InWin C200 Review - Back to the Roots for Creators 4

InWin C200 Review - Back to the Roots for Creators

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Value and Conclusion

  • The InWin C200 has an MSRP of US$90 excl. taxes.
  • Two dedicated 5.25" bays
  • Some liquid cooling possible without sacrificing external bays
  • Plenty of storage, six 3.5" and two 2.5" drives
  • Long GPUs will fit without sacrificing any storage
  • Lead to ground I/O panel
  • GPU support bracket included
  • Plenty of space for large PSU
  • Large CPU coolers will easily fit
  • Dust filters in front and bottom
  • Easy fan installation in the front even with a full system
  • Top cover easily removable to access cooling elements
  • Reusable accessories bag
  • USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C included
  • Unique set of features will cost you
  • No fans included
  • Vertical GPU mounting possibility seems out of place
  • Hot-swap PCBs for (some) 3.5" drives could be very useful for users of this chassis
  • Case LED cables lack proper labeling
  • Looks may not be for everyone
InWin is marketing the C200 towards creators. In general, that is absolutely the right target audience for this chassis. With the 5.25" drive bays, you are able to utilize Blu-ray drives or add a dual-height hard-drive hot-swap cage for easy access to your bulk storage. Internally, the trend continues with the ability to hold up to six 3.5" and two 2.5" drives for an excellent total of eight drives, and the included USB-C connector could be really useful for a content creator as well.

All these are strong points which are coupled with an interior layout that feels both old school but modern in a good way. It has been a long time since we have seen the storage configuration with 3.5" and 5.25" drive bays, yet back in the day when that was the norm, you did not have the luxury of a metal shroud over your PSU. Another blast from the past is the grounding cable that has disappeared in mainstream enclosures quite a long time ago, but is present in the InWin C200, giving you the confidence that shorts in the I/O will not fry anything vital inside the system. It also offers some liquid cooling potential while staying true to and absolutely protective of the two 5.25" drives, once again re-enforcing them as one of the main selling points. Sure, there are some annoyances, like the lack of +/- labeling on the LED cables and horizontal GPU mounting.

But. InWin is really riding that wave of having a combination of external drive bays, E-ATX support, lots of storage, and real USB-C built right into the front of the C200. That quartet of features in a chassis is pretty unique, and I can see how that could be enticing. However, if you don't desperately need eight internal drive bays or don't mind connecting to your motherboard's USB-C in the back, the world does not look as clear and other options may be enticing.

That simply means that the InWin C200 is a unique case, which will is a viable choice at a reasonable premium should your needs align perfectly with what it offers. Thus, InWin is clearly going for a fairly narrow customer segment with the C200 as you are clearly getting home-server/workstation dimensions and DNA fused with modern features.
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Jul 21st, 2024 22:28 EDT change timezone

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