Corsair Carbide 200R Case Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

The 200R is the latest addition to Corsair’s Carbide series of cases, and it is targeted to users who don’t want to spend a lot of money on a case but still want to take home a good-quality product with a decent set of features. Let’s see if this case fulfills its goals.

The Corsair Carbide 200R is only offered in black.

Figure 1: Corsair Carbide 200R case

Figure 2: Corsair Carbide 200R case

The left panel of the Carbide 200R has two meshes, supporting the installation of two 120 mm or 140 mm fans. The case comes with rubber rings for these fans, in order to reduce noise and vibration. There are no air filters on these meshes.

Figure 3: Left panel

[nextpage title=”The Front Panel”]

The front panel of the Corsair Carbide 200R is very plain, with three external 5.25” bays with solid covers. The case offers two USB 3.0 ports and the standard audio jacks on the top part of the front panel.

Figure 4: Front panel

Figure 5: Buttons and connectors

The case comes with one 120 mm fan on its front panel, using a three-pin fan connector. Technical specifications for this fan are not provided. A second 120 mm fan can be installed. The front fan pulls air from the sides of the front panel, and the air intakes have air filters.

Figure 6: Front fan

[nextpage title=”The Top, Bottom, and Rear Panels”]

The top panel of the Corsair Carbide 200R is meshed, supporting two 120 mm or 140 mm fans. The case comes with rubber rings for these fans, in order to reduce noise and vibration. There is no air filter on this mesh. Although usually an air filter on the top panel is unnecessary, since this case’s top mesh has big holes, this might be a concern.

Figure 7: Top panel

The bottom panel of the Corsair Carbide 200R has an air filter for the power supply fan, but it doesn’t come with one for the optional bottom fan.

Figure 8: Bottom panel

The rear panel and the interior of the Corsair Carbide 200R are painted black.

On the Corsair Carbide 200R, the power supply is installed at the bottom of the case.

The product comes with a 120 mm fan installed on its rear panel. This fan uses a three-pin power connector. No technical specifications for this fan are provided.

This case has seven expansion slots with vented slot covers.

Figure 9: Rear panel

Let’s now take a look inside the Corsair Carbide 200R.[nextpage title=”Inside the Corsair Carbide 200R”]

Both panels are attached to the chassis using black thumbscrews, which is great to see on an entry-level case. The motherboard tray has a huge cutout for you to access the backplate of the CPU coolers without having to remove the motherboard from the case, a few holes for you to route cables behind it, and several clips for you to fasten cables using cable ties.

Figure 10: Overall look

Figure 11: A view behind the motherboard tray

In Figure 12, we get another overall look inside the case. Expansion cards are fastened using black thumbscrews, which is terrific to see on an entry-level case. The Corsair Carbide 200R supports video cards up to 16.9” (430 mm) long on the top three slots and up to 11.8” (300 mm) on the remaining four slots. The reviewed case supports CPU coolers up to 6.3” (160 mm) tall.

Figure 12: Overall look

The power supply is installed at the bottom of the case. It can be installed with either its bottom fan facing up or facing down, so you can decide if you want the fan of your power supply pulling air from inside the case or from outside of it. As shown before, there is an air filter for the power supply fan.

Figure 13: Power supply compartment

The Corsair Carbide 200R supports a 120 mm or 140 mm fan on its bottom panel. Unfortunately, there is no air filter for this optional fan.

Without a bottom fan installed, the reviewed case supports power supplies up to 11.8” (300 mm) deep. With a 120 mm fan installed, you can have a power supply up to 7.5” (190 mm) deep; and with a 140 mm fan installed, you can have a power supply up to 7.1”
(180 mm) deep.

[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]

The Corsair Carbide 200R has three external 5.25” bays, four internal 3.5” bays, and four internal 2.5” bays, all featuring tool-less installation mechanisms.

Figure 14: Disk drive bays

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Corsair Carbide 200R include:

• Style: Mid-tower
• Application: ATX and smaller form factors
• Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC) body
• Power supply: Doesn’t come with the product
• Available color: Black
• Side panel: Meshed
• Dimensions: 16.9 x 8.3 x 19.6 inches (430 x 210 x 497 mm) (H x W x D)
• Net weight: 13.5 lbs (6.2 kg)
• Gross weight: 15.5 lbs (7.7kg)
• Bays: Three external 5.25” bays, four internal 3.5” bays, and four internal 2.5” bays
• Expansion slots: Seven
• Maximum video card length: 16.9” (430 mm) on the top three slots and 11.8” (300 mm) on the remaining four slots
• Maximum CPU cooler height: 6.3” (160 mm)
• Fans: One 120 mm fan on the front panel and one 120 mm fan on the rear panel
• Optional fans: One 120 mm fan on the front panel, two 120 mm or 140 mm fans on the left panel, two 120 mm or 140 mm fans on the top panel, and one 120 mm or 140 mm fan on the bottom panel
• Extra Features: None
• More Information: https://www.corsair.com
• Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 60.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Corsair Carbide 200R provides an outstanding value for users who are looking for an inexpensive yet decent case. It offers several features usually only found on more expensive products.

Strong Points

• Outstanding cost/benefit ratio
• Excellent construction quality for the price
• Air filter for the power supply and front fans
• Supports eight fans (comes with two)
• Supports four 3.5” and four 2.5” devices at the same time
• Tool-less installation mechanisms for all storage devices, including 2.5”
• Vented slot covers
• Expansion cards are fastened using thumbscrews
• Support for 240 mm radiators on the top panel
• First video card can be up to 16.9” (430 mm) long; others can be up to 11.8” (300 mm) long
• A huge cutout in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
• Holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
• Clips for fastening cables using cable ties

Weak Points

• No air filters for the optional left, bottom, and top fans