InWin D-Frame Limited Edition Open-Air Chassis Review

Introduction

It seems like I had caught wind of this chassis design long before CES, but I will say this up front; images do not do this chassis any justice. In all of the random news blasts and images on Facebook I kept seeing, nothing prepared me for what I saw on the floor at CES. When I walked up to the InWin booth, right out on the corner was a pair of these cases, with another disassembled, lying there in parts. At first I wasn't aware of the design inspiration for this, but within moments of speaking with the reps there, I was told there was a Ducati fan on the design team, and then it all made sense, like turning on a light bulb. With the idea in mind that this chassis was built to replicate Ducati frame components, I could really see how what is now a chassis design took off.

Standing at the booth and actually looking at, getting images for the show news, and finally getting to put my hands on them, the first thing that I noticed is the immensity of this chassis. Essentially the main inner frame is the size of a standard full-tower ATX chassis. With the outer design of aluminum piping being bent, welded, and then painted either orange or red, it adds a few inches to all sides if this design once it is assembled. That's right, there is some assembly required to make the D-Frame functional as a chassis. Let's be honest though, to enthusiasts sometimes that can be more fun and fulfilling than the placement of parts into it.

Considering these super cool, hand built designs don't just rip off the assembly line, I can see why InWin offers them as a limited edition chassis. From what I was told at CES, after bending and cutting the tubes, then welding them into place with the use of a jig, I do believe the number of these coming off the line was something like three a week. This chassis does come in two options, there is a red and black combo that mimics the true inspiration of a Ducati motorcycle, and then there is a bright orange and blue combination for those who wanted something other than red.

If you do like what you are about to see, make a quick decision, as InWin promised only five hundred of each color to hit the shelves, excluding review samples. Without anything to hold us back, let's dive in and see what the newest open-air chassis from InWin is all about with the D-Frame.