Lian Li F1: The Desk As the Computer
by Joshua Buss on August 7, 2005 7:35 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Introduction
Every once in a while, a new product so different enters the computer market such that we actually have to deviate a bit from our normal article categories just to write about it. Since the summary of this article on the front page has already given away the fact that this is about a computer workstation, it is plausible that one would think, "but there is nothing new about desks...they have been around for a very long time." This is most certainly true to an extent, but the Lian Li F1 and F2 are not your average computer desks by any stretch of the imagination.When a technology enthusiast thinks about the perfect workstation, what do they have in mind? What would they deem important to have in their "dream" desk, and what would they rather do without? These are exactly the kinds of "bigger idea" questions that the design teams at Lian Li surely had to ask themselves in the planning and development stages of this desk's construction.
This article ended up in this category of our site because Lian Li essentially answered that second question with, "it should perfectly accommodate a computer, of course", and what better way to provide that answer than to include one of Lian Li's latest tower cases, the PC-V1000. Coming soon will be a large case roundup where we will see how the V1000 compares to several other tower cases from various manufacturers. Today, we are just going to focus on the desk, since it is absolutely possible that one could put other cases into the F1 / F2.
How else Lian Li answered these questions will be the subject of this article, but for starters, let's just take a look at what the manufacturers themselves have to say about their new product:
Material:
- Aluminum alloy, solid and durable, easy to clean, elegant, light and will never get deformed
- Surface is hard-anodized, wear-proof and long-lasting.
- Wire collection system makes all cables invisible.
- Genuine leather plate on desk offers a comfortable working space.
- Coasters, business card holder, note box
- A place to store your keyboard.
- Front bezel design available for placing speakers or other computer accessories
- Sliding drawer with lock in the middle and individual tanks inside for storage of stationary and other small accessories
- Drawer with elegant handle design and concaves inside for loading CDs
- Multimedia port on right side of desk for easier access and operation (USB2.0 x 2, IEEE1394, MIC x1, EAR x 1, 12-in-1 card reader, internet LANx1)
- Spare power plug for easy access for electrical appliances
- Stand for printer with box in the bottom for paper storage (A4 size) offers more space for use.
- Foldable stand and hook for hanging your bag or other personal belonging
- Place for computer case, available for Lian Li PC-V1000
- Adjustable feet enables desk to be placed at uneven ground (1 inch adjustable).
- Optional side desk can be used as a simple meeting place - space and work efficient.
- Optional file folder enables user to collect everything in one location for a convenient working environment.
Also, a special note regarding the photography in this article:
This is one of the most graphically intensive reviews here at AnandTech to date, and due to the nature of the finish of this unit, flash photography was a necessity. This can cause other features of the surrounding environment to look overly exposed or 'washed out' - which is why we generally strive to avoid the use of a flash - but please keep in mind that the focus of the pictures is the unit itself, and to show the detail of the hardware in pictures viewable over the internet, we felt that it was best to take our pictures this way. We hope that you will agree and can appreciate the time and effort that goes into photographing something of this size and finish.
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uffda - Monday, August 8, 2005 - link
You are very right. Ergonomically this desk is not terribly good. And a chair is critical to good arm/back support.bldckstark - Monday, August 8, 2005 - link
Yup, I bought a $500 Samsonite leather chair, and it is the most comfortable piece of furniture in my house. I spend more time in that chair than any other, so it should be the best you can afford. I had a cheapo chair for years, and all it did was hurt my neck and back. My desk is still the one I got for $125, 11 years ago, and it works fine with all my junk - lamp, scanner, tower, printer, speakers, joystick, keyboard, mouse, ZIP drive, card reader, headphones, and 2 19" CRT's. I couldn't tell for sure, but I didn't think this desk could house all of that.Icehawk - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
For $3k you can a LOT nicer workstations that are more ergonomic, and IMO, look a lot sweeter. Check out Herman-Miller and other companies like that...How come there aren't any pictures of the product completely assembled or in use?
Tamale - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
mostly because of size constraints.the pictures at lian-li's site actually give the best idea how it looks completely assembled
as for in-use, what would you have in mind? I can't think of anything that wouldn't have looked cheesy...
Houdani - Monday, August 8, 2005 - link
A picture with the desk populated with a monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc would go along ways towards expressing the size/scale/proportions of this desk. Maybe even wheel a chair up to it and call it good. No need to drop yourself in there to ham it up for the photo. :)JoshuaBuss - Monday, February 16, 2009 - link
here 'ya go:http://www.uic.edu/honors/jbuss2/cs527/setupBig.jp...">http://www.uic.edu/honors/jbuss2/cs527/setupBig.jp...
buttocks2k - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
I enjoyed the article and thought it was well-written, but the price scares me away =Drentaknight - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
I also enjoyed the article and thought it was well-written and agree that that price is scaryTamale - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
I think most of you have the mindset that I did too at first.. but I don't think Lian Li was attempting to sell this to the masses.. I think it's aiming much moreso to target the people who are considering a solid oak desk for instance in the same basic price range.The biggest problem I foresee with this though is simple marketing.. how will Lian Li ever get this thing out to that market? The main people who know about the company are more like you and me and are generally too cost concious to even consider buying something that much...
karioskasra - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
Personally, I've had a few computer desks and I keep enging up having to remove the side compartments and case holding so i can actually turn the entire frontal 90degrees without hitting my leg on something. I sat for a year facing NE because that was the only orientation that would fit =/My current setup is not too unlike the milk crates + door, except maybe a bit less ghetto