External Overview
From In Win:
“A dark, metallic black coat of paint blankets the beast that is the Maelstrom. Able to support ten front, side, and top 12cm fans, this chassis executes an air flow system that users seldom see and gamers often need. Offering superior acoustic and vibration-free performance, the Maelstrom operates silently without interruption. A patented shock-free railing system is provided to offer users ease of maintenance and installation. Need to expand? The Maelstrom supports four CPU M/B (from Micro-ATX to Extended-ATX) and 5*5.25″& 6*3.5″ drive bays, providing all the space you’ll need to take you anywhere you want to go.”
The Maelstrom is sure to catch your eye at first glimpse as it’s not your typical case. The first thing that might pop out at you is the green color on a black case. The two green handles on the front of the case and the four green rubber silencers on the side panel are probably what stick out the most. This chassis is loaded with cooling solutions being able to hold up to 10, 120mm fans. Airflow is certainly not a problem within this case since mesh surrounds almost all of the sides; which doesn’t decrease the solidity of the case.
The front bezel follows an airflow improved design by having threaded mesh intertwined with a plastic mesh on each of the drive bays to act as both a filter and a location for airflow. Five external 5.25″ drive bays line the front along with top bay having a 3.5″ converter in it.
Two green bars stretch across the width of the case that are placed above and below an In Win mesh section of the bezel. Below that are three more 5.25″ bay covers hiding the 120mm fan inside.
Along the top of the case is the Maelstrom control panel which includes the power/reset buttons, mic/audio jacks, four USB ports, a Firewire port and two eSATA ports. Sliding back a little bit on the top of the case is a mesh section built into the case which holds two 120mm fans and an In Win logo.
The side panel might be the most intriguing side panel I’ve ever seen. At first you wonder what the heck all of those rubber holes on the panel are. Then you take a closer look and realize that they are for holding and reducing noise of up to six 120mm fans; that is of course if you remove the 220mm blue LED fan held in the center of the panel.
A small switch on the right side of the mesh toggles the blue LED of the 120mm fan.
Taking a look at the rear panel of the case shows that this case has a lower mounted power supply, and with this being a full tower case you’re going to need some power cable extenders if you have an old power supply or a one with a short cable. The back is designed for airflow as almost every inch of the back has some sort of airflow method designed into it, minus the power supply and I/O slots. Four rubber holes sit above the power supply for those hardcore water coolers out there.
The unique In Win green fan blades are visible through the fan grill and around the rest of the case. Two plastic-covered thumbscrews secure the side panel to the chassis.
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