Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Chassis Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Corsair Carbide 200R Chassis External4. Corsair Carbide 200R Chassis Internal5. System Installation6. Testing Methodology and Thermal Performance7. Acoustical Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

The Corsair Carbide 200R is a compact ATX chassis which manages to fit a plethora of great features into a compact form.

The 200R features tool-free drive bays, a CPU back plate cutout and support for up to eight fans. This array of features certainly put it in  league with some of the best mid-tower chassis' currently on the market.

Installing a system into this chassis was effortless. The sides of the chassis feature thumbscrews meaning you don't need a screwdriver to get inside. That said, the thumbscrews are a little small, making it a bit harder to loosen if they have been overtightened.

The 200R is spacious and has plenty of room for installation of components. Fitting three 5.25″ drives and four 3.5″ drives won't pose a problem and there are four dedicated 2.5″ bays, ideal for a range of performance oriented Solid State drives.

The thermal performance of this chassis is above average. Our testing highlighted a CPU temperature increase of only 17 degrees even when overclocked to 4.6 GHz. That said, the motherboard temperature did increase a little more than we would like. Fitting another inexpensive exhaust fan in the middle of the case should negate this issue.

Hard drive temperature didn't increase much which highlights a capable front to back intake airflow methodology. Extreme overclockers could add another six 120mm /140mm fans if desired.

Acoustic performance is excellent. With only the two included fans in operation the sound level output is just under 38 dB. Adding another couple of quality fans wouldn't increase this significantly.

In terms of design, we like the simplicity of this chassis.

The fact that you can just slide in 2.5″ drives, 3.5″ drives or 5.25″ drives without any screws or trays is very convenient. There is also logical routing holes around the motherboard which suited our cooler and cables perfectly.

With the included cable ties you can easily make this a tidy and clutter free system. The only thing we didn't like about the design is the I/O section at the top of the chassis. The buttons to turn on and reset your computer on our sample exhibited weak lighting.

The Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Chassis can be purchased for just £49.98 from Ebuyer.com. This is a remarkable price for a case with so many commendable features. Highly recommended.

Pros

• Simple, tidy and easy to use.
• Well built.
• Decent thermal and acoustical performance.
• Can fit up to eight 120mm fans.
• USB 3.0 ports.
• Excellent value for money.

Cons

• Not the most dramatic of designs.
• Power and Reset Switch buttons could have been designed better.
  

Kitguru says: A quality case at a very reasonable price point. Ideal for gamers on a budget.

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