Genesis Irid 505F: On to cooling with five fans

Martin Bednár

1 year ago

Exterior

Among new cases, the Polish company Genesis is also making a statement by upgrading the older Irid 503 and Irid 505 cases. One of these new models, which we will now focus on in our tests, is the Irid 505F. This one is remarkable in that it comes with as much as five fans, which is quite unusual. Especially in the class of cheaper cases to which the Irid 505F belongs.

Basic parameters


Parameters	Genesis
	Irid 505F

Supported motherboard formats	Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX
Supported PSU format	ATX
CPU cooler	up to 165 mm
Graphics cards	up to 380 mm
Fan	6× 120 mm (5× preinstalled)/4× 120 mm
Supported liquid radiators	1× up to 360 mm + 1× up to 280 mm + 1× 120mm
2,5" positions	5 + 2 shared
3,5" positions	2 shared
5,25" positions	0
Dimensions [H/D/W] (and volume)	510 × 447 × 220 mm (50 l)
Weight	7,1 kg
Materials	steel + plastic + tempered glass
Connectivity	2× USB 3.2 gen. 1 + 2× USB 2.0 + 2× 3,5 mm jack
Approximate price	75 EUR

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Exterior

The inside of the cardboard box is filled with polystyrene, in which the case is nested. The accessories are fairly modest, containing the screws needed for assembly, zip ties and a motherboard buzzer. In height, the case is taller than it may appear from the photos. Despite the massive appearance, the weight, all with tempered glass, is rather lower (7.1 kg).

The four millimetre thick glass is all around the left side with dark frames around the perimeter. It has a protective film adhered to both sides. The glass is mounted on four rubberised posts where it is secured with screws. This is one of the cheaper and probably easier ways to attach the glass to the structure. The quality of the screws is commendable, above standard, higher than most of the cases we’ve tested so far.

The front panel is largely perforated. Compared to the original version, the holes should be slightly smaller, with an average of 0.8 mm. They will naturally be less effective at trapping dust particles than a nylon filter. Nevertheless, the holes in the perforation are some of the smallest that are made. The panel is clamped to the structure. It can be “ripped out” from the bottom, where there is a hole for this purpose. However, this is not an ideal position for gripping, as you have to lift the case to do so. There is also a mesh above the provisional handle. This is only good, as it is an open space and the case draws air from there as well.

Behind the front panel, there are three 120mm fans called “Oxal 120”. Genesis lists airflow of just over 78 m³/h at 1300 rpm. This should also be their maximum performance with a ±10 % deviation. You can also fit two 140 mm fans or a liquid radiator of up to 360 mm instead.

On top is an I/O panel with up to four USB connectors, which is also not the usual number (not in this price range). But two of them are of the slower 2.0 standard. Speed-wise, this is indeed a disadvantage, but it doesn’t really happen that the ports remain unconnected. Many motherboards, especially cheaper ones, don’t have a second USB 3.x gen. 1 19-pin. However, the internal USB 2.0 connectors are never missing.

For some, the lack of a USB Type-C connector may be a disappointment. The headphones and microphone have a 3.5 mm jack separately. While there is a button labeled LED, it has no use on the Irid 505F case. There are up to three versions of the Irid 505 case on offer, and one of them is the ARGB backlit version. I assume that to reduce manufacturing costs, the same case with the LED button is used in each variant, and so it appears here as well. The restart button is quite small and positioned deeper, which prevents it from being pressed unintentionally. However, when you do need to press it, it’s not very convenient. I have no complaints on the power button, it presses comfortably and you get a tactile response as well. Between the buttons there are two more small but sharp LEDs. One indicates the power on status and the other drive activity.

For better air ventilation, the ceiling of the case is perforated. This part is covered by a removable mesh screen with the same holes as on the front panel. With magnets around the perimeter, it is attached to the structure and thus held directly in the trough. For extracting warm air, you can fit two 120/140 mm fans or a liquid cooler radiator of up to 280 mm here.

A typical power supply opening and PCI Express expansion card slot covers await you in the back. There are up to eight of them, which is untypical for cases of this format. On the side they have a sliding screw cover, but due to its height it was harder to handle. It kept jamming. The top half of the case belongs to the motherboard I/O panel opening and the 120mm fan exhaust.

Underneath are four feet with anti-slip strips glued on. They do not put up much resistance, but they do their job. The power supply is covered by an identical screen to the one on the front or top, so I probably wouldn’t put the case on the ground in a more dusty environment. Next to it are the four storage drawer screws. There are also additional pre-made holes for its alternative placement closer to the front panel.

Interior

The interior may be one of the smaller ones we’ve had in the office, but you can get just about everything inside. The tray is ready to mount motherboards in Mini-ITX, M-ATX and ATX formats. A tower CPU cooler fits to a height of 165 mm, so the tall Noctua NH-D15 is also compatible, although that’s going to be pretty tight. Regarding graphics card support, these can fit in length of up to 380 mm, theoretically even with the front fans fitted. With a radiator, it will be roughly minus 25 mm and that free space is already around the length of the RTX 4090/4080 graphics cards. Some models will fit very narrowly (under 350 mm), others may collide a bit (longest variants over 355 mm).

Concerns that the rubber grommets for the cables would not hold in place firmly were not confirmed. They hold well even when threading the thickest ATX cable to power the motherboard. The bottom holes also have grommets, but the top do not. However, this will not be a problem with them, as not many people will look under the ceiling.

In the F version of the case, you will find three 120 mm Oxal 120 fans in the front on the intake and two on the exhaust. One directly above the CPU cooler and one behind it. Genesis deserves a big plus for not leaving these essential positions empty.

For a liquid cooler radiator, you have 65 mm of space at the front, which is pretty tight for the thicker ones.

In the back, it looks like a lot of “fun” with cleaning up tangled cables. You have ten positions to attach the cables, but you won’t find a Velcro pull-tab on any of them. You’ll have to make use of the zip ties from the accessories. There is plenty of space behind the side panel, some 30 mm. This makes for neat cable management if you care to try.

With five fans fitted, you might expect a hub at the back, but instead you get two splitters. You can plug up to three fans into each. So with both splitters, you’re able to use the full potential of the case, as you can fit up to six fans. The splitters are indeed extra cables, but they are easy to work with because of their braid. Also, the included fans also have braided cables, which is rare with cases and the fans that come with them.

You can install up to five 2.5″ storage units on the side panel. Three are right on the front next to the cable holes and two are on a separate bracket. The positions in the front are pretty close to the main cable bundle, and so those ones may be a little harder to sync with the others.

In the tunnel, you have two more combined positions for 2.5 or 3.5″ storage in the drawer. For the mechanical drives, rubber pads are included to reduce transmitted vibrations. The power supply and cables have 200 mm of space in the tunnel with the original drawer position. However, if you place it closer to the front of the case, you gain an additional 40 mm. The power supply is distanced from the structure by two longitudinally running foams.

The entire structure is made of 0.6 mm thick sheet metal. With the size of the case and the thickness of the sheet metal, some parts will flex. I could imagine at least one millimeter thicker sheet metal for more strength. Because of the low price and up to five fans in the case, you also have to consider compromises such as thinner sheet metal.

The whole installation was easy, the components were easy to mount. Even the EPS cable for the processor power supply was easily plugged into the board. Handling was greatly helped by the voluminous free space just below the ceiling. The single-use zip ties help to manage the cabling. However, it can be done without them and the side panel didn’t mind such untidy cabling.

Test methodology

Rarely do you get five fans in a case from the factory, and that’s where the Irid 505F has a definite advantage. Especially when two of them are mounted in the exhaust positions. Genesis recommends setting the fans up to 80 % power for the ideal cooling-to-noise ratio, but this was already above the tested noise limits. A noise meter 10 cm away from the case measured its value at 43.9 dBA. With a perforated front panel and two fans exhausting warm air, the Irid 505F is certainly not to be trifled with.

Testing is done in a home environment where I strive for the most accurate results possible. In the room during testing, the air temperature in front of the case is 23 degrees Celsius and the minimum noise level I can measure with the Voltcraft SL-100 noise meter is 32.4 dBA. The sensor of the noise meter is aligned to the center of the top of the case at a distance of 10 cm, for the best measurement of the speed difference of the fans, which I change using the motherboard. For easy comparison to other cases, they are always regulated to fixed noise levels.

Individual components are heated for 10 minutes in FurMark synthetic stress tests and with Prime95 (custom settings) at the same time. This time is long enough to allow all components to warm up sufficiently. There are then 15-minute cooling breaks between tests, during which the component temperatures (and the case air temperature as well) are brought back to default.

Noise mode levels:

36 dBA
38 dBA
39 dBA


Testovacia konfigurácia
Procesor	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Základná doska	ASRock X570 Taichi
Chladič procesora	Scythe Fuma rev. 2 (single fan)
Teplovodivá pasta	Noctua NT-H2
Grafická karta	Asus RTX 2060 Super Dual
RAM	Patriot, 2× 8GB, 3600 MHz/CL17
SSD	Western Digital Blue 500GB (2280)
Napájací zdroj	Corsair RM750X

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CPU and GPU cooling tests

Motherboard cooling tests

SSD cooling tests

Temperature under the ceiling

Conclusion

With the help of five Genesis Oxal 120 fans, the case can hold its own in cooling even with more expensive competition. Also thanks to two fans at the back and on the ceiling oriented to exhaust warm air, it managed to reduce the CPU temperature to 66 ºC, outperforming even the Meshify 2 Compact and many other cases. It also handled the graphics card temperatures with ease and made it all the way up to the Pure Base 500DX, leaving the others behind. That is, except for the Torrent, which remains unsurpassed.

I could imagine a higher level of quality, such as a slightly thicker sheet metal or at least a fine dust filter under the power supply. Fortunately, the holes in the perforated parts are smaller than usual. However, it is important to remember that the price is relatively low for the given cooling performance of the case, so some of the cuts had to be made. But I have to praise the screws even with the rubberized posts on which the tempered glass is placed. These are processed well. Also the fan power cables and also the splitter cables are braided and easy to work with. Those in need of more storage will come into their own with seven positions in the case.

The installation of components is convenient, there is plenty of space under the ceiling for easy handling as well as for plugging in the processor power cable. I missed some strips for neat cable management that could be used more than once. Fortunately, the 30mm of space for cables was sufficient and the larger bundle of cables didn’t bother the side panel either.

Appearance is not the strong point of the case, but those who are primarily interested in a good price-cooling ratio should definitely consider the Irid 505F. With a price of 74.99 EUR, powerful cooling and no major flaws, it deserves a “Smart Buy!” award.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš


Genesis Irid 505F
+ High cooling performance
+ As much as five fans
+ Splitter cables for six fans
+ Seven storage positions
+ Plenty of space for cable management
+ Easy hardware installation
+ Great price-to-cooling performance ratio
- Thinner sheets
- Absence of a fine dust filter

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