The Corsair Carbide 400Q Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on April 29, 2016 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- ATX
- E-ATX
- Carbide
Corsair is a company that does not need much of an introduction - they are one of the world’s most reputable manufacturers of PC components and peripherals, with a vast range of products for all wallets and tastes. One market section that Corsair is highly active in is that of PC cases, with the company frequently releasing new designs and currently marketing dozens of products.
Introduction
Today we are having a look at one of Corsair's most recent releases, the Carbide 400Q. The Carbide 400Q is not formally designed to replace or compete with any of the company’s previous models, but it feels as if it the spiritual successor of the Carbide 330R. The midi-tower case is designed as a financially reasonable solution for users that want an refined yet simple and quiet system. We are having a close look at the features, quality, performance, shortcomings and value of the Carbide 400Q in this review.
| Corsair Carbide 400Q | ||
| Motherboard Size | EATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | - |
| Internal | 2 × 3.5" (internal drive cage) 3 × 2.5" (Rear of motherboard tray) |
|
| Cooling | Front | 3 × 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm (1 × 140 mm included) |
| Rear | 1 × 120 mm (included) | |
| Top | 2 × 120 mm or 2 × 140 mm (none included) | |
| HDD | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| Radiator Support | Front | Up to 360 mm or 280 mm |
| Rear | Up to 120 mm | |
| Top | Up to 240 mm | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| I/O Port | 2× USB 3.0, 0× USB 2.0, 1× Headphone, 1× Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 170 mm |
| PSU | 190 mm | |
| GPU | 370 mm | |
| Dimensions | 464 mm × 215 mm × 425 mm 18.27 in × 8.46 in × 16.73 in |
|
| Prominent Features | · Silenced panels for quiet operation · Easy to build, hard to beat · Clean, modern lines with an all steel exterior · Direct Airflow Path · Compact design, full size capabilities · Liquid cooling capable · Two included AF series fans · PSU and 3.5” Bay Cover · Easy to clean |
|
| Price | $99 (MSRP) | |
Packaging & Bundle
Corsair supplies the Carbide 400Q in a sturdy brown cardboard box. The monochromic artwork is simple and based on a schematic of the case itself, with a short description of the case printed in several languages. Although it is not much to gaze upon, the sturdy box and thick Styrofoam slabs provide more than good protection during shipping.
Corsair barely supplies more than just the basics alongside with the Carbide 400Q. The bundled items are just a user’s manual, black mounting screws and a few short cable ties.
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niva - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
My Antec TITAN 650 is still in use, I don't think I'll ever need/want another case for a workstation... but yeah, it does make my back hurt thinking about it :)kmmatney - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
I am still using my P182 from 2007. I'm been wanting to replace it for the last 4 years, but always spend the money on cpu or video card upgrades instead. I clean and oil the fans 3 years or so, and still have the originals. About the only thing that wears out on a case (besides the fans) are the front USB ports, and mine barely work. There are no 2.5" drive mounts, so my 2 SSDs are mounted with tie straps. It's big and heavy, but virtually silent, and keeps everything cool. I hate the stupid divider between the motherboard and PSU compartments, but other than that it's still a nice case. I've always felt monitors and cases are worth spending a little extra on, as they can last so long.Valantar - Sunday, May 1, 2016 - link
What happened to Antec, really? Ten years ago, they were the bee's knees when it came to stylish, quiet, high-performing cases. These days, they're hardly relevant at all. I remember when the Fractal Define R3(?) first came to market, and everyone was raving that "it's a P180 for half the price!" Did Antec's R&D department die of shock? The P280 looks half decent, but it's huge and unwieldy, and has some odd solutions. The P183 looks like it was designed in 2005, and is hideous compared to the P180. Don't even mention the P193. And their other cases? Blergh.Jeff7181 - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
No external 5.25 inch bays? Really? Optical media is not THAT dead...jardows2 - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
I would think without the 5.25 bays, it could have been designed a bit smaller. Wouldn't fit EATX that way, but not sure there is a big market for enthusiast EATX motherboards and compact cases like this.Black Obsidian - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
There isn't really much space to be saved without sacrificing other use cases. Making the case less tall or less wide isn't really possible, as there's already no slack room to speak of. Reducing depth by more than 1" means sacrificing front-mounted radiators, long video cards, or both.Compared to, say, the Corsair 450D, the 400Q already trims 2.8" of height and 1.3" of depth. It's 0.2" wider, but that's just as well, given that the 450D was a bit tight on space for cables behind the motherboard tray.
Realistically, if you want a smaller case, you'll have to accept the mATX form-factor, with the trade-offs that entails.
jardows2 - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
Even with mATX, it seems that any case forgoing the 5.25 drives do not make use of that deletion to save space. The cases either have the 5.25 drive bays, or might as well due to the size. It isn't until you get to mITX sized cases that the space savings gets fully realized, and even then, there are some rather large mITX cases.Black Obsidian - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
You *are* saving space by forgoing the 5.25" drives, though. Look at my comparison above; the 450D has 2x 5.25" bays, which together are 3.2" tall. The 400Q omits those, and is 2.8" shorter. There's literally no more space to be saved, because the interior height is the sum of ATX PSU + ATX motherboard + 25mm top fan.To get any smaller while still supporting the same basic component set would require Time Lord science.
jardows2 - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
I compare this to my NZXT Source 210 case, which, I know, is a budget case. This Corsair is taller and wider than my case by about an inch each way (height difference may be simply the large feet of the 400Q). It is about 3" less in depth. For that mere 3" of depth, I lose 3 5.25" external bays, and 3 internal 3.5" bays. I would think that it would be possible to make an even more compact ATX case than the 400Q with the elimination of the 5.25" bays.Ninhalem - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
Grab an external optical drive if you need one that badly, or go for some of the higher end carbide or obsidian series for the 5.25" bay. Media consumption is almost exclusively streaming now.