Corsair Carbide 500R: A Corsair in Every Home
by Dustin Sklavos on October 25, 2011 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- mid-tower
Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock
While Corsair's Carbide 400R performed fairly well thermally when we tested it, acoustics suffered a bit from the increased ventilation in the design compared to other enclosures. The 500R is very similar to the 400R, just a bit bigger and potentially more effective, so it'll be interesting to see how it performs both in comparison to Corsair's other enclosures as well as the rest of the field in this price range.
Thermals aren't stellar but they aren't exactly poor either. Most of the enclosures in this market are designed for overclocking and can handle this kind of load with aplomb, causing them to largely just bunch up. When looking at the raw numbers, the three settings of the fan controller on the 500R aren't exactly necessary either: Corsair would've been fine just tacking in a low fan speed toggle to keep noise down. The case seems fine at managing heat, so the extra fan speed just means more noise.
Idle noise is pretty good while load noise could stand to be a bit better, but this is the sacrifice you make when you opt for a case that's ventilated the way this one is. The 500R isn't awful, but it's just not bred for pure silence either. At least the inclusion of the fan controller allows it to make healthy gains on the less expensive 400R.
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compudaze - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I love how Corsair left the top fan mounts open instead of obstructing them with unneeded mesh. And how they even left room for their own H100's hoses to drop down... Brilliant. I'm considering "downgrading" to this and re-purposing the 600T.Knifeshade - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I wonder if Corsair will ever bring out a "300R" mini tower (like the Fractal Define Mini, Arc Mini, Silverstone TJ08E, FT03, Lian Li V354, V600F) for people like me who prefers enthusiast builds without the bulk of mid/full tower cases.I'd love to see what Corsair can bring to the mATX table.
Malih - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I second that,I love Corsair case design, especially this one, space efficient and not too heavy.
I'd like to use this same layout, remove some of the drive bays, make this case shorter into an mATX case. And workaround the fan positioning so side fan installation still allows for larger HSF.
Malih - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I forgot to mention, this is coming from someone who owns the Fractal Design Define Mini.I just love mATX case with bottom mounted PSU, and I'm thinking about building another system.
And also thanks Dustin for the review as always.
C300fans - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
Dustin home?Earthmonger - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
Dustin Sklavos, the case reviewer. ("Dustin Home" is a Scand etailer, for those who don't know)Of Corsair's lineup, this is the sexiest case. Sadly no, it won't ever find a place in my home. Not until Corsair abandon plastic and steel, and make enthusiast cases.
Love the contrast of color in this case.
BernardP - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I would like Corsair to come up with something sized between those mATX-only cases and their current larger gaming cases. The Antec NSK-4482 is smaller and can take a full ATX board but has ample room to work in a mATX configuration.prime2515103 - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
After about 9 years with a Cheiftec Dragon I upgraded to this case. The only problems I've found with it is that the 200mm fan rattles when I first start the system; it stops after awhile though (I haven't timed it but it's at least a minute or two). The only other thing is that I wish there was another few millimeters behind the hard drives. The side panel is pressing right against the cable's connectors. A speaker and a power LED would've been ok too, but I don't really miss them.C300fans - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I will never spend 139$ for a vacuum cleaner.slick121 - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link
I second this comment.