Corsair Carbide 275R review - Product Showcase

So we begin the the box. I mean, it's a box. That said, you can find essentially everything vital that you need to know on the outside, including basic specs. It's very 'Corsair,' though the same can be said of many vendor's case packaging. Brown cardboard, black writing. Gets the job done. Moving on.

The case sits between two thick supports, with the glass being protected by a third thinner piece of the same material. This is a nice touch, and I was highly grateful for its presence during the case's perilous journey home on London's District Line at rush hour. Naturally, the protection offered meant that the case arrived in perfect condition.

I happened to receive the white version of the case, but as I'm a sucker for 'duo-chrome' white and black builds, this was absolutely fine by me.

The first thing that will immediately strike you is how there is absolutely nothing 'extra' on this unit. It takes the minimalist design philosophy of 2017 to the Nth degree. The 275R, in comparison to some other current cases, looks very plain. However, not only do I really like minimalist cases, but there is something very... 'Art Deco', about the 275R. I really cannot put my finger on it, but the clean and angular lines with no excess really do remind me of that 30's period of design, and for that reason alone I'll admit to saying 'Oh, that's pretty' when I unboxed it for the first time. It manages to be entirely minimalistic and 'striking' at the same time, all whilst sporting nothing outwardly garish or eye catching. The chassis as a whole manages that feat, which is impressive.

Opening the chassis' guts reveals a very spacious interior with - as aforementioned - plenty of space for cables, a big GPU, and even a few case mascots if you feel the need to give your PC a little guardian. The case features multiple and strong rubber guiding grommets, in the 'standard' place (i.e. on the motherboard tray itself) and in the PSU basement, chiefly intended for your PCIe cables. I like the latter one especially, as it means not only are your GPU power cables going a shorter distance, but they are not having to stretch all the way from the tray to your power connectors. The rubberised grommet holes are, actually, another change from the original, where these holes were not rubberised. Another plus point here, and a welcome change.

Up top we see a significantly sized mesh filter, that peels off once you've overcome the magnet holding it down. This feature has become fairly typical on modern cases, and it's a feature I very much like having. Some may be surprised at the ability to only mount a 240mm radiator up here (with low profile memory), or just a single 140mm fan. Whilst this is potentially limiting, you have to remember the market this is aimed at.

A change that will immediately jump out many is the shifting of the case IO from the front right side to the top, which is undoubtedly a lot more convenient. This - to me - starts to point this product at being just a little more than a 'refresh' of the 270R, and was evidently reworked fairly significantly. A side mounted IO on a mid-tower case (where there is really no need for one) wouldn't stop me buying a chassis, but it would irk me. Top mounting makes a lot more sense, so props to Corsair here.

One final obvious change from the 270R is the absence of the 'side' grill, between the front panel and beginnings of the side panels. This is now totally absent on the 275R. I like the fact it's been removed, and further adds to the chassis' 'ultra clean' look.