Rarely have we had such mixed feelings about a Pc case. Torrent RGB by Fractal Design ($ 189.99) has a stunning design that we can't help but love in so many ways. Its set of five vibrant RGB LED fans are the quietest grouped fans we've ever heard of, and the internal case design makes building or upgrading a system around a full-size or larger motherboard as easy as possible. If it weren't for the plastic front and top panels, along with the price, we'd probably be looking at the perfect oversized ATX chassis or extended ATX (E-ATX) here. Unfortunately, large chunks of this case's body are purely plastic, making the Torrent RGB feel, at times, cheaper than the nearly $ 200 price tag should suggest. Call this a nearby star, a selection of PC case that could be vastly improved with a price cut. Or more metal.
With its edgy front panel that looks like an oversized heatsink, the Fractal Design Torrent RGB is eye-catching even in its unbuilt state. It's a large size, at 20.9 by 9.5 by 21.4 inches (HWD), and our review unit comes with tempered glass panels on both sides, giving it a more polished premium look.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
However, the impression that the Torrent RGB is a premium case tragically crumbles as soon as you touch it. Although tempered glass is real, the front of the case, which is designed to look like metal, is not metal. Instead, it's made of plastic, and something that feels flimsy. The top of the box is also plastic, albeit of a firmer type than the front, and the same texture and stiffness of the plastic on the bottom of the box is used for your feet.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
There are so many things I like about Torrent RGB that while working to build a PC within the case, I became increasingly disappointed with these prominent plastic features. I can understand why Fractal Design could have opted for plastic in these places; reduces costs and can help reduce overall weight. (The case, which weighs around 24 pounds, is already expensive and heavy enough without adding multiple sheets of metal.) But the plastic just makes the case feel a bit cheap, especially the flexibility of the front. At the very least, Fractal Design should switch to a stronger plastic for the front panel in a future revision of this case.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
The front I / O panel (which actually resides in the top from the case) consists of two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a pair of separate audio jacks for a microphone and headphones.
The building experience
Getting a system integrated into the case couldn't be easier. The motherboard mounting tray is large enough to easily fit any ATX, non-standard ATX, or E-ATX motherboard. Once the board is mounted, a wide spread around the edges makes connecting cables as easy and straightforward as possible. While I have come across some equally easy cases to build, with Torrent RGB I see little room for improvement.
Fractal Design went in a different direction with mounting the power supply unit (PSU) in this case, meaning "up" instead of "down." Most modern PC cases require the power supply to be mounted at the bottom of the chassis, often in its own walled compartment and surrounded by a fixed cover. Instead, the Torrent RGB has a separate compartment at the top of the case for the power supply, accessed by removing two screws from the back of the case and sliding the top panel off.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
This is now, hands down, my preferred location for a PSU in a case of this size (even if it's a decidedly retro move). When you mount the PSU in most modern chassis, you can't really see what you're doing. You push it into a tight spot and try to hold it in place on the inside while screwing it in from the outside. Either that, or you mount the PSU on a removable board, slide it around the back, fight cables every inch of the way, and then screw it in.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
However, by mounting the PSU in the Torrent RGB, the PSU remains in view at all times and is easily accessible. No fumbling to lay cables or try to hold them in place. You still have to hold it, but since it has nothing to obstruct your view, it is much easier than usual to guide everything where it needs to go.
Another major benefit of this design is that you can easily add or remove cables to a modular power supply just by removing the top panel. This is a huge improvement over most other PSU mounting locations, which often require you to remove the PSU to add or remove a cable.
Cable management and storage scheme
One area where Torrent RGB could improve is in its storage drive media, as none of them have a tool-less design. In total, you have room to add two 3.5-inch drives and four 2.5-inch drives. Neither of these mounts overlap, so you have a total of six actual discrete drive mounts available.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
All of these brackets sit behind the motherboard and need to be screwed into removable brackets to add to the case. The use of this mounting configuration for 3.5-inch drives is novel, although it is very common for 2.5-inch drives in modern cases. The 3.5-inch brackets are below the motherboard cutout, near the bottom of the case.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
I have no major complaints about the number of storage brackets or how they work, but the push-in screwless drive brackets would be an improvement.
The motherboard mounting tray is lined with cut-out slots that make it easy to pass cables from one side to the other. These are well placed, with easily accessible holes close to where all the corners of an ATX motherboard would be after installation in the case. Some larger holes are placed near the front of the case to pass the thicker motherboard and PCI Express power connectors, and these openings are rubberized to help block cables from the other side of view and reduce edge abrasion.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
On the right side of the box, where most of the cables will reside, several cable ties are pre-installed to improve cable management. This extends to the outer rear of the case, where Fractal Design has several pre-installed Velcro ties to help secure the power supply's power cord to the side so it doesn't block the rear I / O panel of the motherboard. That's an extra thoughtful touch.
Feeling the chill
Cooling is a specialty and a strength of Torrent RGB. Ships with a whopping five of Fractal Design's new Prisma fans. Three of these fans are Prisma AL-14 models; These are 140mm in size and come mounted to the bottom of the case. The AL-14 fans are rated to produce 103.85 CFM of airflow with a noise production level of 34.1 dB (A).
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
Two additional fans are mounted on the front of the case, larger Prisma AL-18 fans that are 180mm in size. These are rated to move considerably more air (Fractal Design rates them between 43.1 and 146.8 CFM), but they are still fairly quiet, with a noise production rating between 14.9 dB (A) and 37.4 dB. (TO).
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
I was expecting this case to be quite loud due to all the fans, but I was pleasantly surprised. These are actually the quietest grouped fans I think I've ever heard. I couldn't hear them at all without putting my ear a few inches from them, with my head partially inside the open and working PC. (Hopefully, you won't do much of that.)
Also, I found the quality of the addressable RGB (aRGB) lights to be excellent as they looked brighter and more vibrant than most of the other included fans that I normally see. A light bar under the PSU compartment adds even more brightness to the case, even if it isn't as colorful as the fans. Dust filters fit over most exterior openings to help prevent dirt from flowing into the housing with the intake air.
With the power supply mounted on top of the case and the fans pre-installed on the front and bottom, you don't have much room left to add a liquid cooler to the Torrent RGB. You would have to remove some of the fans first, thus eliminating a large part of why you probably bought this case in the first place. This is probably the case's biggest drawback, aside from the flimsy front panel. Due to the positioning of the PSU, you cannot add fans to the top of the case, but there is room to add a 120mm or 140mm radiator to the back of the case. However, if you use a large air cooler, you won't have a problem as this case can hold any CPU air cooler with a height of 188mm or less. And really, the strong air-cooling traits are why I'd consider buying the Torrent RGB in the first place.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
To control the fans, Fractal Design includes a fan controller at the bottom of the case, aligned along the edge behind the glass. This device supports a total of nine fans, which is a bit of a stretch given that the case has room to mount a maximum of just six (or technically seven if you swap out the 180mm fans for smaller ones).
Verdict: A cool RGB cat
We started this review by expressing that we had mixed feelings about the Fractal Design Torrent RGB. These grew as we built and manipulated the chassis and its preponderance of plastic. But in the end, you don't buy a chassis to drive it. You buy it for its performance, its features, and its appearance. And if you take a step or two back and stay away, it's hard to fault Torrent RGB for much more than the price-for-materials equation. The case is excellent in most other respects.
(Photo: Michael Sexton)
The building experience is great, and so are the fans. As long as you don't touch it, the case also maintains its premium impression. If you treat it like a museum piece, to place and admire, you will be happy with this bruiser bigger than ATX. However, too bad all that plastic.
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