PC cases with dual component compartments aren't all that common so when a major player like Lian Li announces one, we take notice.
In Lian Li's own words, the PC-09 mid-tower is essentially two different cases fused together as conjoined twins. The left side is enclosed with tempered glass and is designed to showcase your motherboard, CPU cooler, RAM, graphics card(s) and any other expansion cards you might be using.
The right side, meanwhile, is buttoned up in Lian Li's signature brushed aluminum. This area is used to hold less glamorous hardware like storage racks and the power supply. Separating the two sides is a strip of aluminum (either red or black depending on which model you select) that houses the power button, four USB 3.0 ports and HD audio inputs.
The Lian Li name is cut into the front of the strip (it's also LED backlit) and there's a controller for the included RGB LED kit at the rear.
Inside, you'll find the case is ripe for watercooling with three 120mm fans in the glass compartment and plenty of cable holes lined with rubber grommets. There's also a removable pump mount and a removable mesh dust filter on the bottom. The chassis accepts ATX and micro-ATX boards.
On the opposite side, there's a drive cage that can hold up to six 3.5-inch drives and two 2.5-inch drives. Lian Li says everything, including the power supply, is mounted on rubber vibration dampeners. This is where you'll likely want to install any reservoirs, additional pumps or spare tubing and hide excess PSU cables.
The Lian Li PC-O9 will be available in June in two versions - the PC-O9WRX in black with red highlights and the PC-O9WX in all black - priced at £349.99, or a little over $500. That's not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but I must say, it's one of the better looking cases I've seen in a while.