Introduction

Since 2013, we’ve reviewed 35 cases, and with this review, we’re now at three dozen! These reviews have included some of the most popular, best-selling mini-ITX cases ever released. One brand that has always offered some great ultra-compact options is In Win, and in fact we reviewed its tiny BQS656 back in 2015. While In Win focuses a lot of its attention on heavily-stylized high-end cases, it has now translated this design aesthetic to a smaller size and an even smaller price with the new B1, which is the focus of this review. Coming in at just $85 with an included 200W Gold-rated power supply, this glass and plastic creation offers something completely different to mini-ITX builders. But what’s it like to use and how does it perform? That’s what we aim to find out!

Special thanks to In win for providing us a sample of the In Win B1 Mini-ITX Chassis.

TBG’s Video Review

Going forward, all of TBG’s reviews will be released exclusively on YouTube, as video provides far more opportunity to offer details and insight into production design and functionality than a written review ever could.

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Conclusion

To put it simply, In Win has done something quite amazing with the B1 chassis. While not a performance king, it didn’t need to be to succeed. Instead, In Win has focused on making the B1 unique to look at and incredibly easy to use. That’s actually a really important factor in this price and size class, because while bigger, more expensive cases that appeal to serious enthusiasts can get away with being “fiddly” and requiring a sub-reddit to learn how to use, that would be inexcusable in a case like the B1, which is targeted at low-cost, low-powered systems. We think In Win really nailed it in terms of the user experience. It couldn’t be easier to drop a motherboard in, cable it up, and get the system running.

With that said, there are a few things we’d like In Win to consider changing if a “B2” were ever offered. First, we’d like to see this case with a mesh panel. While the glass looks great, it does lead to some relatively high temperatures, and while these won’t come close to putting your PC at risk, they do come with the annoyance of high fan speeds. That’s particularly true of the case’s built-in 80mm fan, which while effective at pulling heat out of the case, ran at a very high RPM at load, probably much higher than necessary. Maybe mesh and a fan with a lower maximum RPM would be a nice combination. Another thing we’d really like to see is a second USB port up front. We’re not sure why In Win chose to only include one, given that the standard USB header and cabling accommodate two. Maybe it was to provide a sort of symmetry to the front fascia, but we think a little nod towards convenience would be in order.

Overall, though, with the B1, In Win is delivering a tremendous amount of value, making it an excellent foundation for a great low-cost home office or family PC. You can purchase the In Win B1 Mini-ITX Chassis for $84.99 with free shipping.