVO XL has up its sleeve is the ability to mount a GPU horizontally along the rear radiator/fan mount with an optional mount and 900mm PCIe 4.0 riser cable.

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Depending on the orientation, the side intake mount can be quickly removed via a quick retention bar located right at the top of the case. This side intake mount can also be spun around to accept thicker radiator/fan combos.

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Finally, the reverse mode, an inverted motherboard, flips everything on its head and puts the CPU on the bottom of the case, thus making the O11 Dynamic EVO XL face the other way.

Reverse mode is quite simple: Remove four thumbscrews that retain the motherboard tray in place, then remove the feet via a simple tab in the rear. Remove both top and bottom fan mounts. Install the feet on the opposite end and reinstall the fan mounts. Easy peasy.

Test System, Installation, and Finished Product

• Motherboard: B650 AORUS Elite AX (AMD B650) - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 - Buy from Amazon
• Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32GB DDR5 5600 RGB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA RTX 3090 Founders Edition - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Corsair MP600 PRO XT Gen4 PCIe x4 NVMe M.2 SSD - Buy from Amazon
• Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: MEG Ai1300P PCIE 5 & ATX 3.0 Gaming Power Supply - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit Build 22621 - Buy from Amazon
• Software: AIDA64 Engineer 7.00.6700, CPU-z 2.08.0 x64. GPU-Z 2.56.0, and HWiNFO64 v7.66-5271

Final Thoughts

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The Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL build process was nothing short of great, as should be expected for a case series with so many variants. I chose to install the test system in the reverse (inverted motherboard) mode, and I love it. This design mode also got my creative juices flowing for a future TweakTown article focusing on watercooling, so stay tuned for more.

Now moving back to the build process, the reverse mode only took a handful of screws, four of which were thumbscrews for the motherboard tray. The room on the motherboard's top, base, and side lends a great base for thick chunky radiators.

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Testing the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL, we ran the usual testing hardware: a Ryzen 7 7700X running on an AORUS B650 Elite AX motherboard with 1.1vcore running at 4.5GHz. The 7700X only reached a maximum temperature of 68C while only idling around 33C. For graphics, the NVIDIA RTX 3090 FE peaked at almost 72C but was idling at a chilly 28.3C. Overall, there are some impressive temperatures.

All testing was completed using Aida64 Engineer's System Stability Test version v7.00.6700 for over 2 hours; the ambient temperature was 19C. Other monitoring software used was HWiNFO64 v7.66-5271, TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.56.0, and CPU-Z 2.0.0.x64.

My final thoughts on the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL are quite good, and I recommend it to someone looking to do a fully custom water cooling loop inside of it. Can you air cool in the O11 Dynamic EVO XL? That's not the market this case should be aimed for. Priced at $235, it is not horrible, but it needs some things that some builders would like, namely a few included fans.