Corsair Carbide 500R: A Corsair in Every Home

Conclusion: Another Solid Enclosure from Corsair

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that you just can't really go wrong buying a Corsair enclosure. The issue with the Carbide 500R is that it has to compete with two other Corsair cases in the same price bracket, or for not much more money you can get Rosewill's Thor v2, a case that performs roughly as well acoustically and better thermally. There are a few tradeoffs to be made there, but I can definitely see someone making them. Likewise, if you go $40 south, you run smack into Fractal Design's Arc Midi, a case which is a bit louder but otherwise about as effective at keeping your system cool.

As far as competing against itself, Corsair's "evolution in reverse" continues. With the existence of the 500R, I have a hard time recommending end users spend up for the Graphite 600T or Obsidian 650D. Those are both fine cases, but honestly I feel like the 500R is simply a better performer. Your mileage may vary and you may find the aesthetics of the other two cases more your speed, but Corsair threatens to obsolete themselves with the 500R.

The other options on the market require a trade-off here and there, so I can see why someone would go for Fractal Design's Arc Midi or Rosewill's Thor v2 over the 500R, but I can also see why someone would opt for the 500R instead of either alternative. That's probably not the most useful conclusion, but thankfully in this price range there just aren't too many cases that are authentically bad performers, so you can start to "season to taste" and choose an enclosure that fits your needs best. If it were my call I'd probably save the forty bucks and go for the Arc Midi, but the 500R isn't a bad choice.

As weird as it sounds, what I think may be the weakest point about the 500R is actually its price tag. While the performance probably warrants the money, the materials used in the construction don't feel like a $40 improvement over the Carbide 400R. I think if Corsair chopped $20 off the MSRP of the 500R, it'd be the obvious choice in its market instead of stratifying things. At $119 it'd be an easy recommendation over any of Corsair's other enclosures, as well as the Arc Midi and Thor v2.

Still, $139 isn't bad, and right now there's a $15 rebate on the Corsair Carbide 500R if you're a gambler. As always, Corsair has produced a case that's reasonably attractive, idiotically easy to assemble, and a solid performer. In some ways it's really the high point of their enclosure business. There are alternatives, but if you like the way it looks and want something easy to build, the 500R is worth your hard earned money.