Corsair Crystal 280X RGB Video Review

Cases designed for high air flow are a rare breed these days, with liquid coolers ruling the roost in most high-end builds. The all new Corsair Crystal Series 280X RGB is one that might have you again considering air cooling in your next rig.

If you were a fan of the Carbide Air series from Corsair over the last number of years, this appears to be a spiritual successor to them. There are some very obvious similarities, such as the two chamber design which gives both cases their rather unique looks.  Gone are the acrylic side panel and mesh front from the Carbide cases… and in comes tempered glass panels, three of them in total. The Corsair Crystal Series 280X RGB is available as either a bare chassis for an asking price of $110 or with a pair of LL120 RGB fans with dual-color loops and an included Lighting Node Pro controller available for just $50 more. A two pack or fans with that Lighting Noe Pro controller is typically $100 on their own, so not a bad deal at $159.

This is a Micro ATX case and is primarily designed for high airflow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use all-in-one liquid coolers in here.  The Corsair Crystal Series 280X RGB has support for dual 120 or 140mm fans on the top, front, and bottom of the case, although that last one is a bit questionable, as there are a number of clearance issues with the Front I/O headers on my motherboard.  Your mileage may vary with these though.

I’m a big fan of the new 280X.  Airflow is great, with my Ryzen 5 2600 6-core holding a rock solid 62C with the fans barely spinning up passed their idle speed, all thanks to my added fan controller and a pair of 140mm Phanteks fans.  So it’s easy to build in, cool, quiet, and man do those tempered glass panels look fantastic. This is a solid offering from Corsair that will look good with just about anything you put in it. And for $159 with the Lighting Node Pro RGB kit, or $109 without, the Corsair Crystal Series 280X RGB can be a fantastic foundation for your next build.