Introduction and First Impressions

The new version of Corsair’s high-airflow cube design

Corsair’s Carbide Series Air 740 is a high-airflow cube-like ATX case, and it has a different look and some different options compared to the previous Air 540. Both Air cases are dual-chamber designs, with tons of room behind the motherboard tray for storage and hiding cables (and watercooling components). The cube style might not be to everyone’s liking, but if you do like the aesthetics there is a lot of case to cover here. Let’s get started!

The original Carbide Air enclosure has been around for a few years, and Ryan reviewed Air 540 back in 2013. The new Air 740 is more a refinement than a new enclosure, and internally the two cases are very similar. Corsair has dropped the 5.25-inch external drive bays with the 740, and the door has a very nice hinged/latching design now. Style is a little more aggressive, but the fundamentals are the same: a cube design offering two large chambers, and generous venting to promote high airflow.

The Air 740 has a hinged, latching door

First we’ll take a look at the specs from Corsair:


  • Material: Steel/plastic
  • Form Factor: Mid-Tower
  • Motherboard Support: Mini-ITX, MicroATX, ATX (Up to 272mm)
  • Expansion Slots: 8
  • Drive Bays: 2.5" x4, 3.5" x3
  • Fan Mount Locations:
    • Front: (x3) 120mm or (x2) 140mm
    • Top: (x2) 120/140mm
    • Bottom: (x2) 120/140mm
    • Rear: (x1) 120/140mm
  • Fans Included:
    • Front: (x2) 140mm
    • Rear: (x1) 140mm
  • Radiator Mount Locations:
    • Front: 120/140/240/280/360mm
    • Top: 120/140/240/280mm
    • Bottom: 120/140/240/280mm
    • Rear: 120/140mm
  • Compatible Corsair Liquid Coolers:
    • H55, H60, H75, H80i v2, H90, H100i v2, H105, H110i, H115i
  • Component Clearance:
    • Maximum GPU Length: 330mm
    • Maximum CPU Cooler Height: 170mm
    • Maximum PSU Length: 225mm
  • External Connections:
    • 2x USB 3.0
    • Headphone Port
    • Microphone Port
  • Dimensions: 426mm x 340mm x 510mm
  • Weight: 8.82kg
  • Warranty: 2 years

First Impressions

The Carbide Air 740 is a cube-like design that doesn't look very much like a standard computer case. I’m so used to cases being tall rectangles that this was a novelty for me during the review process – especially given the massive amount of room behind the motherboard in a dual-chamber design like this.

The front contains a mesh that allows for high airflow (and higher noise levels, if you don’t use quiet components), and the Air 740's I/O and buttons are on the face.

The top of the enclosure is vented with the same metal mesh as the front, and interestingly with the Air 740, the bottom is a mirror image of the top (other than the feet), with the same fan mounts and venting.

Next we'll take a look inside the Air 740.

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