This case looks great, whether it's lying flat in a desktop orientation or standing up as a tower, especially given its low price tag.
When this story went live in Europe, our enclosure of choice was called the FI-01W. But Chieftec doesn't sell it here. In the U.S., the same case shows up as Winsis' WI-10. It's really hard to track down, though. So, although all of our pictures are of the Chieftec chassis, we're using Winsis' WI-02 instead. Internally, the WI-02 is identical. It even includes a 200 W power supply. For as little as $45 online, we're happy to recommend the WI-02 as an alternative.
Like other Chieftec enclosures, the FI-01W (and, by extension, Winsis' WI-02) is built like a tank, albeit a tiny one. This can be a blessing as well as a curse. Be ready for a twisted neck and scraped fingers during the build process because this chassis has absolutely no give and promises only cramped working conditions.
Let’s first take a look at how the Chieftec FI-01W stacks up on paper.
| Technical Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX; Desktop form factor (Lying down) or tower form factor (Standing upright) |
| Dimensions | 10.43" x 3.54" x 10.63" (Depth x Width x Height); 6.45 L (Volume) |
| Weight | 7.72 lbs (with PSU) |
| External Drive Bays | 1 x 5.25" Slimline with tool-less installation |
| Internal Drive Bays | 1 x 3.5" With tool-less installation + 1 x 2.5" (Installation with screws) |
| Power Supply Unit (PSU) | 200 W TFX PSU (Chieftec DSI-200P) |
| Front Connectors | 2 x USB 2.0, Microphone input, Audio output (AC'97/HD Audio) |
| In The Box | Screw set, Accessory set, Motherboard spacer, Thumb screws, Four feet |
| Materials | 0.6 mm Steel, White Finish (Winsis' WI-02 is available either in a black or silver finish) |
| Fan Holders | None |
| Manufacturer's Website | Chieftec Product Page, Winsis Product Page |
| Street Price | $40 |
This is where we would have nitpicked the the Chieftec FI-01W’s smaller problems, except that we didn’t find any.
The only thing that we didn’t love about the FI-01W was its lack of a door for the optical drive. While the case comes with a removable cover, a simple door mechanism would have made the case perfect (though we recognize that a quality mechanism would have also made it more expensive). At the equivalent of $60 in Europe, or as low as $45 here in the U.S., we're fine with the chassis as-is.
We'll dive into power supply performance once we finish the build.
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