The Corsair Carbide 600Q Case Review: Upside Down But Right On
by E. Fylladitakis on September 12, 2016 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- ATX
- E-ATX
The concept of reversed and rotated motherboard tray cases is not new. Such designs primarily received attention with the introduction of the BTX form factor, when manufacturers were trying to make their products both ATX and BTX compatible. The prime example is probably the first generation Cooler Master Stacker, both for its design and what followed. The Stacker was successful enough to spawn a whole family of cases, however none of them retained the original's reversable tray. And, as things turned out, that's an accurate reflection of the larger market: ever since the BTX form factor has been abandoned, there are very few cases with rotated and reversed motherboard trays. Those few cases that still offer alterable trays are considered unordinary, special designs.
Introduction
It is just such a special case that we are taking a look at in this review: the Corsair Carbide 600Q Inverse ATX case. Corsair introduced the Carbide 600Q as a high quality product that is focused on utility and low-noise operation. The primary attraction of this case however is its interior design. As the name suggests, the Carbide 600Q has an inversed motherboard tray that, according to the company, should enhance the thermal performance of the system. It goes without saying then that we'll be paying special attention to that claim for this review, and seeing how it compares against typical ATX designs.
| Corsair Carbide 600Q | ||
| Motherboard Size | EATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 2 × 5.25" |
| Internal | 2 × 3.5" 3 × 2.5" |
|
| Cooling | Front | 2 × 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm (2 × 140 mm included) |
| Rear | 1 × 140 mm (included) | |
| Top | - | |
| HDD | - | |
| Bottom | 3 × 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm (not included) | |
| Radiator Support | Front | Up to 280 mm |
| Rear | Up to 140 mm | |
| Top | - | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | Up to 360 mm | |
| I/O Port | 2× USB 3.0, 2× USB 2.0, 1× Headphone, 1× Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 200 mm |
| PSU | 210 mm | |
| GPU | 370 mm | |
| Dimensions | 535 mm × 260 mm × 454 mm 21.06 in × 10.24 in × 17.87 in |
|
| Prominent Features | · Inverse ATX Layout: With this new layout, airflow is directed at the hottest devices in your system; the GPU and CPU, and not wasted on drive cages. · (Windowed Version Only): Full side panel window: A gorgeous, panoramic full side panel window shows off your components, and the tool-free latch and hinge lets you get in and out of the case easily. · Steel Exterior: Get rid of those plastic cases - the 600C has full steel front and top panels for extra durability and good looks. · Three included AF140L fans: Great airflow doesn't have to be noisy. The AF140L fans can push good amounts of air across your hottest devices with less distracting fan hum, and the three-speed fan controller lets you decide exactly how fast they run. · PSU and 5.25" Bay Cover: Clean up the inside of your case by tucking all those cables and less-attractive drives behind a clean, refined PSU and 5.25" bay cover. Or remove them for assembly - it's up to you. · Water-cooling Ready: Fit up to a 280mm radiator up front and up to a 360mm radiator on the bottom - along with the 140mm rear fan mount, that means your next build can be both cool and beautiful. · Easy to Clean: Easy-access dust filters on the front and bottom mean you'll never spend more than a minute getting dust out of your system. · Easy to Build: Tool-free drive installation, side panel access, and tons of cable routing options and tie downs means you can spend less time building your PC and more time using it. |
|
| Price | $140 | |
Packaging & Bundle
Corsair supplies the Carbide 600Q in a monochromic and aesthetically simple, but very sturdy cardboard box. The case is well protected inside it by two thick Styrofoam slabs and a nylon bag.
The company kept the main bundle of the case down to the basics. Only the necessary black mounting hardware, a manual and a few short cable ties are supplied alongside with the 600Q.
By default, the case has two 140 mm fans installed. A third 140 mm fan however is supplied along with the case, packed along with its mounting screws and a thank you note inside a small box. The user can decide the mounting location of this 140 mm fan, or choose not to install it at all in favor of lower noise levels.
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davegraham - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
It's "inverted" not "inverse." Please, for the love of all that's good and holy, grammar check these articles.E.Fyll - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
Well, Corsair wants to call it "inverse". And who am I to argue? It's their product, they can baptize it however they want.Margaronis - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
I was going to say the same- maybe inversed means it's been through some transformation in the 5th dimensionBatmeat - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
Found my new case for my next build... Quiet water cooled gaming/media server machine.Impulses - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
The case would work just as well right side up as inverted imo, and the biggest factor that would favor one or the other is CPU load vs GPU(s) load, which varies from system to system and workload to workload.The biggest thing it has going for it is the direct path for airflow, regardless of whether any odd the components are below or atop. Not having bays in front of the mobo and having two large fans blowing directly over it should just be standard by now on any case not meant to house half a dozen drives.
The inverted design facilitates that to an extent by making better use of space and having the PSU in line with the external bays that are too often jammed in front of the CPU area, but it's not the only way to achieve this.
Direct airflow probably has more to do with it's thermal performance than any notion of hot air rising significantly thru such a small and well vented case. Otherwise they'd have a vented top or a 90 degree design.
Footman36 - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
It's not such a great case for watercooling. Space is limited for rads. I managed to squeeze a 240mm at the front and a 140mm at the bottom.[img]https://goo.gl/photos/jJNyE7RLXa95fmDJA[/img]
bigboxes - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
Nice looking rig. Are the drives hidden by the black panels?bigboxes - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
Nm... I actually saw the interior pics in the article. I have a Lian Li case that has a place for a couple of 2.5" and one 3.5" on the backside of the mobo tray. Again, nice build.Batmeat - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
Tight fit but it looks goodmattlach - Monday, September 12, 2016 - link
Nice case.
Man do I wish revcontent style ads were banned though. They are so obnoxious. I hate that click bait nonsense.