|
In Win Alpha360 Mini-Tower Case
Introduction
In Win is a king of case manufacturers. Their purview extends across the entire realm of beige, from the calm sea of beige to the shallow cliffs of beige, with the inoffensive beige plains between. I speak in jest. I have a soft spot in my heart for the oft-marginalized company, mainly because they made the first case I ever bought. It was, you know, off-white, a mini-tower affair that came with an adequate PSU. And even though I've since played with the full spectrum of cases, that first case I still have, and still use. Despite the color, it was way ahead of its time, both in layout and features. So I look at the Alpha360, boxed up in Engrish, and I think, people should know about these guys. These cases are awesome. I mean, these specific cases. The rest are all King Beige. The Alpha360 is a mini-tower chassis, and comes in four styles. Silver, Sort-Of-Carbon-Sort-Of-Brass, Metallic Blue, and Girl--A.K.A. the In Win Allure, a pretty white case with foiled lavender flora and, believe it or not, tasteful rhinestones. First Looks Besides the quite-unique style of the Alpha360, the construction is highly unusual. The chassis is steel with ABS plastic, not steel or aluminum, panels. This makes the case particularly light-weight and moderately scratch-proof--I say moderately because the panels are still painted, they just have a little flex--ding-proof may be more accurate.          The top panel is ridged; iPod-friendly. The buttons aren't cheap, and the door hinge is smooth and sturdy. The external drives sit behind a door that hinges up and slides back over the top of the case. Beneath this door is a centered vertical stripe that uses the buttons, lights, and front I/O panel to highlight the front bezel, rather than using the front bezel to conceal or camouflage the panel.          The feet are standard rubber jobs. Not terrible, not vibration-nulling, either; just mounted to the steel bottom. The back panel is modularized, a perforated plastic shield that lets air through but covers up the bare metal nicely. The whole panel can be removed if it's overly obtrusive as a cable-management sys-tem, but with removable sub-panels for the PSU, motherboard I/O panel, and expansion slots, you can pick and choose which cables to pass out straight and which to cover up. Included is a replacement 90 degree power cable that fits beneath the rear panel.
Related Reviews Mini-Tower February 26, 2008
Mini-Tower February 25, 2004
Add Comment
0 User Comments Add Comment To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields. |
Recent Articles Editorials August 27, 2009
Editorials August 18, 2009
Editorials March 3, 2009
Editorials February 12, 2009
Recent News VICE Nov. 20, 2009 - 7:17 pm
Wired Nov. 20, 2009 - 7:07 pm
Engadget Nov. 20, 2009 - 6:58 pm
Telegraph.co.uk Nov. 20, 2009 - 6:48 pm
BBC Nov. 20, 2009 - 6:38 pm
Destructoid Nov. 18, 2009 - 11:55 pm
Wired Nov. 16, 2009 - 11:56 pm
Ultimate Typing Championship Nov. 16, 2009 - 11:42 pm
|
|||||||||||||||
