Completed Build, Performance, and Conclusion
The completed build with an air cooler shows a clean layout, and my sagging GPU. This isn't the fault of the case, which had enough rigidity with the rear panel to prevent this – my XFX R9 290X DD has a pretty flimsy construction and has always sagged. It looks like airflow should be good, and I expect decent numbers when we move on to test results.
Behind the motherboard tray things are pretty cramped with the SSD bracket in the middle of things. To further complicate cable organization there is precious little clearance behind the back panel, and I had to work harder than usual to compact the cable mess and prevent a bowed panel. It came together just fine in the end, but cable management was this enclosure's weak point in the build process.
Temperature and Noise Performance
The smaller 400C didn't fare as well as the 600Q in this department overall, but had a nice showing compared to the similarly priced Fractal Design Define S, which is also a mid-tower design. I have found that larger enclosures often have an advantage when it comes to temps, and the larger Carbide 600Q results demonstrate this.
The 400C performed very well with GPU temperatures, coming in second overall and even outperforming the 600Q with high fans. This is a testament to the good airflow provided with the default fan configuration, which uses a front intake and rear exhaust fan lined up perfectly to force out hot air from an aftermarket cooler like the test system's R9 290X.
Noise results were less impressive overall, with the case fans determining idle noise (they are louder than either tested cooler at idle), and the vented top allowing much of the component fan noise to be easily heard at load. For a quiet experience components with low fan speeds could be employed, but Corsair offers the enclosure in a quiet (the 400Q) version for those concerned with component noise.
Conclusion
The Carbide 400C has more to offer than just a great side panel, though the hinged door and latch work smoothly and greatly add to the attractiveness of the design. The case is well built, though not quite as solid feeling as the Carbide 600Q I recently reviewed. Some of the metal is a bit thinner, and overall the construction does feel a level below the 600 series. But that's actually in line with the pricing, as Corsair didn't choose to simply offer a mid-tower version for the same $149.99 retail . The Carbide 400C is a $99 case (as is the quiet version, 400Q), and the differences I notices were completely in line with this price difference.
The Carbide 400C is a very nice looking case that's easy to build in, and with the excellent hinged door it joins the Fractal Design Define S (reviewed here) as one of the best enclosures I've seen in the $80-$100 mid-tower enclosure segment.
Strengths
- Outstanding hinged door panel design
- Attractive appearance
- Solid build quality
- Compact size for a mid-tower
Weaknesses
- Limited clearance behind motherboard for cable management
- HDD mount can interfere with a longer PSU
Attention to detail and a fantastic clear door panel are highlights of this fine mid-tower enclosure from Corsair. An easy recommendation for anyone looking for a mid-tower case in this price range.
Can Predator 360 fit in this
Can Predator 360 fit in this case, in front?
Good question. There’s plenty
Good question. There's plenty of clearance up front for a deeper cooler like the Predator 240, but I don't have the 360 mm version of that cooler here to test. The plastic shroud and HDD cage at the bottom might pose a clearance issue, though both are removable.
I have just built a system
I have just built a system with this case and when you install a Radiator on the front, it causes a few problems.
1) The HDD Shroud can be very tight to the Rad so you either have it in place prior to Rad installation or omit it from your build.
2) The screws used to install the Rad to the front panel of the case obviously protrude more than the supplied fan’s almost flush grub screws.
This means that the front filter can not sit flush – it bows in the middle. This kind of defeats the use of the filter as air will get through there unfiltered.
The only option is to mount your Rad elsewhere (which can cause its own clearance problems) or to alter the filter by cutting out the plastic edges where the Rad’s screws are.
This is not a problem if you use a 120mm fan based Rad as the screws miss the outer edge – but if like me you are using a 140mm fan based Rad then you are in for problems.
And to add insult to injury, this could easily have been fixed by various simple design choices – so I’m not happy at this problem.
3) The cases top control panel leads come down at the top of where you would install the Rad. This means that you can not have the Rad to the very top – which means in my 280mm rad that it therefore got in the way of the HDD shroud.
One other thing of note is that taking off the front of the case for me was extremely difficult.
In the manual is says you should grab it from the bottom and pull firmly – No chance of that happening for my case it was rock solid. Even when doing the unclipping method as mentioned in the review the bottom two clips really did not want to release.
I’m hoping my case was just faulty as I’ve built PC’s for decades and never taken 20 minutes to take of a panel undamaged.
This panel must be really easy to remove as you should be cleaning your filters on a regular basis. I’m just hoping that it will become easier over time.
Also the individual bags of screws are great, but they really should be marked, as I can foresee a less experienced builder mixing some of them up and possibly causing damage.
Oh, and I quite agree that cable management in the back can be quite difficult and tight – could have done with a little bit more room.
The enclosure includes
The enclosure includes flush-mount screws to attach a cooler to the front without protruding screws. There were 4 in the pack, so double-width coolers would need more (though I've attached 240 mm AIO coolers with just 4 screws before). The screws that most self-contained liquid coolers ship with are pan head, and protrude even farther if you use the washers that companies like Corsair include. I don't use the washers in situations where there are clearance issues, and I think the flat rad screws are a good addition to the accessory pack.
Would be nice if the bags were labeled, but I'm happy when the screws are at least in their own bags. I guess I've build so many systems at this point that I just 'know' which screws go to what, so perhaps I'm not the best user to judge.
Hello,
Do you know how much
Hello,
Do you know how much space is between the front of the case and the HDD shroud?
I want to install a Fractal Design Kelvin S36 and from what I can see in the pictures, I’m worried that it might not fit in there without removing the HDD shroud (and I don’t want to remove it, since IMO the case looks strange without it)
Thank you in advance.
This is an ATX case, you
This is an ATX case, you could have used an ATX motherboard …
Yes! I could have.
Yes! I could have.
is it worth it to replace my
is it worth it to replace my corsair carbide 300r with this ?
You can clean the front
You can clean the front filter by simply blowing horizontally through the openings, fluff comes right off. I won’t be removing my front panel much, if at all because of that. The RM750i was a tight fit but all panels are in just fine.
Interesting case, I often
Interesting case, I often wonder why any case has doors on the front that MUST be opened to access various components,etc, when it’d be easier to use by simply NOT having the door at all! I don’t mind the “industrial look” where parts are easy to access, also please, NEVER put USB’s, audio/video connectors behind any door or POWER switch on/off,etc…
Also, not a big fan of windows on sides of cases, nice to see the insides/fancy light systems, BUT…doesn’t these window cases tend to all be..louder?
Like quiet PC’s best!
Thanks again for the good review!
What is the CPU cooler. I’m
What is the CPU cooler. I’m going to get this case and a new CPU cooler and this one looks really nice. If you have one could you please link me a PCPartPicker build of this PC. Thanks!
-Zac