Corsair Gets Aggressive With Carbide SPEC-04 Case Design
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It’s been awhile since Corsair released a new case, if you don’t count the enclosure for the its new gaming PC. The last Carbide series cases we saw were at CES, which included the Carbide Air 540 and Carbide 330. However, Corsair just announced a new chassis, the Carbide SPEC-04, which eschews the company’s traditionally clean-lined aesthetic for a more aggressive appearance similar to the SPEC-Alpha.
The new Carbide SPEC-04’s front panel is side-mounted and hides the I/O port, which includes a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, audio jacks, and the power and reset switches. On the inside you’ll find drive mounts for two 3.5-inch drives and two 2.5-inch drives, as well as seven expansion slots.
The SPEC-04 features room for five 120mm fans: two in the front (which also support 140mm fans), two on the roof, and one on the rear. Corsair includes an LED-lit front intake fan with every SPEC-04. Alternatively, you can place 240mm radiators on the front and the roof, plus a 120mm radiator in the rear. Finally, the SPEC-04 has enough clearance for CPUs up to 5.91 inches tall, GPUs up to 14.57 inches long, and PSUs up to 8.86 inches long. To keep clutter out of the way and maintain the case's cleanliness, there are numerous cable routing cutouts and dust filters for the front and the PSU.
The Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 is available now, and comes in yellow, red, and gray.
| Product | Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 19.37 x 7.91 x 17.05 inches (WxDxH) |
| Colors | Yellow, Red, Gray |
| Drive Bays | -3.5” x 2-2.5” x 2 |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| Motherboards | -ATX-mATX-ITX |
| I/O Port | -USB 3.0-USB 2.0-Headphone jack-Microphone jack-Power and reset buttons |
| Fan Support | Front: 120mm x 2 or 140mm x 2Roof: 120mm x 2Rear: 12mm |
| Radiator Support | Front: 240mmRoof: 240mmRear 120mm |
| Clearance | -CPU cooler height: 5.91 inches-GPU length: 14.57 inches-PSU length: 8.86 inches |
| Price | $50 |
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shrapnel_indie I like the looks. If it came in green, I might sell my wife on it. With just two USB ports (would prefer more myself), might have been better/nicer for both to be USB 3.0. Is there an upcoming review?Reply
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dstarr3 Reply19638474 said:I like the looks. If it came in green, I might sell my wife on it. With just two USB ports (would prefer more myself), might have been better/nicer for both to be USB 3.0. Is there an upcoming review?
The reason you keep seeing USB 2.0 on front panels is because of wireless keyboards/mice and ultra-small WiFi adapters. USB 3.0 interferes with wireless transceivers, and plugging one into a 3.0 port results in frequently dropped signals. So, as a convenience to those with such devices, manufacturers are still providing USB 2.0 ports in prominent locations. -
synphul Ugh, still making the same mistakes as with older spec cases. Skimping on case width and making it difficult for air cooling.Reply
Granted at least there are coolers like the cryorig h7 that will fit but it seems a serious flaw to cheap out and fall just short of offering at least 160mm of cpu cooler clearance needed for many air coolers including the still popular 212 evo. All to save 1/2" of width? It would be understandable if this were a small form factor case, low profile case or a mini itx case. It's none of those things. Once a case is past a certain size why not avoid such glaring pitfalls?
It does have mounting locations for 240mm radiators but with such restrictions on air cooling it seems an odd choice. Prioritize cpu cooler fitment options for aio coolers with a premium price well over $100 usd on a budget $50 case. If folks are on a budget, more likely they would want to go with a less expensive air cooler - which ironically many of which won't work. Maybe they're hoping people will be inclined to fork over $110 for the h100i v2 by saving them $20-30 on a cheap(er) case. -
jimmysmitty Reply19638530 said:19638474 said:I like the looks. If it came in green, I might sell my wife on it. With just two USB ports (would prefer more myself), might have been better/nicer for both to be USB 3.0. Is there an upcoming review?
The reason you keep seeing USB 2.0 on front panels is because of wireless keyboards/mice and ultra-small WiFi adapters. USB 3.0 interferes with wireless transceivers, and plugging one into a 3.0 port results in frequently dropped signals. So, as a convenience to those with such devices, manufacturers are still providing USB 2.0 ports in prominent locations.
I can see that as a reason but this case is targeting enthusiasts and gamers more than the general public and the majority of gamers use wired USB devices.
Well I guess the headsets are more wireless now unless you are like me, which I still prefer my 3.5mm. -
falchard Crucial seems to have a time machine. They conjured a case from 8 years ago and put on USB 3.1 ports.Reply