A Closer Look - Outside

Quite a few areas of the chassis have been covered by a protective plastic layer. The factory workers have put their focus on the smooth, glossy parts and the elaborately textured tray on the top. Overall the chassis does not dissapoint in terms of design. The funky looks is exactly what most of us have come to expect to see from In Win. That being said, the "shield like" shape may not be something for everyone. It may be wise of In Win to release another case with the same features but edgy, straight design instead.


The front of the chassis features two identical parts, joined by a slightly skinnier middle element. But this design bears a few engineering surprises, as we will see later on. As with most cases nowadays, the PSU bay is located on the bottom, while you can clearly see the neon green elements which are part of most In Win enclosures. A fan can clearly be seen here, which is intended to push air out the back of the chassis.


Taking a look at the sides of the chassis, it becomes apparent that In Win has also put a lot of effort in this area. The main side panel may be equipped with two 120 mm fans and there is a little door with a lock right where three of the five hard drive trays are. This means that you can pull the drives out of the system without having to open the chassis up. Another nifty little addition is the extruded In Win logo on the top right corner.


On the other side, there are no openings - only an intrusion to act as a grip so that you can easily pull the panel off. In Win has replaced the screws with plastic clips on both panels. These snap into place nicely and do not require any tools to remove. I am just worried that the soft plastic may wear out over time.


On the top you will find another fan with neon green blades, which is also intended to push hot air out the top of the chassis. The other half of the space is taken by a large and fairly cool looking tray. In Win has placed a USB 3.0 connector here, so you could just plug your device in and place it in the tray.


The bottom of the front holds the final and third fan. This one does not come with green blades, but with blue LEDs. It pulls air into the chassis to cool the hard drives behind it. Above that are the three 5.25 inch bay and a single 2.5 inch one. It is refreshing to see that In Win is still including such a bay in their designs. On the top ledge you will find two USB 2.0, an eSATA and the pair of audio connectivity. The power and reset buttons have been placed on either side of this I/O panel.


Turning the BUC around, we have the afore mentioned PSU bay on the bottom. There is nothing out of the ordinary here. Above that are the seven mainboard expansion slots. These feature plastic, neon green locks. While such systems have proven too weak in the past, the version we see here has been designed by In Win. It will be interesting to see how well it fares. All the on top you will find the rear fan and two openings for water cooling tubes. In Win has also pre-routed the single USB cable out the back of the chassis in a small opening to the left.


Before we dive into the chassis, there is one more aspect. A dust filter on the underside of the chassis protects the PSU, keeping the dirt out. It is easily removable so that you can clean it without tipping over the entire system.