The Griffin actually arrived double boxed which was pleasing to see, it gives additional protection to what’s inside, ensuring nothing is damaged. On the box containing the Griffin we have a nicely printed vector image of the Griffin, moving our attention to the other sides, there is a broad listing of the features on our Griffin case.
With the Griffin out of its protective box, it's immediately apparent that this case has a stylish aspect to it. There are two Griffin emblems printed on each side of the case, on the component side a smaller sized one due to the large perforated mesh area. This panel caters for the rather large 220mm fan.
Surprisingly the weight of the Griffin is extremely light. 5KG for a mid-tower is an achievement in itself. The size is another factor that will surprise, it's not very tall or wide at all. Hopefully this won't impede installation of hardware a little later.
Moving to the front of the Griffin, the design certainly has plenty of character. Visually, it looks like an impressive bit of engineering. The shapes that appear to be carved, give the Griffin a nice touch. There are four 5.25" bay covers - these covers are incredibly awkward to fix back in place should you accidently knock one out... as I found all too often. Further down the front panel there is the usual plethora of controls such as power and reset button with LED's, I rather like the power button. It's shape and size is nice. Below this, we have a large ridged panel with the IN WIN logo inscribed. Cunningly - by pressing this panel in reveals USB ports, audio jacks and eSATA. This is a neat idea from IN WIN. It means you can conceal these controls away if they are not needed, this design keeps them well protected.
Moving to the back of the Griffin reveals that this case will only seat a PSU at the top and not the bottom. With most of today's cases, you would typically see manufacturers choosing to place PSU mounting at the bottom of the case. Other than this, there isn't a great deal else that differs from the conventional case. The side panels have been given a quirky approach - rather than using screws to hold the panels on, IN WIN have chosen to use a latch-style level. This is quite a nice idea, it will certainly appeal to those who thrive on the tool-less aspect of case design. It's quick and easy, and of course there is no need to look around for that screwdriver.
If you do want to opt for using screws there are holes there should you want to move away from this. I've no idea why you would though. It'd be a bit like cutting your lawn with a pair of scissors when you have a lawn mower in the garage!
