Tom's Hardware Verdict
Corsair’s Obsidian 4000 series offers pretty, minimalist design at a decent price, with everything you need for the vast majority of ATX builds. You might want to get in line, because Corsair is going to sell a lot of these.
Pros
- +
Clean aesthetics and refined interior
- +
Good enough thermal performance on the 4000X RGB
- +
Mesh option for performance enthusiasts or budget builders
- +
RGB variant includes iCUE hub.
- +
Relatively quiet
Cons
- -
Only one front USB-A port
- -
Fans don’t spin fast enough for extreme performance requirements
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When I pulled Corsair’s 4000X out of its box, the first thought that went through my mind is “Is this a 350D?”
The new Corsair Obsidian 4000 series cases look remarkably like 350D and 450D siblings from 6 to 7 years ago, and that’s a good thing. Sometimes I like taking a step into the past, and these were hugely popular cases at the time. I know lots of people that had them – for good reason. Of course, by today’s standards they’re outdated (and end of life), so it’s nice to see Corsair drop what seems to be a series of successors.
The new 4000 series come in three flavors: RGB (4000X), airflow (4000D Airflow), and sleek and silent (4000D). We have the airflow and RGB variants on the test bench today, and it’s time to see if they’ll make it onto our best PC cases lists. Pricing is set at $80 for the airflow variant and $120 for the RGB case, so they’re competing in a busy part of the market. Let’s see if Corsair has what it takes.
Specifications
| Type | Mid Tower ATX |
|---|---|
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 18.3 x 9.06 x 17.8 inches (466 x 230 x 453 mm) |
| Max GPU Length | 14.2 inches (360 mm) |
| CPU Cooler Height | 6.7 inches (170 mm) |
| Weight | 12.2 pounds (7.8 kg) |
| External Bays | ✗ |
| Internal Bays | 2x 3.5-inch, 2x 2.5-inch |
| Expansion Slots | 7x + 2 vertical |
| Front I/O | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB-C, 3.5 mm Audio/Mic Combo |
| Other | Tempered Glass Panel, RGB (only on 4000X RGB) |
| Front Fans | 3x 120mm RGB (Up to 2x 140mm, 3x 120mm) |
| Rear Fans | None (Up to 1x 120mm) |
| Top Fans | None (Up to 2x 120mm, 2x 140mm) |
| Bottom Fans | None |
| Side Fans | None |
| RGB | Optional on 4000X RGB |
| Damping | No |
| Warranty | 2 Years Limited |
Features
The 4000X RGB comes with three fans behind a tempered glass panel at the front of the chassis. The 4000D will come with two non-RGB fans, with the front either covered with a solid metal slab or a meshed front panel on the 4000D Airflow. Other than those differences, the cases are all identical to one another. So for this review we’ll be focusing on the 4000X – but don’t worry, we’ll provide testing data on the 4000D Airflow, too.
Circling around the case, it’s clear what Corsair’s design philosophy was with the 4000 series: simple, clean, and minimalist. There are a few design touches here and there, but they’re all well-executed and not obtrusive. Corsair’s new yellow accent color and sleeker branding also complements this design quite well.
Both the side panels come loose with two thumbscrews at the rear, pop out of pegs at the rear, and then swing outwards, briefly hinging at the front before they drop out. This is actually quite a nice method, and I prefer it over the usual sliding mechanism – especially on the cable management side as it alleviates the usual issue with jamming the side panel into place against a mountain of cables.
The materials here overall aren’t stunning, but they don’t need to be at this price point. The paint job is quite good though, free of weird defects or bubbling, and with a nice fine top mesh and tempered glass (which you can’t really get wrong unless you over or under-tint), the 4000X and 4000D have a nice premium look and feel to them. On the topic of the glass tint, it’s quite dark, but that’s alright. This case is aimed at more budget-oriented builds that often end up with visually mismatched hardware, where a dark tint helps blend it all together while still giving that luxury glass look (not that anything is stopping you from packing it full of expensive gear). Just note: anything that isn’t RGB, you’re unlikely to see once you put the panel on.
The IO resides at the top of the chassis, and though I like the clean appearance of minimal connectivity, I prefer having ample ports. A single USB 3.0 port next to a Type-C port, with a mic/headphone combo jack works, but you’ll find yourself reaching around the rear of the system often for additional USB ports.
Internal Layout
On the inside, the 4000 series cases feature a commonly found compact ATX layout. At the bottom is a PSU shroud that hides the lower clutter, where you’ll be able to fit large power supplies and up to two hard drives. Behind the motherboard tray are two 2.5-inch caddies, which you can move to the top of the PSU shroud if you want to show off your SSDs.
In the main compartment there’s room for up to ATX size motherboards and the biggest of graphics cards. And though you can opt to vertical-mount your GPU, we would avoid this option as the two vertical slots are quite close to the side panel, so the looks will cost you in thermals -- and you likely won’t see much anyway through the dark tint. A cable cover is present to ensure you can’t peek into the rear of the chassis and see the mess back there.
Cooling
As mentioned up top, the 4000X RGB comes with three 120mm RGB PWM spinners at the front, which are wired to an RGB control hub at the rear of the chassis. The PWM cables you’ll have to route to your motherboard or another controller – the hub in the rear of the chassis only handles the RGB. You won’t find this hub in the standard 4000D and 4000D airflow. The three fans are connected to it, with room for another three.
The 4000D and 4000D Airflow come with two voltage-controlled 120mm fans without RGB.
If you want to, you can choose to mount a 360mm AIO at the front of the case, though be wary of thick radiators, as the PSU shroud cutout won’t accommodate these. The top of the chassis has more room in that respect, though you’re limited to 280mm AIOs here. But be careful you’re not bumping into your motherboard’s VRM heatsink or memory – stick to a 240mm AIO if you want the safe option.
The front of the case has a fine mesh filter behind the front panel, and a filter is also included for over the PSU intake. The power supply intake grill is oddly narrow, though I doubt it’ll suffocate the PSU much as most are quite efficient these days, anyway. So long as you don’t drop your system on thick shag carpeting, the PSU should still get plenty of air.
