Early Verdict
The Prism CR1280 offers Riotoro-exclusive 256-color RGB lighting plus room for large motherboards and four double-slot graphics cards at a mid-market $140 price.
Pros
- +
Eight expansion slots • RGB lighting • Dual 2x 140mm radiator support • Good airflow
Cons
- -
Mediocre noise levels • Cumbersome power supply installation • Cloudy plastic for side panel and top cover cheapens appearance
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Specifications, Interior And Exterior
What happens when a group of experts leave their respected positions to found a new company? We always hope that they'll bring along some radical ideas that change the entire industry. That's not so easy to do in the computer case market though, since rectangular parts best fit within rectangular boxes. From the competitive standpoint, aren't all the top brands already producing every user-requested feature as cheaply as possible?
Shape isn't the thing that makes Ritoro's Prism CR1280 stand apart from competitors, as a slight forward-lean in the fan and beveled corners at top and bottom panels do little to disguise the basic rectangular box. A lighted logo on the face panel also isn't new. And designs that combine the eight slots of XL-ATX with the motherboard depth of EATX have become de rigueur for enthusiast cases exceeding 21" in height. The Prism CR1280 is instead getting noticed for its 256-color RGB lighting system, which can be set to several different fixed colors or automatically cycle through the entire pallet as shown in its promotional video.
The CR1280's front panel includes the LED controller, two buttons for high and low fan speed, headset jacks, two USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. The power button is larger than the reset button, but that difference is probably too small for a person to notice during a "blind reach." Fortunately, they also feel different.
Out back we find six knockouts among the eight slot covers, but six more slot covers are included in the installation kit. Rear-panel exhaust is via a 120mm fan, on a mounting location that also supports 140mm fans, and both sets of screw holes are slotted to allow repositioning for single-fan radiator clearence.
The bottom panel features separate dust filters for the power supply intake and drive bay vent. The filters slide out from the front and rear, and the bays are accessible from the opposite (right) side.
Here's how the Riotoro Prism CR1280 compares to our most recently-tested, similarly-sized cases.
Specifications
With a main body only 8.9" wide, much of the Prism CR1280's width comes from its rubber-padded extruded-aluminum feet. Corsair used its feet to increase height, causing us to question whether to call it a full tower or wide mid-tower (we chose "Fat" in its title). From the price, layout and volume perspectives, all three of these cases compete closely.
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