A Closer Look - Outside

Taking a look at the chassis, I am happy to report that Corsair has done an excellent job in terms of paint and quality. Even though this case clocks in at a mere 80 Euro or 100 US Dollar the paint job can be considered unrivaled. The gunmetal grey metallic color is nearly as good as that found on cars. Just think of it this way: you want to buy a car, but instead of a simple black, you would like to go for that fancy metallic variant the ladies dig so much. This is something like that. Well done Corsair! In terms of design, the Carbide 400R may not be for everyone. Corsair has chosen to use a lot of round corners, which seem to disarm this case somewhat.


Taking a look at the front, the entire front is made of metal mesh and two different tones of plastic. Turning it around we can see that the entire chassis is black, thus on the inside as well. Honestly, we would have expected nothing less.


Both sides of the chassis shimmer in the gray color, which sets this chassis apart from a long line of black cases out there. The panels are extruded so that you will gain additional space to install larger coolers, more fans or ease cable management. An additional bonus is the fact, that this adds considerably to the overall design.


The front can be visually divided into two areas. In the bottom you will clearly see that two 120 mm fans can be mounted here. Above that are the four 5.25 inch drive bays. Thanks to the two tone color and the use of black metal mesh, any black drives will still match here.


In the back, starting at the bottom, we have the PSU bay, which allows you to install the unit with the fan facing up- or downward. Above that are the eight expansion slots, each with openings to act as air vents along the four round openings for water cooling tubes. This is changed when looking at the 600T or 650D, as these only feature two such holes and also a slightly different look in the back. In the very top you will find another opening for a 120 or 140 mm fan. Corsair has placed a fan of the smaller variant here to pull air out the back of the chassis.


One interesting bit is the fact that the side panel screws are permanently attached to the panels. By unscrewing them they just hang off these instead of falling off completely. This is certainly a nice touch. On top of that, a dust filter has been placed on the underside of the chassis. It runs the entire length of the case and keeps dust out of the interior.


Corsair has done away with USB 2.0 ports completely as the Carbide 400R only has two USB 3.0 connectors. Considering this, the afore mentioned adapter is a necessity, as you would not be able to attach these two otherwise if you have an older mainboard. The top vent is extruded slightly too and is large enough to install a radiator in this area if you wish to do so. Corsair guarantees the compatibility to their own water cooling systems, but you should be fine with most DIY units as well.