Today we are going to be taking a look at a spacecraft inspired mid tower chassis, the In Win X-Fighter. As with many of the other components of the PC, choosing the correct chassis for your next build can be challenging. Trying to narrow down the right selection will take some research. The main characteristics I look for in a chassis are the overall size and its airflow design. Will the X-Fighter have what it takes to impress me? We will have to see.
First Impression:
The In Win X-Fighter comes packed in a spacious and sturdy box. The space themed box gives shows a large image of the case along the front. Moving around to the rear of the box you will find a few images showing a few of the features the X-Fighter brings with it. The Specifications are listed on the side of the box as well.
Taking a quick look at the In Win X-Fighter, I was curious about the large vent on the side of the chassis. Looking at the size of it I had a feeling that the panel was going to have a considerable amount of weight to it. This is a mid tower so cooling options are going to be some what on a minimum, and its nice to see that there is something out of the normal done here. The 5.25" bays are also vented to allow more airflow. Although I wasn't feeling the top USB, Firewire, and Audio port placement. Having seen this done on several other designs in the past. I could have really gotten by without seeing it here.
Features:
Star Wars Design: Inspired by spacecrafts from the Star Wars films, the silver aluminum stripes compliment the hard steel and geometric lines. Stunning lighting effects exhibit an out-of-this-world experience like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Triangular Feet: The base of the chassis is held up with a set of four triangular feet giving your chassis a three-dimensional futuristic look.
Innovative Adjustable Thermal Exhaust Vents: Exclusively from In Win, the adjustable thermal exhaust vents provide a complete cooling solution that mold themselves to meet your desired thermal
needs.
LED Light Dances to The Beats: The Power and HDD lights dance to the beat of your power supply usage and hard drive speed.
Easy Access: The USB, Firewire, and audio interface ports are located at the top of the X-Fighter allowing quick access to headsets, cameras, external HDs, and other connection devices.
Specifications:
Case Size:
Mini Tower
Material:
0.8mm SECC Steel
Dimension: (HxWxD)
18.5" x 9.4" x 22.4" / 470 x 240 x 570 mm
Data Security:
Padlock loop for padlock
Power Supply:
ATX 12V PS/2
I/O Expansion Slots:
7 PCI/AGP Slots
Thermal Solution:
Smart-3D UniDuct™ 12cm Ceramic Fans at Front & Rear Panels VGA Turbo Cooling System with 8cm Side Ceramic Fan x 2 Support Water-Cooling
With the X-Fighter out of the box we can see from the front view that the large side vent protrudes a good inch or so from the left side of the chassis. Looking at the top of the chassis we see the standard Front (top in this case) I/O ports located in the recessed area. The front of the X-Fighter offers a lot of airflow for a mid tower chassis. Mounted at the lower section is a 120mm fan with the four 5.25" bays being vented as well.
Here we have a look at both sides of the X-Fighter. I like the idea of the side vents on the X-Fighter, but I would have thought that the angles would be more inline with the other lines of the chassis. The louvers just look out of place to me at that angle. Moving over to the right side we find the panel is rather bare. This is another area I wish manufactures would expand on. I personally like things looking uniform from the start. Although you couldn't vent it quite the same as the other side, you could still cosmetically make it match. Also note that the X-Fighter uses small flip style latches to hold the side panels on, which is a feature I like.
I would have liked to seen the Front ports implemented in another way
to be honest. There are several other chassis on the market using this same basic idea. Granted it is functional for those that want front panel ports. I have a feeling that these might be placed a little to far back, but we will have to see when we get to the installation of the hardware.
Here we have the meshed 5.25" drive bay covers. Looking at that image closely shows the X support in behind the mesh. Was this an intentional design characteristic? or was it actually done for support? I have a feeling it has a little to do with both. Person I would have left that out and built up the outer frame of the mesh for the need strength. But again thats the modder in me coming out. Moving over to the next image we have the front "handle looking" area. Now I must say In Win definitely went unique here. The power button is the full width of this and is back lit with several LEDs that light up in sequence. Now some users might find themselves looking for the reset button. Well its directly behind this area. Stick your hand in there like you're going to pick the case up with it and you will feel the resest button sticking out.
Moving along to the rear of the chassis. We find the standard layout with the PSU being mounted up top. To the right we have two water cooling line access holes. Below that we have the rear I/O port section and a 120mm Yellow (WOW thats bright) fan followed up by the expansion slots just below.
