Computex 2009: Hardware Preview

In-Win Maelstrom and mini-ITX cases

Yes it's MAELStrom not MALE-Storm. It's a name, I suppose. In-Win wants to get into the retail market more aggressively and this performance case is an almost finished design (but still "to be tweaked" I was told) due soon. It quite frankly, doesn't really know to make of it.

Lets be clear first of all - just because it's In-Win and not Cooler Master or Antec, doesn't mean we automatically cast it aside, but at the same time breaking down the features and In-Win needs to understand what really makes a performance case.

It's certainly big and black, inside and out, and on the plus side the PSU sits at the base under the motherboard so there's plenty of space for 3-way SLI. The side panel supports a multitude of fan options, with a large 200mm LED lit fan included in the side with a switch built in to turn the lights on and off. The vent holes are massive but frankly the whole side panel is really very easy to twist - it doesn't add much strength to the structure, if any. Not only that but there's no fan filters anywhere either.


The yellow 120mm fans are unique and really quite funky - there are three included: one in the back and roof (with space for another), and the third in the front for the hard drives. The hard drive bay houses space for six, but it's fixed in position - non-removable.

Despite the large, gaping holes in the perforated side to let the sound out, In-Win still goes to the trouble of insulating only parts of the case. It's a token gesture and we strongly doubt it will have any actual effect because of the thickness of steel and simple fact it's not a sealed environment. It could remove some of the high frequency noise, but it's probably better off being packed around the hard drives then.

Unfortunately there's no 2.5in SSD space included, which, for a new performance case design now we'll be looking for one, and I don't even think In-Win knew what the two green "handles" in the front were really for.

The good news is that there isn't too much plastic, and what there is, is of high quality - just on the top and facia, but like every case we're sure our readers will throw in their opinions about the design (we'll leave it to you to tell In-Win what you think - there's not right or wrong answer if you like it or loath it).

The top panel and lettering is a solid addition though - it looks good, or at least complementary, and it's certainly functional, although the cabling inside could do with a little pre-routing treatment.


The mini-ITX cases are a lot more fashionable though and are very much worth considering. Yes, they are also a bit too plasticy but at least the design is nice and the side panel has a lovely feature below.

Inside the layout appears pretty good with an 80mm fan venting air out from the CPU area and it comes pre-bundled with a custom 120W PSU - nice! The only downside is that PSU is cooled by a tiny 40mm fan, which will inevitably deny any chance of quiet running.

There's even some space for cable hiding on the right hand side too and two half height PCI-brackets for an expansion card and a USB bracket perhaps.