Corsair Carbide 400R: Succeeding in Reverse

Conclusion: Constantly Improving

I can't be the only person who finds Corsair's progression in case designs a little bit bizarre. As far as thermal design is concerned, the Corsair Carbide 400R is probably one of the best cases in their lineup, and definitely outperforms the pricier Obsidian 650D (and by extension the Graphite 600T). They seem to be learning and experimenting with each new design, which is fantastic, but it's funny to watch that progression go from a $299 rough draft to a $99 refinement.

The strongest point of the Carbide 400R isn't the level of customization in my opinion (though that's definitely a nice touch), but once again it's Corsair's continually stellar internal layout. Whatever my concerns with the cooling and acoustic performance are (and they're certainly relevant to the 400R), there's very little that Corsair could do to make assembling a computer inside the 400R easier short of including a masseuse to rub your shoulders while you work. These enclosures set the bar for ease of assembly, and if nothing else I feel like other vendors should really take note.

On the flipside, Corsair still has some ways to go as far as thermal performance is concerned. The 400R is an improvement, but other enclosures we've tested continue to outperform it. I think there's definitely a lot of room for experimentation with the 400R, finding the right fan configuration and possibly installing a fan controller (though both of these would certainly bring the price up beyond the $99 asking point), so I'm not comfortable completely dismissing the case. Much like the BitFenix Shinobi, Corsair's design is highly expandable, but I do think it also raises the question of how much you're willing to spend on an enclosure before it becomes more sensible to just buy the more expensive one to begin with. That said, there are also a lot of users out there who love to tinker (and you may count me among your numbers), so the idea of an ongoing project may very well be attractive to some buyers.

Ultimately I continue to be a fan of Corsair's work and enjoy watching each successive case improve over its predecessors. I like what they're doing and for the most part adore their aesthetic sense. For the same price you can get the better performing In-Win BUC, but the Carbide 400R is frankly a lot more attractive. If you're going to take advantage of a 240mm radiator (and I still think that's at least a little silly in a sub-$100 case), NZXT's Tempest 410 is probably going to be a better choice than the 400R, at least in terms of clearance. On the other hand, if you want a reasonably-priced case that's attractive and easy to build in, the 400R should be on your shortlist.