Corsair Carbide Air 240 Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]Conclusion

When Corsair first announced this case I thought wow, an alternative to the larger Air 540 but I was worried that smaller would mean less features.  That certainly wasn’t the case throughout the duration of this review but I think the main question that hangs is how does it actually perform?  Does it have ample water cooling support to satisfy enthusiasts? Let’s face it, there are already quite a few water-cooled ready cases out there that cater for small form factors but can they do it like Corsair?

Well starting off with the performance aspect, the Carbide Air 240 certainly does deliver and although I don’t really rate the stock fans much, I could easily see this being one of the best small form factor cases on the market with a couple of “up rated” and better quality fans; perhaps Corsair AF120s would be an option?  All that aside, it is very competitive and of course has ample water cooling support available to those who want to put their components under water as such.  With an M-ITX motherboard you have the option of having up to 1 x 280mm and 1 x 240mm radiator (depending on the length of your chosen graphics card).  That being said, there is also support available for M-ATX motherboards as there is space for a 240mm radiator in the roof and due to the cases ability to be flipped up/which way you want it, the possibilities are endless; relatively speaking of course.

Touching on some of the finer details of the case, one of the more interesting features is the 2.5” and 3.5” drive bays; having them hidden from view and being able to access them without actually taking the side panels off (other than the rear door and top panel), is a ingenious idea in my opinion and I absolutely love it!  It not only looks/feels premium, but it is neat, tidy and I’m sure the consumers would love it.  Another feature is being able to have the Air 240 upside down so to speak; giving end users the versatility and choice to have the case their own way was always going to be a good idea because let’s face it, the Silverstone Raven range is popular and although people might not like having the “brand names” inside the case upside down, some people like this so I like the fact that Corsair has given people the option so to speak.

Design wise, the Corsair Air 240 is near perfect in my opinion, not just for the reasons I mentioned above but the Air 540 was a success in my opinion and with a lot of people switching focus to smaller form factors, I really do think this case will give something extra to the table than say the BitFenix Phenom or even Prodigy M; Not saying they are bad cases, far from it but the Air 240 just seems to have more about it in terms of aesthetics, if you love plain black builds of course!  If I had to pick fault with the Corsair Air 240 it would have to be the thin and flimsy side panels; too much pressure applied and these really do feel like they could give away.  Aside from the side panels, the case is superb and overall, the design is simply amazing.

Touching on the price, coming in at £69.95 the Air 240 certainly isn’t the most expensive small- form factor case on the market and is really competitive in respect to other cases it competes with such as the BitFenix Phenom and Corsairs own 350D.  When you take into consideration the features and water cooling support the Air 240 includes, it begs the question to me is it really good value for money?  I would say yes for the better part but there is better value to be had but Corsair haven’t aimed for value, they have gone for aesthetic and performance which this case has oodles of!

Overall the Corsair Air 240 combines solid water cooling support into a small form factor with both M-ITX and M-ATX supported.  The stock fans can be a little loud but that is easily solved and should improve on the already fantastic temperatures the Air 240 has.  If you are in the market for a small form factor case with a large viewing window, impeccable design and solid performance, you certainly can’t go wrong with the Corsair Carbide Air 240 and personally, I don’t think you will find better for the price today!

Big thanks to Corsair for sending in the Carbide Air 240 case in for review and I look forward to seeing more in the future.

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