Sunday, June 4th 2023

InWin Puts a Spotlight on Modular and DIY Chassis Designs

At Computex 2023 InWin showcased a chassis concept that has been something of a holy grail in case design for the last couple decades: a fully modular case. By fully modular InWin means that each compartment of the chassis is its own accessory module that can be attached at any 90 degree intersection with tool free interlocks. This allows somebody to effectively build an infinite computer case if they so desired. The case is broken up into three base modules: Mod-I is the motherboard tray with nine expansion slots, some front I/O, and a couple 120/140 mm fan mounts at the front and top. Mod-II has the mount for the PSU, and Mod-III can host 3.5 inch storage bays, a full size GPU, or fans with three more 120/140 mm fan mounts. The rest of the case, being the outer panels, face plates, and covers, are sized to fit around the outer dimensions of these modules so no matter what configuration you assemble there is a combination of glass and steel panels that fit and can enclose the case.

InWin offers two default configurations for buyers to choose from: ModFree - Base Edition and ModFree - Deluxe Edition. The Base Edition includes one Mod-I and Mod-II frame pieces with glass and steel side panels for a relatively basic mid-tower setup, while the Deluxe Edition adds a Mod-III fan housing to both the front and top with accompanying side panels. The third option is to simply configure whatever you like from the available modules. InWin is also working on a unique concept for the Mod-II chassis piece that adds a motherboard tray, vented wooden side and wood-color accent plates to create a very stylish ITX chassis called the ModFree mini.
Another modular chassis that InWin had on display was the DUBILI series which ships with some assembly required. By "some" I mean "all" as the case comes as individual pieces packaged in a flat-pack cardboard carton. InWin's justification for this is that they want users to, "feel a sense of accomplishment" in assembling the tower for themselves. The assembled chassis supports up to 305x330 mm E-ATX motherboards, eight expansion slots, a 430 mm long GPU and 160 mm tall CPU heatsink, and fits four 2.5 inch drives as well as two more 3.5 or 2.5 drives. The case kit comes with four of InWin's Jupiter AJ140 fans, obviously not pre-installed, and the DUBILI can fit another five fans with three at the top and front, two on the bottom, and one at the rear. InWin showed off some custom panel options that will likely be optional order selections for those who want to customize their DUBILI. The two default configurations come in either gray or gold.
For a smaller DIY option InWin showed off their POC One which also comes flat-packed and ready for manual assembly, but miniaturized down to an ITX form factor. This case is a little different from DUBILI in one important regard; the panels come stitched together with leather strapping and the user assembles the inner chassis, then bends those outer panels around the interior chassis frame. The selection of materials is very eclectic with this design as it utilized not only leather straps but also wood accents, frosted acrylic windows, steel framing, and of course aluminium side panels. Inside the case still has enough space to support quad-slot GPUs up to 335 mm in length, a full ATX power supply, and up to three 120 mm fans.
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7 Comments on InWin Puts a Spotlight on Modular and DIY Chassis Designs

#1
tripleclicker
I love how a sign says, "No Photo" and yet it's here with this article. But of course, if you're wearing a 'Press' badge you get to do that. ;)
Posted on Reply
#2
maxfly
They forgot that cases are supposed to look good. Those are some homely creatures.
Posted on Reply
#3
nguyenquan1
wut, they have "No Photo" sign, and we have Photos :)
amazing incredible (❁´◡`❁)
Posted on Reply
#4
bonehead123
Some interesting designs for sure, unlike some of iWinny's past cases :)

I'm really like that one with the wood grain front grill and metal stand base, and the cheese-grater MacPro clone isn't too bad either, but the nOcTua-colored one, not so much...
Posted on Reply
#5
GreenReaper
maxflyThey forgot that cases are supposed to look good. Those are some homely creatures.
You might prefer the Chopin Max (compact mini-ITX with no external slots, 200W Gold custom PSU included). I made a fun 7600 build out of it, even though they recommend against it currently, and it'd probably work well with the 7800X3D as well, or maybe the two-CCD models in ECO mode or somewhere below their maximum).

No discrete GPU without USB4 or serious case modding, though. But hey, you can overclock the iGPU! (And you might want to try undervolting the cores and RAM from EXPO defaults otherwise it gets hot very fast under full load, even with a NH-L9A-AM5 with extra duct.
Posted on Reply
#6
R0H1T
tripleclickerI love how a sign says, "No Photo" and yet it's here with this article. But of course, if you're wearing a 'Press' badge you get to do that. ;)
There's also a "don't touch" in there, presumably handled with a magnet or telekinesis :pimp:
Posted on Reply
#7
trsttte
I like it, I already liked it when they showed this at CES and continue to like it now. Just need to see numbers $$$
Posted on Reply
Apr 25th, 2024 18:19 EDT change timezone

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