Introduction and First Impressions

A new mid-tower case with tempered glass and understated style

Launching today, Corsair’s new Carbide Series 275R case is a budget-friendly option that still offers plenty of understated style with clean lines and the option of a tempered glass side panel. Corsair sent us a unit to check out, so we have a day-one review to share. How does it compete against recent cases we’ve looked at? Find out here!

The Carbide 275R is a compact mid-tower design that still accommodates standard ATX motherboards, large CPU coolers (up to 170 mm tall), and long graphics cards, and it includes a pair of Corsair’s SP120 fans for intake/exhaust. The price tag? $69.99 for the version with an acrylic side, and $79.99 for the version with a tempered glass side panel (as reviewed). Let’s dive in, beginning with a rundown of the basic specs.


Specifications:

  • Motherboard Support: ATX, mATX
  • Expansion Slots: 7 + 2 vertical
  • Internal Drive Bays: 2x 3.5” tool free, 4x 2.5”
  • Cooling:
    • Front: 1x SP120 Black fan included
    • Rear: 1x SP120 Black fan included
  • Radiator Support:
    • Front: Up to 280/360mm
    • Rear: Up to 120mm
    • Top: Up to 240mm (with low-profile memory)
  • Component Clearance:
    • Heatsink: 170 mm
    • Power Supply: 180 mm (up to 225 mm when HDD cage removed)
    • Graphics Card: 370 mm
  • Top I/O Ports: 2x USB 3.0, power and reset, headphone and mic
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 455mm x 225mm x 460mm

Thanks to Corsair for providing the Carbide Series 275R for our review!

First Impressions

The Carbide 275R occupies a familiar footprint, with similar dimensions to the Crystal Series 460X and earlier Carbide Clear 400C. These compact designs still manage to easily house large components thanks to their open interior layouts with rear-mounted storage, a design that has become the norm in the enclosure space in the past few years.

The tempered glass on our matte white version stands out, as do the silver feet – which look like they belong to an audio component more than a computer case. It’s a classy sort of look, and the subtle lighting – a hidden row of white lights at the base of the front panel (see above) – completes the effect.

The case offers the usual seven expansion slots of a mid-tower – but adds two more in a vertical orientation. Using a riser card a graphics card can be installed vertically, though no riser is included so that option would add to the overall cost.

The top of the case offers a magnetically-attached filter, which is naturally quite easy to remove and clean.

Looking at the base we see the hi-fi style feet and a filter for the PSU intake which slides out from the back (and one on the front intake as well, beneath the panel).

And finally, a look at the included accessory kit. The different types of screws are all nicely separated into their own smaller bags.

Next we'll take a look inside the new Carbide Series 275R enclosure.

Review Terms and Disclosure
All Information as of the Date of Publication
How product was obtained: The product is on loan from Corsair for the purpose of this review.
What happens to product after review: The product remains the property of Corsair but is on extended loan for future testing and product comparisons.
Company involvement: Corsair had no control over the content of the review and was not consulted prior to publication.
PC Perspective Compensation: Neither PC Perspective nor any of its staff were paid or compensated in any way by Corsair for this review.
Advertising Disclosure: Corsair has purchased advertising at PC Perspective during the past twelve months.
Affiliate links: This article contains affiliate links to online retailers. PC Perspective may receive compensation for purchases through those links.
Consulting Disclosure: Corsair is not a current client of Shrout Research for products or services related to this review. 
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