A Closer Look - Outside

Once the side panels are back in place, you finally have yourself an enclosure. In the case of the Explorer, there are still the three Luna AL120 fans, which you would want to place in the ceiling and rear of the case. However, as we will be using an AIO within the InWin Explorer, we won't include them for now. Fully assembled, the chassis is nice and rigid, but the glass panels are clearly the elements keeping it from being a little more flexible front to rear.


The front of the chassis is made out of steel and framed around the plastic elements. You may unscrew two screws to remove the cover, which reveals the air vent intended for the PSU. While the default steel variant essentially has no openings for airflow, the plastic variant provides two such cutouts. The plastic variant does not require any screws but simply clips into place, albeit not very strongly.


The I/O of the InWin Explorer consists of two USB 3.0, a USB Type-C, and the usual audio plugs. A square power button at the very top and power and HDD activity LEDs round things out.


Both sides of the InWin Explorer are identical. Due to the symmetrical design, they both employ the same glass for the panel and mold of the frame. This means they have openings in the top edge that serve no purpose as the same ones exist on the bottom, where they are used to hold the feet in place.


Looking at the rear, this side is made out of steel, too. There is a fairly notable, large gap at the top with exposed screw holes and a cutout in the top of the case. This is once again due to symmetry as both the top and bottom are made from the same mold, but the floor of the case is used to secure the rear steel frame. I have no idea why InWin did not simply design the rear plate to fill that gap and use two more screws to attach at the top edge—it would have certainly looked much nicer and possibly reduced that gentle one-dimensional flex.


Taking a closer look, three expansion slots are arranged vertically to the motherboard, so you will not need a riser cable when installing your graphics card. Above the motherboard cutout is also that 120/140 mm fan-sized cutout for one of the Lina AL120 fans to push hot air out the back of the InWin Explorer.


In the ceiling is a white plastic layer with a cloth mesh filter glued into it. You may pull that layer off to reveal the fairly elaborate and thick plastic structure meant to give the frame some rigidity while allowing for 120 or 140 mm fans or a 240 mm radiator to be mounted.


Taking a quick look at the underside of the InWin Explorer, there is that same symmetrical shape as in the top, as this is the same plastic part. You can also clearly see the metal flooring that has been placed inside the case. It is fully visible when viewed through the window, and it and the front and rear panels are the only ones made out of metal.