Genesis Irid 505 ARGB Mid Tower Review

It’s that time of the week again – as we welcome another bit of Genesis kit to the review roster, along with occasionally lovely newcomer Kaesiya, who’s given us some of her precious spare time to write this review before she disappears into Animal Crossing for the rest of eternity. Join her as she walks you through the Irid 505’s full complement of bells and whistles.

Build Quality & Design – 4/5

Whilst the steel frame and mesh panels might look basic from the front, it’s the tempered glass side panel of the Irid 505 that really makes this case stand out. It’s so clear and crisp that it hardly looks like there’s a panel at all. Gone are the days of plastic side panels which would get scuffed by so much as a glance!

I did notice that the motherboard panel felt a bit flimsy when screwing in the additional stand-offs which was somewhat concerning, but once all my hardware was installed it seemed to take the weight well enough.

The ARGB fans really bring the case’s aesthetic together, with an array of lighting options you can switch on the fly (unfortunately Genesis have not provided a list of all the available modes but there’s more than you could shake a stick at – Ed.). When set to the swirling, multi-coloured mode it perfectly matched my AMD Wraith CPU cooler, which was an unexpected surprise. You get four of these 120mm fans pre-installed, too!

Ease of Setup – 4.5/5

Despite having smaller dimensions than my previous mid-tower case, the lack of a full hard drive tray makes installing your components extremely easy. Instead, there are two hidden 3.5″ bays hidden at the back of the case behind the PSU shroud. I was worried that this would make installing the PSU more difficult but there is enough room to manoeuvre it into place. However, if you don’t have a fully modular power supply then it might be a little more of a struggle.

There was plenty of space to accommodate my ATX motherboard and 312mm graphics card, with room to spare. Genesis states that the Irid 505 supports cards up to 380mm in length, so the case is generous and gives you plenty of options.

Well-placed slots allow for the precise technicality of cable management, and the addition of rubber grommets gives the case a premium feel. There is ample space for managing cables at the back and you get five – yes, five! – cable ties included.

Functionality – 5/5

At the top of the case are the usual suspects; power and reset buttons, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, microphone/earphone jacks, and an LED button – which cycles through the various ARGB fan options.

Although you get four 120mm fans included, the Irid 505 also supports up to five 140mm fans, should you wish to swap these out. Liquid cooling is supported too and there is more than enough space to do so.

As well as the two 3.5″ drive bays, this case allows for up to seven 2.5″ drives. All of which are sneakily hidden away behind the backplate, meaning that the aesthetic of your build is left looking pretty sleek!

Despite the lack of soundproofing the Irid 505 has compared to my previous case, it is surprisingly quiet and the fans are a mere gentle hum in the background, even when running a heavy load.

Value for Money – 2.5/5

As Genesis products are hard to come by in the UK at this current time, this means that they can be pricey to obtain. This model was easily found on eBay for £88.75 but shipping would cost another £14 on top of this. It is a reasonable opponent to other cases in the £80-£100 bracket here in the UK but it’s difficulty to purchase definitely puts it at a disadvantage.

Irid 505 Overall Score – 4/5

When I first received this case I was expecting to build it and then immediately re-assemble it back into my old case. However, once it was built and I turned it on it immediately grew on me and now I don’t think there’s any going back – Sorry NZXT!

The Genesis Irid 505 is pretty hard to find in the UK right now. But head to their official site HERE and send them a message, as they may be able to help out locating a UK stockist you can purchase it from. And whilst you wait for their reply, you can click HERE to read more of our tech reviews.