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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jordanclock - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
Why? The combustion temperature of most fabrics are in excess of 400°C.boozed - Monday, June 24, 2019 - link
So significantly less than steel or aluminium...More seriously, I think the point is that (unless they're impregnated with a fire retardant) it only takes a spark. Who wants a failing PSU to take their house with it?
shabby - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
My babuszka will love this...Cellar Door - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
You can literally wrap a milk crate with fabric and have a similar end product.Martijn ter Haar - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
"because fabrics also aren't good for blocking noises"Some fabrics are very good at blocking noises; think of those thick theater curtains. I'm no fabric expert, but if InWin will make covers made out of a high quality multi-layer fabric with a foam insulation layer in it, it might even be better than hard materials like metal or plastic, which tend to resonate.
sing_electric - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
The problem with that is thermals - InWin stated that "fabrics don't block airflow," which makes me think that the case was designed with that in mind (so it wasn't made with say, a negative pressure system to wick hot air up through the top, etc.). Foam would... block airflow and insulate not just sound, but heat as well.Martijn ter Haar - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
The fans are at the top and bottom. I think airtight fabric will give better airflow than fabric that lets the air that is sucked in right out.The sentences "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" are not quotes from InWin, but seem to come from the writer, who maybe didn't give it enough thought. It could well be that this case has awful airflow and noise isolation, but it's not a given.
evernessince - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
A theater curtain is also incredibly thick and blocks not only air but light, noise, and heat. You can tell from the pictures they are not using a thick fabric, in fact it's rather thin by how much light is getting through.A Theater curtain the only the fabric used to block noise, otherwise fabric is not a good noise blocking material. Noise is vibration and the best way to stop vibration is mass. This is why your walls are made of Gypsum board. Essentially every other material is better then fabric for blocking noise, a 1/8" thick steel plate will have better noise blocking properties then a 1" thick curtain.
Mind you, fabric is good at absorbing noise. As in, preventing echo. There is a big difference between sound absorption and sound blocking. One improves sound quality typically used in studios while the other prevents noise for entering.
Dug - Wednesday, June 26, 2019 - link
A thicker steel case will not reduce noise. Any noise inside will reflect even more, producing more sound coming out any open areas (fan holes, vents, etc).Noise absorption is the key to making closed cases quiet.
But actually, an open case does so much better than most closed cases for cooling, thus keeping noise down. So just wrapping fabric such as speaker fabric around an open case may be best solution.
Threska - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
"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."Cheese. :-D