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Installation & Configuration
The installation kit for the Riotoro CR280 is straightforward and includes motherboard screws, case fan screws, hard drive mounting screws, power supply screws, and more. Additionally it also comes with extra vibration dampeners for the hard drive mounts, as well as several cable ties for cable management, and several extra thumbscrews. Not pictured is a placard with a QR-code that links to Riotoro’s website where you can download the case’s instruction manual.
The CR280 comes with the standard front I/O cable assortment, including front panel power and switch cables, HD audio, and USB 3.0 cable. It appears that the underglow LED at the front of the case is small enough to receive all of its power from the motherboard’s power LED header.
Installation inside the CR280 is simple and quick. The cutouts in the motherboard tray and the numerous tie down points make cable management easy. Furthermore, unlike other cases we’ve tested, the CR280’s compact size means less wasted space at the end of the build. If we’d chosen a full-size graphics card and an ATX power supply, the rest of the available space would have been filled in nicely.
While it’s not exactly the panoramic view that you’d get from some of the newer cases on the market, the side window on the CR280 still provides a decent view into the case so you can show off your new build. The red underglow at the front of the case also adds a nice finishing touch and gives it a bit of the premium feel that accompanies more expensive cases.
Today’s review uses the same Mini-ITX reference platform as past reviews, with no changes to the standard hardware.
Noise is measured .5m from the case's front corner, on the side that opens. The numbers are corrected to the 1m industry standard—used by many loudspeaker and fan manufacturers—by subtracting six decibels.
Additionally, the test duration for today’s review was four hours at full load, and the ambient air temperature for the test was maintained at approximately 26°C (78.8°F).
Comparison Products
Test Configuration
Drivers and Settings
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Software | |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce 353.30 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 10.0.27 |
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Prime95 v27.9 | 64-bit executable, Small FFTs, 4 threads |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.3.0, Extreme Preset: Graphics Test 1, Looped |
| Real Temp 3.40 | Average of maximum core readings at full CPU load |
| Galaxy CM-140 SPL Meter | Tested at 1/2 m, corrected to 1 m (-6 dB), dBA weighting |
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