Corsair Carbide Series 600C

[HEXUS]

Corsair tries something different with an inverted ATX enclosure.

Read more.

[qasdfdsaq]

Owing to the inverted interior layout, the windowed side panel is on the right of the chassis as you look at it. No real problem, yet it can be a small inconvenience as there's a good chance your current PC is situated with a left-sided opening in mind. Switching to the Carbide Series 600C isn't just about inverted hardware - you may also need to rearrange your desk.

On the other hand, if your desk already forces you to situate your PC to the left, this is exactly what I want after years of struggling with "normal" cases that make everything difficult and put the window in a place nobody can see it.

[bridges009]

Having the window on the opposite side is no more of a con than the Q model not having a window.

[this_is_gav]

So it manages to be both hot and noisy? And having to remove the front panel just to access the dust filters? Really? My Lian-Li PC-70 from ~2005 needed that, and you were able to just pull it off easily without having to use "tricky" clips too.

Poor effort Corsair. The Fractal Design, Nanoxia and Antec cases in that review look immense by comparison, and are all cheaper too.

I've built into a couple of Corsair cases for friends now and haven't been impressed with the ease of built in either (having to use those horrible screw spring clips to remove the front to mount a fan controller in the Carbide Air 540 for example!) and this doesn't seem any different in that regard. The built quality of them is fine, and the performance is usually good too, but I had niggles with each, niggles which didn't need to exist. I'm sure their premium models must be better than these over-priced, modestly performing ones. I very nearly purchased a 750D on Black Friday but I'm relieved I chose to downsize to a Fractal R5 at the last minute instead - it was an absolute delight to built into, except for the inexplicably poor plastic motherboard stand-off thimble screw thing (nothing a pair of pliers didn't solve though).

[shaithis]

Damn, looks considerably worse than the 600T (would have been nice to see that included in tests), appears to perform worse and I bet it's got the same "breaks in no time" Corsair fan controller in it.

Great if you need a window on the opposite side though

[Sunderas]

Too expensive.

[Arulmani]

Bit Pricey, but a nice case. The Large side window and way of its working is just so cool and easy !!

[Stu C]

This looks like a BTX setup, so nothing new. My Coolermaster Stacker (from 2004) can be setup in ATX or BTX... I had it in BTX format for a long time so that the window worked when the PC was to the left inside of my desk.

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/890-cooler-master-stacker-stc-t01/

Also, PCI cards all look better this way round, so not sure why the reviewer said that "you'll need to cherry-pick components that will look good... when used upside down".

However, if think Corsair missed a trick... having everything flipped around is very well suited to positioning the PSU at the bottom of the case.

[Ulti]

Looks decent but doesn't it infringe on Silverstone's patents of inverted ATX layout cases?

[Jonj1611]

How did this get a Hexus Approved? Its a slightly different approach to the design but it was still hotter and noisier than most of the others on test.

[Razor Time]

Nice looking case.

[Froggywoggy]

So, all in all, not a particularly good case for the price. It's nice to see new things, but it's even better to see new things that actually provide benefits.

On the other hand, I'm glad Corsair are sticking to their clean visual style. I am a big fan of simple yet stylish Corsair cases.

[qasdfdsaq]

And having to remove the front panel just to access the dust filters? Really? My Lian-Li PC-70 from ~2005 needed that, and you were able to just pull it off easily without having to use "tricky" clips too.

Poor effort Corsair. The Fractal Design, Nanoxia and Antec cases in that review look immense by comparison, and are all cheaper too.
).

I dunno. My Fractal Design case requires me to pull it out of its enclosure, unplug everything from the back AND then flip it upside down to access the dust filters. Not exactly "looking immense by comparison". And it cost the same.

The heat is likely to be a result if it relying on PSU fans to exhaust hot air out of the top of the case, and most modern PSUs running with very slow to completely stopped fans under typical loads. I wonder if manually controlling the PSU fan would improve things significantly.

[stoatwblr]

"Inverted" is relative. Standard ATX layout has heatsinks pointing down from boards, which is bonkers (the reason is that the "sidedness" of cards changed during the transition away from PC-AT to PCI, which wasn't a problem until AGP went away.

It makes a lot of sense to mount motherboards so that peripheral heatsinks are "up" and should result in better cooling with lower fan speeds.

Just for once I'd like to see a decent case able to take decently large HEPA-style air filters, not those silly wee mesh thingies. Servicing systems which have been on/near the floor is usually an exercise in disgust (and a health hazard) even if there are no smokers in the vicinity.

[Ttaskmaster]

On the other hand, if your desk already forces you to situate your PC to the left, this is exactly what I want after years of struggling with "normal" cases that make everything difficult and put the window in a place nobody can see it.

Mine's on the left... turned 90º though, so the front faces right and the windowed panel faces the user, showing off all my pritty pritty lights!

I've built into a couple of Corsair cases for friends now and haven't been impressed with the ease of built in either (having to use those horrible screw spring clips to remove the front to mount a fan controller in the Carbide Air 540 for example!) and this doesn't seem any different in that regard. The built quality of them is fine, and the performance is usually good too, but I had niggles with each, niggles which didn't need to exist. I'm sure their premium models must be better than these over-priced, modestly performing ones. I very nearly purchased a 750D on Black Friday but I'm relieved I chose to downsize to a Fractal R5 at the last minute instead - it was an absolute delight to built into, except for the inexplicably poor plastic motherboard stand-off thimble screw thing (nothing a pair of pliers didn't solve though).

Nah, the 750D is fantastic!!
It was announced just after I'd invested in my 500R, so I was well-gutted.
Every Corsair case I've built in has been great, even down to the 200R and 350D - Simple, straightforward, spacious and solid. It's always been other brand's cases where I've had to ask, "Why the BLEEP did they do it like *that*??!!"...

I bet it's got the same "breaks in no time" Corsair fan controller in it.

How on earth are you breaking yours?
Again, mine have always been solid.

However, if think Corsair missed a trick... having everything flipped around is very well suited to positioning the PSU at the bottom of the case.

That was one of my first thoughts.

Despite being a raging Corsair fanboy, this is one case that leaves me quite uninterested...

[this_is_gav]

I dunno. My Fractal Design case requires me to pull it out of its enclosure, unplug everything from the back AND then flip it upside down to access the dust filters. Not exactly "looking immense by comparison". And it cost the same.

I can't speak for earlier Fractal cases (I built into a R2 or R3 for someone, but can't remember the specifics) but with the R5 you just open the door and you can pull both filters straight out, and obviously pushing them back is just as simple. It couldn't require less work.

Nah, the 750D is fantastic!!
It was announced just after I'd invested in my 500R, so I was well-gutted.
Every Corsair case I've built in has been great, even down to the 200R and 350D - Simple, straightforward, spacious and solid. It's always been other brand's cases where I've had to ask, "Why the BLEEP did they do it like *that*??!!"...

Fair enough. It's just down to how you intend to use a PC. Like in the example I gave the Carbide 540 was infuriating and all because of one single flaw requiring half an hour of fannying about with the most tedious design from back in the days of beige.

Like I said, I'm sure their "D" series is better in that regard and I'm sure I'd have been happy with it, but that little niggle of past experience and me deciding on silence and a slightly smaller build instead pushed me towards the Fractal. The price saving was a not-insignificant bonus.

Edit: One of the most satisfying builds I had was a real budget effort for someone. A cheap as chips (~£18) case with a cheap as chips (as they were then, as ASUS's budget brand) ASRock motherboard with a smattering of second hand components. It was a dream to work in. The only issue was the hideously shiny black plastic fascia and lack of fan filters, and while aesthetics are never top of the list for my builds, it would be enough to put me off most of the time. But it was a real pleasure to happen upon something so cheap and nasty that came together so nicely.