Corsair SPEC Omega RGB review - Product features

Naturally, this case shares its pedigree with its non-RGB brothers. The same looks, glassy side, and 'hey look at me, I'm here' feet. In fact, when doing a side by side of the Omega RGB vs. the regular Omega, only one thing has changed, and that is the removal of one 3.5'' bay in favor of a 2.5'' slot. I'm all for this, however, as in my opinion, 2x HDD's is more than enough, especially given how cheap bulk storage is nowadays. Buy a 2TB HDD, slot it in the machine, and that's basically job done for bulk storage. If you need more, you have another slot, and if you still need more, then external options are equally cheap and reliable, and you could even look into NAS solutions. What I am trying to say, very ineloquently, is '2 is enough, surely?'

As we have already seen, cooling options are VERY respectable, given that this is still only a mid-tower. To that end, it is certainly in a higher 'performance' bracket (if we can measure chassis' via that metric?) than something like the 275R that I currently use as my main case. Below I will list some of the marketing material to be found on Corsair's site, as it's only fair to allow a vendor to show off the product a little bit, no? To be fair, this is less of a list of features and more product buzzwords, but still, it works.

• The ultimate Spec case with unmistakable style.
• Use built-in lighting profiles or create your own.
• Versatile cooling options.
• Tempered aesthetic.
• RGB LEDs galore.
• Keep your chill.

Short and sweet, I like it. Anyway, the blurb certainly tells you all of what this case is meant to be about. Flashy, a bit OTT, aggressive looking, classically 'gamer' visuals, and a lot of bling. I said earlier than this chassis was trying to appeal to a certain market, and I wasn't lying.

Some of you may notice the 'keep your chill' point above, and wondered that refers to? Well, since we seem to pass the age of nearly entirely closed off front panels, the case industry has made a steady return to airflow focused designs. Or, at least, keeping airflow 'in mind.' To that end, Corsair has advertised the Omega RGB as having 'Direct Airflow Path,' touting a clean layout that allows the smooth and resistance free travel of air from intake at the front to exhaust at the top and rear. The very fact that the case can support 3x 120mm in the front and 2x 120mm/1x 120mm at the top/rear supports this as well. I also like how the air going in through the front doesn't have to turn 90 degrees, like it does on some closed off or open side front panels, e.g. the 275R. Plenty of space for air to flow, but it still has to turn. My only small point of concern at this moment is how the front fans access to air seems to be more and more restricted by the angular solid panel on the front of the chassis. There is also something else, and I will cover that momentarily.

What about front IO? Well, it's entirely standard. Reset switch, headphone and microphone jack, 2x USB 3.0 ports, HDD indicator light, and an illuminated power button. I will be honest, I would like to see a USB-C implementation for a case worth this much money. However, I also get that a fairly significant portion of this chassis' cost is actually down to the added fans and accessories, as it is essentially the Omega non-RGB, which is just sub 100 USD, and I wouldn't expect to see USB-C on a case of that budget. I don't really, therefore, have any complaints about the IO at all. In fact, when you begin to take into account what this case can fit into it (RGB, tempered glass, the Node Pro, included fans...), it really does begin to look like a very effective bargain that belies it's relatively high price tag. Add all of that up, and... I have to say, I am impressed.

What could you put in this case? Well, really, anything. The 275R was an excellent example of a beginner friendly case that could accommodate virtually anything that wasn't the higher end of HEDT (due to cooling limitations, in my view). The Spec Omega RGB rids of that issue by adding support for 360mm radiators. This would potentially allow for the overclocking and still cool running of very high TDP chips like the highest end of Intel LGA2066, and the upcoming AMD Threadripper+ CPUs. Really, the world is your oyster with this case, and I don't say that lightly.

Finally, some necessary chat about the case's dimensions and weight. It's fairly hefty, weighing in at 7.75kg for the empty chassis. You can look forward to fitting even the longest GPUs in here, even with a front mounted radiator, with cards of 370mm length being accommodated (though I am fairly sure that is the data without said radiator, so cut off about 30mm if you plan to front mount an AIO). PSU length is also entirely respectable, with ATX units of up to 180mm being able to fit. I would imagine here that Corsair has left enough room in that estimation for the cables protruding from the front of the power supply, so if you have a 180mm PSU, it will be fine, though possibly a bit of a squeeze? Finally, CPU cooler height (for air units) comes in at 170mm, meaning that all but the tallest of coolers will be able to fit in the case with some room to spare. Even units like BeQuiet's massive Dark Rock Pro 4 will have nearly 10mm of clearance, so there is no need to worry.

With all the pre-amble out of the way, shall we unbox it?