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Review: Corsair Carbide Series 300R

by Parm Mann on 27 February 2012, 17:03 3.5

Tags: Corsair

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabc2n

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Final thoughts and rating

The Carbide Series 300R delivers exactly what you'd expect from a budget gaming enclosure. It doesn't break the bank at under £60, it can house at least seven fans (probably more with a bit of modding), it'll gobble up two high-end graphics cards without any fuss and it's quite easy to build into.

The target audience should be well served, but in stripping away some of its premium features, Corsair has introduced a few stipulations. The 300R can house only four storage devices - which even at this price point isn't a lot - and some of the little touches we've come to love - including rubber-grommeted cable-routing holes and quick-release side panels - have fallen by the wayside.

Corsair's decision to venture into compact form factors is a welcome one, but the manufacturer's staunch focus on "serious cooling potential" continues to come at the expense of system noise. Corsair chassis have never been the quietest, but if you are intent on keeping noise levels down to a minimum, you may find the Carbide Series 300R to be a tad loud.

Bottom line: It isn't the quietest option, but the Carbide 300R is a good budget performer.

The Good

Good cooling potential
Well laid out interior
Smart, compact design
Good build quality

The Bad

Makes little attempt to mask system noise
Cable-routing system lacks rubber grommets

HEXUS Rating

3.5/5
Corsair Carbide Series 300R

HEXUS Awards

HEXUS Recommended
Corsair Carbide Series 300R

HEXUS Where2Buy

The Corsair Carbide Series 300R chassis is available to purchase from scan.co.uk*.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.



HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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I'm looking for a new case atm, and this is looking like numero uno.

Thanks for the review, Hexus :)
From what I can tell Fractal Design's R3 is the one to beat. It's around £15 more than this, but offers so much more for your money….fan controller, 5.25“ to 3.5” front adapter panel, everything rubber gommeted, rubber grommeted cable routing, 3 more drive bays, sound insulation *everywhere*, HTPC style feet, dust filters on all the fans, option for upto 7 120/140mm fans (all with sound insulation if you're not using them, and a nicer design in my opinion. So yeah, £15 well spent.
£60…..seems like a very attractive price-point for many. I can see this being a commonly used case.
I like it. It seems easier on the eye than it's siblings, the 400R and 500R.
With a little modding this has serious potential for water cooling.

Front looks ideal for 240 or 280 radiator, top should also be fine for another radiator as long as mounted externally with fans internal (get a rad with inlet/outlets on both sides and also makes for very easy filling)

Nice but want rubber gromets on the cable routing holes, removeable dust filters etc so guess I need to spend a little more.

Also noise reducing foam on the side panels will make a big difference