Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

Admittedly, the new Corsair Crystal 680X PC Chassis is a 'you like or you don't' kind of pc case. For me it is simple, it easily is one of the better-looking chassis that I have ever seen and tested. It is a bit on the thick side due to the dual-compartment, but I am not against that look. We've of course seen it before in the Corsair AIR series. The amount of airflow the chassis offers is 'incroyable', pardon my French, next to that the right side compartment can house many storage units, big power supplies and then have the space left to chuck away all the cables you'll ever need. So from a cable management point of view, all your base are belong to us Corsair.

The build quality is also quite lovely, the bezels, however, do have a bit of a plastic feel to them and, in this price range, more exclusive materials would have had my preference. The design is intricate with the tempered glass left, front and top side panels and each glass panel has heaps of spacing allowing for airflow. Really this is nearly an open chassis in that regard. Now, you have seen that in our acoustic test the fans are quite quiet but not silent. Hey, with the airflow gaps, simply lower fan RPM a notch, and you'll never hear anything from this chassis fan wise. The dark interior and cables will complement your components and the LED RGB activated fans are done right as well, it's not tacky or lit up like a Christmas tree, no, you choose an animation mode (or static) and a color (sequence if you want to) and then your system color schema lines up with the PC. The fans are tied to the Commander Pro Node that connects to your motherboard and, from there on, the sky is the limit with the Corsair iCUE control software. Anything and everything with Corsair enabled RGB LEDs can now be synced up to your preference, and that is a nice thing to have.

Despite its squarish shape, the 680X remains a fairly compact chassis due to its height, you can house anything starting at E-ATX motherboard wise, anything smaller will fit in there but anything of a larger form factor would be an issue (XL-ATX, which is rare these days). The Corsair Crystal 680X offers everything you need or require. The airflow is done right, space (up-to E-ATX form factor) offers plenty of options and choice in motherboards, features like the SSD/HDD space, ease of use and USB 3.0/3.1 ports are all available as well. Lacking, however, is an integrated fan controller which is a bit of a miss with three fans. Also, a few more USB ports would have been nice.

Aesthetics

The looks then; hey, I already spilled the beans in the first paragraph, I really like the 680X with its dark feel and see-through finish, you can't argue about taste as it is the most subjective thing and does not make the job of reviewer any easier. Some will dislike it, and others will love this chassis for its looks. Each and every little aspect of the chassis has been thought through really well. The design of the chassis has been made to make your life a little easier while combining the best features an enthusiast crowd seeks in a chassis. The tempered glass will make you look inside the PC from the top, left and a bit on the front side. Nice to see is that everything is black from the dust filters to USB 3.0 integration and rubberized grommet holes. The glass panels, in combination with the three LL120 RGB fans at the front side, obviously give it a refined look. Again, just color them fans as something of your preference, that can be a soft bright white up-to-the most Christmas like color animation, you are in control of that.

Features

The internals are pretty decent as well, good sized XL-ATX form factor motherboards will fit, the more lengthy graphics card will fit as well (up to 33cm). There's also good space for liquid cooling on the front side and top side, the drive bay has sufficient space for three HDDs and four SSDs. The chassis has nice motherboard cut-outs (albeit partly blocked by the storage bay) and there's mucho enough space left for cable routing through the grommet holes, all in that all-black interior. The nice touch is the ability to hide cables behind the cover at the back side in that separate compartment.

The Verdict

We likey! But this is a conclusion and we do need to talk about the biggest problem with the 680X first, money. The chassis itself is up there in a proper looking and quality build. Thing is, Corsair included some top-notch RGB fans and a Lighting Node PRO (the RGB HUB and the controller for iCUE). That last combo (3x fans+Node Pro) in retail alone already runs to 95 bucks. So here we are, add to that the chassis and the MSRP for the 680X is a very steep $249.99 Exc. Tax / €249.00 Inc. Tax. Really I think that Corsair hit the bullseye with the Crystal 680X, but the pricing is going to scare away the masses. Enough said there though.

The looks of this chassis are pretty okay in the photos, but in a real-world setup just stunning, you cannot keep your eyes off it. It is a chassis that will please many. It is fairly lightweight, has a dark body and obviously see-through design with the tempered glass panels and that left side door. Design wise I have very little to complain about other than a missing fan controller or at least fan HUB. Overall the chassis is easy to use and fairly maintenance free, with the easy to clean magnet based dust-filters. You have plenty of storage options alongside seriously proper cable routing and management options. The airflow is honestly plenty enough for any build, the air intakes and exhausts are to be found throughout the body and edges. The one (nitpicking) gripe might be that you cannot mount a 360 mm rad at the top, but then again there is space for that at the front side. In the end, this chassis is unique in its design and functionality, the LL120 RGB LED activated fans give the product another X-factor.

We feel that the Corsair Crystal 680X deserves a top pick award, but taste and preference, of course, is a subjective thing. If you like the genre, it will be a terrific looking product for your studly yet tastefully built PC build. At a steep 249 USD, this chassis could be high on your shortlist if you like the design. We feel a top pick award is well deserved here, but do have reservations about the high price.

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