InWin’s Alice: A Unique Chassis Made of Fabric and Plastic
by Anton Shilov on June 21, 2019 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Trade Shows
- InWin
- Computex 2019
- Alice
Over the past few years makers of PC cases have tried virtually all materials to make their boxes: aluminum, steel, glass, various plastics, you name it. In an attempt to offer something completely new, InWin has decided to offer Alice, a case made of plastic and fabrics, a combination never seen before in a mass market computer case.
InWin’s Alice is an ATX open frame vertical tower PC case made of ABS plastic that wears a "costume" made of fabrics. The manufacturer claims that the skeleton of the case is durable, sturdy, shock-proof, and lightweight, though it does not compare it to products made of metal.
The chassis can accommodate an air cooling system that is up to 220 mm high, a 320-mm long graphics card, a 220-mm deep PSU, three 2.5-inch storage drives, and one 3.5-inch drive. When it comes to cooling, the Alice can house a 120-mm fan/radiator on top as well as three 120-mm fans/a 360-mm radiator on the bottom. Meanwhile, since fabrics do not completely restrict the movement of air, airflows inside the case should be fine. On the other hand, because fabrics also aren't good for blocking noises, end users will likely go with a hybrid cooling system to maximize performance without producing too much noise.
Inspired by Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, InWin’s Alice will come in a variety of color schemes. Granted, it is easy to make ABS chassis of different plastics and use fabrics with a variety of prints. The maker says that it can even build the case to order if its clients demand something unique.
InWin’s Alice PC case will be available in the near future at price points below $100.
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52 Comments
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JoeyJoJo123 - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
There is a niche to this, though, in Asian markets. You can basically use any fabric cover (like a dakimakura case of your favorite anime waifu) and use that as a cover for your PC.If it's cheap enough, I'd actually consider it as a sort-of-gag-PC-case. It's open air, too, so if you use a semi-porous filter-like fabric, it could be a strong contender for PC temps for the price, too.
rocky12345 - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
Yea you could be right and this could be where these are going to aimed towards is in the Asian market. I think if I was to go for a case like this I would probably leave it uncovered or at least some sort of mesh like cover to keep dust out and still be able to see the insides of it. I would hope you could also not have it with the blue plastic frame as this reminds me of those plastic egg crates or beer crates...:)Peter2k - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
This looks like I can make it at home within an hour or 2, given some wood and some tools at handFrankly the last picture of the case looks like it has been cut out by a modder out of a (plastic) beer case
Well at least it won't be north of a 1k$
Guess one could pair it with grandma's old lamp shades
HardwareDufus - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
elderly folks have been putting doylies on electronics for decades. nothing to see here.Flunk - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
If it's under $100 your cost could be similar, not even including the cost of your time.sing_electric - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
Or that you could 3D print, though with my printer, I'd have to divide up the chassis into a couple more component parts.Beltonius - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
I actually like it as a way to make a PC more like 'furniture' for like HTPC or other applications outside a normal 'office desk' setup.drexnx - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
I can see that, as like a small end table next to a sofa (given that your interior design is conducive to the fabric-draped style) but it's very nichesing_electric - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
Considering the noise that this thing would make and the fact that putting this next to a sofa sounds like an invitation to soak your computer with not-very-water-proof fabric... I'd say it'd have to be VERY niche (no pets, kids, guests who might think your computer made a nice side table).vanilla_gorilla - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
My first concern was, fire hazard?