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In-Win Metal Suit GD Gaming Enclosure Review

Posted by Spawne32 | Published in Computer Cases | [-no comments-]

In-Win has long been in the business of making computer cases, in their more recent releases they have seen the successful launch of both the “B2 Stealth Bomber” and “Allure” models. Continuing with their sucessful lineup of products, they are pleased to englighten us with the “Metal Suit GD” gaming enclosure (this means case). Based off of the In Win AL-13 chassis, it features a robotic and futuristic aluminum look and includes such features as tool free installtion, turbo cooling system, 3-D Smart UniDuct, and water cooling ready ports. Sporting 11 drive bays, and 7 PCI slots, as well as 4 included cooling fans. Everything a harcore gamer requires in this stylish package. Today we will be taking a look at just how well In-Win has done with putting the Metal Suit GD together for our users.

Starting with the specifications provided by In-Win, we have here a mid tower case made of .8mm japanese steel, with an aluminum front panel, 4 5.25″ drive bays, 2 3.5″ drive bays, and 5 Internal 3.5″ drive bays. It supports both ATX and MicroATX motherboards and conforms to the ATX 12v PS2 PSU form factor. Its aproximate dimensions are 17.2″x9.2″x21.8″.

Metal Suit GD in the box, Click to Enlarge.

Metal Suit GD packing material, Click to Enlarge.

You can be assured that your Metal Suit GD will arrive in condition, even when using UPS shipping, because the case is very well packed, something we are very happy to see.

Overview of the Metal Suit GD, Click to Enlarge.

As i begin my visual inspection of the case, i can safely comment that it is very stylish indeed. It has a matte black finish all around with silver accents, and the aluminum portions of the front panel door have a metal flake like finish. However i was dissapointed to see that the door is not made fully of aluminum, only the accented portions. The rest of the door is made of plastic.

Close up of the Metal Suit GD front panel door, Click to Enlarge.

Front panel ports, Click to Enlarge.

Behind the door, Click to Enlarge.

Poor door latches, Click to Enlarge.

Side panel ventilation, Click to Enlarge.

Side panel latches, Click to Enlarge.

Rear of the Metal Suit GD, Click to Enlarge.

Behind the motherboard tray, Click to Enlarge.

Soft rubberized feet, Click to Enlarge.

Up front we can clearly see the front panel ports available, which is a standard feature on most cases in todays day and age, and behind the door panel we can see our 4 external 5.25″ bays and 2 external 3.5″ bays. The front panel portion here is also made of flat black plastic. Care was taken to cover the buttons to prevent scratching during transport, another sign of quality packing. Operation of the door panel was dissapointing. There is no real secure mechanism to keep the door closed other then extensions of the plastic door panels. It is a very unsecure lock, and the door easily pops open during any movement or disturbance of the case. As we move to the side we can see the intake portion for the vga turbo cooling system as indicated in the specifications. It blends in very sleekly to the side panel and is an excellent addition for cooling. Moving to the rear of the case lends an interesting surprise, the side panels are not held in with any screws, they have two latches on both sides which secure the mount of the panel. Although very easy to use, i find they are not terribly secure in their mounting, and i would reccomend using thumb screws in addition to the latches. The rear of the case reveals 2 water cooling hose access ports with rubber grommets and an included 120mm exhaust fan.

On the opposite side of our case, we can see an immediate problem after removing the side panel. Given the extremely small size of this case, there is virtually no space for wire mangement or even wire throughput along the back side of the motherboard tray. This is indeed a severe problem as lots of wires in the main section of the case inhibits air flow. I personally reccomend choosing a modular power supply if you plan on using this case. One last check on the exterior of the case involves the bottom, in particular, the type of feet used on the case. Case feet are a key contributor into noise and vibration. Any vibrations that are being transfered into the frame or shell of the case will ultimately be transfered into the desk that it is sitting on. This is why most companys use some form of “feet” if you will to buffer that vibration. Im happy to say that the feet on the Metal Suit GD are of excellent design, and very stylish. Featuring rubberized foam cushion in the center of the foot, it provides excellent sound dampening quality.

Side panel ventilation with filters, Click to Enlarge.

Overview of the inside of the case, Click to Enlarge.

80mm VGA Turbo Cooling fans, Click to Enlarge.

Locking latch for VGA Turbo Cooling system, Click to Enlarge.

120mm rear exhaust fan, Click to Enlarge.

120mm intake fan with pull handle, Click to Enlarge.

VGA Turbo Cooling swings down, Click to Enlarge.

Cercadyna fans all around, Click to Enlarge.

Tool less accessories, Click to Enlarge.

Behind the front panel, Click to Enlarge.

Front intake also has dust filtration, Click to Enlarge.

Tool less accessories kit is secured to the case, Click to Enlarge.

As we move to the inside of the case, the first order of business is to remove our main side panel for accessing the motherboard area. Upon removal of the panel we can clearly see the 3-D smart uniduct system, which also includes air filters on both the intake areas. This is a welcome addition to the case as dust is the #1 enemy of cooling performance. Looking directly inside the case reveals quite a story going on inside here. The inside of the Metal Suit GD is surprisingly very small. You will want to take an important note here if your planning on building a system using this case.

As the pictures show, the first thing you will be greeted with is the VGA turbo cooling system, which is a special feature on this model. These 2 80mm cooling fans will intake cool air from the front of the case via the side panel using directed airflow, and blow this cool air across your video cards. This is especially important if you are using cards with dual slot coolers that exhaust air out of the rear of the case. You will see an enormous benefit using this style cooling system. There is also a 120mm intake and exhaust fan included with this model, and they include mounting brackets rather then traditional self tapping screws.

Mounted securely in one of the drive bay slots is your tool less mounting system parts, and you will need to remove the front panel before you can remove this tray. Speaking of removing that front panel, we have done that for you as well and provided some pictures locted above for your viewing pleasure so you will know what to expect. As you can see it is pretty unremarkable, there appears to be limited ventilation through the front bezel, however they do include another filter on the intake fan, which again, is great at keeping out dust, and i myself am quite suprised to see this many filters included.

Clearance in the case for video card length, Click to Enlarge.

Included manual and hardware, Click to Enlarge.

Metal Suit GD powered on and lit up, Click to Enlarge.

Wrapping this review up we take the time to do a little extra in the way of testing. Given the small size of the inside of the case, we felt it was prudent to measure the clearance room for the video card area. Sorry to say but you will not be fitting any extra large video cards in this gaming case, such as the GX2 model Nvidia cards. Measuring a little over 10.5 inches in room, you may still have issues even mounting 9.5 inch cards such as the Nvidia 8800 GT or the ATI Radeon HD 3870. This is very problematic as the case is designed for gaming.

We also took the liberty of powering the unit on for a brief period of time to listen to noise output, and snap a photo of the nifty blue lighting on the front panel door. Sadly, the Metal Suit GD’s included fans were much louder then we had hoped, however they do move a significant amount of air which will help cooling given the size constraints involved.

Comments/Suggestions

In-Win is putting alot of effort into designing cases, and they are making considerable improvements with every release. Unfortunately I cannot sign off on approval of this case as a true “gaming enclosure”. The lack of an ability to fit enormous gaming video cards comfortably or at all is a serious issue that appears to have been just not considered at all in its design. The included features like the VGA Turbo Cooling are a welcome site as pci area cooling becomes ever more important these days. What drags this case completely through the mud, is the fact that its retail price is an astounding $138.99. However, if you are interested in building a mid range gaming rig using standard size cards, and you fall in love with the look of the Metal Suit GD, it may be worth considering.

What we liked…