Spring Case Madness: 24 Of The Best

Inwin IW-BT553N, Continued

The first case we looked at from Inwin is the new small form factor Flex ATX/Micro ATX case called the IW-BT553N, or the BT553N for short. BT553N like most factor Flex ATX/Micro ATX features a 1/1/1 bay configuration with one of each type of bay. Of course these cases are receiving more attention than before due to their continued use in PC for TV applications as well as quick workstation configurations.

The construction of the BT553N is of high quality, but doesn't feature all of the bells and whistles of many of the tower cases that we normally review. The inside of the case is so limited that it is difficult to be able to cram everything in the case, let alone be able to make it look pretty. The construction is good with a solid design. We did find a few sharp edges in this case, so you will want to watch what you are doing while putting this case together.

The unit features a 180 watt power supply which is able to power Flex ATX/Micro ATX configurations with no problem according to the information we found with the case, but this is a custom power supply that is purposely built for this case.

While cooling is always an issue, Inwin does offer an additional 80mm fan in the side of the case that goes a step beyond just having the fan in the power supply and the fan on the CPU heat sink as the only source of circulation of air within the case.

A look at the fold down front on the BT553N and the front mounted USB ports that are normally hidden behind a small door.

The BT553N does offer two front mounted USB ports, but no additional ports beyond that. Inwin takes a very no frills approach with the BT553N, which just might be too plain Jane for a lot of buyers. It is a solid case and does offer the features necessary to make the case sellable, but we preferred the Compucase V30 to the Inwin BT553N. Still it isn't a bad case, but the Compucase V30 offered a few more options.