#mid tower case

Review Sample Provided by: Corsair Product Name: Carbide 678C Price at time of review: $ 199.99 USD Product was given in exchange for work done to produce this review.

Technical Specifications

  Case Dimensions 549mm x 239mm x 497mm Maximum GPU Length 370mm Maximum PSU Length 225mm Maximum CPU Cooler Height 170mm Case Expansion Slots 7+2 vertical Case Drive Bays (x6) 3.5in (x3) 2.5in Case Form Factor Mid-Tower Case Windowed Tempered Glass Case Warranty Two years iCUE enabled No Case Material Steel, Tempered Glass Radiator Compatibility 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm, 420mm Compatible Corsair Liquid Coolers H55, H60, H75, H80i, H90, H100i, H105, H110i, H115i, H150i Case Power Supply ATX (not included) Weight 13.056kg / 28.784lbs Case Drive Bays 3.5″ 6 Case Drive Bays 2.5″ 3

#gallery-0-30 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-30 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-30 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-30 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

As you can see from the images above the shipping box of Carbide 678C is fairly plain however, it does provide all of the necessary information about the case inside. The box is recycled friendly and only has black coloring for the imagery and lettering.

#gallery-0-31 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-31 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-31 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-31 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

But what Carbide 678C lacks in external packaging it compensates with internal packaging. The case comes packaged in between of two plastic foam inserts and wrapped with a plastic bag to protect from any accidental damage. The case itself is 28LB or 13Kg. The shipping company, which, I shall keep nameless, dropped it and damaged the shipping box. When I peeked inside and saw the case in a perfect shape I felt instantly better.

#gallery-0-32 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-32 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-32 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-32 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

There isn’t much that comes with Carbide 678C. An instructional manual to the case and a small box with set of miscellaneous screws and about a dozen zip ties are all that is included. .

[section_title title=Closer Look Corsair Carbide 678C]

Closer Look Corsair Carbide 678C

#gallery-0-33 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-33 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-33 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-33 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Dimensions of Carbide 678C are 549mm x 239mm x 497mm or 21in x 9in x 20in. I have mentioned that the case is about 26Lb this is due to its steel construction and 5mm tempered glass door. Carbide 678C only has one glass side. The other side is solid without any ventilation holes.

#gallery-0-34 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-34 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-34 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-34 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Most of the case is constructed from rolled steel but there are few areas where combination of plastic and aluminum is used. The front of the case is made from plastic/brushed aluminum. The bezel opens up like a door to get access to 3.5″ enclosed space and air filter. The back of the case is pretty standard design. The power supply enclosure is positioned on the bottom of the case and does not have a removable face plate so the only way to mount the PSU is through the inside. Besides 8 PCI slots on the left there are two vertical PCI type slots if you wish to mount your GPU vertically.

#gallery-0-35 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-35 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-35 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-35 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The top of the Carbide 678C has a removable sound dampening magnetic panel and also a magnetic plastic dust cover. This case is designed to be as quiet as possible in addition to be able customize it to your liking. The bottom of the case contains one plastic dust cover that could be removed by pulling it from the front.

#gallery-0-36 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-36 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-36 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-36 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The entire case is supported by four plastic/rubber feet. The feet are about 20mm in diameter and provide excellent grip on flat surfaces. The tempered glass door is mounted on hinges. To stick glass door to the steel case Corsair uses a set of small glued magnets on the tempered glass.

#gallery-0-37 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-37 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-37 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-37 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Both left and right panels of Carbide 678C could be easily removed. The tempered glass slides up from the hinges without an issue for a quick maintenance. The solid right panel has sound dampening sheet that covers the majority of inner surface.

#gallery-0-38 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-38 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-38 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-38 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The front bezel of the Carbide 678C is made of brushed aluminum and the inner bezel is made from ABS plastic. The bezel door is hung by hinges and is not removable, unlike the side tempered glass door. If you have any accessories which require 5.25″ slot this case actually comes with one empty 5.25″ slot for your needs. If you don’t have any 5.25″ devices that you want to use, you can just remove the 5.25″ drive cage.

#gallery-0-39 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-39 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-39 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-39 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The Carbide 678C skeleton is made from steel as well. The top back left corner of the case has 4 rivets while other corners have a set of 2 rivets. Internal default cabling is being passed through the center channel and secured by zip ties. Potentially you can follow the same cable management or get creative. There are six 3.5″ slots and three 2.5″ for your storage needs.

#gallery-0-40 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-40 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-40 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-40 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The motherboard tray cutout is a pretty good size. Most of the ATX motherboards will have no problem in this case with CPU mounting and access to the back of the motherboard. Corsair included three fans (400-2000 RPM) which are whisper quiet under normal operation. And as I’ve tested them under a full speed only produce about 42dB.

#gallery-0-41 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-41 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-41 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-41 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Fans or radiators could be used in this case in the front, back or even on the top. Removal of the pre-installed fans is as easy as removing the magnetic dust and sound dampening panel and unscrewing a few screws. The I/O panel is found on the top of case and offers Power and reset buttons in addition to a HDD LED, two USB 3.1, Gen 2 Type C port and Headphone/Microphone jacks.

[section_title title=Hardware Installation and Clearance Issues]

Hardware Installation and Clearance Issues

Internal length: 500 mm.

Internal height: 445 mm.

Internal depth: 205 mm.

Front mounted:

Radiator support for 280mm and 360mm.

Fan Support 2 140mm or 3 120mm.

1 Front: 140mm Corsair Fan (Included)

Rear mounted:

Radiator support for 120mm and 140mm.

Fan Support 1 140mm or 1 120mm.

1 Rear: 140mm Corsair Fan. (Included)

Top mounted:

Radiator support for 420mm and 360mm

Fan support 3 140mm or 3 120mm.

1 Rear: 140mm Corsair Fan. (Included)

Bottom mounted:

2 Bottom mounted 120mm or 140mm Fans.

  Power Supply:

There is no removable plate for installing PSU.

Maximum length PSU is supported. (225mm but could fit extended PSUs if needed)

Video Card clearance:

There is 500mm of clearance before the reaching the front of the case if the HDD cage is removed. Suggested/Supported video card lenght 370mm.

CPU Tower coolers:

CPU heat-sink height clearance is about 170mm.(from motherboard to the glass)

Large CPU backplate cutout.

    #gallery-0-42 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-42 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-42 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-42 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Assembly of the components in to this case was pretty easy as the Carbide 678C has plenty of space to work around the tight spots. The area of concern in my build was the power supply. I am using a Cooler Master 1200 Gold power supply and it just barely fits into the power supply space but without any clearance space on the top. Fan set up and Radiator set up was a breeze as well. The entire fan system was attached to the PWM repeater and connected to the PWM controller on the motherboard. No issues with rear cabling but I wish there was more room on the back between the internal frame and the door.

[section_title title=Final Thoughts]

Final Thoughts

The Carbide 678C is a Mid-Tower (Black or White) case that demonstrates fine craftsmanship of Corsair products. The majority of this case is constructed from rolled steel sheet which in combination with tempered glass window bumps the net weight of about 28Lb This is a pretty heavy bare case. Once you start adding your radiators with pumps and power supply this weight will double and you are going to end up with a hefty case. Modding options for this case are very good as you should be able to mount up to a 360mm  radiator on the top of the case and place up to 150ml reservoir in the case with ease. Carbide 678C has space for a lot of storage (3 x 2.5″ and 6 x 3.5″ drives). Since a lot of the builders use M.2 drives the 3.5″ enclosure could be removed from the system leaving an empty space for you to fill in with custom piping or a water pump. What I found odd is that after you remove the unwanted 3.5″ enclosures you are left with these rectangular holes without any covers. Doesn’t looks great if you ask me. When I was looking at the painted parts of the case, I found no issues of cracking or scratching of the paint. This is a very strong positive point in my opinion. You want a paint job to last years and when you find that case you were looking for and the paint job is “Meh” it could turn very disappointing.

But for what it is worth the case is gorgeous. Carbide 678C does not come with RGB controller however, the case would fit most RGB controllers on the market. Right now, the case is being sold for $ 199.99 USD but since it’s a new product it is difficult to find in stock at retailers at the time of this review. The Corsair Carbide 678C is absolutely worth the money spent.

[sc name=”approved_award” ]

Corsair Carbide Series Spec-04 tempered glass Review

Corsair is one of the greatest if not the greatest manufacturer of computer cases. It has produced several different series for each form factor and SPEC series is one of the most popular case series which consists of budget cases that are mainly near to the $50 price point. Today, we will be going to take a look at what the company has brought new in the SPEC-4 Tempered Glasscase which is the…

NZXT S340 vs S340 Elite case comparison

NZXTs most popular case NZXT S340 has two versions:- The normal S340 and the S340VR Elite but what are the differences between the two? Is it only the VR Elite name or are there some noticeable differences that will benefit you or not?

Well, the first S340 was launched in 2014 which is almost now 4 years back but it hasn’t got its popularity down since then because of the unique design…

Corsair 460X vs 570X Case comparison

Corsair 460X and 570X cases were revealed at the end of 2016 and both of them brought a similar look making some confusions on what basis do both the cases differ. From outward appearances, both look similar although there are some differences and from inside there are some more differences from which you can get the idea of what will be more suitable to you.

I am going to list down…

Corsair launches the RGB version of the SPEC Omega

In January Corsair launched its Spec Omega case in the spec series that featured distinguished design unlike the Spec-01,02,03 etc. The company has now launched its another version which now features RGB lighting while retaining the rest of the design and features. Spec Omega is available worldwide for purchase from the authorized retailers and is available in two colours: Black and white.

Image…

Corsair releases Spec 05 case in silence and it looks ugly

Corsair has a wide range of mid-tower cases and it is famous for its Carbide Spec series cases. Recently I built a PC for my friend with a Corsair Spec-04 case which I am going to review soon but Corsair just launched another case in this lineup without informing publicly. This is the Corsair Spec-05 mid-tower case that is priced at $50.

I searched for it and I was surprised to find out that it…

Cooler Master launches K500L case designed in a common fashion

There are countless mid-tower cases on the market and if I had to compile a list of best cases, then I would need to constantly change it because of the launching of new and new cases from different manufacturers. Cooler Master brought a similar situation here by launching K500L mid-tower case which doesn’t look unique to me but has some aesthetically appealing design.

Image source:-…