Fractal really changed the game when they brought out the north didn't they? A lot of manufacturers are jumping on the wood bandwagon.

Here's the thing for me... if it was meant to be mATX max, it should've been considerably smaller. The O11 AIR Mini accomodates full ATX motherboards while being SMALLER!

2014 called and they want their Air 240 back 👀 Mind you, it is quite a bit bigger than an Air 240 and isn't really the size of a mATX case...

The "cable channels" are the cutout points for the backside motherboard connectors. These are in place to make this case compatible with Asus BTF and MSI project zero motherboards, which wasnt mentioned at all in the review

I think that the case seems waay to big for mAtx..i mean one would probably pick mAtx to get something smaller than a normal midi-Tower, this one takes more space on the table and is almost just as high. Edit: I have the Phanteks Evolv mAtx, awesome, high quality case for a good price but not the best airflow at the top :D

That case is massive for a micro ATX case. Even Der8auer said that an ATX board physically fits but the mounts are only for micro ATX.

FINALLY CASES WHERE MY NOCTUAS LOOK NICE IN! :D

Very informative, I'm going to be doing a build and have been looking at a number of options. Now I know which manufacturers are utilizing higher quality wood panels before I make a decision.

Oh hey basically the carbide series is back! I am still rocking the carbide air 240

I'm shopping for Matx case right now. Fractal it is

I still run a Corsair 280X for my ITX setup. As much as I keep trying to convince myself to try a different case, I can't think of a compelling argument. I've never had a problem with my setup, working in the case, or temp related airflow issues. I was excited about these cases because they're basically a revamped 280X.... but now I'm not so sure. Great stuff as always!

What I love about Corsair is they don't skimp on warranty replacements. I've been keeping my Corsair Headset, keyboard, and PSU, all of which I have to message them for replacement parts due to wear and tear (All are 4+ years old) and even though I explicitly tell them I can pay, they just give me the replacement parts for free, and its delivered via fedex express for some reason, which is really expensive here. This, despite their premium price, gives me some confidence that I'll be taken care of when the time comes. I couldn't say the same for Logitech, who for some reason does not give the best customer service for people in Asia. They told me they cannot replace my double clicking mouse, but when I asked my sister to contact them with a US based address, they offered to replace it.

Credit to Corsair for being the first to mix two trends with dual chamber and wood accents, but man that pricing is absurd.....

I recently purchased the Corsair 5000D mid-tower case to replace the pain in the @ss case I have. The Corsair case is indeed a tank. Almost entirely steel, the weight is at 30 pounds total. My big gripes were the same as yours as regards the lack of a printed manual (considering how many parts of the case can be added and removed to meet the owner's needs) and the undersized tabs on the back that are used to pop the side panels (I have a problem with my right hand currently which makes it very hard to pop the sides). On the plus size, I like the metal tabs that secure the side panels into slots, allowing for a nice firm fit. Same goes for the front panel (steel and not plastic), the panel is secure but still can be removed easily to clean the front filter. Thanks for going over the optional wood panels. Looking at photos, I suspected a wood veneer instead of solid wood, though they do look good on the case. At $70 for the front & top wood panels, I will probably stick with the steel panels for a while.

HOORAY my favorite reviewers reviewing the case i waited for months for lol

In a sea of glass cases, seeing one with wood is so, so refreshing. Good on Corsair!

Surprised they're still making this same cube case after all these years.

Getting ready to build an AM5 mATX, but will be using the pop air mini. Yeah, I want the 5.25 bay for my Blu-ray ripping drive.

As someone who had the Air 240 and that 280x, I think my next build will be in one of these for sure. I legit don't care about the price, I just love the all glass look.

I think with the increase in heat output of high end chips coupled with the ever increasing size of GPU's a move to mATX makes sense for a lot of people who would've been building in ITX set-ups but don't want to go through the hassle of undervolting and fan tuning and careful component selection and bespoke cases with maximum cooling efficiency just to get their rig to work which is an ever increasing issue these days. Just built a rig using old spare parts for a colleague and there's little I could fit in a Raijintek Ophion these days, no AIO support (as it's a none-evo) and limited CPU cooler means I'm not really going to be able to put a lot of modern chips in it, limited gpu bay means I'd struggle with even a xx70 series from the last two gens, never mind above, could say similar about my Aigo Yogo S2 case (aka Darkflash DLH21) which at least fits a 240 AIO but limited GPU depth of 2.5 bays. ATX doesn't make a lot of sense for a lot of people, having a huge case shouldn't be necessary and just wastes a lot of space, so smaller should be the norm for home builds, but ITX getting kinda hosed in the heat department's meaning the middle of the range is making a lot more sense. Least, my hot take.

Huge fan of the mATX factor and I've definitely noticed more interest in the last few months / years. Always thought it's the perfect middle ground between size and function. Add the fact that's it's actually the cheapest to build as well That said, this one us too big. Its bigger than a Fractal North

"Hey Fractal, can I copy your homework?" "Sure, just change it little."

Still rocking the old AIR 240 from Corsair, a case ahead of it's time

Worst case of 2024? With the panels and accesories that should be included in the box, it can go up to 300€... wtf, man. The fact that it doesnt even include a single f*ing fan is outrageous. And these wood panels flex... the list goes on and on

i recently re-built my PC to fit into a mini ITX case. only thing i kept was the CPU and the GPU. everything else was re-purchased. Bought a HYTE Revolt 3 case and I love it. It finally fits nice on my desk instead of being a huge eyesore.

Nice video , any other Micro case you recommend ? any thoughts on the Fractal Design Pop Mini Air, thanks

I've always been surprised that mATX isn't more popular: smaller than ATX, easier to build than ITX, and cheaper than either. I'm quite happy that Corsair is putting stuff forward, because right now I'm rather disappointed in Fractal Design's offering for the form factor. Also, what you were seeing with the PCIe slot's positioning on the mATX mobo is more of a 'TUF Gaming' thing (though I think MSI does this too) rather than an AM5 thing: Gigabyte and ASRock have mATX mobos with more normal positioning of the main PCIe slot.

I like the bamboo, honestly considering it for my next build. Edit: nevermind, not after seeing that price, Corsair moment

I built my latest PC in the North and I love it. It's a wonderful case.

4:36 Id say this is designed for cable extensions like CableMODS that need that extra space so they dont look crowded. Although moving that smaller cutout a bit further out would be nice for covering them up =)

Reminds me of the 1980s where every home appliance would have a wood panel.

Great Video!!!! As a Brazilean now Im going to dream for these to launch here until next year (or copied ones) when I graduate and build my dream PC

what camera do you use to shoot the video? it looks crazy good

About that warning for am5 (same for am4 btw) matx motherboards, this is only the case for certain brands like msi or Asus. Gigabyte or ASRock on the other hand still use the top pcie slot available.

This case totally does look like it is from the 60's/70's. My house as a kid back in the 90's had walls in the basement that looked like this case lol.

i really hope reviewing the new jonsbo/jonsplus z20 matx case it's only around 20l , i mean that's quite impressive . keep up Dimitry ur the best.

I am wondering your thoughts of this versus the Lian Li O11 Air Mini. They are about the same size and I feel like the Air Mini at a lower price with more options for building seems a better case.

Regarding am5 mATX boards with "main pcie slot slightly lower", most MSI boards have this layout. All Asrock's boards have the main pcie slot in the TOP position, Gigabyte and Asus seems to be a 50/50 mix.

I have the original 280x version. I was annoyed that after installing a larger graphics card ( RTX480 ), I could not install the lower or one of the two front fans. After inserting the power cables to the graphics, it is not possible to close the glass sides - that's why I switched to the Thermaltake solution. I was pleasantly surprised by their Divider 200 TG Air .

I have an 011 Dynamic mini and was considering swapping to this as I love the the mix of a black case with wood accents. However seeing the Corsair 2500 is only 4mm mm shorter (Corsair 2500 376 and 011 Dynamic Mini 380) kinda disappoints me that they didn't extend the height to make an ATX motherboard fit.

sorry if it's a bit out of topic, but how can I setup that RGB gold theme? I've been seeing it a lot lately and I really dig it.

The Teak color is the correct natural color. If you're expecting it to be brighter, that's because it's not sun bleached from years of being outside like what was seen on ships.

I feel a bit jebaited by the intro because it seemed to promise something good but then it was all downhill from there. Maybe it's just me but the energy of the intro does not match the overall impressions of the case.

Micro ATX is now the entirety of the mid-range AM5 motherboard market, I've bought two in the last year.

Woah, a matx corsair case?! Id never think id see them make 1

Question though are they actually wood? I can see having issues over a long period of time with warping and cracking from heat? Especially in certain regions

I'd rather have shorter lashes and press points for the panels that I will have to use maybe 30 times throughout the lifespan of the case rather than big lashes and notches stick out of the case. This is clearly not a cost cutting point but a styling decision.

The teak looks great imo

They should've just refined the Air 240/Crystal 280X to be smaller yet more compatible and offered mesh options... I can name as few very clear issues with the 280X (I did really want an Air 240 but they became very hard to find in 2019) First annoyance was the panels were a pain to take off, side was just a pain but there's a method to take it on and off; top is actually very preferable since it blocks dust way better than any other design whilst not blocking any airflow (please take the top dust filter off); front REALLY felt like it was gonna break every single time and often left marks from pulling it off. Second annoyance was the CPU cooler height is just slightly too small for those giant aircoolers (says 150mm but it definitely doesn't fit that) Thirdly the top radiator blocks the CPU power cable grommet, getting a 280mm to fit must be an absolute nightmare; even with a 240mm getting an 8Pin around was tight, keep in mind some boards have more than just 8Pins for the CPU so goodluck Fourth issue isn't that bad but its the front panel io not being one cable Edit: they could've easily fixed most these issues simply but making the main chamber wider and the PSU part thinner

$80 for a panel kit? Would love to try what Corsair is smoking. Meaning if I want a full case, with cable management and obsidian panels, that would set me back 255 dollars without any fans :D

I upgraded from a Corsair 4000D Airflow to a Lian Li 011 Vision. Very happy 😊

This is great news, even if this case isn't a homerun. The trend of smaller cases and smaller mobo's is in full force baby lets goooo

5:00 the cutout is for those "steath" motherboard that put connector or pins at the back

Micro ATX seems like the best bang for buck imo. It's not too much bigger than itx (when you consider the graphics card size nowadays) and it's much cheaper than itx so it's a nice middle ground.

I'd love to see a well thought out Mini-ITX version with wood. Maybe a bit bigger than the terra with room for water cooling. (Macro-ITX?)

There's just too many weird little flaws and extra parts missing for this case to cost that much. I'm planning on building an mATX build next, and this here is gonna have to be a pass for me

A lot of great MATX coming out sadly this isn't one of them. I hope you guys review the new Dan A3 when it's available.

I can't believe this even exist at the same time as the montech king 95. Corsair's pricing feels more and more insane with every product they release lately.

You should do a comparison between this and 280X Crystal.

Ah gr, I was waiting for Dimitri to cover the ATX version of this because it looked so nice on the show floor

What I see is... a 2013 Corsair Carbide 540 + some 'wood paneling' remincent of 1980's motorhome interiors, with a hint of metal mesh from the 2020's. It's not new. But it is nice.

I think there is a trend of growing interest in smaller form factor cases. Every PC I have built in the last few years have been ITX.

Is it advisable to re-use the Corsair Air 540 in 2024? What am I losing if I re-use?

Would love to see a case with a optical drive with wood panel for ultimate home theatre pc

Great review! This case looks like a money grab at best. Thx in the name of science for cutting that wood panel so we can check in detail. I'm using mATX bc I don't have much space on my desk and bc it was substantially cheaper as MB costs are nuts the past few years

We definitely need more mATX

This really reminds me of old wooden audiophile systems, which I always despised. They make you look like some rich old dude, who just listens to music.

Looks good but can use some refinement. Hope they will try again at some point.

wish the 2500 was compatible with atx cases. seems to be a similar size to 011D mini.

I haven't built a system with an ATX board in many years. MicroATX & Mini-ITX make up pretty much all of my systems. With very few exceptions ATX boards are rather pointless these days as they don't actually provide more slots- instead they While it's nice to see more MicroATX case options again, a lot of them seem to be almost really good, but something lets them down. Wood accents are a nice touch, particularly for systems that you want to blend in with furniture, but honestly I'd rather have a template so I could cut it myself or have it cut from whatever wood I want. Or something unfinished that I could stain to match my decor. I'd like to see two types of cases - One for airflow, geared for cooling but not a lot of drives and another geared to hold a lot of 3.5" drives in a logical manner, not stuffed wherever they can put mounting holes. Whoever is designing cases is not thinking about the nightmare of cabling up a case full of drives and it shows. If folks recall the Antec Solo, something like that, but built around 140mm fans front and rear, with an additional 2 or 4 3.5" drive trays and a mesh front for better airflow.

I must have time traveled back to the 90s.

Got that 70's era HiFi aesthetic. Should offer brushed aluminium and carbon weave options. I do like this case overall. Is it three times as good as the Monotech AIR 100 Lite? Nope or 4 X with options.

The Air 240 (which I have) offers more options than this "premium" case. I also have an Air 540 & a 680x and the prices between those two are staggering when they first came out.

I liked the 280x. This seems like that but more expensive for not a ton of extra improvement Also are you sure the cable cutouts don't work if you preroute the cables before motherboard installation?

does the 6500x fit a push pull on the top?

I have been building mATX builds for 15 years, and was excited at first when this case was announced and I saw images. I thought that they addressed some of the issues which the Lian Li 011 Air Mini had (not able to fit 360 radiators). I liked what I saw initially, but as I would see more and more about it, my smile started to go away and interest in the case halted. First is the price. In the state that it is shipped, it needs to be under $100 USD. Most mATX platforms are BUDGET oriented. People that want a smaller build without paying the ITX tax. The case is too large to be an ITX case, unless doing a 3 radiator custom loop. At $160, with no fans or accessories, and poor cable route options... its a pass. The fact that they have all of the planned accessory packages, sold separately when they should be included in the standard scope of delivery of the case is disturbing. In the end, I like what the concept started as, but feel that they missed the mark on many of what makes mATX appealing to build in. If it could support ATX in this size, without sacrificing on radiator space, then it may be justified. But, there are only a handful of mid tier mATX motherboards. And my rule for building is that my case should not cost more than my motherboard. I hope that Corsair can address some of the issues with the design, and pricing. I have been waiting for a case in this layout with all mesh panels, I dislike the aquarium case trends, and glass panels.

I brought a LTT screwdriver because of you. Have not got it yet. Hopefully I will like it.

That pricing is definitely the biggest "oof" for me. That and the fact it's such a large case for an mATX motherboard - I thought the whole point of smaller motherboards was the benefit of not needing such a massive case to hold all the components in (although with how ridiculous in size GPUs have gotten, that has undone a lot of the advantages any way). It IS a good looking case, and I actually prefer the "more wood" appearance and definitely WOULDN'T go with the glass panel option - there are far better and cheaper alternatives if you want glass side and front panels.

Next headline: Corsair has found a way to add a battlepass to their product lineup

In my opinion them making the side intake cover and the "Rapid Route" kit an add on that costs $20 and $15 respectively is inexcusable at its price tag. Especially when they can include those same two things on their 4000D case (granted it doesnt have a side intake cover just a little piece that covers the cable cut outs but its the same idea) and it also has two included fans and costs $55 less than the 2500D.

A case with Down Loadable Content, how does that work? For tangible items it's just called "options" or even Add-ons, not DLC.

Looks pretty good, but Fractal does it better with the wood paneling!

This could a perfect NAS case with all that space in the front.

To me the LIAN LI O11 AIR MINI for $101 and fits ATX at almost the same size would be the better option but even this has draw backs for AIO's. The one thing I don't like with almost all cases is they make the Top holes to small as it is almost always exhaust and 40-50% does not let the air out. To me the best thing all did is to add the top cover but they need to open them up.

This case would be great for a thread ripper micro ATX rig

I just built in the Lian Li o11 air mini. I like the smaller cases, take up less space

The new case line seems like a good start but it clearly needs a revision. The air 240 and even the 280 were better versions even with their flaws.

7:22 whats the name (model) of this slim fan?

I am using a O11 Air Mini and kinda envious with the 360mm/280mm options for a top-mounted radiator. For that, this seems to be a good case. However, Corsair pricing.

To each their own I guess... I've never understood wood in PC cases. If I had to rebuild my PC today I would still go with the 4000D Airflow, nothing but good things to say about that case! (Or ASUS Prime AP201 if it has to be mATX)

It actually could stand to be a half inch wider. The HDD cage really presses against the CPU power cables.

Might consider the north

Finally someone not sugarcoating Corsair. The only products from Corsair that I ever liked and could justify their price was the 5000D airflow and the 7000D airflow. AIO with screamer high pitch pump, noisy fans, all rubbish.

The wood panels are cool. Micro ATX has always been the sweet spot for me.

It's a Corsair Crystal series 280X with a facelift.

The biggest problem with this case is actually an obvious one: size. It's the same size as some ATX enclosures, even dual chamber ones

can you link the pc speakers?

I'm a fan of slick and tall not short and chunky tbh. That's how I like my cases too.

Loving the content as ever from Hardware Canucks! 👍🏼 For some reason I'm just not feeling these designs. They look good and all but nothing new or head turning, also kind it's kinda big for what it is.

This is probably one of the only times where I was surprised by the piece. I expected something like this to be around $200-$250. Was really surprised that it's only $160