INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   In a market filled with PC cases of all prices, sizes and shapes/designs and with a large number of available features how do you choose the right one for you? Some people such as i for example put interior space above all else because that makes it easier to mount the largest possible hardware components and swap them when needed while others may place airflow and even available features first. What most of us have in common however is that we all care about the looks of a PC case and its build quality and although tempered glass may not be the most durable material out currently there's no denying that it looks great. IN WIN has already released several PC cases made (also) out of tempered glass and since they were all welcomed with open hands by the entire community the only logical step would be for them to release yet another one which they did and its name is the 509 E-ATX Chassis.

   IN WIN Development Inc., an ISO 9001 manufacturer of professional computer chassis, power supplies and digital storage devices, is the leading provider of enclosure solutions to system integrators worldwide. Founded in 1985, IN WIN provides high quality chassis that conform to all safety regulations, as well as unsurpassed customer service. With no sharp edges, the logo also portrays a state of energetic harmony between technology and art. Thus, our slogan "Contemporary and Innovative" serves as the foundation of not only our product development but also our attitudes in serving and catering to our strategic partner’s wishes. We take the "im" out of "impossible"… …A brand without persistence is only a name.

   Currently the 509 E-ATX Chassis by IN-WIN is available in two editions the standard black and grey one (with grey painted interior frame) and the black and red one which also carries the ASUS Rog Certification (this is the one we'll be taking a look at today - both are showcased in the picture above). Now the reason i said currently is because on the exterior of the box we got the case in there are three available selections black/grey, black/red and others (same selection was also on the 303 box) so IN-WIN most likely aims to make even more models available through cooperation with other brands (perhaps Intel, NVIDIA or AMD). The 509 lands quite close in terms of appearance to the 303 which we reviewed a while ago so once again it follows a simple/clean design with no exhaust area at the top and with a left side panel made out of tempered glass. The main design differences (leaving out size) are the addition of a tempered glass fascia that also has an RGB LED behind the company logo, single 5.25" optical drive bay and a vertical exhaust/intake area on the right side panel (the 303 has a horizontal one). The main differences these two cases have are located inside since due to its significantly larger size the 509 E-ATX chassis has enough room for up to 9 drives (5x3.5/2.5" and 4x2.5"), 11 fans (11x120mm and/or 6x140mm) and/or two 360mm radiators, 370mm long graphics cards (weight support brackets are also included), 188mm tall CPU coolers and 230mm long power supply units. Unfortunately no fans are actually pre-installed in the chassis but if you're looking to build your own custom loop inside the 509 that may actually not be a bad thing.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Just like with the 303 the 509 arrived in a plain cardboard box with the company name and logo at the top and the product name at the front.

 

 

The features, color selection and model name are placed on the left side.

 

 

Both the case specifications and some of its features are listed on the right side of the box.

 

 

Again just like with the 303 due to the tempered glass panels the 509 is also packed as an HTPC case so aside being wrapped inside a cloth cover it's also placed between 8 pieces of foam (4 on each side).

 

 

Contained inside the box is a clear plastic bag with the user manual, two weight support brackets, 3M double side tape, 10 cable ties, SATA to 4pin power adapter (can be used to control the RGB logo at the front), USB to USB 3.0 internal adapter, four rubber pads and 6 small plastic bags with screws, standoffs and washers.

 

 

THE 509 ROG CERTIFIED EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thanks to its clean lines and tempered glass panels the somewhat large (527mm tall, 235mm wide and 578mm long) 509 looks great (i still don't know if i like the 5.25" optical bay however).

 

 

The entire left side panel is made out of tempered glass (unfortunately unlike the 303 which has an easy removable panel the panel in the 509 is held in place with 4 thumbscrews) and the Rog certified logo is printed on the lower right corner.

 

 

As you can see the tempered glass fascia has plenty of space behind it allowing for air to reach the intake fans.

 

 

Worth pointing out is that the left tempered glass is 5mm thick while the fascia one is 3mm thick.

 

 

Again the front is probably less "attractive" than it would be without a 5.25" bay but still it looks nice.

 

 

The I/O is placed beneath and next to the 5.25" bay so here we have the on/off power button, reset button, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports and the usual headphones and microphone ports.

 

 

The logo placed right beneath the bay lights up red unless you connect it to a controller (in which case you may access its RGB feature).

 

 

In order to access the air-filter and fan mounts behind the fascia you will need to remove both side panels as seen above.

 

 

Here you can either put 3x120mm fans, 2x140mm fans or a 360mm radiator.

 

 

As you can see the right side panel has a vertical perforated section as opposed to the 303 and its horizontal one.

 

 

Moving at the rear you will see the first glimpse of the why this is the ROG Certified Edition and of course we're talking about the 8 red painted PCI shields.

 

 

Unfortunately as mentioned earlier there are no fans inside the 509 but at the rear you can mount one 120/140mm exhaust fan.

 

 

A large removable air-filter takes most of the base of the 509.

 

 

THE 509 ROG CERTIFIED INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second extra of the ROG Certified Edition is the red painted interior frame (which you can see even with the tempered glass on) and as you can all see in terms of interior space the 509 has plenty.

 

 

Two 3.5/2.5" drive mounts are placed at the top of the chassis right next to the 5.25" optical bay (not tool-less).

 

 

 

Right beneath the 5.25" drive bay you have enough room to place a 360mm radiator with up to 6 fans in push and pull configuration.

 

 

These aluminum mounts can be used to either mount 2.5" drives or 120mm fans (this particular one is for a 2.5" drive however and can be moved up or further down).

 

 

Further down at the base of the chassis there's a removable hot-swap drive cage which can house up to three 2.5/3.5" drives.

 

 

 

These drive trays are identical to the ones at the top and although not very sturdy they are good enough for the job.

 

 

You can remove the drive cage entirely if you want to use the 120/140mm intake fan mount beneath it or to mount two 360mm radiators inside (one here and one at the front). You can also mount a 240mm radiator right over the drive cage if you want (check the outro/conclusion picture for more on that).

 

 

There are 7 holes on the mainboard tray which you can use to route cables behind it.

 

 

All 8 PCI expansion slots are held in place with the use of traditional thumbscrews.

 

 

The power supply unit area can accommodate models up to 230mm in length.

 

 

Taking a look from the rear we see the three 120mm fan/2.5" drive mounts and the hot-swap SATA connectors of the bottom tray.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Since the 509 is large enough to accommodate an E-ATX sized mainboard our regular ATX sized one leaves a bit of room on the tray.

 

 

Here we’ve used a 60mm thick, 360mm long radiator on two of the three available mounts (you can also mount one where the drive cage is located so you can basically have up to two 360mm radiators inside the 509).

 

 

Of course you can also use the tallest and largest CPU air coolers in the market today while mounting a 2.5” drive requires the removal of the aluminum mount(s).

 

 

With enough space for up to 370mm long graphics cards you should have no problem mounting the longest one’s ever manufactured (unless if you decide to place a radiator where the drive cage is located that is).

 

 

If you choose to keep the 3.5” drive cage at the base of the case and you can’t put it on the other side because of a radiator the PSU area is enough only for roughly 180mm long models.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   As expected the brand new 509 E-ATX Chassis by our friends over at IN WIN doesn’t only have enough interior space for even the largest hardware components but largely thanks to its tempered glass panels it looks great. Now I do think that if the fascia was more like a door things would be even better since the 5.25” optical bay does make the front look a bit strange but when you have an E-ATX compatible tower that has enough room inside for 9 drives (5x2.5/3.5” and 4x2.5”), 11 fans (11x120mm and/or 6x140mm) and/or two 360mm radiators, 370mm long graphics cards (roughly 300mm if you place an radiator where the drive cage is), 188mm tall CPU coolers and 230mm long power supply units (roughly 180mm if you don’t remove the drive cage) then you can “excuse” such tiny design hiccups. Of course I can’t overlook the fact that the 509 comes without any interior fans (even just a rear 140mm exhaust fan would be fine) but the fact of the matter is that many people replace stock fans and perhaps IN WIN didn’t find it necessary to further up costs by adding their very own. Also perhaps this is just my personal opinion but it would be nice if there was a color control knob for the IN WIN logo at the front since that would really simplify things especially for people who may not be willing to spend more money on an extra controller.

   So how much is IN WIN asking for their latest 509 ROG Certified E-ATX Chassis? Well as I type these lines you can find the black/red ROG version of the 509 for USD185.20 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 194Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) and even though it’s not by any means a small amount of money we are basically talking about a full tower with two tempered glass panels and several interesting features. At the end of the day we all liked the 509 ROG Certified E-ATX Chassis but we do feel that unless you need the extra space and available room for components you can opt for the equally nice looking yet much cheaper 303 model. As a PC case however the 509 scores very high in every single area from looks and quality up to interior space and features and because of that it gets our Golden Award.

 

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality (SECC Steel Chassis With Tempered Glass Side/Front Panels)
- Design (Tempered Glass & Front RGB LED)
- Very Spacious Interior (370mm Long Graphics Cards / 188mm Tall CPU Coolers / 230mm Long PSUs)
- Room For Up To 9 Drives
- Hot-Swap Removable Drive Cage
- Space For Up To 11 Fans And/or Two 360mm Radiators
- Bottom/Front Air Filters

 

CONS

- No Pre-Installed Fans
- Single Color For The Front RGB LED (by default)
- Price (For Some)