A Closer Look - Outside

Corsair has managed to turn a lot of heads with the Obsidian series and the Graphite 600T deserves just as much attention. Just as the name implies it is not black, but a dark grey - or graphite hue. Unlike the Obsidian enclosures, this one is made of steel, metal mesh and plastic. Corsair has also changed the design, giving the Graphite 600T a round, bubble look instead of the straight and sharp shape of the Obsidian cases. This new design comes across very nice in my humble opinion.


The front of the case is made of metal mesh and there is a groove around it. Turning the 600T around, we can see that the interior of the case is black as well and the power supply is to be installed on the bottom of the enclosure.


Both sides are completely solid without any air vents. Something we have not seen for a very long time are the large clips, holding the panels in place. Some of you may remember Hiper, which seemed to hold the rights on that, but since the company no longer exists, Corsair and other manufacturers can use this feature. Simply push them down and lift the side panel off the chassis. As you can see, the paint job of the Corsair 600T is excellent with that dark grey, slightly sparkling look - an excellent choice in my eyes.


Taking a closer look at the front, it is made solely of metal mesh, but visually divided into two parts. The bottom - one solid piece of mesh - can be taken off, but pushing it in, which releases the clips and allows you to clean it easily. There seems to be no additional benefit in this area though. Above that are four 5.25 inch drive bays, with their covers coming equipped with a different release mechanism - but more about that later.


The rear of the case does not bear a lot of surprises. The bottom is intended for the power supply, which can be installed with the cooling fan facing upward or downward. Above that are eight mainboard expansion bays instead of seven. Corsair has constructed the chassis in such a way, that the very top slot may be used to route a cable through, but it is actually the very bottom one, which will remain free with a normal full size ATX board.


Corsair has placed all buttons, four USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0, a pair of audio and a Firewire 400 plug round up the I/O. A large dial allows you to adjust the speed of all the connected fans. Behind that is a large mesh grill, which is attached with the same locking mechanism as the front cover. Just push it down to release the pin and take it off. This compartment allows you to install two 140 mm fans here, which is especially useful, if you would like to place a dual radiator in the roof. Corsair has placed a 200 mm unit here by default.


Upon closer inspection you will find that the door locking mechanism has been hidden here as well. This is an unusual spot for such, but it works just as well. Before diving into the chassis itself, let me mention the dust filter on the bottom of the case. It has been incorporated into the flooring design of the 600T and may limit air flow a bit, as the vents are not very big.