Summary
The case is simply beautiful with simple clean lines on the exterior. I didn’t expect the impact that this case has in person. The quality of the materials really stands out. The thickness of the glass and aluminum really impress. The brushed aluminum is gorgeous and the fact that it’s a single piece bent around 80% of the case really takes it to the next level.
Unlike some of In Win’s other designs – this beautiful form hasn’t impacted the function of the case. It still has easy access to i/o ports and power switches. The support for custom water cooling is great and there is adequate radiator space provided. All the quick release mounts are really useful – our only real complaint is that the top chamber is “wasted” on HDDs.
In addition, if you are someone who often plugs and unplugs cables, you’re going to hate sticking your hand through the rear panel and trying to locate the right port:
The other minor annoyances are really about the cables – the provided atx extensions are the cheapest you can get with no sleeving. In addition the internal wiring, although sleeved, do not fully hide the colored wires underneath.
So this is a beautiful, functional case. However it’s heavy and it’s expensive. $450 is not cheap, but neither are the materials used for this. Given the premium quality of the case I feel like the price is fair. This is a case that will look like you spent money on it. Think of it like a BMW 6 series, it might not be the lightest or fastest or the most functional; but you’ll enjoy the ride while knowing the experience is not cheap. For some, it’ll be worth the money.
Therefore despite our niggles we really love this case and think that end users will not be disappointed. Therefore it wins the coveted gold award!
Where to buy:
That’s a very nice case and I’m probably going to build by next computer with that. But I have 2 questions.
I’m going to have 2xMSI 980 Ti LIGHTENING SLI in the computer, which is a tri slot card. What exactly is the problem that I will run into if I mount one of them at the lowest 2 slots? Is is possible to stuck it in there with some slight mods?
Also, is it possible for me to mount the PSU in the HDD compartment at the top? Thanks
If they are a full three slots then no, if they are 2.5x then they might work 🙂
PSU, haven’t measured, but yes maybe, worst case you might have to mod it a bit 🙂
Thank you for this review. I actually ordered this case prior to reading but you gave me some ideas for designing my loop. Question – how would I remove the HD bays – they take up space (as you noted) and it would be great for the reservior.
I believe they screw in from the underside, i.e. the top panel of the motherboard chamber 🙂 I’m out of the country right now so can’t check sadly.
I am actually building on one of these cases now. I have two questions;
1. Is the IN WIN front logo supposed to light up? I can’t figure out if I have one of the LED plugs plugged in wrong or if it doesn’t come on until after post or… not at all. My Side LED works with all of its flashing glory.
2. What are the clearances on the top and bottom of the Main Motherboard Bay with a 280mm radiator? I’m attempting to put a custom water reservoir on the bottom that comes flush with the PSU cover.
1. – Yes – although my side LED strip had managed to unplug itself in shipping, so you may want to poke around where all the wires come out to see if you have a loose cable in there.
2. top and bottom? Do you mean the side of the board? The bottom I think you’d be best off with a very slim/narrow 240 at the bottom. I was able to fit an EK PE radiator in there, but that’s really the limit and it was already causing some interference getting in the bottom cables to the motherboard. If you want an easy life I’d suggest something like an EK SE radiator (narrow/slim) or a Hardware Labs Nemesis GTS N series (narrower version than regular GTS – Same as Bitspower Leviathan Slim). For the front mounted 280 – you won’t get a lot of air to the rad so the size isn’t critical and the space you have for it also depends on if you’re getting a super long GPU or also trying to mount a Pump in there. If you’re not running a super long GPU or pump in that area then my guess would be that a 60mm with push only fans would be ok. Let us know how your build goes!
Hi, am in the processing of designing my own 909 build, and I was wondering -> is there room for a push/pull configuration in the back radiator block with a 60mm thickness radiator?
I was thinking it looks quite tight, but if you abandoned the bottom fan (where the gpu might be), you might be able to get away with it… thoughts?
I haven’t measured it but yes I’m pretty sure you can do 60mm with push/pull 🙂 The review has a 60mm UT60 in there and there’s definitely space for a 2nd row of fans. Worse case you might need some cable adapters I suppose 🙂
I appreciate the response; I’ve since put in my radiators/reservoirs into my build. I’ve got an ek-xres 100 mounted horizontally in the empty space near the drive cages. My Msi gtx 1080 Seahawk ek x has about a 25mm clearance from CE 280 front mounted rad and fans. I’m in the process of custom making a reservoir that will sit in the 185mm space over the USB ports. I am very interested in seeing the results of the restricted airflow in the front of the case; in waiting on the ML140s from corsair to release in the US.
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