A Closer Look - Outside

I have to be honest, upon first looking at this case I was a bit taken back. You will either love the design or hate it, but before you draw any conclusions, keep reading. There are a few very pleasant surprises hidden within this design.


The front of the chassis is made mostly of plastic. The silvered colored edges and the black inner design do remind one of a space ship. I do not know if it looks anything like an "X-Fighter" (technically they are called X-Wing and Tie Figher) from Star Wars, but here is a suggestion to the modders out there: Mod the case with a rusty grey paint job with red lines and the insigna of the rebels on the bottom fan grill. The rear looks nothing out of the ordinary, with the PSU bay located on top. I can tell you, due to the small difference in the way the entire back is constructed, that this is by no means an OEM case with a fancy side panel and front. In Win has designed this chassis themselves - including the interior.


One side of the case holds a black contraption, which acts as an air vent to the holes on the side. While it does add a spacy look to the chassis, it once again does not remind me of a Star Wars spaceship. The other side is completely plain and does not even have any air vents.


Taking a closer look at the front, the top part above the contraptions which looks like a handle, are the six exposed drive bays. Four of these are intended for 5.25 inch devices, while the bottom two are for 3.5 inch ones. Below that is an air vent for the front intake fan. The plastic bridge across the front actually holds a power button in the front - which is stretched across the entire width and a reset button in the rear of this contraption. This is a unique place for it, but is surprisingly ingenious if you ask me. By placing the button out of the direct touch of the user, In Win was able to use a normal tiny button for this function. This means that you won't need a pen, pin, screw driver or pointy finger nail to jam down a small reset buton somewhere.


In Win has decided to ship the rear mainboard expansion slot covers seperate, as there are seven open slots. Above that is one of the company's own fans, with the signature green blades behind a honey comb fan guard. The very top is taken by a simple power supply bay along side two large openings to route water cooling tubes out of the chassis.


In Win has placed large, pointy feet on the X-Fighter. While these are clearly part of the overall design, the additional leverage should do for easier cleaning under the PC from time to time. Another interestingly simple, but certainly effective aspect are the plastic panel locks. To unlock the side panels, just pull them away from the sides - that's it. If you are worried about the internals of the PC at a LAN Party, you may use traditional screws in the usual holes as well. The top I/O is located quite far back on the roof of the X-Fighter. While this means that you will not be able to reach them easily, it gives you a lot of space to place an external drive in front of the connectors on top of the PC. In Win has chosen to include the whole spectrum of connectivity with two eSATA ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire and the usual pair of audio plugs.