We have to hand it to In Win – the company has made one of the biggest turnarounds we’ve seen in the PC industry, leaving its average, plasticladen products behind and producing some of the bestlooking cases we’ve ever seen. Its new 805 is also a slightly more reasonably priced case than the gorgeous, but eyewateringly expensive 909. Like the 909, the 805 is made from aluminium and sports the characteristic tempered glass side panel that made its siblings so distinctive, yet it costs £130 inc VAT – less than half the price of the 909.
The heavy glass panel is held in place with thumbscrews and is easily removable, while the case itself can house fullsized ATX motherboards and is the first case we’ve seen to include a USB 3.1 Type-C connector on the front panel, in addition to the usual ports and buttons. As you’d expect on a case that has a strong aesthetic weighting, the 805 lacks external 5.25in bays, so if you need to use a bay reservoir, fan controller or optical drive, you may need to look elsewhere. With no front-facing drive bays, though, In Win has been able to create a front panel with an attractive hexagonal pattern, which looks great when illuminated from behind and also acts as a porous panel to allow air into the chassis.
That said, airflow is generally a little restricted in the 805 – the main way for air to enter the case is from below, where there are two 120mm fan mounts with dust filters but, out of the box, these mounts are obstructed by drive mounts. On the plus side, In Win has made full use of the two front panel fan mounts, with space for either 120mm or 140mm fans. The company makes a big point of stating radiator compatibility too – there’s space for double 120mm/140mm-fan full-height models in the front of the case and, with 320mm of clearance between the front and rear sections, even fairly long graphics cards will leave enough room for half-height radiators in this location.
There’s space for a 120mm radiator in the rear fan mount too, albeit with a 35mm height limit, and In Win has also included various reservoir mounting points in the motherboard tray – it’s a great case for water-cooling setups. It isn’t quite as good for air cooling, though, as the case’s comparatively slim dimensions – it measures just 200mm wide – mean that CPU coolers are limited to 156mm in height, which rules out many large tower heatsinks.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of internal drive bays, with three dedicated 2.5in mounts behind the motherboard tray and a further one located above the main drive mount in the main chamber. The latter can house either two 3.5in or 2.5in drives, so there’s enough scope for plenty of mixed storage. The main drive mount can also be moved up and down the front fan mounts, so you could raise it up to clear the base for water-cooling gear or remove it entirely.
There are plenty of cable-routing holes too; however, disappointingly, they aren’t lined with rubber grommets, so they can look a little unsightly – you’ll need to spend some time tidying your PSU cables here, but there’s enough room behind the motherboard tray to make this job relatively painless. Overall, it’s easy to work with this chassis, and there are plenty of additions that make installing hardware and cooling systems easy. The final pieces of aesthetic wizardry are an illuminated In Win logo in the side of the front panel (various colours are available from different models), plus a suction-cup headset holder that works well on the glass panel.
Performance
With only one fan in the case as standard – a 120mm rear exhaust – the 805 isn’t geared towards stellar air cooling out of the box. However, the case is very porous in quite a few places, so there’s plenty of ventilation, helping the 805 to produce some surprisingly good cooling results for both the CPU and GPU. Our overclocked Core i7-4790K was kept at a chilly delta T of 53°C – the same result as Corsair’s 750D Airflow edition and Fractal Design’s Define XL R2 on its maximum fan speed, and cooler than NZXT’s H440 SE.
However, this result was still mid-table compared with some of the better cases we’ve seen – SilverStone’s Fortress FT05 for example, managed a delta T of 45°C. The GPU delta T of 51°C was a similar story. Again a mid-table result, the 805 was on a par with the Corsair 750D Airflow Edition and cooler than NZXT’s H440 SE. Once again, though, the out-of-the-box cooling was better from cases such as SilverStone’s FT05. Unlike the FT05, though, the 805 isn’t designed for stunning air cooling, and the temperatures it achieves are still fine for an overclocked rig. The included fan was relatively quiet too, despite shifting enough air to keep the temperatures surprisingly low.
Conclusion
Aesthetically, the In Win 805 isn’t quite as jaw-dropping as its more expensive siblings, but it’s very good-looking nonetheless. The solid glass side panel looks great, and it also provides a wide view of the interior. The case lacks a PSU cover, though, which is a fly in the ointment, especially as NZXT includes them in its aesthetically focused cases such as the similarly priced H440 SE. These covers do a great job of giving the interior a clean look, so it’s a shame you don’t get one with the 805, especially as the PSU area is in full view through the window.
Other notable omissions are fan control, cable routing grommets and fan hubs – features that are often included in competing cases. However, the 805 makes up for these omissions with its edgy looks, great design and good cooling (despite only offering one fan as standard), while also maintaining a decent level of water-cooling support.
Achieving this balance isn’t easy, and In Win’s aluminium cases with tempered glass don’t usually offer this level of flexibility either, with the 805 blending outlandish aesthetics with an everyday case that’s still sure to turn heads. Best of all, it only costs £130 inc VAT, so it competes well with other ATX cases price-wise too. ANTONY LEATHER
VERDICT
The 805 is a great-looking case that sports In Win’s trademark glass side panel and loads of water-cooling features and, unlike some of its hideously expensive siblings, it has a reasonable price too.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (mm) 205 x 455 x 476 (W x D x H)
Material Aluminium, tempered glass
Available colours Black
Front panel Power, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2, stereo, mic
Drive bays 2 x 3.5in/2.5in, 4 x 2.5in
Form factor(s) ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX
Cooling 2 x 120mm/140mm front fan mounts (fans not included), 2 x 120mm base fan mounts (fans not included), 1 x 120mm rear fan mount (fan included)
CPU cooler clearance 156mm
Maximum graphics card length 320mm