Corsair has recently launched two new mid-tower cases, the Crystal Series 680X RGB and Carbide Series 678C, adding to their already full-service lineup of chassis. Corsair describes the Crystal Series 680X RGB as a high airflow ATX smart case intended to show off its RGB lighting, while the Carbide Series 678C is an ATX case with more refined styling, emphasizes low noise, and has multiple cooling and storage options offering versatility to system builders. Both cases will be on the more premium side of the Corsair lineup.
Crystal Series 680X RGB
The Crystal Series 680X RGB takes some of its design cues from the Carbide Series Air 540 case with its tall-cube shape, dual chamber internal layout, and offset openings for airflow, but steps it up a notch by adding a hinged tempered glass side panel and tempered glass top/front panels. Prospective buyers can find the case in black or white colors that easily fit into most themed builds.
The front panel IO on the top of the case offers a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm combo mic/headphone jack, as well as power and reset buttons. The back of the case has eight expansion slots, plus two in a vertical orientation to fit a vertical GPU, if desired.
The 680X supports Mini-ITX to E-ATX size boards, graphics cards up to 330mm (same with vertical mount), CPU coolers to 180mm in height, and ATX form factor power supplies (mounted in the back chamber) up to 225mm, so there is plenty of room for all but the largest components. The chassis supports up to three 3.5-inch drives and four 2.5-inch drives which should be able to satisfy most users, especially in the day and age of M.2 storage devices.
The 680X has room for up to eight 120 mm fans and four radiators at the same time (up to 360mm front, 280mm roof and floor, and 140mm rear) providing a lot of options for custom cooling. Corsair includes four fans, a single SP120 on the rear and three LL120 RGB PWM fans (12 LEDs w/16 individually addressable RGBs) mounted on the front panel. The case also includes Corsair's Lighting Node PRO RGB Lighting controller and multiple LED strips. All included fans and lighting are controllable with the iCUE software.
The Corsair Crystal Series 680X RGB is available now at the Corsair webstore or etailers worldwide, though it won't be cheap at $249. You can find more details at the 680X RGB webpage.
Carbide Series 678C
The Carbide Series 678C chassis, on the other hand, is a bit more reserved in its styling and doesn't come with fancy RGB LED strips or fans. The 678C, like the 680X, comes in black or white options. The side panel is made from tempered glass and is hinged to allow for easier access to the internals. The top of the case has options for either a filter for fans (or a radiator) or high-density EVA foam and a plastic cover for sound deadening - all held on by magnets. The front panel has an attractive brushed aluminum finish with the Corsair symbol towards the bottom. The front panel is also hinged and includes more sound dampening material.
The 678C's front panel is also located on top of the chassis and includes a single USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, 3.5 mm combo mic/headphone jack, a drive activity light, as well as power and reset buttons. The back of the case has seven expansion slots plus two vertical slots for vertical GPU mounting.
Internally, the case can hold Mini-ITX to E-ATX size motherboards, video cards up to 370mm in length, CPU heatsinks up to 170mm tall, as well as power supplies up to 225mm. There is a bit more room here than in the 680x on that front. For drive bay count, the 678C supports up to six 3.5-inch drives and three 2.5-inch drives - plenty for most use cases. There is also a 5.25-inch bay for ODDs.
To keep things cool inside, the 678C supports up to nine 120mm or eight 140mm fans located in various areas of the case. They include three SP140 PWM fans as well as a six-fan PWM repeater for controlling more fans through one single header on the motherboard. You can shoehorn in up to dual 360mm radiators (front and top - 420mm on top with ODD removed) and up to a 140mm on the rear. Though there are vents to let air in the front panel, but I don't imagine this will cool as effectively as the 680X with a more open front intake area, but it should be adequate.
The Corsair Carbide Series 678C is also available now at the Corsair webstore or etailers worldwide for $199. You can find additional information at the 678C webpage.
*Photo Credits to Corsair
