Rosewill Prism S500 Is a Horizontally Partitioned Case with Bottom Compartment Up Top

[btarunr]

Eons ago, when dinosaurs walked the Earth, ATX cases featured PSU bays above the motherboard tray, which found its rightful place below, so a PSU could breathe outside air from an intake vent, and direct it outside the case, instead of scooping up air from the motherboard's various hot components. The Rosewill Prism S500 is contemporary up to the point where it features a horizontally partitioned interior; but that the smaller half that packs the PSU bay and drive cages, is located above the larger half with the motherboard tray. A vent is located where most PSUs have their intake fans.

This layout means that the top panel is now completely devoid of any fan vents (which means no dust intake); and the bottom intake is freed up for a long vent that can hold up to three 120 mm fans in a row. There's also a side exhaust that can hold up to two 120 mm vents, and the 120 mm rear exhaust where you'd expect it to be. The motherboard tray has room for graphics cards up to 44 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 16 cm in height. Lighting includes two RGB LED diffusers the accentuate the front panel's edges, and ring diffusers framing each of the six included 120 mm fans. All illuminated components feature addressable-RGB connections, so you could plug them directly to your motherboard's headers and control via software. Measuring 210 mm x 475 mm x 470 mm (WxHxD), the case weighs about 8 kg.



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[hamsteyr]

Uhm... this looks exactly like the InWin 101...

 

[ZeppMan217]

An exhaust fan on the back, right under PSU intake and CPU fan? Doesn't that mean the PSU fan's gonna be sucking in hot CPU air?

 

[JalleR]

An exhaust fan on the back, right under PSU intake and CPU fan? Doesn't that mean the PSU fan's gonna be sucking in hot CPU air?

If the psu can't manage that they you need a bigger (watt) psu. and i guess it is better than sucking in HOTHOTHOT GPU air...

Because a small local vacuum cleaner under you case doesn’t help either.

 

[sepheronx]

An exhaust fan on the back, right under PSU intake and CPU fan? Doesn't that mean the PSU fan's gonna be sucking in hot CPU air?

well, that is how most cases were designed back in the day.

Not a bad case. Just meh.

 

[GlacierNine]

Eons ago, when dinosaurs walked the Earth, ATX cases featured PSU bays above the motherboard tray, which found its rightful place below, so a PSU could breathe outside air from an intake vent, and direct it outside the case, instead of scooping up air from the motherboard's various hot components.

This is *completely* wrong. The ATX spec specifically stated that the system's *entire exhaust airflow* could and should be provided by the PSU fan alone:

https://web.aub.edu.lb/pub/docs/atx_201.pdf

System cooled by single fan in the power supply • Reduced cost • More ergonomic (Reduced noise) • Improved reliability

It *still* recommends this, even in the most recent revision, although it no longer makes the case as strongly:
https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/guides/power-supply-design-guide.pdf

From the ATX Spec 2.4: 4.3.1 Fan Location and Direction

In general, exhausting air from the system chassis enclosure via a power supply fan at
the rear panel is the preferred, most common, and most widely applicable system-
level airflow solution. However, some system/chassis designers may choose to use
other configurations to meet specific system cooling requirements.

 

[bonehead123]

Yawnfest....spec or no spec, let the mfgr's put things wherever they want, maybe that could spur some innovations in case designs for once....

 

[GlacierNine]

Yawnfest....spec or no spec, let the mfgr's put things wherever they want, maybe that could spur some innovations in case designs for once....

Cases aren't standardised at all anyway. The only reason standards even get involved with cases is because they must enclose things that are, themselves, standardised.

There is no standard for an ATX motherboard tray. There is, however, a standard for ATX motherboards which includes positions for the mounting points. Cases either work with that standard or they don't work at all. Exactly HOW they choose to work with it is up to the manufacturer, however, which is why some motherboard manufacturers use a solid pin for the central mounting point rather than another screw - this allows users to get the board to sit in place so they can screw into a standoff without holding the motherboard in place.

Same for 5.25 and 3.5" devices. The drives have standard mounting screw locations. The cases however do not have standardised mounting hardware - there have been dozens (hundreds?) of different tool-less systems and drive caddy designs that all work with those mounting points in different ways. Most of the tool-less systems did happen to be plastic trash though, which is why cases that even HAVE 5.25" bays these days, don't have them very often.

If you want innovation in case design, then fine. But it's not because case manufacturers are bound by rules and regs directly. It's because the stuff inside is.

Also, for the sake of completeness here - the big issue with PSUs at the top of the case isn't heat. It's the distribution of weight. It's much easier to knock over a case with all that weight at the top than it is a case with the PSU at the bottom.

 

[Th3pwn3r]

"Bottom compartment up top"

What an awful way to say it has a compartment up top. It's a top mounted PSU and shroud.

 

[bug]

I always hated bottom mounted intakes. They only get like 1cm (half an inch) clearance and suck in the dirtiest air in a room if placed on the floor, where most towers dwell.
Yet somehow this case seems to marry the worst of both worlds: bottom mounted intakes and hot air to the PSU.

 

[eidairaman1]

Easier to state a Legacy Layout instead.

I was thinking ugh another btx style case...

Legacy
Standard ATX layout is

Io shield, 7 pci slots, correct amount of stand off holes. PSU up top, fan up front, fan in back.

The other atx standards expand on this.

Current atx mod spec is PSU in bottom with a fan in bottom and fan up top with 7-10 PCI slots.

 

[micropage7]

yeah, old school layout with today bling-bling

 

[ensabrenoir]

Uhm... this looks exactly like the InWin 101...

......its like they don't even try to hide the fact that they're coping other brands anymore......

 

[Static~Charge]

......its like they don't even try to hide the fact that they're coping other brands anymore......

I don't think is this a copy of the InWin 101 case. It looks like InWin is the OEM, and Rosewill slapped their name on it.

 

[GlacierNine]

I don't think is this a copy of the InWin 101 case. It looks like InWin is the OEM, and Rosewill slapped their name on it.

Good lord, say it ain't so! You mean case manufacturers routinely re-sell their base chassis to other brands with minor cosmetic changes so that all of the companies involved can save on tooling costs and production facilities?

My illusions!

Shattered!

Noooooooo!

 

[eidairaman1]

I don't think is this a copy of the InWin 101 case. It looks like InWin is the OEM, and Rosewill slapped their name on it.

You're right that's all Rosewell does, they just badge change them, which increases availability and keep overall cost down.

Nothing wrong with that considering power supplies such as Corsair and XFX are made by Seasonic. There are certain models of rosewill power supplies that are really good.

It's the same as MSI, gigabyte ASRock Asus putting their name on reference cards from both Nvidia and AMD.

Don't Forget all the Clones of Chieftec, Antec, Chenming, Thermaltake Cases in early 2000s.

 

[bonehead123]

Also, for the sake of completeness here - the big issue with PSUs at the top of the case isn't heat. It's the distribution of weight. It's much easier to knock over a case with all that weight at the top than it is a case with the PSU at the bottom.

ANYONE, and I mean anyone, who knowingly buys a pc case with a top-mounted psu position and then places it in an area or situation where it could get knocked over or fall over is, IMHO, a complete and utter douchebag, sh*t-4-brains idiot and should be legally prevented from being within 10000 miles of a computer

 

[bug]

ANYONE, and I mean anyone, who knowingly buys a pc case with a top-mounted psu position and then places it in an area or situation where it could get knocked over or fall over is, IMHO, a complete and utter douchebag, sh*t-4-brains idiot and should be legally prevented from being within 10000 miles of a computer

Amen to that. Top mounted PSU here for like 15 years, never crossed its mind to tip over.

 

[Th3pwn3r]

ANYONE, and I mean anyone, who knowingly buys a pc case with a top-mounted psu position and then places it in an area or situation where it could get knocked over or fall over is, IMHO, a complete and utter douchebag, sh*t-4-brains idiot and should be legally prevented from being within 10000 miles of a computer

Relax dude lol.

Besides, how fast are these computers taking turns? Probably double the speed limit which causes them to roll-over thanks to their high COG(center of gravity)

 

[CraZyNoMaD]

Same case different brand Aerocool GLO

https://www.aerocool.com.tw/en/chssis/pgs-u/glo