Corsair Unveils its First Inverted-ATX Cases, the Carbide 600Q and Carbide 600C

[TheLostSwede]

Like the overall design, but I'd much rather swap the 5.25in drive bays for 3-4 extra 3.5in drive bays.
Also not a fan of Corsair's plastic SSD caddies, as they make the drives rattle around in them due to not being designed for 7mm height drives.
And please, no top mounted ports, they collect crud like crazy, one of the big flaws with my old Lian-Li case.
Also, £150 is way too steep, when you consider the exchange rat is 1.5 to the US$...

 

[trog100]

if youre on traditional air cooling - it doesnt apply because the interior of your case gets warm/hot anyway regardless of positioning. IMO you might shave an extra 2-3c off??? 4-5'c at most Because dont forgot your mobo has VRMs and those VRMS generate a fair amount of heat too if youre overclocked. If they decided to go down the same route as the Silverstone Raven cases and have everything kind of mounted vertically then that would by far be a better idea as far as cooling goes.

Then again, a case like this corsair one fills a rather niche market. Not everyone is going to buy one.

i think in my "case" it would matter.. my case temps are not in the slightest bit even.. at the front its near room ambient.. the same applies to the bottom of the case.. the top rear of the case is 20 C over room ambient..

the heat inside the case is very localized the hottest part being the upper rear which dosnt matter in the slightest.. its where all the gpu and cpu heat ends up going.. it then goes out of the upper rear and heats the room.. he he

basically my graphics cards create a warm pocket of air directly above them.. this pocket of warm air is picked up by the cpu cooler fans which heats it up some more and then it gets blasted out of the upper rear of the case.. my front case fans do bugger all.. my side case fans do a lot and so does the upper rear fans..

but no way on this planet is my case temp even.. its all very localized and short of blowing a gale through it.. it cant be any other way..

i aint going to buy one of these upside down cases but i can see for me at least a positive advantage in moving my cpu cooler underneath my pair of room heater graphics cards.. for sure the psu will run hotter but for equally sure my cpu will run cooler.. he he

some case temps may be even.. mine certainly are not..

trog

 

[cdawall]

Actually they don't all know what you profess they do, or there would not be a (filtered) intake on the bottom on nearly all cases. There would be nothing there but metal, and instructions with case telling people to make sure the intake fan is pointed up to help suck out hot air from the case. The hundred or so case manufacturers are all doing it the same way (except for the cheap ones who don't provide a filter).

That has only been recently. Less than 5 years ago nearly every case put the powersupply in the traditional location. Above the processor for heat extraction off the processor.

 

[FX-GMC]

The point is to make your PSU ingest a lot of heat from your graphics card(s) while maintaining silky smooth low CPU temps should you be running an 280mm AIO at the bottom of your case.

Because heat rises.

The heat doesn't ignore the airflow provided by the fans so no, heat does not always rise in this case.

The biggest difference is the PSU intake pulling from outside the case (cooler temps) or inside the case (higher temps).

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Because in our tests, the only time bottom intake made a performance difference is when you were using radial style GPU fans (Asus Direct CU style).

Aren't those the predominate type?
Secondly, those are normally quieter than the external exhaust type and I would expect them to be the normal pick for a 600C build.

The reference blower-style exhausts enough air by itself that bottom exhaust and front intake works just a bit better, even in SLI.

That I would like to see. Truthfully. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but I see too many people posting here with temperature problems that, IMHO, trace back to airflow. Too many cases are made without the following thought process:

• A) Where's the air coming from?
• B) Where's the air going?
• And what components does the air cool/what components does the air flow across, while getting from A to B?

IMHO, most cases today leave the GPU's in a dead air pocket. These cases, with intake fans on the bottom have no dead air zones!

BTW, what's the air's temperature delta across an AIO's radiator?

Want to be really specific? This is the original ATX specification booklet. The PSU is supposed to be used to cool the processor. So no it was never designed to be at the bottom of the case per ATX specification it was supposed to be placed near the CPU drawing air off of the passive CPU cooler.

source

That's actually funny and sobering at the same time. ATX came out in what year? 1995 How many watts did the CPU use at that time? How many watts did GPU's use at that time? And check out the sentence that says: "Chassis venting should be placed strategically to allow for proper cooling of other components such as peripherals and add-in cards."
@rtwjunkie , I don't think anyone is saying that keeping the PSU as cool as possible is not a good idea. And I wouldn't be surprised if the biggest reason that case manufacturers put the PSU down there in that orientation is so that we don't drop things into the PSU.

The heat doesn't ignore the airflow provided by the fans so no, heat does not always rise in this case.

The biggest difference is the PSU intake pulling from outside the case (cooler temps) or inside the case (higher temps).

But why fight physics? IMHO, go with the flow and give it a helping hand as needed.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Above the processor for heat extraction off the processor.

Like I tried to point out, that is a very outdated standard. ATX doesn't require that location. Back when it was created, case airflow and cooling of the cpu sucked...bad. The standard says that the PSU CAN be used to cool the CPU, and IF it is, it should be placed very closely.

That's all I'm going to say on the subject. Choices and free will are good.

 

[cdawall]

Like I tried to point out, that is a very outdated standard. ATX doesn't require that location. Back when it was created, case airflow and cooling of the cpu sucked...bad. The standard says that the PSU CAN be used to cool the CPU, and IF it is, it should be placed very closely.

That's all I'm going to say on the subject. Choices and free will are good.

Very, very few OEM (which makes up a huge portion of the PC market) use a bottom mount PSU. Most are still used in conjunction with a single exhaust fan for airflow.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Very, very few OEM (which makes up a huge portion of the PC market) use a bottom mount PSU. Most are still used in conjunction with a single exhaust fan for airflow.

And very, very few OEM have improved their airflow pattern (as @thebluebumblebee explained in detail) since the late 90's. They have no choice but to do things the old way, as the standard ALLOWS (but doesn't require) them to do.

 

[cdawall]

And very, very few OEM have improved their airflow pattern (as @thebluebumblebee explained in detail) since the late 90's. They have no choice but to do things the old way, as the standard ALLOWS (but doesn't require) them to do.

It works though. Even the dual 980 based, 6700 Asus OEM PC's use a top mount PSU, single 120mm intake, single 120mm exhaust and temps are acceptable under load.

 

[Joss]

Before this case was released I couldn't think of a single Corsair case I'd buy.
Now, I can't imagine a single Corsair case I'd buy.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Before this case was released I couldn't think of a single Corsair case I'd buy.
Now, I can't imagine a single Corsair case I'd buy.

Okay, so that's a completely worthless post. Come on, step up to the plate and take a swing. Why not? Price? Style? What????

 

[Corsair George]

Very, very few OEM (which makes up a huge portion of the PC market) use a bottom mount PSU. Most are still used in conjunction with a single exhaust fan for airflow.

Correct. Because where cost counts, every penny matters. If HP or somebody is building a $299 email/web browsing box, then why add an exhaust fan when you can just use the PSU fan as an exhaust fan and kill two birds with one stone?

That has long since been ignored by most people in the experimental gaming PC design market. We've put the power supply on top, on bottom, sideways, behind the motherboard, some guys even put it in front of the case.

Because having something different than everyone else is part of the fun of building a PC yourself anyway.

 

[Joss]

Why not? Price? Style? What????

Details, there's always something,
lack of dust filters, poor construction,
thin panels, rigidity,
design options,

either one or some of the above, plus overprice,

example: the 600T, a beautiful case but with no front mount option other than a 200mm fan,
worst than that, only a 20mm thick one, otherwise get rid of the hdd bays or mod around,
and the top 200mm/20mm fan can't easily be replaced for 25mm one(s) lest the air cooler touches them,

I could go on with this case or others, or other Corsair products but I don't have the patience.

 

[cdawall]

Correct. Because where cost counts, every penny matters. If HP or somebody is building a $299 email/web browsing box, then why add an exhaust fan when you can just use the PSU fan as an exhaust fan and kill two birds with one stone?

That has long since been ignored by most people in the experimental gaming PC design market. We've put the power supply on top, on bottom, sideways, behind the motherboard, some guys even put it in front of the case.

Because having something different than everyone else is part of the fun of building a PC yourself anyway.

$299 web browsers have laptop style bricks and mini-ITX boards now. One maybe two fans in the entire case including the CPU.

 

[[502]]

My neck hurt trying to read the writing on those GPUs.

 

[Kursah]

Well, you guys have fun informing the rest of the case industry about that.

I'll keep my PSU sucking cool air in through the filtered bottom until you personally run your own PSU in 50C temperatures 24/7 until it breaks...which will be before mine does.

Honestly I can't recall the last time I saw a PSU fail due to high temps. I work with and build 100s of systems a year that go in a variety of deployments.

You know what I see failing? Old and cheap PSUs being overloaded and almost any Antec PSU I've ever deployed. My Corsair HX520 was the sole exhaust on a Core2 ocd system for a spell before I could afford fans... That PSU and system are still going strong.

Sure heat kills...but I'm no longer ovwrclocking to the hilt...but would like better airflow and sound control. I'll keep an eye on this for sure.

This is however the first top PSU mount case I've had interest in in years. I like the overall airflow concept...now let's get the price into something I can afford and I might consider replacing my 5yo Lian-Li...

 

[JBVertexx]

Silverstone has been doing the reverse ATX for years, and they have never had the PSU sucking hot air....

I like reverse ATX (90 degree rotated ATX is even better), but Corsair should have arranged PSU to intake fresh air. Mistake.

 

[rtwjunkie]

@Kursah, you know what I don't see? The fresh air that the GPU needs. As someone else pointed out, it's all dead air up there instead of it getting fresh air, like you would get from a bottom intake shooting straight up to GPU.

 

[Kursah]

@Kursah, you know what I don't see? The fresh air that the GPU needs. As someone else pointed out, it's all dead air up there instead of it getting fresh air, like you would get from a bottom intake shooting straight up to GPU.

Air is gonna get there, will it be cold? No. Does it NEED to be? No.....t necessarily.

But that also doesn't mean it should be molten hot either, I agree. Two intake fans and only one exhaust...it'll pick up the slack...though if you have some super hot vid cards, Regardless, it should only be there to keep air moving up in that area, the primary exhaust fan should handle the bulk of hot air exhaust. Is it the perfect combo? No...but I don't see the PSU issue being that much of an issue really. But the systems I usually build are generally targeted with keeping cooler in the first place, even OC'd...so really if this case can produce good temps for those kinds of systems, and this case could have a cheaper cousin or get a price cut...or a plastic version...I'd test one. It looks easy to build inside of too.

I am in all agreement for the preference of the current popular "PSU on the bottom with dedicated intake." option, seeing as my last two cases over almost 10 years have that feature. Doesn't mean it's necessary, but it's seems to be a common-sense option if your case isn't designed for needing it as an exhaust. I think here, a quality PSU pays off too...not just in clean energy supply but in durability. And sure I still look for cases with that feature by default. It's not often I'm even interested in a case with a top mounted PSU, which this one can go on that short list at least as a blip on the radar.

I could see "server rated" ATX PSU's becoming the next big thing if top mounted PSU's were to take off again...lol. Which makes sense seeing that server PSU's act as system exhaust too, and constantly hot as well for some servers.

 

[Corsair George]

@Kursah, you know what I don't see? The fresh air that the GPU needs. As someone else pointed out, it's all dead air up there instead of it getting fresh air, like you would get from a bottom intake shooting straight up to GPU.

The intake fan that brings in fresh air is like 4" away from the GPU.

 

[Corsair George]

I could see "server rated" ATX PSU's becoming the next big thing if top mounted PSU's were to take off again

They already are. 50C temp rating is our standard for RMi/RMx, HX, AX, and all TX series PSUs. EVGA, Seasonic, Superflower - most of their mid to high end products are already rated at 50C.

The lower end stuff is rated at 40C or so, which is still cooler than the ambient temp in this case for most people. But the likelihood of somebody installing a $40 PSU in a $150 case is pretty low.

As a guy who meets with our engineering and QC teams all the time and the PM for this case who spent over 18 months testing airflow patterns and thermal/noise stuff, I find it funny how confident some of you are that the performance will be bad when we have evidence, in actual reviews, of the exact opposite:

600Q thermal test:
http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/corsair_carbide_600q_review,8.html

600C thermal test:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2015/12/08/corsair-carbide-series-600c-review/3

http://www.cowcotland.com/articles/2003-5/test-boitier-corsair-carbide-600c.html

http://www.techspot.com/review/1098-corsair-carbide-series-600c/page4.html

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/corsair_carbide_series_600c,5.html

http://www.hw-journal.de/testberichte/gehaeuse/2342-test-corsair-carbide-600c?showall=&start=6


Internally we've seen the performance on this case is nearly as good as our AIR 540, which is among the best in the world. And it's significantly quieter than AIR 540. It is a really great balance of noise and cooling.

If you don't like it, that's cool. Don't like the looks or the layout - fine, I get that, no problem. Everyone has preferences.

But please give us credit on the performance here - it's been thoroughly tested, and not just by us. This case has very, very good cooling.

 

[Kursah]

Thanks for taking the time to support your product. Folks can get a bit abrasive at times. I still like the design of this case...I just cannot afford to try it out. But I am in the market (at some point soon, maybe come tax season!) for something to replace my good airflow but noisy Lian Li PC-K62, I've had it for nearly 6 years. And while it's been a great case, I'd kinda like something that made more sense airflow-wise. Where I really like your design here, as you explained is the intake-side of things...getting the HDD's and cage out of the way, allowing direct airflow for the CPU and GPU, I imagine makes a great difference overall.

I tend to plan my systems out to not run at molten hot temps anyways, so what some folks are twisted about doesn't apply to me...there are other cases and bench setups for them.

I have my now getting pretty old Corsair HX750W (2010-ish)...I don't plan to replace it quite yet...but it never exhausts anything more than barely luke-warm as it stands with a dedicated intake. I'd be fine using it as a secondary exhaust route tbh. As I said in one of my previous posts, I had an HX520W, which was the only exhaust for a system for a while...until I could replace fans...and never had an issue, and that system and PSU are still running to this day. 0 issues. Speaks volumes for quality components.

I tend to go for nicer PSU's and yes as you mention 50C ratings, I have and do look for that.

 

[rtwjunkie]

@Kursah I hardly think I'm abrasive.

Like you I tend to plan my systems to run very cool. I just dislike when a company rep comes in and says everybody is aware of this and doing it, when in fact everyone but the OEM industry has gone away from the suggested ATX standard...a standard which was decided on when cases were, hot, crappy interiors and psu's were needed for exhaust and to keep costs low, that's all. We're smarter about airflow now.

He's trying to support his company's product, which is commendable, but that doesn't make it fact. Corsair FEELS that this is the future and the better way to do things. I and a few others just happen to disagree, which is perfectly ok.

@Corsair George thanks for pointing out the air intake for the GPU's. I missed that!

 

[micropage7]

just move your feet case and you got it..
sorry the psu should on the bottom

 

[thebluebumblebee]

@Corsair George , I'd like to see a review for the 600Q from http://www.silentpcreview.com/ , or is it too much like an upside down P180?

I really like this case, and it looks well thought out. One of the little things that I noticed was the 8 expansion slots. IMHO, there will be a lot of these used for workstations. I still like solid tops and optical drives.

What I don't like:

• The marketing pictures with the fans blowing out on the bottom.
• What you have to go through to get to the front air filters.
• The bottom air filter is accessed from the rear. (actually, with it being magnetic, will a person have to tip the case over?)