A Closer Look - Outside

A first glance and it becomes apparent that the Graphite 380T is no ordinary mini-ITX cube chassis. While it looks very spiffy, it does remind us a bit of those picnic coolers, which is alright because the chassis is supposed to be portable.


The chassis' entire front is taken up by a metal mesh cover. You may remove the cover for easy cleaning and readily available access to the fan right behind it. There is enough room for one 140 mm or 200 mm fan, or two 120 mm fans. Corsair includes one white LED-equipped 140 mm unit to pull air into the case. The rear of the 380T is shaped very similarly to the front and also houses a 120 mm fan to push air out the back, so you have a nice push / pull configuration without having to buy more fans.


Both sides of the chassis are identical. Each of the black panels is comprised of metal mesh and slightly tinted but clear plastic, which allows curious onlookers to peek inside. Each of the panels can very easily be removed, but there is no way to properly secure them to deter anyone from accessing the interior. Considering the chassis is intended for potent LAN Party rigs, it is rather essential to have something to keep these in place, especially since the sides feature nice latches to remove the panels easily.


The bottom in the rear is intended for the power supply. The frame comes with two sets of mounting holes, so you may install the PSU with the fan facing up- or downward. Above the PSU bay are the motherboard's openings which include two expansion slots. These will allow you to install a large dual-slotted beast of a GPU into the chassis. Last, but not least, the aforementioned 120 mm exhaust fan is of the gray and black variety and rests on rubber rings, so no vibrations because of its moving parts will pass on to the chassis.


You will find the I/O has conveniently been tucked away into the top, at a slight angle which has the I/O face toward you. It consists of two USB 3.0 and the usual pair of audio plugs. On top of that are the large power and reset buttons and a triple-speed fan controller. Behind it is a well- balanced, sturdy, and surprisingly comfortable handle. It will make carrying the system to LAN parties or your friend's house for a nice frag fest a breeze.


Corsair made a point of continuing with the 308T's design elements on the underside to keep with the looks of the chassis. Even the PSU's dust filter comes in the same yellow color. It is easily removable without having to tip the chassis over, so you may easily clean this dust filter out.