IN-WIN BUC Destiny-Lite Chassis Review

When I went up yesterday to visit the OCmodshop headquarters and pick up my latest plethora of reviewable gear, my eyes immediately fell on a single black box with blue letters surrounded by orange flames on the side.  These letters spelled out one single word:  BUC.  And my first thought was, what the f*** is a Buc?  So, intrigued at a case that I had never heard of, I told the boss man to throw it in my car with the rest of the gear.

In-Win Development, the makers of the Buc case, is a manufacturer of professional computer chassis based out of Taiwan.  They’ve apparently been around since 1985, though this seems to be my first experience with anything of theirs.  So what I’m wondering is this; have I simply been under a technological rock for the last 27 years?  From what I saw doing this review, these cases should be right up there with some of the nicer cases at my local PC hardware store.  But they’re not.  I went down there myself and looked.  So with my first In-Win experience comes my first review.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Here are some specs before we get started:

Features of the In-Win BUC

• Easy Access to HDD Bays on Side Panel
• SATA HDD/SSD Hot-Swap Module
• Supports Multiple High-end Graphic Cards (Max. Length: 11.8″ / 30cm)
• Supports USB 3.0 Super Speed Transfer Interface
• Up to 9 Drive Bays
• Cable Routing Space
• Tool-Free Design
• Removable Anti-Dust Filters

Specifications for the In-Win BUC

• Dimensions (WxHxD): 210x485x506mm (8.3″ x 19.1″ x 19.9″)
• Material: SECC Steel + Plastic
• Colors: Black
• Weight: 14.77 lbs.
• Motherboard Type: ATX, m-ATX
• External Connections: 1x HD Audio/Mic, 1x USB3.0, 2x USB2.0, 1x eSATA
• Cooling:
  • Front: 1x 120mm (included)
  • Top: 1x 120mm (included)
  • Rear: 1x 120mm (included)
  • Side: 2x 120mm
• Bays and Expansion:
  • External: 3x 5.25″, 1x 3.5″
  • Internal: 5x 3.5″/2.5″ (Three Hot-Swap)
  • Expansion Slots: 7
• Clearance
  • VGA Support: 300mm
  • CPU Heatsink Support: 170mm

As I mentioned earlier, my first encounter with the Buc was with the box.  It’s inky black, covered with the chassis’ name in cool font, and there are flames.  There’s also a pretty awesome shield graphic on the box.  Honestly, it was a little misleading.  Before flipping it around and checking out the picture of the case on the back, I was expecting something inspired by dragons and dwarves and scantily clad wenches.  Alas, no cleavage covered in tanned leather here.  But that doesn’t mean this case isn’t sexy in its own right.

The case had the usual protective Styrofoam packaging around it, and as usual, was inside a plastic bag.  Other than that, there was nothing else in the box.  I figured the manual and screw kit was inside the case.  So I pulled the case out and gave it a visual inspection.  The first thing that caught my eye was the carbon fiber-style tray built into the top.  An excellent place to throw USB thumb drives when not in use.  And better yet, this tray has a built-in USB 3.0 port.

The rest of the case is pretty basic with its color scheme.  A flat black base with gloss black accents.  The front of the case has three external 5.25” drive bays.  Just above these are the front ports for the USB 2.0, audio, and eSata.  This is also where the power and reset buttons are located.  It’s arranged quite simply, but the straight-forwardness is something I have to admire in a world of cases that seem to light up in every other spot.  I think some manufacturers seem to miss out on the beauty of simplicity.

I went to open the side and check out the guts of the chassis.  The left side of the case has a grilled section that accepts two 120mm case fans, as well as a small door for hot swapping hard drives.  The side pops of nicely.  There are plastic snaps that are pulled outward, and the sides just come off.  No thumbscrews here.  The inside of the case is a little off-putting.  I wasn’t expecting the amount of neon green in there.  Two of the 120mm fans (the rear and top) are both neon green.  As are the five 3.5”/2.5” drive trays, the pull knobs for the 5.25” drive bay, and the clamps for the rear PCI expansion slots.  Don’t get me wrong, it looks good.  I just didn’t expect neon green of all colors.  It was like a sixteen-year-old Fast and Furious fan designed it.

The motherboard tray sits away from the right side of the case nicely.  There’s around a half inch of space back there.  The cables for the USB, audio, eSata, and power run behind the motherboard tray and come out near the bottom of the case.  There’s also a blue USB 3.0 cable running inside the top of the case and out of the back for plugging into the rear USB 3.0 ports of the motherboard.   For some reason this seems a little redundant to me, to create an external port by plugging a cable into an external port.  But, whatever.

There are seven PCI expansion slots at the back of the case.   Each of these has a blank that can be removed by pushing the clamp on each one toward the inside of the case until it unlocks and then out toward the back of the case.  It took a couple of trays to get this down, but once I did I feel in love with it.  I love not having to deal with screws.  Then all one has to do is pop the blank out, put the PCI expansion card in, and then push the lock back into place from the outside.  It’s in there secure as can be.

There are five HDD drive trays.  These trays are made of a very rigid neon green plastic.  Each one can be pulled out by squeezing the front finger notches on each one and pulling outward.  Each of the trays has a SATA data and power connectors at the back.  Like the hard drive on a laptop, the drive slides in and instantly plugs into the Sata connectors.  These can also be accessed from the right side of the case as well.  The middle three drives can be accessed easily by opening the small door on the case’s side.  The drives can slide out of this easily for hot swapping.  To prevent confusion, the top tray is reserved for the system drive and is not accessible via the hot swap door.  This door also locks, and includes a key.

The 5.25” drives can be removed by pulling on spring-loaded knobs for each tray.  These knobs snap into the screw holes on the drives.  No screws necessary here, either.  Pretty much every part of this case is made for easy addition and removal of components.  I could see a person build a complete system with this chassis in no time at all.

As with many chassis these days, it’s designed for the power supply to be in the bottom.  I’ve always been a fan of this design.  I can remember more than one of my first builds where the PSU slipped out of my fingers while I was trying to screw it into place.  I actually destroyed a really nice video card this way.  I would suggest that if you are building a computer for the first time, go with the bottom-mounting PSU design.

The last thing I wanted to mention was the lighting on this case.  The lighting is minimal at best.  The front fan is clear and lights up blue.  Just above this is the In Win logo, which lights up orange.  This is all the lighting that comes standard on this case.  It wouldn’t be hard to add more light by swapping out the fans and throwing in some cold cathode lights or LEDs, but it’s still pretty nice as is.

In conclusion, this chassis would make an excellent build for anyone wanting a sturdy case where components can be swapped out quickly.  The fans aren’t exactly powerhouses, and there is no fan control built in, but it did seem to have some pretty nice airflow even without fans on the side.  The aesthetics are just right, not too flashy nor too dull.  The ease of replacing cards and drives is an especially nice selling point on this case.  I’m happy to say that I’m now a fan of the BUC.  Stupid name, but a great case.