Since the Alaska is a Full-Tower design, the interior is naturally very spacious. More than enough 5.25" and 3.5" bays are provided to accommodate multiple optical media drives or hard disk drives. Interestingly, while the power supply included with the case is compatible with Pentium 4 motherboards, the tray below it is not and is missing the Pentium 4 heatsink screw holes.

On the floor of the Inwin case is a device called the Fanbus. Using one power connector, the Fanbus is able accommodate up to four fans, keeping the wiring mess to a minimum. Additionally, labeled clips make it easy to connect the side panel-mounted 120mm fans to the Fanbus unit.

One of the most important aspects of the Cool-Case is the extra cooling it provides to the avid overclocker. The design is set up to funnel cool air in from the side of the case, and channel warm air out from the top. CDI accomplishes this with two intake fans on the left side of the case, blowing air over the CPU, video card, and chipset (the most heat-sensitive components). Fans on the top and rear of the case supply exhaust. An 80mm fan provides intake on the front of the case, while another on the back serves the same duty. Hard drives are cooled via a dual-fan cooler.

Back when we reviewed the Alaska Cool-Case, our primary complaint was noise - nine 80mm fans tend to create a racket. With the Inwin Alaska, CDI has utilized larger fans that accomplish the same task by spinning at a lower rate of rotations per minute (RPM). As such, the noise coming from the case has been amazingly reduced.

One of the most unique features of the case is an integrated device for controlling the power supplied to the 120mm fans. The unit occupies one 5.25" bay on the front of the computer (hence the name Baybus) and sports four switches with corresponding light emitting diodes. For instances when maximum cooling capacity is required, the switches are set to the 'On' position and the LED turns red. When noise needs to be reduced, the switches can be set for 'Variable' and the fans will slow down. The third position, 'Off,' obviously shuts the fans off completely.

Now the big question is: How effective is the Alaska case? We measured the ambient temperature of our test facility to be 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the air leaving the case was measured to be the same - room temperature - and no wonder, with 374 cubic feet or air moved per minute (as measured by Raytek's Raynger ST infrared thermometer with laser spread). Does this mean your old Celeron 300A will turn into a GHz wonder? Maybe for one second - right before it fries. More realistically, a cool case will allow your CPU fan/heatsink combo to do its job more efficiently since the air around it will not be saturated with heat.

Priced as configured, the custom case that was shipped to our test facility tipped the scales at nearly $600. However, CDI offers three different packages to make the Inwin Alaska a little more affordable. For instance, the baseline system includes the Fanbus, four 120mm fans, two 80mm fans, and a 300W Power supply for $235. Add the Access option (Plexiglas window, bezel, and Neon light) and the color option for a total of $400.

As mentioned, airbrushing starts at $100. Thought this seems pricey, a quick look at CDI's examples page should convey a better idea at what can be added to the side of a case. The work is truly impressive.