A Closer Look - Inside

Taking a quick look at the interior, we can conclude, that Corsair seems to have taken the same interior from the 650D/600T and simplified it a bit to reach the new price point. This does not mean that you will get a bad case, on the contrary as most features are still present and all functionality seems to have been conserved. The biggest difference are the fewer number of openings in the mainboard tray to route cables through and the fact, that the hard drive cage is one big piece now. On top of the space gained through the extruded panels, a trench running in the form of an L down the mainboard tray should ease cable management even more.


Just as is the case with the 650D and the 600T, you may install up to six hard drives here using the exact same tray system. On top of that are the four external drive bays with the same screws-less system we have seen in other Corsair cases as well. it consists of solid plastic clips which work rather well.


Turning our focus to the rear of the chassis, on the bottom you have the PSU bay with a large opening in the floor to allow fresh air to enter the unit. Above that are the eight mainboard expansion slots, each held in place with a single thumb screw and then there is the afore mentioned 120 mm exhaust fan with a 3 pin mainboard header and all black cable.


There is an additional vent in the bottom, allowing you to install one more 120 or 140 mm fan here. While most will not do so, it is still good to have the option available. In the top the air vent is rather open, which means that operating sounds from the various components will easily escape through here, making it nearly impossible to contain the system noise within the case. This may also pose a problem concerning dust and dirt over a longer period of time.


The Carbide 400R offers plenty of space thanks to the smart design. The trench in the mainboard tray is 20 mm deep, while the extruded portion of the side panel adds up to 20 mm. These 40 mm should make cable management and hiding a breeze within this chassis.


Before we dive into the assembly part of this review, let us take a quick look at the internal cables. Corsair has kept them all in black to go with the overall look of the chassis. Even the actual connector of the USB 3.0 header is black, unlike most other offerings, which still utilize at least a blue plug - even if the cable itself is black.