Kingwin has been a major player in the high performance PC market since 1992.  Specializing in thermal cooling, Kingwin has a reputation for making some of the best cooling solutions on the market.  Today we will be looking at their latest performance case, the SK-523.  Targeted at a more budget conscience PC enthusiast, can the SK-523 compete with out hurting your wallet?

     Some days I wonder if our local postman has a hidden hatred of case boxes!  The simple attractive packaging for the SK-523 fares better than most packaging we receive.  As you can see, the SK series is available in black and silver with the optional window shown.  A blue version is also listed, though I could not find it in a window style at all.

     Most of the detail has been saved for the side where all of the critical data is provided.  Our review unit did not come with a power supply.  A quick search of the net reveals the SK is not currently offered with a PSU.  The packaging shows the SK series motto "Performance with Style."

Out of the box the solid Steel SECC chassis is clean and feels sturdy.  Some of this feel is reinforced by the 19 pound weight.

The front is dominated by a full length Aluminum door.  The cut and beveled design hides a full length red cold cathode light.

     With the door open, the cathode is revealed.  This picture also shows venting for the front 120 mm fan.  The door closes solidly and is held in place by a magnet.  Our door seems to want to close its-self which is a nice change.  I am not sure how much of the 120 mm fan performance is effected by the closed front design.  The door  opens to the left which is unusual on a case with a window on the left side.

     The left side window is smaller and held in place by eight fasteners.  Kingwin thoughtfully shipped the window with a protective film to prevent scratching.  I like a large window, but the smaller size helps hide the drive bays nicely.

     The right side is reserved for the multimedia panel.  I attempted to shoot a picture that would show the polished black paintjob without a shiny flash reflection and this was the result.  Like all polished metal surfaces, it looks much better in person.

     A close up of the multimedia panel reveals the standard USB and Audio plugs are joined by an external SATA plug.  With the rapid adoption of the SATA technology, this is a nice change from the usual fire wire plugs I never need.  Now I can use my Night Hawk drive with out the hassle of running cabling to the motherboard!  The silver knob you see here and above is a fan control for the front 120 mm fan. The SK-523 also ships with security keys to hold the front panel closed.  These are the kinds of nice touches you don't expect in a sub $60 case.

The SK-523 ships with a simple manual and all the accessories you would expect.

     A closer look reveals even simple cable management is included.  The feet must be manually attached or can be easily replaced with aftermarket custom feet.