Circling the drain, or certain success?
If you asked an Inwin employee what they thought of the Maelstrom, they'd probably respond with the slightly awkward catchphrase of the case: "Luxurious full tower to outshine your competition". Perhaps you won't be doing this (nor even understand it), but amusing descriptions put aside it is clear that this is one of the more unique designs we've seen through the pages of the mag. A Maelstrom is a swirling torrent of water in a circular direction; and the only part of the case that shows this motif is the large 22cm side panel fan, with the rest of the case taking a decidedly industrial look.
The front of the case is a the forefront of this ethos, with four 5.25in bays hidden behind sturdy elongated honeycomb panels, coated in mesh and backed with a filtering material to keep out dust. Two lustrous green handles are attached to the front of the case, and while these look pretty damn awesome they're not functional or load-bearing in the slightest, to the point of being completely useless. Their appeal is further marred by a large sticker placed on the upmost handle that refuses to peel off cleanly, leaving behind a hideous goop that looks even worse than the sticker does!
However, the top of the case regains and maintains the functional industrial design with plenty of I/O ports; offering a large complement of four USB, mic/audio jacks, Firewire and two handy eSATA ports. Power and reset buttons are also here, which each feel excellent, though the reset button might be accidentally bumped if you're not careful. The rear of the case is the usual upside-down ATX layout, placing the PSU at the bottom of the case (aiding stability) with a large 120mm exhaust fan at the top. There are four grommeted watercooling cutouts back here, and why you'd ever need more than two is a question that not even the sands of time will answer. The bare metal here is anodised in a nice black, and the expansion slots are meshed to allow a nice amount of airflow through.
Airflow seems to be one of the strongest traits of the Maelstrom, and with a 120mm intake fan at the front sucking in cool air it's matched on the sidepanel by a large 220mm fan that can have green LEDs switched on and off by a simple switch. Exhaust duties are handled by a 120mm fan at the top and rear of the case, totalling four large fans that move a lot of air - but if you're feeling slightly mental, you can replace the 220mm side fan with six 120mm fans in its place! This isn't the smartest idea since the panel is unfiltered mesh that would allow in quite a lot of debris, but at least all the fan mounts are vibration dampened.
The insides of the case are quite spacious with enough room for EATX motherboards, six hard drives and the longest power supplies on the market. While there isn't any room at all behind the motherboard tray (a frustrating omission), there is sound-dampening foam that has been applied to both panels. The actual effect of this is ruined somewhat by the excessive amount of venting and large number of fans, but hey, it's the thought that counts.
While our review unit didn't come with one, retail Maelstroms seem to have a 600W PSU included - though a dedicated unit from Antec, Corsair or Seasonic will always be better. The Maelstrom is a decent gaming case that you'll either love or hate - but we don't mind it.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012