A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the InWin 309 looks pretty normal at first. The only thing that is somewhat out of the ordinary is the thickness of the front panel. The frame of the front is essentially the only element that has a bit of a uniquely shaped surface to it, besides the fact that the entire front is thicker on the bottom.


Looking at the main side, there is a fairly heavily tinted panel. InWin has chosen to use two strips and a spring-loaded latching mechanism to hold it in place, resulting in a clean look to this part of the 309. On the opposite side, the solid cover comes with a pretty unique air vent, once again a testament to InWin's unusual approach to case design.


However, once you start looking at the front, you can see the heavily diffused squares where the LEDs are, and from the rear, it becomes apparent that the interior of the 309 is not traditional at all. Interestingly enough though, while sturdy, the overall level of engineering is very simple; that is, next to the layout.


The PSU bay in the very top is on its side and takes up the left half, with the right being completely solid. An opening allows you to route cables down towards the motherboard, but the really cool touch is the opening next to where the PSU will be. InWin has cut a long and slim opening with a larger end here, which allows you to route cables behind the PSU and comes in handy for the CPU power plugs, for example. Below that is a 120 mm exhaust fan. InWin equipped the 309 with four EGO aRGB fans with its unique silicone frame, and also utilized four unique, clear plastic pins to hold each in place. In the very bottom are seven expansion slots with individually reusable pieces that cover a large, single opening.


The entire I/O of the 309 can be found embedded into the thick front panel. It consists of the usual audio plugs, a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, and pair of USB 3.0 ports. Interestingly enough, the full-size USB ports come with a metal frame usually found on the female end of external cables. While fully functional, it doesn't look so pretty. Besides the power and reset button, InWin allows you basic control of the front panel with a main toggle and two further buttons to flip through sub-settings.


A dust filter underneath the chassis may be pulled out the main side for easy cleaning without tipping over the whole system. Last, but not least are six tiny holes in the top of the front panel. InWin has embedded a microphone here to allow some of the LED settings to change in real time based on your audio landscape.