A Closer Look - Outside

The D-Frame Mini essentially takes the original's shape and shrinks it down to a point where it can't hold anything but Mini-ITX motherboards. Thus, the chassis looks just as cool, but at a much more appropriate size for the general public, which even makes it portable.


The chassis' front features two angled aluminum rods behind which you will find the I/O in the form of two USB 3.0 and a pair of audio connectors. The same panel holds the power and reset buttons and their usual LEDs.


The PSU in the rear is to be installed either with its power lead facing up or down. The choice is yours due to two mounting frames, one on top and the other on the bottom. In Win also used this area to put their branding on display as an aluminum plate into which the words "D-Frame Mini" have been carved has been put there.


Both sides are equipped with tempered glass panels. These are slightly thinner than what we have seen on the large D-Frame, which also reduces the unit's overall weight. The glass panels are tinted slightly, which helps in hiding the cable mess behind the motherboard a bit.


A new addition to the D-Frame Mini is the top handle. It features a rougher surface to give you a better grip when carrying the unit around. The chassis' symmetric design will also allow you to stand the chassis up on any of its sides - you may even put it down onto one of its glass panels if you like.


Such is possible because of the numerous and thick rubber rings that have been glued onto the aluminum frame. These are red for the black, blue for the orange, and black for the red version of the unit. Each of the screws holding these glass panels in place is extruded outward slightly, through a single piece of aluminum, and each also sits on a rubber-lined bit that kills any vibrations that may otherwise travel back and forth between these parts.