In Win 303 ATX Mid-Tower Case Review

Cases & PSU/Cases by leeghoofd @ 2016-11-04

For those that are not familiar with any of the In Win products, let us describe the Taiwan-based In Win company as a luxurious enclosure manufacturer, using high quality components, especially in their exclusive designs. If you want a case that stands out from the crowd their gamma will for sure have a model that will perfectly suit your needs. The In Win 805 we reviewed was a premium case with tempered glass all around; In Win even has more classy looking models in their lineup than the 909 full-tower model we also tested. Each year at Computex they have an absolute stunning case or prototype on display and they are accumulating the awards year after year. Normally an exclusive design goes hand in hand with a beefy price tag, however with the 303 In Win launches a high grade mid-tower enclosure that is sort of affordable. Time to open the box and see what this In Win 303 has got in store for us.

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A Closer Look Part II

It is easier to show a picture than to write 10 lines with cooling possibilities. As can seen below one can easily build in massive cooling hardware, if needed...  The In Win engineers opted to get ambient air into the case via the bottom part and the warm air being expelled via the aft, power supply and the side panel. I personally prefer front intake cooling, than the bottom to top cooling as illustrated, just for less dust clogging in the filters and fans, however in In Win's defense the bottom version is easier to clean as one is not obliged to remove the front panel to gain access to the dust filter.

 

 

We have seen users install a 360 radiator in the bottom, though they were mostly running single GPU configurations. If one goes for SLI or Crossfire installations appropriate low profile fans are recommended. The steel side panel has a honeycomb pattern to allow side way ventilation.

 

 

 

A total of seven PCI ventilated expansion brackets should give users plenty of upgrade options, no luxurious thumbscrews to be spotted. All smart choices to lower without a doubt the price tag.

 

 

The front panel is also more standard equipped than e.g. the IN WIN 805. No USB Type C port here, just two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports and the headphone and microphone jacks for you digital audio pleasure. Once powered up the NEON LED illuminates the previously mentioned connections and ports nicely. The big square power button and yes this time equipped with a small rectangular reset switch conclude the equipment of the front I/O panel.

 

 

Storage wise the In WIN 303 is has room for up to three 2.5inch HDD platters or SSD's on the front side of the motherboard panel. On the backside of that same panel one can opt to install either two 2.5 or two 3.5 inch drives. All drives are installed on an easy removable bracket.

 

 

Worrying part might be the lack of airflow on the backside of the motherboard panel, as this is where you might install the 3.5" rotational HDD platters. Heat will get easily trapped and might reduce the lifespan of your storage devices. In Win had better reversed the 3.5 brackets to the mainboard chamber, or at least added some extra ventilation holes at the bottom of the side panel.

 

 

Even though they get less and less used again no option to install any sort of optical drive. Many users still might have their favorite game titles on DVD's etc... always a miss in my book, so before buying this case consider if you need optical drive support yes or no.

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