Riotoro CR1088 Prism Case | Review | Tech For Techs
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Riotoro CR1088 PRISM RGB MINI-TOWER CASE Review

Review by:  Jennifer Griffiths 
Video & Testing by: Philip Griffiths

Introduction :

When I even begin to entertain building a computer, the first thing I decide on is what case I will have.  It must be perfect in every way.  The reason being, when someone comes around, before they even know what I have in my computer their first impression is what it looks like.  We are judgmental people in the tech world.  In retail, if it has a cheap looking case it could have the best components in the world and most will thumb their noses at it.  However, a nice case with mediocre components will sell fast.  Why?  Because it looks good!  So, today when we look at the Riotoro we are going to decide if it is worthy of a gaming build or does it simply go in our Nana’s corner for her social media and email needs.  You don’t want to miss this one.

Manufacturer statement:

The CR1088 Prism takes the core of the award-winning CR1080 and takes it to the next level with a muscular new black/red exterior with integrated RGB lighting, increased internal space, and dust filters. Dual compartments: one for the motherboard, CPU, and graphics card, and a second for the power supply and drives thus providing direct airflow to critical components for improved cooling efficiency.  It packs a punch with support for full-size ATX motherboards, power supplies and graphics cards.



About RIOTORO® :

RIOTORO was founded in 2014 by a group of intrepid Silicon Valley engineers who set out to prove that gaming hardware could be awesome.

RIOTORO PRODUCTS hit the market in early 2015 as hardware with no equal. Two years later, the products are available in more than 20 countries.

EVERY RIOTORO using RIOTORO Technology is a step towards making increasingly affordable gaming hardware available to the consumer.

It’s more than gaming hardware, it’s RIOTORO..

Product Description

Riotoro CR1088 Mini Gaming Case, ATX, No PSU, 12cm Fan, RGB Lighting, Full-size ATX MB, GPU and PSU support

Form Factor:  ATX

Small Form Factor:  Yes

Power Supply Wattage:  No PSU

Supported Motherboards:  ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX

Front Panel Connectors:  2 x USB 3.0, Headphone, Microphone,  Fan Controller, RGB Controller

Drive Bays: 2 x Internal 3.5", 2 x Internal 2.5"

Expansion Slots:   7 Expansion Slots

Cooling System Included: 1 x front 120mm fans
Optional:  1 x front 120,  1 x rear 80mm

 


Water Cooling options:  Front 120mm radiator

Colour:  Black

Material:  Steel, ABS Plastic

Compatability:  Max GX Card length: 300mm

Max CPU Cooler height: 122mm

PSU: 175mm

Weight/Dimensions:  3.85 kg , 400 x 230 x 360 mm  

 

Warranty  2 Years

Packaging:

The case comes in a standard cardboard box with an outline of the case in black.  You won’t find any fancy artwork.  It is very basic.  For a case of the price I would expect a nice picture on it showcasing the design.  One with the case lit up would not go amiss. 

Unboxing:

Upon opening I can see the case is well packed with foam around it and a see through plastic bag as most standard cases have.  Once the packaging comes away you can see it has a tinted side window.  Now to take the window side off.   When you do, you either love it for being light weight or you hate it for feeling plastic and basic.   Inside we will find a dust filter and some paperwork.  On the motherboard side, we take the side off *in doing so you can see a vent for the power supply* and we find a box of hardware in the upper left corner.  I am not sure who made this executive decision as it is a job to get it out.  This box will contain our fittings.  When you look at the back of it you will see that there is plenty of room for a graphics card, maybe even wireless card and a couple of other things depending on size and if your board supports it.  The front, well, it looks kind of plain. The front is mesh for keeping cool.  This is a small case and as we all know, smaller is warmer.  This case does not have a place for an optical drive.  On the top, you have two USB 3 ports, headphone/mic jacks, power and reset button.  

Building:

This proved to be more time consuming than a regular build, if I am honest.  It also took too much forward thinking and planning for my liking.  For example, you have to remove the hard drive bays to run the power switch cables.  The area where they go is tight with a full ATX board.  Speaking of the Hard Drive Bays, The SATA lead on the hard drive *data connection* this crimps up due to the way the drive sits sideways.  The SSD area has a nice straight down flow with the data lead.  In my opinion, they should have stacked them over the PSU.  There is enough space behind the Hard Drive to add another bay and this would eliminate the stress on the data cable.  The reset, power etc leads off of an area on the motherboard side.  It then loops behind the board and they want you to bring up through the holes in the case again to get to the Front Panel connectors, Audio, and USB.  This just looks messy and is kind of “going around the mountain to get to the mole hill”.  Why not fix the switch wires right behind the motherboard *behind where the SSD sits* then bring them through for a tidy look?  As it is, it is just messy, and my OCD is killing me.  When I powered it on it looked ok. 

This case was designed for a person with limited space to have a light up case that looked nice.  It was not designed for the hard-core gamer that spends countless hours gaming.  *especially the ones that need more than two USB ports on the front. * 

This case has one RGB fan, mounted on the front.  That’s it.  You will find lighting on the top around the USB ports, power switch area, a strip on the side of the front bezel, a strip down the front bezel and a light up logo. 

The one thing I can give it kudos for is that it is built with the mother board on the opposite side of the case.  This is nice for those that need to put their PC on the left of their monitor and they can still see the inside. 

Can I see myself using it in a build?  Only by request.  I found it too bothersome in build factor, keeping tidy, and my fear of heat.

Testing:

In testing, I graded the case on air flow, ease of build, and looks.    Honestly, there is a lot of planning ahead when you go to build with the case.  Before putting in the board you need to sit and map out all things.  If you have a full board like I did, it looks rather messy at the bottom where the cables come from the switch.  If you try to go under the board and back out, they are too short and do not reach.  This, a lot of messy cables at the bottom.   The switch would have been better near the top like most cases or with longer cables that could be woven under and out from behind the board.  The fact you have to take the hard drive bays out is another annoyance.  Also, the layout of the hard drive and SSD could be better.  The way they are now, the data cable stresses.  Once the machine is built it looks “ok”.  I can’t say that it makes me get the feeling I do on most game rigs when I look at it on completion and say “that’s my work and someone’s pride and joy”.  It was more like “ok what’s next on the bench”.  The airflow was ok.  It was not awesome, it was not bad. It was somewhere in the middle.  In all fairness for a small case, it was better than I expected. 

Pricing:

Buy Price around £61 inc VAT -  and the SRP is £74.99 inc VAT,  this would make you around 19% (£14) Profit 

Suppliers:

This Product is available at Spire Technology 

Conclusion:

If you need a small case with lights and you do not need more than one graphics card, this might be ok for you.  It all depends on how picky you are and what you intend to do with it.  I personally can’t see it being on the must have list.  Its redeeming factor is in the way they made it left hand view for those of us who want to see inside the case, but our monitor sits to the right of the PC.  The case has potential if you don’t mind spending money on some bling like features.  Magnetic light strips, after market cooler with lights, RGB fusion board, RAM with RGB will be on the must have list to put some life into it.  We also recommend you add more fans as this case only has the one!

Stand out point:  

Left hand window, that is nice to see for a change. 

 

Pros:​

  • Logo lights up with the other lights on the bezel.

  • Mesh front.

  • Removable dust guard included.

  • Left hand side window.

  • Small for a gaming case.

Cons:

  • Building took too much time and messing about with.

  • Front panel cabling is a bit of a mess.

  • Stress from the data cable leading off of the Hard Drive.

  • One fan only.

Scores: (out of 5)

Packaging

Ease of Build

Looks

Value

They got a Silver Award

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