System Build
The build process with the PRISM CR1280 is straightforward, with a lot of space in which to move around. My motherboard is the first component in, and there are plenty of cable routing openings (with rubber grommets) around the motherboard for a tidy build.
After the main components are in place on the board (CPU, GPU, RAM) it's time to look at the cooling options. These are plentiful, with numerous fan mounts and good liquid-cooling capacity. We'll review the full compatibility rundown from RIOTORO from the first page of this review:
- Cooling:
- 2x 120 or 2x 140 fan mounts in front
- 3 x 120 or 2x 1400 fan mount on top
- 1 x 140 mm or 1x120mm rear exhaust
- Water Cooling Compatibility:
- 1 x 140 x 25mm or 38mm rad + push/ pull fan in rear
- 3 x 120 x 25 mm rad + push fan on top (full clearance)
- 2 x 120 rad or 2x 140 + push/ pull fan in front
By default the front 120/140 mm mounts are populated by a pair of RGB fans, and we'll leave that alone for this build (there is plenty of room up front for a radiator or self-contained liquid cooler if you choose). This leaves the top 3 x 120 mm mounts, and I tried out a Corsair H100i GTX for size:
No clearance issues, though the fan mounts put the radiator about as far back (towards the motherboard) as you'd ever want it. I prefer cases that have offset fan mounts for the top, but this works.
The rear 120/140 mm mount is populated by a 120 mm exhaust fan out of the box. I left this in place for CPU air cooler testing, but removed it in favor of my Corsair H75 for the liquid cooler tests.
Storage Options
There are four slide-out SSD trays located on the back side of the enclosure, running along the left side.
And below the SSDs are four 3.5-inch hard drive mounts, also via slide-out plastic trays.
The plastic drive trays allow tool-free installation, and worked well. There's no extra padding for vibration reduction, but this didn't seem to be an issue.
Completed Build
The finished build looks pretty good, with enough room behind the motherboard tray to organize cables. The ATX power supply is located on the case floor under that partition, so any cable mess there is hidden from view. Overall, a clean-looking build.
Next we'll review the enclosure testing setup and methodology, or you can skip to the last page for the performance results.
I need at least nine 5.25″
I need at least nine 5.25″ drive bays in a full tower case for a file server, I currently use a Raidmax ATX-902WR but it’s showing its age, this move towards bay-less cases is depressing. That translucent top is nice though.
Yes! I bought three of the
Yes! I bought three of the iStarUSA BPN-DE340SS drive cages when they were on sale for $40~ each. I was gonna pick up a full size atx case with 9-10 5.25 inch bays, but there isn’t much choice out there. I have packed as many drives as I can in my Cooler Master CM690 II.
At least there are larger
At least there are larger drives to fit in whatever room your case has. 🙂
But I agree. Many people want a smaller form-factor case, but I think this has been exaggerated a bit, there are still plenty of us that want larger cases. Give me 10 slots. Give me capacity for the largest mainboards. Give me room to work in. And give me room for hard drives so I can store videos with back-ups.
We know that there tends to be a trade-off when it comes to cooling vs noise – but that really only applies when you use the same sized fans. Want better cooling with less noise? Use larger fans and spin them slower. Small cases don’t allow for that. Certainly cases have come a long way in the last 15 years, their cooling solutions used to be more of an after-thought than actually beneficial, but there is that third factor in the cooling vs noise balance, which is case size. While many people don’t have room for a huge case, and it’s great that there are getting to be more options for them, I do, and would like more options that would fit my usage better as well.
Looks nice but given the size
Looks nice but given the size of the case why run with 120mm fans? They look tiny on the front of the case. Twin 180mm fans would be a better option
I can’t seem to figure out
I can’t seem to figure out how to power the RGB lighting and front LED fans. The installation manual says to use a 4-pin molex from the PSU, but doesn’t specify where to plug it in….any help would be greatly appreciated.