I've not had wide practical experience with desktop PC cases but when I did my first build I did a lot of research beforehand, reading lots of reviews and making notes about any particular faults. The problem is that even after all that I was none the wiser. They're all much of a muchness as some people used to say.
All the well known brands: Corsair, Fractal, BitFenix, Coolermaster, Thermalake, Antec etc and a host of others have mid-tower cases in the £50 - £70 'budget' price range and it is almost impossible to separate them except on what is probably, for most buyers, relatively minor details. The fact is you're not going to find any significant positives or negatives whichever make you choose in this price range.
For instance any criticism in reviews leveled at the Corsair Carbide 200R in relation to cooling is really trivial. I know because have been using one for almost four years now. Just because it does not have a front mesh and draws the air in from narrow, filtered side intakes does not have any real world practical relevance.
If you're really you're worried about temperatures this case has far more fan intake/exhaust mounts than you'll need to keep it satisfactorily cool. The bottom intake for a 140mm fan more than resolves any theoretical failings of the front mounted intake fan's effectiveness. You can fit an optional second fan at the front too.
The build quality is good enough throughout and the space available is better than many in this category. That is the main reason I've bought another one. The Coolermaster case I use for the PC I'd earmarked for upgrading simply can not accommodate the new GPU I wanted to use without significant compromises and extensive cable rerouting/extensions. The Corsair Carbide 200R will take the same GPU and space to spare all without any cable routing compromises.
So after the positives what are this case's negatives. Again: trivial but still there is one that niggles me and that is the decision to use a relatively lightweight, plastic SSD/HDD mounting rack. The tool-less fixing mechanism works but it does not hold the HDD quite as securely as I've found is necessary.
I eventually used the conventional screw mounts instead. The problem I had was that using two HDDs along with a SSD is that the two, different, HDDs (a 1TB Seagate and a, slightly noisier 160GB WD) when spun up together create a cyclical resonance. With the lightweight rack that slight vibration is transferred to the casing amplifying it. The annoyance is mostly because it is not constant and as the rest of the system is so quiet you notice it more.
With a single HDD on it own, maybe even two matched HDDs or an all SSD build this would not be any sort of issue but as it is for me I can not ignore it. With the rebuild in the new case I'm going to use vibration 'prevention' washers on the two HDDs and if that doesn't fix the problem I might well dump the second HDD and replace it with a SSD when I can afford it.
So to conclude: the Corsair Carbide 200R is as good a mid-tower case as you'll find at this price in terms of design and build quality. Apart from that specific plastic HDD mounting rack vibration issue described there are no significant negatives that need highlighting..
Whilst there are plenty of others you could buy which may match or even exceed its specs at this price it must still be a strong contender for your money.
| Brand | Corsair |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 42.93 x 21.08 x 49.53 cm; 6.03 Kilograms |
| Item model number | CC-9011023-WW |
| Manufacturer | Corsair |
| Color | Black |
| Form Factor | ATX, Micro-ATX |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 6.03 kg |