INWIN brings a case to CES that is actually exciting!

Smoked Brisket

Smoked Brisket

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Feb 6, 2013
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Behold the modular Mod Free chassis: https://www.techpowerup.com/303226/in-win-mod-free-takes-case-modularity-to-the-nth-level
A case that can be arranged into several configurations depending on your needs. Go big or go small, looks like you can even go test bench style if you want. Seems like a home run if they can keep the cost reasonable and build up an accessory ecosystem around it to keep it fresh.
Not a totally original idea it seems very similar to this https://www.techspot.com/news/40443-antec-ships-highly-customizable-open-air-case-lanboy-air.html which I owned and, looking back, wish I still did.
I will be a buyer if the price is reasonable. What do you guys think?
 
Smoked Brisket said:
Behold the modular Mod Free chassis: https://www.techpowerup.com/303226/in-win-mod-free-takes-case-modularity-to-the-nth-level
A case that can be arranged into several configurations depending on your needs. Go big or go small, looks like you can even go test bench style if you want. Seems like a home run if they can keep the cost reasonable and build up an accessory ecosystem around it to keep it fresh.
Not a totally original idea it seems very similar to this https://www.techspot.com/news/40443-antec-ships-highly-customizable-open-air-case-lanboy-air.html which I owned and, looking back, wish I still did.
I will be a buyer if the price is reasonable. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

So, it's an erector set case? :p
 
Smoked Brisket said:
Behold the modular Mod Free chassis: https://www.techpowerup.com/303226/in-win-mod-free-takes-case-modularity-to-the-nth-level
A case that can be arranged into several configurations depending on your needs. Go big or go small, looks like you can even go test bench style if you want. Seems like a home run if they can keep the cost reasonable and build up an accessory ecosystem around it to keep it fresh.
Not a totally original idea it seems very similar to this https://www.techspot.com/news/40443-antec-ships-highly-customizable-open-air-case-lanboy-air.html which I owned and, looking back, wish I still did.
I will be a buyer if the price is reasonable. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
It could be interesting probably expensive.
 
I love the idea of modular cases, but they're never really properly supported long term. I would love to see something like this get released and do well enough that the company keeps producing modules for it beyond the 6-12 month time period.

As far as cost goes: Its InWin, it is going to be expensive. InWin doesn't produce cases in large volume so they're never going to be able to compete with the big companies in terms of price.
 
InWin cases are pretty, but I don't think I've ever seen a design of theirs that looked practical.
 
Cooler Master HAF Stacker and Caselabs' various offerings prove that modular PC cases are nothing new, and if I want to disregard IBM-compatible PCs in ATX form factor, there's the old Acorn RiscPC line with their "podules".

That said, if they can make such a niche case ecosystem work out, more power to InWin.
 
My naked Air 740 looks like the first pic in that link, lol.
IMG_2203.JPEG
 
I like it, would solve my perpetual problems of "taking tin snips to all my cases so I can put radiators where I want" and "why are all the cases with good radiator support so damn BIG"

Get an acrylic window lasercut, form panels from sheet AL/steel, 3D print front-panel connector housing and maybe some LED deco, and that's a neat custom box right there.
Definitely keeping an eye on this.
 
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Armenius said:
InWin cases are pretty, but I don't think I've ever seen a design of theirs that looked practical.
Click to expand...
I've got an inwin chopin, it's some silly metal standy thing around an almost practical case; would be practical if it had clearance for a cooler, the chopin has a mesh side that bulges out and gets just enough extra space to actually fit a cooler.
 
Very limited support for 3.5" HDDs. I have four in my current Phanteks case. This case also houses a drive bay DVD drive and a multi-format card reader. But these can't go into this new case.
 
philb2 said:
Very limited support for 3.5" HDDs. I have four in my current Phanteks case. This case also houses a drive bay DVD drive and a multi-format card reader. But these can't go into this new case.
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Agreed.

This case looks essentially like useless, overpriced garbage to me. I'm just going to be brutally honest, here. It's not actually modular when a majority of the valid configurations that I see in the video boil down to "this is pretty much a generic tower case that you can get from Lian Li (or anyone) for probably less than half the price".

Just going to repeat what I said in another thread and say that I wish someone took the Lian Li O11 Air Mini, scaled it up to a bigger size, and then replaced the side fan mounts with a full set of 3.5" HDD mounts. It would have enough horizontal space to accommodate all this, and would more or less be the best case I could possibly get. It would have enough room for probably ~ 11+ 3.5"/2.5" HDD bays, the bays could get airflow while being completely out of the way of the GPU (insert front to back), the PSU would be out of the way, and there would still be plenty of cable management room in the back.

Maybe one day it'll happen, but I'm not holding my breath because Lian Li can't possibly make a case without going "well it was almost perfect, but let's just fuck up this one aspect of it for the lulz". I'm kind of tired of all of these "look we're innovating by taking a tower case and uh... it's a special tower case!" cases.
 
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1_rick said:
You mean, something like the Lian Li O11 Dynamic?
Click to expand...

You can read my full ramble on it here: https://hardforum.com/threads/coolermaster-haf-700-evo.2030924/post-1045748451

But yes, the O11 Dynamic, but a less stupid Dynamic lol. I want them to take out that front glass panel, replace it with mesh and about 3+ fan mounts, then take out the side fan mounts and replace them with front-to-back facing HDD mounts (that way the case wouldn't get much wider). It would literally be the "everything" case as far as I'm concerned. Perfect airflow, plenty of 3.5" bays, superb wire space, everything.
 
StoleMyOwnCar said:
You can read my full ramble on it here: https://hardforum.com/threads/coolermaster-haf-700-evo.2030924/post-1045748451

But yes, the O11 Dynamic, but a less stupid Dynamic lol. I want them to take out that front glass panel, replace it with mesh and about 3+ fan mounts, then take out the side fan mounts and replace them with front-to-back facing HDD mounts (that way the case wouldn't get much wider). It would literally be the "everything" case as far as I'm concerned. Perfect airflow, plenty of 3.5" bays, superb wire space, everything.
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Sometimes I daydream a little about finding a local metal fan shop and asking them about a custom project like this.
 
I give Inwin credit for always trying to do something different with their cases. They don't always hit their mark, but they're trying to think outside the box (pun intended).
 
StoleMyOwnCar said:
Agreed.

This case looks essentially like useless, overpriced garbage to me. I'm just going to be brutally honest, here. It's not actually modular when a majority of the valid configurations that I see in the video boil down to "this is pretty much a generic tower case that you can get from Lian Li (or anyone) for probably less than half the price".

Just going to repeat what I said in another thread and say that I wish someone took the Lian Li O11 Air Mini, scaled it up to a bigger size, and then replaced the side fan mounts with a full set of 3.5" HDD mounts. It would have enough horizontal space to accommodate all this, and would more or less be the best case I could possibly get. It would have enough room for probably ~ 11+ 3.5"/2.5" HDD bays, the bays could get airflow while being completely out of the way of the GPU (insert front to back), the PSU would be out of the way, and there would still be plenty of cable management room in the back.

Maybe one day it'll happen, but I'm not holding my breath because Lian Li can't possibly make a case without going "well it was almost perfect, but let's just fuck up this one aspect of it for the lulz". I'm kind of tired of all of these "look we're innovating by taking a tower case and uh... it's a special tower case!" cases.
Click to expand...
So you're saying it's impractical? 😎
 
My (granted impractical due to waste of space) idea had been to put the motherboard in a horizontal position.

Since having used a KS overclocked i can attest to rapid pump-out of thermal paste due the more aggressive (range and quickness) heat cycles.
The orientation has always been following gravity and it pumped out vertically downside.

A horizontal motherboard position would help with that and stretch the time inbetween repastes.
 
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Smoked Brisket said:
Behold the modular Mod Free chassis: https://www.techpowerup.com/303226/in-win-mod-free-takes-case-modularity-to-the-nth-level
A case that can be arranged into several configurations depending on your needs. Go big or go small, looks like you can even go test bench style if you want. Seems like a home run if they can keep the cost reasonable and build up an accessory ecosystem around it to keep it fresh.
Not a totally original idea it seems very similar to this https://www.techspot.com/news/40443-antec-ships-highly-customizable-open-air-case-lanboy-air.html which I owned and, looking back, wish I still did.
I will be a buyer if the price is reasonable. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
If they keep the parts in production. CM has had some and they've discontinued the parts. That Antec case looks nice, it's a shame such cases aren't popular anymore.
 
Prince Valiant said:
If they keep the parts in production. CM has had some and they've discontinued the parts. That Antec case looks nice, it's a shame such cases aren't popular anymore.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry that Corsair replaced the 800D with the monster-sized 900D. I would have liked to get a "baby" 800D, with enough drive bays and internal slots for drives. But I'm a "loner" about my case. Don't want, don't need RGB lighting or even a clear side door. Just the basics of a solid case that can handle an AIO CPU cooler with 360 radiator. (Boo on iCue.)
 
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