EKWB and InWin team up for the 303EK PC case

by Mark Tyson on 26 November 2019, 12:11

Tags: EK Water Blocks, In Win

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EK Water Blocks and InWin have collaborated to create the new EK-Classic InWin 303EK - Black. You won't be surprised that the partners have produced a stylish PC chassis infused with EK's leading liquid cooling technology. The question is did the pair produce something demonstrating synergy and will this be the start of a successful partnership? EK certainly thinks so, calling the new case one of a kind on the market and "really special".

The InWin 303 is one of the firm's more reasonably priced and accessibly styled creations. It was launched as a 'premium affordable' mid-tower ATX case back in May 2016 (and it is still available for about £100 or less). Later the same year Nvidia thought the 303 good enough to lend its branding in a collaborative limited edition effort.

The new EK-Classic InWin 303EK – Black of course keeps the solid foundation of the popular 303 and says it has produced a "true one stop shop" chassis for those wishing to build a refined liquid cooled PC system. EK asserts that "this is the only mass-produced case that is specifically re-designed and modified to seamlessly integrate the coolant distribution plate equipped with a powerful DDC pump".

Building up this system from the ground up will require "little to no bending of the tubing," traditionally encountered in such a task says EK. The pre-installed pump and reservoir have multiple industry-standard G1/4-inch threaded inlet and outlets ready to support one CPU, up to 2x GPUs and a top mounted radiator.

EK-Classic InWin 303EK - Black specs

Technical Specifications of the case:

  • Model name: InWin 303EK
  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 215 x 487 x 480 mm
  • Colour: Black
  • Tempered Glass Panel: Yes
  • Power Supply Compatibility: ATX12V Length up to 200mm
  • Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
  • Maximum GPU Length: 350mm
  • Maximum GPU Width: 160mm

Fan and Radiator Compatibility:

  • 1 x 120mm Rear Fan / 120mm Radiator
  • 3 x 120mm Top Fan / 360mm SE or PE Radiator
  • 3 x 120mm Bottom Fan / 360mm SE Radiator

Pump Technical Specifications:

  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 63 x 68 x 55 mm
  • Motor: Electronically commuted ball bearing motor
  • Rated voltage: 12V DC
  • Power consumption: 18W
  • Maximum head pressure: up to 5.2m
  • Maximum flow rate: up to 1000 L/h
  • Maximum liquid temperature: 60°C
  • Materials: Stainless steel, PPS-GF40, EPDM O-rings, graphite
  • Power connector: 4-Pin Molex- and 4-Pin PWM FAN connector
  • Xylem original model name: DDC-3.25 TPPWM4

EK says that the EK-Classic InWin 303EK - Black will start to become available from 11th January next year though you can pre-order it today. Its MSRP is €339.90 but there appears to be a Black Friday sale on at the moment nudging the price down to €308.48. Please check the EK promotions page before ordering to make sure you get any discounts and freebies on offer.

HEXUS Forums :: 5 Comments

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Posted by Ttaskmaster - Tue 26 Nov 2019 12:52
“Show the flow”… not unless you're using Mayhems Aurora!

DDC pump not always the best option, either. Presumably this can be easily swapped to a D5?
Posted by DevDrake - Tue 26 Nov 2019 16:31
it's ok - looks practical and well done.
On the other had - this price tag and no radiator included?
Posted by globalwarning - Tue 26 Nov 2019 21:15
DevDrake
it's ok - looks practical and well done.
On the other had - this price tag and no radiator included?

I had to think about this, but yeah… this is an older case with a price tag of 100BP, so even though this includes a pump/res/distroplate combo, it's still on the steep side.

I'm also wondering about some of the claims made. Gamers Nexus did a review of the case, and there's some problems with actually being able to install a radiator or even just fans on the bottom (they seem to run into fitment issues with the motherboard), and the top(side?) panel fan/radiator mounting seems to be blocked by the PSU for one of the fans, so you don't even get a full 360 rad there. And I'd definitely want a D5 with two GPUs, I don't see any indication you can swap one in (which would add to the cost).

Honestly, I'm not sure why EK would partner on such an old case like this…
Posted by DevDrake - Tue 26 Nov 2019 22:16
I can understand that - maybe the design is old but it have its appeal. I really like the look of it.
It is sad that it is so flawed regarding the actual usage.
Alos for this design to be full I would expect them to have vertically placed GPU card and the case being more slim - as there is no need for space (you are expected to make WC build her xD)
Posted by globalwarning - Wed 27 Nov 2019 14:24
It looks like they do have a vertical GPU mount (if you look at the back of the case, you can see where it would get screwed in) but again, that would further interfere with mounting anything else on the bottom of the case, like fans or a radiator. Considering the kind of heat dissipation required for modern high core count CPUs, they are almost forcing you to have both a 360 top rad and a 120 rear rad, which is awkward.