In Win D-Frame Mini-ITX Chassis Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The In Win D-Frame Mini isn’t cheap, this premium grade wonder will set you back a wallet melting £249.95 from Overclockers.co.uk or $350 from Amazon.com. This is obviously expensive, but this is a very unique product with high-quality materials. On the plus side, it’s about £100 cheaper than the full size D-Frame, that’s a bargain right?

Overview

Price is obviously a sticking point for many people, but keep in mind that this is a product designed for the enthusiast market. When you’re looking at high-end graphics card, a £250 chassis still isn’t going to be the most expensive part of the build. The price tag does get you incredibly durable build quality, that is easily up there with the best of the best. The aluminium tubing is really nicely finished and the welding between each section only adds to the modern and somewhat industrial look of the chassis. Of course, you’ve also got to factor in the price of the tempered glass side panels; custom cut glass isn’t cheap. The bonus here is that tempered glass looks the business, the chassis just wouldn’t be the same with perspex panels; you pay for quality and you get quality.

This really is a very unique product, if you’re looking for a chassis that’s not only portable, but also a great show piece, then the D-Frame mini certainly fits the bill. The glass panels offer an uncompromising view of your components, so there’s certainly a little extra pressure to create a great looking build that will do this chassis justice. Your motherboard, graphics card, CPU cooler and anything else you choose to throw into your build will be visible. When your system is powered up and all the little internal lights come on, it’s goning to look incredible.

Of course, you also get a nice view from the sides of the chassis, this is an open-air chassis after all. This does however come with some downsides. The chassis is a minefield for debris and dust, so it’s easily best to keep this on top of your desk rather than under it. The side panels are easy to remove, so maintenance is going to be easy. It’s certainly worth taking extra care; I wouldn’t plan on putting this chassis in a room that children or pets had access to. One bonus to the open air design offers uncompromised airflow, something that should take the strain out of keeping your components cool, your CPU cooler and graphics cards certainly won’t be gasping for air.

Pros

• Durable build quality
• Tempered glass and aluminium construction
• Unique aesthetics
• Braided internal cables
• Removable hard drive trays
• Good amount of cable routing space
• Water cooling support
• Great airflow

Cons

• No protection against dust and debris
• Expensive

“The In Win D-Frame Mini offers awesome esthetics, class leading build quality and plenty of air-flow thanks to the open-air design. If you want a chassis that really shows off your system building skills, with the added bonus of a carry handle to take it with you to LAN events, then you’re going to love this chassis – your bank balance may not.”

Thank you In Win for providing us with this sample.