Review on 🔮 CORSAIR Crystal Series 680X RGB White ATX Smart Case with High Airflow and Tempered Glass by James Hardin

PC cases don't change often. Normally one buys a new motherboard and processor every now and then, but in my case (!) I just wanted to upgrade. My previous case was bought for what was available at my local Fry's Electronics store at the time and I wasn't very impressed with the Thermaltake View 31. It didn't have a PSU shroud so all the ugly cables were just visible. The rear cables were visible behind the glass, which was odd. It also had flimsy thumbscrews and the panels were a hassle to reattach. My front USB ports failed and didn't support USB 3.1 Thunderbolt. I'm just tired of looking at this thing even though it had a lot of space. So after switching to all Corsair RGB components I decided to switch to a Corsair case. The only "smart" thing about this case is that it contains three LL120 fans and a Commander Pro that isn't listed anywhere! I had no idea he recorded it and it was a big surprise. Corsair RGB fans are a cable problem. Each fan has a PWM cable and an RGB cable. You then need to connect it to the Lighting Node Pro that controls the fans. You then need to connect the LED hub to the Node Pro. The Lighting Hub is then connected to the internal USB port and the Node Pro to the internal SATA power supply. It's a big deal, but the Commander Prop hub eliminates the need for that LED hub. The body itself was easy to build. The case comes pre-installed with standoffs and the motherboard mounts are no problem. The side glass panel is held closed by a magnet and can then be removed from the hinge with a single screw. The rear panel is a solid aluminum plate with a power supply filter. The top glass is raised on rubber mounts and you can attach an extra filter if you have a 240mm radiator that you mount on top. On the bottom, just like on the front, is a retractable filter panel. I like how the PSU is mounted on the side of the back and I had enough room for all the cables and there were plenty of zip ties and rubber slots on the back. The case also features 3.5" and 2.5" drive bays. I chose to remove the 3.5" cage and the 2.5" cage has four tool-less slots that can be pulled apart. Then I just screwed it back in to make room. The case has the option to mount your GPU on the side, but it's fairly close to the glass and these mounts are generally not recommended for high-end cards, which get very hot. My RTX 2080 barely fits here as the GPU spacing is only 330mm and my card is 327mm, but MSI cards are usually larger. The pointed end of the GPU shroud is only millimeters from the fan so it fits snugly. Here it would be possible to configure SLI, but it would be very crowded. The case comes with four thermal sensor cables, which at least I haven't used yet. It also came with four PWM fan cable extensions. The normal front panel cables were there but I never connected the front audio cables as most of these cables are not properly shielded and you get interference and I just never use them. It's nice that there's only 3.0 USB on the front, but only two, which is limiting, but most PCs have a lot of USB bits on the back. I only use it for my mouse button and USB stick or phone. In terms of aesthetics, the case is great. Soft aluminum combined with glass and a raised top plate is beautiful. It's not the best when it comes to fan noise or even temperatures, probably average, but it's good enough for most gamers. I wouldn't recommend installing an SLI 3090 here, but with a card and a liquid-cooled processor, you should be able to keep the fan pretty low. When idling, my RTX 2080 stays at 32 degrees and under heavy loads it fluctuates around 50 degrees, which is better than my previous case. This could be because my bottom suction fans are blowing that cold air in close proximity onto the GPU. My Intel i7-8700 with AIO cooling runs around 38 degrees and under full load the cores never go above mid to 60 degrees. It would be cooler if I had a radius of 240 mm instead of 120 mm, but it works. Overall, the Corsair 680X is expensive, but worth the money. Most of that cost comes from three LL120 fans, which typically only cost $130, and the Commander Pro, which costs another $80. This is a premium case for those who love Corsair's RGB component kit, but if you're not an RGB user then this case isn't for you and you should get a glass-less case.