Lian-Li ships aluminum Xbox 360 tower case

Lian-Li this morning said it has started shipping the PC-XB01, its unusual replacement for the stock Xbox 360 casing. The brushed-aluminum tower builds on the company's experience with PC cases and lets enthusiasts comfortable with opening the console put its components in a much cooler chassis and avoid the chronic overheating issues that affect most existing systems. In addition to absorbing heat through the metal, the case has a Mac Pro-like front grill and a large 120mm rear fan to create high airflow.

The case maker also takes steps with the XB01 to eliminate the noise problem often attributed to the system, including foam padding around the optical drive. Ports are still as protected as they are on the original Microsoft design with dust covers for both memory card slots and USB ports.

Lian-Li is currently selling the tower in black and should make it available through PC vendors and other resellers for an approximate price of $149; the company warns that the casing change voids Microsoft's warranty in exchange for the likely improved reliability.