Conclusion:

The In Win BK623 Mt. Jade mATX Case with 300W Power Supply brings a lot to the table... and won't take up the whole table while doing so! Being by far the smallest micro ATX case I have used, I was concerned about the cooling potential, despite the advanced design of the PPCT (partition plate cooling technology). This means of cooling the processor and motherboard reminded me a bit of the BTX form factor design physically, and it provided the cool and quiet operation that this somewhat defunct form factor was also supposed to bring us.


The down side to this case includes a few finishing touches, as well as one major thing would be buyers need to consider. While the case may work with any type of mATX motherboard, it will only work as designed when used with an Intel socket 775 processor and the stock cooler. The PPCT is designed to fit around the fan on the stock cooler provided by Intel, and while you may get lucky on other coolers or other processors, you will most likely wind up using it without the PPCT, one of the main draws of this case. As far as finishing touches go, the case has zero tool-less features, cable management is nearly impossible due to the number of cables and limited space available, and if you actually intend to use the fourth expansion slot you may restrict the air flow to the only fan found in the case. With the power supply located below the expansion slots, its intake fan aims right at the last expansion slot and is just a few centimeters away.

A search of PriceGrabber finds the In Win BK623 Mt. Jade mATX Case at one retailer for about $56 (US) as of the day this review was released. While this seems quite competitive to me as is, a broader search of the Internet shows that you can get it for even less! While there may not be much to the BK623 in terms of physical size and bells-and-whistles, the price makes it quite appealing for those looking for a small, quiet, and attractive desktop or HTPC chassis.

Considering the unique design, cooling performance, low noise operation, and competitive pricing, I award the In Win BK623 Mt. Jade mATX Case with 300W Power Supply the awards of "Recommended" and "Great Idea".


Pros:

» Extremely compact
» Processor and other system components stay cool
» Low noise operation - there are no case fans
» Simple styling is attractive, but not flashy
» Includes capable little 300W power supply
» Use as a tower or a desktop
» Competitively priced

Cons:

» For Intel socket 775 processors with stock cooler only
» Not tool-less
» Many cables inside, and there is no room to manage them neatly
» Using fourth expansion card could block air flow to only fan (in the PSU)
» As a tower case, optical drive is mounted side ways

Special thanks to In Win USA for providing the In Win BK623 Mt. Jade mATX Case with 300W Power Supply to Bigbruin.com for review!