Corsair 600Q Review

Over a number of years Corsair have released a number of high quality cases. From their first model it was clear that they knew what made a good chassis and each revision to that family, as well as the newer models, has been impressive. Of course you always get what you pay for but even at the value end of the market they offer competitive solutions. Today we are looking at a new mid-range model from their Carbide 600 series. Designed for quiet computing this is our Corsair 600Q Review.

Corsair 600Q Review – Packaging and Bundle

 

The 600Q arrives in a large cardboard box which gives a decent amount of information about the specs. Inside the case is suspended in foam and wrapped in a protective bag. The manual is stored in a plastic bag and then there are two small boxes in the case. One has all the screws, cable ties etc that are needed for the build. The other has a spare fan, a 14cm model.

Corsair 600Q Review – External

Our sample of the 600Q is the standard black version, though the finish used gives it a grey look. Corsair have gone for a minimalist design and so the front of the case is essentially plain, just a small logo and the line where the door at the top is located. That swings open to reveal two 5.25″ drive bays and on the inside surface we can see the foam used for noise reduction.

As far as dimensions go the case is 454x260x535mm and it weighs 10Kg. The majority of the construction is steel with plastic used in some areas as required.

Up at the top of the case we find the main external ports along with power button, reset and status LEDs. There are also two 3.5mm audio connectors, two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports. The other item of note is the sliding switch which controls the speed of the fans (three settings).

Both sides of the case are plain, other than the vents along the front edge and each side is held in place by two thumbscrews.

Round at the back of the case we find the main I/O location for the motherboard, above it a fan exhaust location and to the side eight expansion slots.

The base of the case has four feet which raise the unit off our desk/floor and between them is a large, removable dust filter.

Corsair 600Q Review – Internal

Some of you will have noticed on the image of the back of the case that the layout on this model isn’t exactly standard. Looking inside we see in detail what has changed and that is that this is an inverted design. Our PSU located at the top, motherboard upside down by normal standards. The  3.5″ drive bays are all hidden behind the panel at the top, as is the power supply.

As far as key design elements go we also get rubber lined wiring holes and a decent sized CPU backplate cut-out. It is also worth noting that both doors, the front and top have the same noise damping layer, you can see it as the background in the image we used for the bundled items at the start of this review.

Flipping the case round we can see that there are three 2.5″ drive holders on the back of the motherboard tray and above them two 3.5″ bays. In the PSU location at the top we can install units up to 210mm in length.

Turning back to the main chamber the base has space for 3x12cm or 2x14cm fans or 360mm radiator.

The front of the case can accommodate 2×12/14cm fans or a 280mm radiator.

At the rear is another 140mm fan and a 140mm radiator can be installed in this location too.

Elsewhere GPUs of up to 370mm are supported as are CPU coolers up to 200mm. Motherboard compatibility is Mini-ITX, MicroATX, ATX and E-ATX. Finally the supported Corsair liquid coolers are H55, 60, 75, 80i, 90, 100i, 105 and H110.

Corsair 600Q Review – Conclusion

Starting with the build quality of the Carbide Series Quiet 600Q we have a case which reaches a high standard. Where other manufacturers tend towards plastic, Corsair go with steel. The finish is flawless and we noted no issues with loose or ill fitting construction. The minor issue was that the protective bag used by Corsair creates static on the case during shipping so care needs to be taken to discharge that before the build.

As far as the build process goes, overall very positive. The drive bay locations are well thought out and easy to use. The wiring holes are well placed and there is plenty of room to work in for the main chamber. Its a nice touch to include an extra fan, though it really would have made sense to pre-install it at the factory.

The inverted design doesn’t really impact the build process, most of us will install the components with the case flat on a surface but it does make sense as far as airflow goes. Quite simply in its default configuration air is brought in at the front, directly on to the main components with no barrier from drive bays etc and then is immediately exhausted out the back. Ongoing maintenance is easy thanks to the removable dust filters and there is plenty of potential for enhanced cooling with support for larger and multiple radiators.

Summary: Solid build, easy installation process and decent airflow with low noise operation. A case which can grow with your components over time.