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Review on CORSAIR Carbide Mid Tower Solid Panel by Matthew Goyette

Revainrating 5 out of 5

High-quality housing with a well thought-out design that is in no way inferior to the S340.

A very impressive case - well thought out and clearly manufactured for enthusiasts. It's comparable if not better than the NZXT S340, but definitely superior in price. The color is strong and durable (a few accidental hits with a screwdriver didn't seem to scratch it) and is much more difficult to highlight than the S340's satin black. The entire top of this case is "open" with only a wide metal grille for air holes. It can handle large heatsinks very easily and means the computer runs pretty cool. 140mm fans can be installed on the front and top. The case itself is actually quite wide and can accommodate all but the most incredible CPU air coolers. I use one of the tallest coolers on the market (Coolermaster T2) which has a full size 120mm fan and still cleans the air. I have a very, very large graphics card (Zotac 1070 AMP Extreme!) and it fits well, allowing room for width and length. In this case, it's easy to assemble - tons of tie-down bolts in cable management. , deliberate placement of each element, multi-functional fans and screw holes. I run a very standard 2 x 120mm two-stroke (similar to what they stock, which is basically the industry standard) and it's fast, cool and clean. Cable routing is pretty easy too - I routed the front fan cable behind the side panel. Again, it was incredibly easy to use almost no exposed cables. Clearing the linear airflow should be fairly easy. One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that the front bezel is on the opposite side of the window, meaning the power button, USB and audio jacks face away. user (because the window is obviously facing outwards). It would make a lot more sense to have a window and USB ports on the same side. Shame as the panel is well built and designed and another observation is the two (admittedly entry level) fans that come with this case, one is a red LED fan. I replaced it with a black unlit fan that is idle.

Pros
  • Few competitors
Cons
  • No insurance