CONCLUSION

   There are quite a few things we liked about the CR500 mid-tower by Riotoro such as its airflow levels (thanks to the perforated fascia and its 3 pre-installed fans), removable air-filters, looks (thanks to its tempered glass side panel and the two front red LED fans) and its massive interior space (for a mid-tower always) in which you can mount up to four 2.5” drives, two 3.5” drives, 180mm tall CPU coolers, 220mm long power supply units and 400mm long graphics cards. The ability to add a 240mm radiator at the front is also a plus but not something we haven’t seen numerous times already by similar models so it doesn’t stand out as much. Unfortunately, the lack of a top fan/radiator area is far from ideal and so is the lack of RGB fans especially when all similar towers now feature both (Riotoro however is working on releasing the CR500 with RGB fans soon – sample pictures are already available on the CR500 product page).

   Currently the CR500 Mid-Tower by Riotoro retails for USD105.91 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 64Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) so it’s surrounded by numerous mid-towers from the competition with tempered glass panels and even RGB fans and/or lighting. Of course, almost none of those come with 3 pre-installed fans so we expect that to be a somewhat decisive factor for people who are not that much into RGB lighting (and if you are you can always wait for the new RGB version of the CR500). Overall the CR500 may not be the perfect mid-tower but it does combine an affordable price tag (especially in the EU) with a good number of features and since it also looks very nice (I mean who can say no to red and black?) it does deserve our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Looks (Tempered Glass Side Panels / Front LED Fans)
- Drive Mounts (4x2.5”/ 2x3.5”)
- Space For 180mm Tall CPU Coolers, 220mm Long PSUs and 400mm Long Graphics Cards
- Front Red LED Fans
- Top / BottomRemovable Air Filters
- Cable Management Space
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Lack of Top Fan / Radiator Spot
- “Plain” Rear Fan
- Red LED Fans (RGB Version Soon)