Many interesting cases caught our attending last year: Cooler Main'south HAF XB with its test-bed-like layout, Lian-Li'due south D8000 with its support for up to 20 3.5" hard drives, and Silverstone's Sugo SG10 for accommodating beefy hardware in such a tiny package.

However, of all the weird and wonderful cases nosotros saw in 2022, In Win's D-Frame remains the well-nigh memorable. Despite being largely impractical, adequately characterless and wildly expensive, information technology was yet my favorite and all the same stands every bit a masterpiece in my listen.

Given its radical design, nearly people were bound to either love it or hate the D-Frame on outset sight. At that place was simply no way it could appeal to every enthusiast, both because of its unique look and because it was $400 -- quite a hurdle for most prospective buyers.

Anything as different equally the D-Frame tends to carry some kind of premium, then the cost wasn't all that surprising and even less so when we learned that the case is paw-crafted, coated in a durable paint job and sports tempered glass side panels. It'due south fabricated with intendance.

A lot of time and endeavor goes into creating each D-Frame: raw aluminum pipes are cut precisely using a CNC motorcar then manually bent, checked and milled to ensure shine edges. The parts are welded together and the final product is measured for perfection earlier existence painted or anodized.

With a little over a twelvemonth having passed since we first received the original D-Frame, In Win has been difficult at piece of work creating a second installment. The D-Frame Mini takes the original design and shrinks it down to accommodate the now popular Mini-ITX form factor.

As it was, the original D-Frame was very limited in terms of space for an ATX case with a 98L capacity so shrinking it downwardly to just 46L doesn't seem like a move that will brand the D-Frame more appealing, yet the 53% reduction has somehow allowed In Win to practice more.

The instance can now support cooling radiators and models as big every bit 240mm volition fit. The graphics card length has been extended from 330mm to 340mm, and the D-Frame Mini can now residual on 1 of half dozen sides rather than just ii. The power supply is also mounted internally rather than externally and In Win has added an anodized black color to the mix.

In & Effectually the D-Frame Mini

Different the original D-Frame, which required a rather lengthy assembly process, the D-Frame Mini comes pre-built and gear up to accept computer hardware. The D-Frame Mini measures 405 10 230 10 501mm and can house ability supplies as long as 220mm, graphics cards measuring up to 340mm and CPU heatsinks as tall as 165mm.

From the front end, the D-Frame Mini reveals a panel with four diagonal beams equally well as a slot that allows admission to the front panel connectors.

Front console connectivity includes a pair of USB 3.0 ports along with 2 audio jacks for headphones and a mic. The panel besides includes small power and reset buttons beside a power light.

Given the D-Frame Mini'southward $350 toll tag, In Win could have integrated a more impressive console and perhaps washed something more creative with the power push. Still, as irksome as the forepart panel I/O is, it however manages to alloy well into the case's design.

The acme console is quite like to the forepart panel except at that place is no connectivity, fan mounts or much of anything as well iv safe pads that protect the case if you place information technology upside downward. The example's carrying handle is integrated nicely, placed directly in the eye of the top panel, making it easy to lift and move the D-Frame Mini.

Apart from the compact size and user-friendly handle, the case'due south light weight of 5.25kg adds to its portability and seems ideal for LAN goers.

The base panel is different to the top panel in design -- in fact it looks more like the forepart console. It features the same four rubber pads which are stuck on using adhesive tape.

The rear panel is rather bland, though it's designed to house the power supply. Once installed, the PSU will boss the majority of the space hither. At that place'south no rear motherboard access as the lath is mounted sideways, much as it is in the Silverstone Raven cases.

The D-Frame Mini supports iii 3.5" or 2.5" drives along with two 2.5" drives, which is the aforementioned configuration used past the much larger D-Frame. There are also two 120mm fan mounts included, though the fans themselves must be purchased separately. These mounts likewise back up 120mm or 240mm radiators, giving the D-Frame Mini the ability to adjust liquid cooling systems.

Although this is a Mini-ITX instance, there are ii expansion slots assuasive the D-Frame Mini to support dual-slot PCIe graphics cards. With room for a GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon R9 290X, we take the makings of quite a serious gaming case here.