Assembly

Installing the motherboard within the W1 is a breeze because everything is readily accessible. As you can see, I used the OEM AMD cooler, but the W1 will easily hold a tower cooler as long as it is not too big. Since Cooltek mentions a maximum height of 215 mm, even a big 140 mm unit should easily fit. In terms of the graphics card, you should not have any issues either, as they can be upwards of 320 mm long. You just have to make sure to connect any hard-drive cables before installing a long GPU because such a video card will block access to the drives off.


Installing a 3.5" drive may require a screwdriver, but you can skip the tools and use your fingers because of the rubber rings. Once the four screws are in place, simply slide the drive into the chassis. To ensure that it will stay in place, you have to grab the drive and attach the red bar with two traditional screws. By doing so, the drive no longer has any wiggle room, so you won't have to worry about vibration from these either.


As the top cage cannot hold smaller storage units, you will be forced to use those on the floor of the W1. Simply screw them down through the case's underside, and that is it. Thanks to the rubber rings, shocks and vibrations stand no chance.


Installing the slimline ODD drive is done by traditional means, using the tiny screws such units require. Cooltek includes a set of these, so you won't be left hanging.


The trend continues with the PSU as it also uses traditional screws. As you can see, shorter PSUs will not get in the way of the 2.5" drive's position, but if you for some reason use a longer PSU, it will block the bay off.


With everything in place, the W1 makes a good impression. I did not spend a lot of time on cable management, but made sure the bulk of leads stayed in the bottom compartment, which results in a nice and clean upper region within the chassis.

Finished Looks

Once everything is put into place and the system has been turned on, you hardly have any visual clues as to whether the PC is up and running as only the blue LED in the other side panel gives it away.


Everything in the rear of the chassis is easily accessible, so you should have no issues reaching any cables or connectors. You may also pull the top off while the system is running, which reveals all vital parts of the system. This particular view nicely shows that the W1 comes with a lot of room for a tall air cooler.