PC Case Vinga Winston

For many, the word "Winston" is associated with the name of a famous political figure who was named the greatest Briton in history in 2002. Perhaps such a positive reputation played an important role in choosing the name for the latest Vinga case that came into our hands.

Vinga Winston falls within the price range up to $35, a range favored by the manufacturer. And for good reason – such a budget won't hit the wallet too hard even when building an inexpensive system, and everyone wants a nice case with modern layout. In this regard, the novelty definitely has something to offer.

Specification

Packaging and Supply Kit

Let's start traditionally with the packaging. Here, it's a simple box with a short specification table and cut-out handles for easier transportation.

The supply kit is quite typical for budget solutions. It includes:

• a set of screws and standoffs for motherboard installation;
• a set of screws for securing the power supply and drives;
• system speaker;
• cable ties.

It's nice to have disposable ties – they will come in handy if you want to make the build as attractive as possible by securing all cables in place.

Appearance

Most cases under this brand (though not without exceptions) have a strict appearance, and Vinga Winston fully lives up to its name in this regard: straight lines, 45° angle cuts, and practical matte plastic do their job. For cool air intake to the front fans, there are a couple of perforated metal meshes on the sides with a width of 18 mm and a height of 442 mm.

Two bays for 5.25" devices? We thought so too, but no. Only the top one can be used, and the bottom is actually a non-removable part of the front panel. Frankly, it's a somewhat strange approach, as even the chassis allows for the installation of a pair of such devices.

Around the front interfaces, a plastic of a slightly different texture is used – brushed metal. And again, we are met with "fakes" typical of budget solutions: although the inscription suggests the presence of a pair of USB 3.0 interfaces, in reality, there is a plug instead of the first one. Together, we have one third-revision port, two USB 2.0, a pair of audio interfaces, reset and power buttons, and two moderately bright indicators. The latter is integrated into the button, and due to its considerable size, it can be a bit distracting in the dark. The solution in this case is simple – do not connect the corresponding LED block to the system board.

The rear panel painted in black pleases with the possibility of installing a 120-mm fan with slight height adjustment. Below are seven expansion slots, with device fixation assisted by an external clamping plate. The power supply will settle at the bottom of the case.

The manufacturer has done everything possible for its maximum comfortable operation. Firstly, there's a dust filter in place, which is very easy to remove for cleaning. Secondly, plastic feet with a height of 32 mm ensure proper intake of cool air. Soft pads with a thickness of 1.7 mm will help preserve the surface in its original condition, reduce vibrations, and minimize system unit sliding.

The top panel of the Vinga Winston is also interesting. It features a metal mesh filter with magnetic fastening around the perimeter. Thanks to this, it can be easily removed, providing access to the holes for mounting 120 mm fans.

As for the practicality of the materials used, fingerprints are easily left on the metal and plastic elements, despite the matte finish. However, removing them will be much easier than from glossy surfaces, especially without the risk of scratching.

Both side panels have good rigidity thanks to a thickness of 0.72 mm and ribs around the perimeter. The right one is a solid sheet of steel, while the larger area of the left one is occupied by a tinted acrylic window measuring 330 x 292 mm, clearly designed for the use of components with LED backlighting. Both side panels are attached using screws with shaped heads and are removed by sliding towards the rear.

Internal Structure

The Vinga Winston features the familiar division of the case into upper and lower parts, typical for more expensive solutions. It can accommodate ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards, for which the appropriate standoffs are already installed. The presence of a pair of cable management holes and a large cutout in the tray for replacing a large CPU cooler without removing the system board is pleasing.

The chassis allows for the installation of a pair of 5.25" devices, but remember, the front panel is designed to accommodate only the upper one. Traditionally for Vinga cases, the left part of the mounting has a short length, so it is best to ensure fixation on the right as well. 

Below the front panel, you can install a pair of fans with a diameter of 140 or 120 mm, or even a 240 mm radiator of a liquid cooling system, provided its thickness does not exceed 35 mm.

It's time to talk about storage devices. On the tray near the front panel, there are two mounting locations for SSDs. They need to be secured from the back using the included screws.

Another 2.5" drive can be installed behind the motherboard, on the back of the tray, for which there is an appropriate bracket.

A pair of 3.5" hard drives are installed in a non-removable cage using quite flexible trays, which will be cooled by the lower fan of the front panel if installed. Drives are mounted here without tools, but if you want to place a 2.5" SSD here, you will need to use the included screws.

The cage is located at a certain distance from the front panel, thus limiting the length of the power supply. However, a 160 mm model Seasonic X-560 Gold with a modular cable design fits here without any problems. As befits an exemplary solution, the power supply installation location is carefully equipped with anti-vibration elements on the bottom and side wall.

Both the power supply and the drives in the cage will be additionally cooled thanks to the presence of a series of holes on the tunnel. Also, rectangular cutouts of larger size will allow cables to be discreetly routed to the lower part of the system board.

From the inside, the top panel looks impressive, but installing a large radiator of a liquid cooling system here will not work due to a lack of space. However, savings are visible on the expansion slot covers: only the top one is removable, while all others simply break out.

We have no complaints about the assembly process. There is more than enough free space, so there will be no difficulties. The quality of the parts fitting is quite good, with no sharp edges or vibrations during operation.

The availability of free space behind the tray will allow for neat cable management, even if a budget power supply with a non-modular cable system is used.

Now about compatible components. In this regard, Vinga cases that have been tested by us are usually top-notch, and this new model did not disappoint. The length of the graphics card can reach an impressive 390 mm, but with a radiator of a liquid cooling system installed, this figure will be slightly less − 338 mm.

Want to install a large CPU cooler? No problem! According to our measurements, any solution up to 167 mm in height will fit here, which is the vast majority of models available on the market.

Cables coming from the front panel are long, and the holes in the tray and tunnel will allow them to be routed to the motherboard as discreetly as possible.

Testing

Since we are testing far from an office system, a couple of Noctua NF-F12 PWM fans were installed inside the Vinga Winston for intake and exhaust (1500 RPM). The room temperature reached +25°C.

The "All System Load" chart shows the heating of components after 30 minutes of 3DMark Fire Strike in Ultra mode (4K resolution). The "System Component Burn" mode demonstrates temperatures under load with AIDA64 (Stress CPU and FPU) and MSI Kombustor applications for 15 minutes.

The solid front panel with small ventilation meshes on the sides - would you expect good temperature indicators inside the novelty? However, as practice showed, it was only slightly behind the more expensive and noticeably more perforated Vinga Volcano. Thanks to the holes on the top panel and the installed fans. We recommend purchasing them if using a discrete video card - at least one for the rear panel.

Conclusions

Subjectively, Vinga Winston is one of the most beautiful cases in the lineup in the price range up to $35. The strict lines of the front panel are complemented by a tinted acrylic window on the side, encouraging the owner to purchase internal components with lighting.

Additionally, the external appeal is complemented by a modern layout with a bottom-mounted PSU, support for large video cards and coolers, the possibility of hidden cable management, three SSD mounting locations, and the possibility of placing a liquid cooling radiator. It is also pleasing to have five fan mounting locations, including on the top panel, covered with a magnetic dust filter. Thanks to this, you can expect low heating of components, but one or two fans are still worth purchasing.

The only downside of the Vinga Winston case is the typical budget solution gimmickry in the form of a pseudo 5.25" lower bay and the absence of a second USB 3.0 despite the available space. But these are minor issues, as considering the price, "Winston" is generally beyond criticism. 

Advantages:

• beautiful, strict front panel design and complete absence of glossy elements;
• presence of a tinted acrylic window on the left side;
• good build quality;
• support for 390mm video cards and 167mm CPU coolers;
• possibility to mount up to five fans and a 240mm liquid cooling radiator;
• ability to install one 5.25" device, two 3.5" and three 2.5" drives;
• presence of dust filters on the bottom and top panel, soft feet, and vibration-damping elements at the PSU installation site;
• possibility of hidden cable management;
• good temperature indicators of components when a pair of fans is installed.

Features:

• complete absence of pre-installed fans.

Author: Oles Paholok 
Translation: Yuriy Koval

We express our gratitude to BRAIN Computers, the official representative of Vinga, for providing the case for testing.

We express our gratitude to ASUS, Intel, Kingston, Noctua and Sea Sonic Electronics for providing the equipment for the test bench.