RGB Lighting, Performance, and Conclusion
RGB Lighting
A big component of this enclosure is the RGB lighting, and this is slickly done. The front panel has a single RGB control button, and each press selects a different color – with the final option being a color-cycle that slowly switches through all of the colors.
Here's a composite shot to illustrate nine of the possible colors:
The effect is very nice, with the fans, logo, and I/O area lit up with the same color. If you like RGB lighting you'll probably agree that this case has implemented the idea very well.
Temperatures and Noise
Very impressive! The vented design of the PRISM CR1280 provides the best temperature results for both air and liquid CPU coolers in this group. Obviously cooling is a strength for this design.
GPU results are very similar, with the CR1280 providing outstanding results, with slightly better temps when using the Corsair H75 liquid cooler on the CPU. This is likely the result of enhanced airflow, as the tested air cooler is a downward-firing design.
Noise results aren't as impressive as the temps, but the fully-vented front panel isn't going to reduce noise from your system components. Cooling is excellent, and this is the tradeoff. Front fans produced a fair bit of noise even at idle, with 38.4 dBA was the measured result regardless of CPU cooler. The enclosure was much louder at the "fast" setting, with a whopping 43.4 dBA noise produced at idle! As noted above, this setting did nothing of note to lower temps as configured, and the "fast" setting was not used for any benchmarks here.
Conclusion
The PRISM CR1280 is the first enclosure from RIOTORO we've looked at, and it is impressively built. The appearance won't appeal to everyone, and at this point there might be some RGB lighting fatigue in the PC enthusiast community. The fact that lighting affects are customizable (it can be disabled completely, as well) is nice, but you will pay a premium for this enclosure in part due to the RGB effects.
Price is the sticking point for me with the CR1280, though it dropped from $169 to $149 on Amazon recently. Even so, at $149 there are so many options out there that you will really need to want what RIOTORO has to offer. It will come down to personal taste. I like the look of the case quite a bit, and I found it to be very well made. It isn't built for silence, but then it isn't advertised as a quiet case, either.
Strengths
- Quality construction
- Spacious interior for large components
- Excellent cable routing support
- Excellent storage support
- Good cooling support
- Excellent cooling performance
- RGB lighting is well implemented
- Built-in fan controller
Weaknesses
- Noise levels higher due to vented front panel
- Price
If striking design and customizable RGB lighting are a priority, the PRISM CR1280 is an excellent option, though at $149 there is stiff competition from all sides.
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.