# Corsair Carbide Air 540D Makes Both Side Panels Equally Important



## btarunr (Jun 3, 2013)

Corsair isn't without a contingent of new cases at Computex. A star attraction in its suite is the Carbide Air 540D. Pictured below, this somewhat cubical cases partitions the motherboard tray vertically from compartments that hold the PSU and drives. This partitioning makes sure peripheral/drive power cable doesn't clutter the motherboard tray area. The part with the motherboard tray is more airy than the other, with stripes of perforated metal running the front and top. This portion features provision for two front-facing fans, two on the top (with enough clearance for a 240x120 radiator), two bottom intakes, and a 140 mm rear exhaust. 

The case can hold ATX and EATX motherboards, with eight expansion slot bays. The space below the motherboard tray and the bottom of the case, can either be used to expand storage with two 3.5/2.5-inch trays, or a second 280x140 radiator. All cables from the motherboard compartment can be routed through the valved holes to the other part of the case, which holds a long PSU bay, two 5.25-inch drive bays, and a couple of detachable drive cages holding multiple 3.5/2.5-inch bays. Corsair plans to launch the case some time in July.



 

 

 

 



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## JDG1980 (Jun 3, 2013)

This actually looks like it would work better in a "desktop" orientation. Why else would the external drive bays be rotated 90 degrees?


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## Frick (Jun 3, 2013)

Sort of looks like that giant case with two motherboard trays. They should have made it full height.


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## Kaynar (Jun 3, 2013)

Looks like they stole Parvum Systems case design but just made it a tad uglier with cheap plastic


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## nickbaldwin86 (Jun 3, 2013)

Very interesting... 350D, midATX.... 900D.... HUGE!!!!!  540D FAT!  not sure but doesn't work for me.  cant wait to see some builds in this, I am sure someone will buy it


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## Frick (Jun 3, 2013)

nickbaldwin86 said:


> Very interesting... 350D, midATX.... 900D.... HUGE!!!!!  540D FAT!  not sure but doesn't work for me.  cant wait to see some builds in this, I am sure someone will buy it



I would be interested if it was taller (and I had the money).


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## Sp33d Junki3 (Jun 3, 2013)

So much plastic that dont even match.


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## TheLaughingMan (Jun 3, 2013)

ummmmm, no. That is the best I can come up with. Just no.


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## Emperor_Piehead (Jun 3, 2013)

doesn't look like a caselabs at all...


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## Solidstate89 (Jun 3, 2013)

It would be more interesting if you could mount a 280x140 radiator.


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## theonedub (Jun 3, 2013)

@ bta- Corsair's video from Computex says this is a Carbide series case, not an Obsidian (makes more sense given the design of the case)


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## lobsterrock (Jun 3, 2013)

It looks like two cases tried to fuse but failed horribly and created this monstrosity. This might be nice for home servers/ small business for a private cloud or something, but I don't know who in their right mind would use this for a desktop. Of course since this is corsair fanbois will eat this all up(I have nothing against corsair, just against some of their fanbois)


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## de.das.dude (Jun 3, 2013)

this is daft. could have easily held two full systems. also as noted, plastic looks cheap.


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## PopcornMachine (Jun 3, 2013)

If I ever made a scratch build, this was the idea I had.

One half for motherboard and cooling, 'smaller half' for psu and storage.

Somebody built my case! 

Wait, somebody stole my idea!


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## Hood (Jun 3, 2013)

This could be an awesome case in the $100-120 range, but it probably will list for $170-180.  As such it wouldn't be that popular among gamer and power users, who require much larger cases for that kind of money.  Corsair certainly needs more variety in their line of cases, but this is a niche product at best.


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## theonedub (Jun 3, 2013)

Hood said:


> This could be an awesome case in the $100-120 range, but it probably will list for $170-180.  As such it wouldn't be that popular among gamer and power users, who require much larger cases for that kind of money.  Corsair certainly needs more variety in their line of cases, but this is a niche product at best.



I believe the MSRP is $140


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## Frick (Jun 3, 2013)

I wonder about how many HDD's you can fit there from the start (without Icydocks etc)..


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## BiggieShady (Jun 3, 2013)

I'm thinking about same exact principle only with micro ITX ... and better materials of course.


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## The Von Matrices (Jun 3, 2013)

Thank you Corsair for not making just another tall full ATX case.  This is one case I would consider buying.  There are a lot of people like me who just can't fit a full height ATX case in their workspace.  I'm short and have a low desk so I can't fit anything larger than 22", about the height of a mid ATX case, under the keyboard tray.  I currently have to cram my triple crossfire configuration into a (relatively) small case and it's a pain.  This would be perfect for me.


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## ironwolf (Jun 3, 2013)

nickbaldwin86 said:


> Very interesting... 350D, midATX.... 900D.... HUGE!!!!!  540D FAT!  not sure but doesn't work for me.  cant wait to see some builds in this, I am sure someone will buy it



Fat cases need love too ya know.


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## EpicShweetness (Jun 4, 2013)

PopcornMachine said:


> If I ever made a scratch build, this was the idea I had.
> 
> One half for motherboard and cooling, 'smaller half' for psu and storage.
> 
> ...



Damn straight! I've been imagining a case like this for years. Moving all the "essential" components to a chamber with unobstructed airflow (with out a HDD cage in the way) will make this an air cooling dream.
Now if only they turned the motherboard 90 degrees 



theonedub said:


> I believe the MSRP is $140


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## Rowsol (Jun 4, 2013)

I like the internal layout but the plastic cover looks terrible.


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## erocker (Jun 4, 2013)

Replace the slits with mesh and it might look good. I like the idea.


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## The Terrible Puddle (Jun 4, 2013)

Now turn the motherboardtray 90 degrees  No HDD trays in the main chamber and put fans in the buttom. Make a better external look and put some smart hidden dustfilters in and we have a deal


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## Delta6326 (Jun 4, 2013)

Yuck should have made it so you can fit 2 m-atx builds inside.


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## iKhan (Jun 4, 2013)

I'd like to speak to whoever @ Corsair thought....this was a good idea.


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## Vancha (Jun 4, 2013)

PopcornMachine said:


> If I ever made a scratch build, this was the idea I had.
> 
> One half for motherboard and cooling, 'smaller half' for psu and storage.
> 
> ...



I think you mean _my_ idea. 

Seeing this, I think the layout can work, it's just that Corsair haven't been very efficient about it. Plus, of course, they've made it hideous.


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## Corsair George (Jun 5, 2013)

iKhan said:


> I'd like to speak to whoever @ Corsair thought....this was a good idea.



That would be me.


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## dsmwookie (Jun 5, 2013)

Corsair George said:


> That would be me.



Don't mind the kiddos man. Maybe it is not for everyone, but no case is. I personally like the design. I do wish it was made of more metals and less plastics; I am not the typical user and do not mind spending $250-350 on a case. Cases to me last for years and it is worth the investment to buy one that suits my needs and lays out nicely. I think the case layout and design is great and pretty aesthetically appealing as well. Regardless of what they say it is a refreshing design and not the typical vertical rectangle we are used to.


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## Hood (Jun 7, 2013)

*Air 540D*



Corsair George said:


> That would be me.



I'm a 400R, H100, and Air Series fan owner who is extremely happy with all, and a big fan of most Corsair products, including your cases, George.  I love the layout and ease of configuration in the 540D, but like others said, the aesthetics are kind of a departure for Corsair.  It may just take some getting used to.  If the MSRP is really $140, it's a very tempting deal compared to others in this range.  I'd like to see a fat design like this in the Obsidian line, with the brushed aluminum treatment and even more cubic - if I know you guys, it's probably already in the works...


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## hokkeiv (Jun 8, 2013)

When I first saw the news about the Corsair Carbide 540, I really loved it, and thought to get one when it hits the store. I am already tired of conventional tower and HTPC desktop cases, but there is almost no alternative for ATX or EATX boards except Cooler Master's HAF XB. But after checking the specification of Carbide 540, I just wanna step back and reconsider whether to purchase this case.

The most ridiculous thing happened in Cooler Master's HAF XB is having a 2.5" internal drive cage instead of 3.5" when there is plenty of space, and Corsair however makes this happen again in their new Carbide 540 case.

For a typical setup with one ODD, only three 3.5" drives can be installed at maximum (the two 3.5" hot swap trays provided + converting the remaining 5.25" bay to hold a 3.5" drive). This is definitely insufficient while many people having ATX or EATX builds (or in other words, adopting mid-tower or larger cases) do usually run quite a few 3.5" HDDs rather than 2.5" for storage or whatsoever.

The deficiency of 3.5" bays in HAF XB is already well discussed and  keeps some potential buyers off purchasing the case. Even many of those purchased had modded the case to fit more 3.5" HDDs. I am a bit surprised that Corsair lets the new Carbide 540 follow the same route as the HAF XB.


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## Hood (Jun 8, 2013)

*Good Point*

Welcome to TPU, hokkiev.  Nice post, I missed the similarity after a casual look at the 540, but you went right to the potential flaw that will be a deal-breaker for many (I have 4 x 3.5 hard drives and need a couple more).  And as you pointed out, it's been done, without much success.  But perhaps Corsair build quality and reputation will help out, and the fact that 4 TB drives are available and getting cheaper.  Thanks again for the intelligent observations, and keep 'em coming!


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## hokkeiv (Jun 8, 2013)

I am just desperate looking for a cube (or anything interesting and refined) to replace my tower case that can fit my ATX board, and my situation is similar to yours - having some 3.5" HDDs and going to get more!

Though Lian Li has also revealed PC-D600/D7000/D8000 (giant!) cubes with a vast amount of drive bays, I hardly find them attractive because the price being at least the double of Carbide 540 can be expected, and personally I think both the layout and look of Lian Li's cases are not as elegant as Carbide 540.

If the Carbide 540 could have provided at least one (two is definitely perfect) removable internal 3.5" drive cage with 2.5" compatibility besides the hot swap trays, as well as the flexibility to put the case in both desktop and tower orientation, it would be the masterpiece, and I would certainly be happy to make the purchase even it costed some bucks more.


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## Corsair George (Jun 10, 2013)

Hood said:


> I'm a 400R, H100, and Air Series fan owner who is extremely happy with all, and a big fan of most Corsair products, including your cases, George.  I love the layout and ease of configuration in the 540D, but like others said, the aesthetics are kind of a departure for Corsair.  It may just take some getting used to.  If the MSRP is really $140, it's a very tempting deal compared to others in this range.  I'd like to see a fat design like this in the Obsidian line, with the brushed aluminum treatment and even more cubic - if I know you guys, it's probably already in the works...



The Carbide series is our "mainstream" case line, where we are targeting price/performance first and foremost. We're trying to make the case appealing to most people, something that's somewhat difficult when you're designing, basically, a cube.

The width of the case and its dual-chamber design made us want to focus on airflow on the main chamber, with as little restriction as possible. As a result, we went with large open mesh, bent in between high profile "ribs" for structural support. It was bold and somewhat polarizing, but in the other designs we had, the "big metal box" look just came across too awkwardly. 

If the Air 540 sells well and the demand is high, we may do an Obsidian version - it would be somewhat challenging based on the ID but it'll all be based on demand.


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## hokkeiv (Jun 11, 2013)

Hi George,

I really appreciate the effort of you and Corsair on giving such an elegant case coming with brilliant ideas. However, as I said in my previous post, I truly can't see the point of providing an internal 2.5" drive cage instead of 3.5" one, or am I missing something?

540D is definitely not a small case. Getting only two dedicated 3.5" drive bays in such a large case is hardly convincing especially to those demanding users building ATX/EATX machines, while 3.5" HDD is absolutely the mainstream for expanding storage capacity in desktop computers.

I understand it is impossible to satisfy everyone, but replacing the removable 2.5" cage with a 3.5" one simply won't upset anyone. 

I hope this disputable drive bay arrangement can be revised (the deal-breaker as Hood said) as this is the only critical flaw in the well designed 540D particularly for many of those the product targets at, and I think this would be the most significant move making the 540D selling well.


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