Corsair’s New Crystal 280X Case Looks Much Better In Person

To be honest, we weren’t all that wowed by Corsair’s Crystal 280X chassis when we first saw it in press release form. Images of the empty case especially don’t do this Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX chassis justice.

Available in either white or black, with RGB fans and a controller ($160) or without ($110), it’s a short, wide case with tempered glass on the top, front, and sides. In other words, it’s a glass-and-RGB box, like seemingly every other case we’ve seen in the last couple years.

But the Crystal 280X’s extra width lets you hide your power supply, storage (up to two 3.5" and three 2.5" drives), and unsightly wires in a chamber on the right side of the case. That leaves the pretty parts like your motherboard, cooler, and graphics card(s) on full display. To be clear, this is nothing new either.

And maybe it was just Corsair’s build, and the pair of LL120 RGB fans included with the RGB model, all synced up with the company’s iCUE software. But the finished system on display at Corsair’s Computex suite left us feeling bad about our initial lack of enthusiasm when we first heard about the Corsair Crystal 280X. It may not be a game-changer in the design department, but Corsair has managed to refine the current case trends into something that looks surprisingly attractive when built out, especially with the help of some RGB strips (not included).

If you’re looking for a compact case to properly show off your next build, you just might want to put the Corsair Crystal 280X on your short list. It’s available now, and to make sure your part list is compatible with the case, here’s a list of specs direct from Corsair.