Lian Li makes small form factor PC cases, and the A4-H2O and B4-mATX are two of its compact models. A PC case is a chassis that holds a motherboard, GPU and cooling. Thinvent does not make cases. The closest Thinvent alternative is a mini PC: a complete, ready-to-run computer in a compact aluminium housing, with a processor, memory, storage and an operating system included.
We could not confirm the exact processor, RAM, storage or operating system of the Lian Li models, because our facts describe only their chassis design, size and cooling support. The comparison below therefore covers the features of the Thinvent mini PCs and the features Lian Li states for its cases.
Lian Li Small Form Factor vs Thinvent Mini PC
| Lian Li A4-H2O (case) | Lian Li B4-mATX (case) | Thinvent Treo Mini PC, Intel Core Ultra 5 125U | Thinvent Treo Mini PC, AMD Ryzen 5 7430U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product type | Small form factor PC case | Small form factor PC case | Complete mini PC | Complete mini PC |
| Processor | Not applicable | Not applicable | Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, 12 cores | AMD Ryzen 5 7000 Series 7430U, 6 cores |
| RAM | Not applicable | Not applicable | Up to 64 GB across the Treo range (this SKU: 32 GB) | Up to 64 GB across the Treo range |
| Storage | Not applicable | Not applicable | 2 TB SSD | 128 GB to 2 TB SSD |
| Form factor | About 11 litres | 21.3 litres, mATX | 199.5 × 181.5 × 29.5 mm | Mini PC |
| Operating system | Not applicable | Not applicable | Windows 11 Pro (also Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux, Without OS, DOS) | Windows 11 Pro (also Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux, Without OS, DOS) |
| Cooling | Supports 240 mm AIO water cooling (A4-H2O) | Supports 360 mm AIO and full mesh panels | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| GPU support | Triple-slot GPU (A4-H2O) | GPUs up to 358 mm | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Key differences
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The Thinvent Treo is a finished computer. The Lian Li cases are empty chassis, and a buyer must add a motherboard, processor, memory, storage, power supply and operating system.
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Thinvent Treo models include RAM and SSD storage, up to 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB of SSD across the range. Lian Li's cases do not include these components.
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Thinvent Treo models come with a choice of operating systems, including Windows 11 Pro, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux and Without OS.
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The Thinvent Treo Mini PC with Intel Core Ultra 5 125U uses an Intel processor that the Lian Li cases do not include.
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The Lian Li cases offer large cooling and GPU support. The A4-H2O supports a triple-slot GPU and 240 mm AIO cooling. The B4-mATX supports GPUs up to 358 mm and 360 mm AIO cooling. A Thinvent mini PC is designed around its built-in cooling and does not accept a user-selected GPU.
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The Lian Li cases are the better choice for building a custom high-end desktop with a large GPU. The Thinvent Treo is the better choice for a compact, ready-to-use computer.
Which one should you choose?
Choose a Lian Li case if you are building a custom PC and need a compact chassis with strong GPU and water cooling support. Choose a Thinvent Treo Mini PC if you need a complete, compact computer for office, embedded or industrial tasks, with the processor, memory, storage and operating system already included.
