Corsair iCUE 465X review - Introduction

Corsair iCUE 465X RGB review
iCUE series FTW? 

It’s time to check out the new Corsair ICUE 465X RGB mid-tower PC chassis. Corsair has been releasing many new cases in recent years, including the Carbide 275Q and the Crystal 680X, which we reviewed on Guru3D in April and March respectively. Today, we’re looking at a new series from Corsair, with iCUE implemented in all of the products in the line-up. The first of them was the iCUE 220T RGB which we reviewed at the end of August. As the name of the series suggests, it should be an “intelligent” chassis, and it comes with several design elements intended to allow customization. Will that be the case (pun intended)? At first glance, it’s a typical product for today’s standards: tempered glass panels, RGB lighting, and a PSU shroud. Is there anything new that makes it stand out from the crowd? Maybe the generous clearance between the front panel and the fans is going to improve cooling performance? Let’s look at the product info first.  The main features are listed below:

• 4mm-Thick Tempered Glass Side and Front Panels: A strong, durable steel chassis equipped with two tempered glass panels to showcase your components and RGB fans, with ventilation gaps for plentiful airflow.
• Versatile Cooling Options: Room to install up to 6x 120mm cooling fans or multiple radiators in sizes up to 360mm.
• Expansive Storage: Drive trays to accommodate up to two 3.5in HDDs and two 2.5in SSDs, with two additional 2.5in mounts.
• Three CORSAIR LL120 RGB Fans Included: Powerful airflow up to 1,500 RPM and 16 vivid RGB LEDs per fan, with seven mesmerizing preset iCUE lighting profiles.
• Smart RGB Lighting Out-of-the-Box: Fully control and synchronize your RGB lighting with the included iCUE Lighting Node CORE and CORSAIR iCUE software.
• Direct Airflow Path™: An obstruction-free layout channels cool air to your PC’s hottest components.
• Easy Cable Routing: Intuitive routing channels and tie-downs make for simple and tidy cabling that helps optimize airflow.
• Removable Dust Filters: Three filters in the front, roof, and floor keep your system clean after the build is finished. 

As you can see, the main difference compared with the NR600 is the sound dampening material used here, as well as on the steel-side-panel version, which should offer better noise performance. Aaah, the fans are now PWM, not voltage-controlled. So, will it really be that silent? The chassis looks quite elegant in the manufacturer’s photo. The specifications are given below:

Specifications

• Dimensions (L x W x H): 467mm x 216mm x 465mm
• Material: Steel, Plastic, Glass
• Cooling Layout: Front: 3x 120mm, 2x 140mm (3x 120mm included) Top: 2x 120mm, 1x 140mm Rear: 1x 120mm
• Radiator Compatibility: Front: 360mm / 280mm Top: 240mm Rear: 120mm
• Expansion Slots (Main): 7 •Motherboard (Main): ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
• Storage: 2x 2.5" SSD Trays, 2x 2.5” SSD Mounts 2x 3.5" HDD/SDD Combo Trays
• Clearances: PSU: 180mm CPU Cooler: 170mm GPU: 370mm
• Dust Filters: Front, PSU, Top
• Front I/O: USB 3.0 (x2) Headphone (x1) Microphone (x1) Power Reset
• Warranty: 2 Year

Included Fan Specifications LL120 RGB

 Two color versions are available:

• White
• Black (the one provided by Corsair)

The Corsair ICUE 465X RGB is a medium-sized chassis. It measures 467 (L) x 216 (W) x 465 (H)mm (which amounts to ~47 l in total) and supports up to ATX-sized motherboards. It can house a maximum of four 2.5” drives and two 3.5” ones (but the 3.5 mounts can be used to install 2.5” drives as well). The following ports are available on the front panel USB 3.0, 3.5 mm HD audio jacks (for mic and for headphones), Power and Reset switches. Out of the box, you get three 120 mm RGB fans in intake configuration, and nothing on the exhaust vents in the back (why?). There is 370 mm of space for graphics cards, which is enough for all models currently available on the market. There’s also 170 mm for air coolers (should fit a majority of products on the market) and 180 mm for the PSU (so, in theory, everything up to about 1000 W will be compatible). The Corsair ICUE 465X RGB offers many cooling options, with support for up to 360 mm radiators on the front, 240 mm in the top, and a 120 mm radiator in the back (so quite a typical setup for this size/market segment). Dust filters have been installed on the top, front, and in the bottom (for the PSU). The MSRPs are $149.99 / £109.99 / €124.90 The warranty period is a standard of 2 years. We can now proceed to the next page from the group “Product Showcase”.