Overview
Including features normally associated with expensive chassis on sub-£150 cases is Corsair's goal with the Carbide series. The newly launched Corsair Carbide 400R is the little brother of the more expensive Corsair Carbide 500R, released at the same time.
Although Corsair is a company usually associated with memory and PSUs, since branching out to PC cases it had built a solid reputation – one it hopes to build upon with the Corsair Carbide 400R.
This mid-sized tower is aimed at PC enthusiasts who are keen on installing the best hardware money can buy, but is priced at an affordable level, unlike the more expensive Corsair Obsidian 700D chassis.
Price is the big selling point of the Carbide 400R, and Corsair promises a lot for just £80. But does the company deliver on its promises, or have too many corners been cut when designing the Corsair Carbide 400R in pursuit of an attractive price point?
Unlike some of its more ostentatious rivals, the Corsair Carbide 400R sports a relatively straight-laced design. Next to more expensive models it might look rather plain, but there are options to 'pimp out' the chassis if understated isn't your style, such as a lighting toggle switch at the top of the case for lighting kits.
But what's really important is what's inside the case – or, we should say, what can be inside the case.
Verdict
As we mentioned earlier, the Corsair Carbide 400R is aimed primarily at enthusiasts who want to build and upgrade their own PC.
As soon as we opened the case using the thumb screws – no tools are needed to open the Corsair Carbide 400R – it was clear that Corsair is serious about attracting PC builders and enthusiasts with this case. There's plenty of space inside the case for building a PC.
Because of the size of the tower, you don't need to take it apart to fit in components like you did with the ThermalTake Armor A30. As well as easy installation, the size of the chassis also accommodates plenty of components.
There are four 5.25-inch bays and six 3.5-inch hard drive bays that can be quickly and easily converted into 2.5-inch bays for SSDs. There are eight expansion slots, 10 fan mounts (with two front-mounted 120mm fans and one rear 120mm fan included) and support for graphics cards up to 316mm in length. If you're a serious gamer or overclocker, then there's support for the Hydro Series H100 Liquid CPU Cooler and other watercooling systems.
We liked
The Corsair Carbide 400R is a decent and well-made case that offers plenty of space for building a very powerful PC. The tool-free design of this chassis makes installing and replacing components really quick and easy.
The Corsair Carbide 400R keeps things simple but still manages to pack a lot in for a great price.
We disliked
There's not much to dislike at this price. If you're after a case with features such as removable drive bays and fan controls then you're going to have to go for a more expensive case.
The materials used to build the case aren't the best, but they do the job.
Final verdict
While it might lack a few of the features of more expensive cases, the Corsair Carbide 400R offers fantastic value for money and is a great choice for gamers.
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