Corsair's Graphite 380T: No-Compromise Mini-ITX Case

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Corsair's new Graphite series 380T enclosure is a nice case for portable Mini-ITX systems.

Editor's Note: While Computex took place last week and all of the news announcements are behind us, we're still sorting through hundreds of in-person meetings and demonstrations, picking out just a few more of the most interesting items we saw up close.

Among the vast number of new products that Corsair had on display at Computex 2014, we found a very cute little enclosure: the Graphite series 380T. Upon first sight we almost mistook the cases for lunchboxes, but upon closer inspection we found high-end gaming systems inside. Yummy!

The Graphite series 380T is a Mini-ITX case built to be able to house and cool high-end gaming hardware, and it is shaped to be very portable, with a handle built into the main frame of the enclosure. This handle is particularly impressive, and is one of the first that we've actually felt we could trust. For other implementations we often find ourselves still grasping the case at the bottom.

Internally, the layout of the case resembles that of the Obsidian series 250D. In the bottom half of the case, you can place your hard drives and PSU, while the top half of the case houses the motherboard horizontally, with room for a long graphics card of up to 290 mm on one side, and a 240 mm water cooling radiator on the other. Up front, users can mount up to a 140 mm fan; when lit (LED), it makes the case look a little less like a lunchbox.

The side panels of the case also come off easily, so quickly diving in to make adjustments or simply assembling the system shouldn't be much of a pain at all.

This is a good case worth looking at, so keep an eye out for it when it hits the streets. The case is expected to ship in August and will have an MSRP of $129.99.

Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • 29065
    Way to make the power buttons look tastefully automotive
    Reply
  • doomtomb
    Another day another corsair case
    Reply
  • fonzy
    I wish they would make a 250d Matx case.
    Reply
  • vmem
    isn't size a compromise??? I hate how huge these mini-ITX cases are
    Reply
  • Marcus Lewis
    love it
    Reply
  • laststop311
    This will make a nice portable lan gamer but the ncase m1 is the greatest mini itx case ro ever be produced. Do your research the ncase m1 is tiny as hell while allowing for TRIPLE slot gpu's. Basically any gpu on the market can fit into this thing. The way the venting is set up you can remove the shroud and fans off the gpu and use the case fans blowing cold air directly onto the gpu. then a 240mm cpu cooler on the other open vented side. And this thing is tiny so space efficient. It's almost 200 dollars when all is said and done to buy it but it's factually and objectively the best portable gaming lan party pc case.
    Reply
  • WINTERLORD
    this might be a dumb question but im guesing youd need an external dvd drive or does this case hold one
    Reply
  • Haravikk
    I'm really unimpressed by this case; it's not really what I'd call small, yet it seems to have a lot of wasted space. I mean, the dimensions could easily fit a 200mm fan, yet we only get a comparatively small 140mm fan, but why? The NCase M1 makes far more efficient use of internal space for an overall small design, the only thing it really lacks is a carrying handle, but a good pair of straps can give you that if you need it.
    Reply
  • N.Broekhuijsen
    This will make a nice portable lan gamer but the ncase m1 is the greatest mini itx case ro ever be produced. Do your research the ncase m1 is tiny as hell while allowing for TRIPLE slot gpu's. Basically any gpu on the market can fit into this thing. The way the venting is set up you can remove the shroud and fans off the gpu and use the case fans blowing cold air directly onto the gpu. then a 240mm cpu cooler on the other open vented side. And this thing is tiny so space efficient. It's almost 200 dollars when all is said and done to buy it but it's factually and objectively the best portable gaming lan party pc case.
    I actually own an NCase M1, and whilst I do agree that it is hands down the best Mini-ITX case there is, I disagree about it being the best LAN case -- to transport it I do not feel comfortable taking it with me as is, I need to put something around it, the box or something. I also love it too much to risk scratching it -- all factors that matter.
    Also, it's pretty exclusive hardware, 200 USD and you need to be fairly well-timed or lucky to be able to get your hands on one.
    Reply
  • Rammy
    Don't entirely understand the hate for this. It seem's like a pretty sensible move from Corsair given that the 250D seems to have gone down pretty well. As far as I can tell it shares the same basic internal layout (minus 5.25" bay) which depending on your perspective is either a plus or a minus - personally I'm not sold on side-exhausting given the layouts of many motherboards. I like the way it looks, even though it's definitely too wide, and it seems to have a nice set of features, even if the handle is a little gimmicky. Also, you can fit a 200mm fan in the front of this, which should mean that certain "230mm" fans will also fit. Does seem like they could have snuck in some ODD provision though, it's not like it's lacking in volume.


    As for comparisons to the NCase M1, that seems a little unfair. When you factor in shipping+import taxes (as they don't sell them locally), the M1 could cost beyond double the price on this, which means it's hardly a direct competitor. In reality, it's probably bridging the gap to the likes of Caselabs which offer a more bespoke service.
    Reply