In-Win GT1 Case Review: Fighting an Uphill Battle
by Dustin Sklavos on March 8, 2013 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- In-Win
- ATX
Conclusion: Cutting the Strangest Corners
I want to be more bullish on the In-Win GT1. I actually quite like In-Win and they have some incredibly unique designs in their stable. Maybe not ones suited to pet owners or people with small children, but any of the enclosures in their Frame line has something to offer. I'm even fond of the BUC; while it's not the sexiest case on the shelf, it does have a great personality.
At $69, the GT1 brings a few things to the table. It's for the most part easy to assemble (excluding cabling issues), and it does come fairly fully-featured. The fan controller is funky, but it's there, and for some users the hotswap bay is going to be a compelling add-on. In-Win also seems to be using a thicker grade of steel than competing cases are; the GX700 practically blows over in a stiff wind by comparison. For an inexpensive case, the GT1 is at least trying to offer something to users that its competitors aren't, and I'm glad build quality didn't completely go by the wayside to hit that price tag.
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The problem is that the GT1 is entering an incredibly competitive market. $69 is too much for the case, full stop. At $59 you could argue for it over the GX700; maybe not successfully, but at least the GT1 could be part of the conversation. And while the case materials don't seem to have been where In-Win made their unkind cuts to hit their price tag, there are other weird corners cut in their stead. The single USB 3.0 port is frustrating, and there's absolutely no reason they couldn't have included a seventh drive tray. Does the case need it? I'd argue it does, if only for the sake of being complete.
Then there's the fan controller, and to me that's pretty much the kiss of death. The fan controller sports a single 3-pin header that's been converted to molex, but the connection sequence being incorrect out of the box is inexcusable. A computer case is a computer case: it should just work. They cheaped out on the fan controller with just two speeds, and then they didn't cover their tracks. Does a $69 case even need one? It's appreciated, but if they were going to bungle it they might as well have not included it in the first place.
I want In-Win to do well like any other manufacturer, because competition is always good for the end user and good ideas come from all corners of the industry. Unfortunately, the In-Win GT1 is a bust, and your money is better spent elsewhere.
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Sleepingforest - Friday, March 15, 2013 - link
No, the backup shouldn't always be plugged in, otherwise whatever damage happens to the computer (fire, flood, virus, and so on) won't happen to the backup drive. If you get a good external drive, moving it while it's off has no consequences--you know, the thing people do with laptops? There are cameras with USB 3.0 because it's faster, as seen here: http://usbtips.com/nikon-d800-dslr-launches-with-s... I happen to use my phone even when I sit at a computer, so it's helpful to charge it while it's next to me.So no, you look like the idiot here. You have a narrowly focused world view that can't comprehend usage scenarios beyond your own, you don't think through anything you say, and most of what you say is insults anyway.
dawp - Sunday, March 10, 2013 - link
why can't we flag obvious spam like this?CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
Because although Anandtech favors whining crybaby commentears, they do not like rude non first amendment jerks who wish to dominate and control everyone else, when it is clear you don't like it, since you wasted our time whining about it and bringing more attention to it.I know, it's hard not to get some revenge satisfaction voting people off the comment area like a 3rd world dictator, if you want that crap go to toms - oh wait you do, then in a frenzy -20 as many people who talk sense as you possibly can, causing everyone else who doesn't have a bleeding tampon on display constantly having to go through the trouble of unhiding the often sentient comments you idiot fanboy whiners have hidden.
Now, that's why I say, and admittedly for the first time ever that may not be exactly correct, but you did ask, you power hungry evil person, and you got an answer.
keithh - Monday, March 11, 2013 - link
I'm guessing that you don't pay the electricity bill. I did the math and it was cheaper for me to decommission a bunch of smaller drives and replace them with a single 2TB drive. The cost was recovered in a couple of years. Further, the newer drives are faster, quieter, and cooler.I second the recommendation to invest in a NAS.
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
Umm, excuse me - but after "several years" of saving 5 watts per drive or so, and you've finnally "recouped your initial costs", although that isn't counting the possible REAL INVESTMENT of that added expense and the wonder of combined interest, you want to spend a wad on a very expensive rip off NAS ?LOL
Dumb as can be, NAS is an "investment"....
Computer parts are not investments - you know maybe - if you are really goofy and you go to the raving loon retro section of ebay you could get a bit more than scrap weight price after a few years.
You aren't INVESTING, okay ?
Pass that along to the thousand other wannabe faux acting CEO's on this board, won't you ?
Spending on crap that depreciates faster than cars is NOT an investment.
keithh - Monday, March 11, 2013 - link
Uh, no Director12, that would give him a whole *4* GB of mirrored data. That's more than enough for lots of applications - especially if you have your important stuff (photos & music) on the NAS in the basement.xygtshadow - Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - link
I do have a pair of 4GB drives from the 90's... But I couldn't fathom using them anymore. They're horrendously slow and my motherboard doesn't even support PATA ribbon cables.angryblanket - Monday, March 11, 2013 - link
1x usb 3.0 port and this thing looks like crap?! It would be OK without the brand naming but my goodness that huge "I U" in red makes me want to willingly gouge my eyes out.CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
Please do as they obviously are not used to read articles, thus saving you pain and suffering on your artsy fartsy doofus assessment, better for the feminine area of some girly tupperware get together.sarahjordan - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - link
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