In Win S-Frame Open Air Limited Edition Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 10 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

OK there is no easy way of putting this, so I’ll just come right out and say it, the S-Frame is so expensive that it’s far out of the reach of your average consumer. You need a fat wallet and a love for things that are rare and unique. Priced at $799 in the US, whilst customers in the UK can pick it up from Scan.co.uk for a snip under £780 and yes I know that’s now how currency conversion rates work, but that’s the price you pay for a 1/500 limited edition product that uses the best materials and precision engineering.

Overview

In Win have really raised the bar with the S-Frame, their design team should be treated to a couple of weeks holiday somewhere nice, because they’ve created something that is a true work of art. Of course I also think that this is a true love hate product, much like any work of art, there will be people out there that love it and those that think it’s an overpriced pile of scrap metal. Of course this much isn’t going to bother In Win that much as there will be more than 500 people in this world that love it and that can afford it.

The S-Frame may be expensive, but even if it were affordable it’s still not idea for a lot of peoples needs. It’s incredibly long and pretty wide too, meaning that it’s not exactly ideal for sticking under your average desk. It really wants to be put on top of a desk to really show it off, and even then you’re bringing all your components to ear height. This means that loud components will be pretty audible given the open air design of the case, so a little extra care to invest in quiet components will certainly reap rewards.

There are no dust or debris filters either, so if you live in a dusty house you’re going to be taking that side panel off a lot to clean out your radiators, fans and other components. Fortunately the chassis is actually remarkably simple in terms of interior design, so quickly removing the panel to give it a quick wipe down won’t be too much effort, even if you do have to do this every few days.

Of course the short falls are a minor upset to the huge benefits of this case, it’s a real treat on the eyes and when polished up, with a few subtle interior lights and a nice desk you can bet your friends jaws will hit the floor when they see it. It’s the kind of case I can see being used in the bosses office of a large games development company, it’s certainly something of a statement and has an air of superiority about it. It’s also likely that someone investing in a case of this value is planning a build of similarly heavy investment and the nature of the chassis design certainly makes it mod friendly.

To sum up, would I buy this case? No not really, not even if I had enough money spare for one and that is simply because I have no where to put it. That and it would be quickly covered in hand prints from my kids. I do love this case though and if I had a place to do it justice, I would happily sport one of these on my desk. There is a market for it, but it’s certainly not your average consumer. I was going to award the case our innovation award simply based on the manufacturing processes and overall design. Assuming money and space are not an issue, then Editors Choice is easily within its grasp as In Win promised an uncompromising ultra-premium quality case and that is exactly what this is, right down to the very last detail. I wouldn’t mark down a Bugatti Veyron because it’s big and expensive, they’re just by-products that result from this kind of quality.

Pros