Page 4 – Installation and Conclusion
The computer building process was generally good with the SilverStone FARA R1. It was easy to work with, since everything was laid out in pretty standard manner. I first installed the power supply into the PSU chamber. The power supply used for this computer was the FSP Hydro PTM 750W, which has a 135 mm fan. Thanks to the grille, it is possible to have enough airflow for the PSU. When I installed the PSU, I found that the drive cage was extremely close to the power supply, which left little room for connecting the cables. I had to remove the storage cage in the PSU chamber to allow proper wiring, as shown in the above picture. A Reeven Justice RC-1204 CPU cooler was mounted on my Gigabyte GA-H170-D3HP motherboard. The position of the motherboard tray opening of the FARA R1 matched to the CPU socket, therefore my heatsink was installed without any trouble.
The installation of the solid-state drive was fairly easy. First, I unscrewed one SSD tray such that the drive can be screwed on. Then, the OCZ Trion 150 480GB SSD was screwed into position. As the final step, the thumbscrew was hand tightened to put the tray back to its original position. The whole procedure of installing the SSD did require the use of a screwdriver. The rest of the installing process was smooth. Since I did not have any 3.5" drives, the power supply chamber was roomy without the hard drive cage. The big opening besides the motherboard tray was very handy. It was nice to see zip tie mounting holes, since it can better secure the wires into positions. As you can see from the above picture, the thick motherboard power cable can be fitted into the openings in my case. There is still plenty of room for other cables.
After everything has been installed properly, it is time to press the power switch. As you can see from the above photo, the only thing to light up on the entire case is the power switch. As you can see in our photo above, after the power is on, the FARA R1 keeps the cool stealth look. I am the kind of person who really cares about the noise level of the computer. In this build, I had three fans running in the case. As it turned out, my computer was really quiet, thanks in part to only having a single case fan. On the scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is totally silent and 10 is a jet taking off, I would rate my system at 3.0/10 regarding noise emissions. Please note the fan speed control on the motherboard can further bring down the noise level by reducing the RPM of the fans when the computer is not under high load.
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Now, let us get back to the question in the introduction: Is SilverStone FARA R1 a computer case that can give its user full control of their computer build? The answer is a solid yes. First, this product gives people full control of the cooling system. You can install up to three 120 mm fans or two 140 mm fans behind the front panel. If you are into liquid cooling systems, then either a maximum 280mm radiator can be mounted in front, or a maximum 240mm radiator can be mounted on top. Second, users can fully control the hardware they want to put into the computer. Take graphics card for example, the maximum length supported is 322 mm with front fans installed. This is very accommodating considering its relatively compact layout. Third, users have full control of their computer building experience. Even though this not a full-size computer case, and thus a long PSU and hard drive cage may not both fit simultaneously, with many cable management holes and zip ties, the wiring experience can be very good. Last but not least, if you buy this case, you should be able to have full control of how you want to show your RGB effects inside the case thanks to the high quality tempered glass side panel. However, the only thing that you may not have full control is the price. It will run you about $75 USD at press time. It is supposed to be the same price as the FARA B1; unfortunately, there is currently a shortage due to the pandemic, which drove up the price. The FARA R1 is not exactly a budget case, so I would expect a USB Type-C connector along with more dust filters that are not glued on. Do keep in mind the FARA R1 only comes with one case fan too. For everything else, you are still in control.
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.2/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The SilverStone FARA R1 is a good looking computer case for those who like to build and show off their latest gaming components without breaking the bank.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
