The In Win Maelstrom is properly protected by polystyrene (as has become the norm these days). It did a perfectly good job of protecting the review sample!  The plastic covering protects the case from small scratches etc.

On to the case itself – it is beautifully painted black, and the front features what appear to be handles (however if you can read that bit of tape on the top one, you are not meant to use them as handles). This is a little bit of a shame as I find some cases are awkward to pick up, however, this is still quite a nice effort of style.

The front also features five 5.25” accessible bays. All the blanking plates feature air-holes with a filter-like material (however the material is not removable). This enables a better airflow within the case, whilst also adding to the great style of the Maelstrom.

In Win does not bother pasting its logo in every possible location, but rather just puts an unobvious one between the two “handle-like” things. This adds to the class of the case, as in some cases (not PC cases, but as the saying) less is more, and this is one of those times.

The side of the case features a mesh “window” (as in it is see through) features a 22cm fan. Should you wish to change the fan for a different configuration, you can put upto six (yes 6!) 120mm fans across the mesh window. The holes are surrounded by a rubber-like washer, which will aid in reducing vibrations from any fans on the mesh. The mesh should also act as a sort of dust filter, however dust will still no doubt get in.

The included 22cm fan features a low/high speed switch; this is easily accessible and is placed to the right hand side of the mesh window.

The right hand side panel is pretty plain – as you would expect. Something worth noting is that rather than sliding off (i.e. in this case, pushing from the left hand side of the panel, to push it off the right hand side), you rather remove the screws and then pivot the side panel off. This is much simpler than the sliding off method, and is already used in some highly rated cases (including most of Antec’s gaming rage).

The top of the case features a 120mm fan (and another space for a second 120mm fan), the In Win logo (pretty stealthily hidden) and finally a very feature-full top access I/O ports. Below the I/O ports is the case name “MAELSTROM” in a very cool font, written in green to match the rest of the green on black theme (including fans etc).

The rear of the case is quite luxurious considering you’re unlikely to see it after installing your components. It features a nice green 120mm fan, 7 PCI/E slots (all brackets are a mesh material rather than a plain aluminium or steel bracket. To the right hand side of the mesh brackets is a decent sized ventilation hole, whilst also having another ventilated space below the brackets. Within this space are also four rubber-surrounded holes for use in watercooling. This is a helpful and useful move by In Win, as it allows the case to adapt to the users needs.

Another thing to note – it is a beautiful black!

Underneath the case is a ventilation hole for you PSU (should you wish to mount if fan-downwards). Also included here are four case feet (with rubber bases – which should help silence any case vibrations). Again, rather than taking shortcuts, In Win have decided to pain the bottom of the case too – this definitely adds to the classy feel of the case.

Next Page – Inside Layout