Review: Corsair Carbide Series 400C

by Parm Mann on 6 January 2016, 12:45

Tags: Corsair

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qacxhp

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Conclusion

...if you're ready to give up discs, or indeed the flexibility that 5.25in bays can offer, the 400C is a welcome alternative to rival products in this segment.

The Carbide Series 400C is the latest addition to Corsair's burgeoning portfolio of mid-tower enclosures and promises "all the performance and expandability you need" in a compact design.

Whether or not you need optical bays is always up for debate, but if you're ready to give up discs, or indeed the flexibility that 5.25in bays can offer, the 400C is a welcome alternative to rival products in this segment.

Build quality is good at the £80 price point, the exterior is suitably sleek and stylish, and a large side-panel window is perfect for showing off your rig. Being one of Corsair's smallest mid-tower solutions is part of the appeal, yet there's no real limitation in terms of performance - high-end hardware slots in with ease, and enthusiasts will find ample room for liquid cooling.

A dedicated PSU/hard-disk compartment helps keep the entire build looking particularly neat and tidy, and our only major criticism is that Corsair hasn't found a way to deliver its Clear and Quiet attributes in one unified model. It's an awkward choice to have to make, and we'd happily pay a little more to have the windowed side panel of the 400C as well as the sound-deadening linings of the 400Q.

The Good
  
The Bad

Compact for a mid-tower solution
Full-size window gives a great view
Side door provides easy access
Cables can be kept very tidy
Space for a large 360mm radiator

  
Ought to be quieter
Front filter awkward to get at
Not a lot of room behind mobo tray



Corsair Carbide Series 400C

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The Corsair Carbide Series 400C chassis is available to order from Scan Computers.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.


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HEXUS Forums :: 9 Comments

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Posted by Ttaskmaster - Wed 06 Jan 2016 14:47
Wow!!
That is a really tidy, really sweet looking little build!!

I am genuinely impressed.
The front filter access would need modding and I might alter the side window appearance if I didn't get the Q model, or create a window if I did.
Lack of fan controller would just force me into software control or something internal, really. No biggie.

Yeah, after some rather unappealing cases, this is definitely a return to form for Corsair and I actually find myself wanting to build in one of these just for the fun of it!
Posted by EvZ_2 - Wed 06 Jan 2016 15:10
It competes against the H440 and it fails - not as clean, less fans, less room, less noise dampening…

Good move buy Corsair - dropping the optical bays is needed but making cases like the NZXT H440 is the way forward. Love mine.
Posted by iamlorro - Wed 06 Jan 2016 16:19
Hi Hexus.
Could you take a picture or two of the drive bays in the bottom section?

Like the look if the case, but can't quite picture where all my storage would need to go!
Posted by Ttaskmaster - Wed 06 Jan 2016 17:08
EvZ_2
It competes against the H440 and it fails - not as clean, less fans, less room, less noise dampening…
Smaller case though too, innit?
Looks are a big part of this and I hated the H440 from the outset, looking all asymetrical and weird with a small window. It has a few good features over the 400C, but the latter looks like a very tidy, tiny build… and I'm not even a fan of SFF cases!

Biggest thing for me is the front USBs, probably… I'd like to see a direct test between the H440 and the 400Q-version, nonetheless.
Posted by Arulmani - Wed 06 Jan 2016 17:26
A Nice Simple case! Guess Corsair would include few more storage options in any of the future upgrade, other than that this is a serious contender in the pc case market right now.

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