Jump to content

Case Review - Corsair Graphite Series 230T (rebel orange)

Corsair Graphite Series 230T (rebel orange)
 
Specs:

  • 565mm x 270mm x 490mm
  • 7 expansion slots
  • ATX Midi tower; Mini-ITX, micro-ATX, ATX mobo
  • Ext. 3x 5.25“, int. 4x 3.5“, 4x 2.5“
  • 6 fan mounts (2x 120mm LED front, 1x 120mm rear (pre-installed); 1x 120mm or 140mm bottom, 2x 120mm or 140mm top (optional))
  • Front I/O: 2x USB 3.0, 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack, power and reset button
  • Available colors (LEDs): orange (orange) , black (red), grey (blue)
  • Max GPU length: 360mm
  • Max PSU length: 200mm (ATX)
  • Max CPU cooler height: 165mm
  • Official supported AIO water cooling: (120mm single rad) Corsair H55, H60, H75, H80i

A little background on this purchase
I bought this case earlier this year as part of my first self-assembled build. I decided to try a self-assembled desktop PC because my old one just died after about 7 years and I needed a replacement ASAP. Pre-assembled desktop PCs have either a terrible price-to-performance ratio or I would’ve had to get it shipped (not a fan of getting electronics shipped). I have to admit I haven’t really followed what has going on since I got my last PC, so I had to catch up really fast on a whole bunch of information (even basics). Unfortunately I didn’t discover Linus’ YouTube channel and forum until after I bought all the parts for my new PC, so I might have paid a bit more than necessary and maybe even purchased not the best parts for my money. But: the case is definitely not one of them.
The reason I went with this case is because I wanted something that stands out. I’ve had black and grey cases for about the last 15 years and I really got sick of it. I didn’t really know much about the reputations of the different manufacturers, where the differences are (in quality and specific use) and what features are important (especially with upgrading in mind).
 

 ejPaE13.jpg
 
 
Exterior
The 230T of Corsairs Graphite Series is an ATX midi tower and often tagged “budget” (which shows its reasons later in this review). It fits for motherboards sized mini-ITX, micro-ATX and ATX and comes with the standoffs pre-installed. On the front are 3x 5.25” drive bays, front I/O (2x USB 3.0, power and reset button, and microphone & headphone jack; all cables are sleeved black and long enough to easily reach the ports on the motherboard) as well as a dust filter. Behind the dust filter (which is unfortunately attached to the front panel and can’t be removed) are 2x 120mm LED fans mounted (all fan locations – front, bottom, rear, top - have rubber grommets to reduce vibration). The color of the LEDs (as well as the color of the power and HDD LED) depends on the color of the case: orange (orange LEDs), black (red LEDs), grey (blue LEDs); also, they can’t be turned off. To remove the front panel you have to remove both side panels (which slide off back to front and are held in place by a thumbscrew on each side). The left side panel comes with a window that’s slightly arrow shaped and narrow, so it only shows the area of the motherboard and PSU (cables are completely hidden). On the back of the case are the cutout for the PSU (on the bottom), 7 expansion slots (which are secured by thumbscrews on the inside of the case), the cutout for the I/O shield and a mounting place for 1x exhaust 120mm fan (which is pre-installed, without LEDs). On the bottom we find a dust filter for the PSU (which can be oriented either with the fan facing up or down) as well as a mounting place for a 120mm or 140mm fan (unfortunately without a dust filter). The top of the case is perforated and offers mounting holes for 2x 120mm or 2x 140mm fans.
 
 5r8hBdk.jpg


Interior
In the front of the case are the 2x 120mm fans located. The one near the bottom unscrews on the front while the one above is a bit tricky to unscrew: you need a long Philips screwdriver for the lower screws which can only be reached through the 2.5” drive bays (kind of impractical when you want to switch the front fans more often). The drive cage offers 4x 3.5” and 4x 2.5” slots which can be mounted tool-less, although SSDs placed in the 2.5” bays will wiggle around a bit, while the 3.5” drives are held in place by spikes (same goes for the 5.25” bays). However, you can secure them with screws which come with the case. As mentioned before, the motherboard standoffs are pre-installed for ATX-sized motherboards (I forgot to check if they can be removed; also, my ASRock mobo is labeled ‘ATX’ but narrower than others). The motherboard tray is pretty stiff and the cutout fairly big, so there should be no problems when installing an aftermarket CPU cooler after the motherboard is already installed. On the motherboard tray we also find 4 cutouts for cable management (2x on the right side of the motherboard, 1x under it, right next to the PSU, and 1 x on the top for the 8pin connector; although, when installing 140mm fans on the top, the cutout for the 8pin connector might be blocked). Sadly, the cutouts for the cables lack rubber grommets but the edges are fold (just like any other edges of the case inside) so the cables (and your fingers) stay undamaged. It’s possible to fit all cables from non-modular PSU between the motherboard tray and the side panel, but it might be kinda tricky and require a bit of planning (also, the zip tie loops might not be enough; I bought some self-adhesive sockets to add a few more fixation points). If the space should not suffice you can always shove the cables in the 5.25” drive bay.
 
 e2z0Q9I.jpg


Accessories & quality
Along with the warranty card and spec sheet comes a box (labeled ‘200R’) with different screws (all assorted in different zip bags; HDD, SSD, fan long, fan short).
Being a case for under 100$/€, it doesn’t feel cheap. The chassis is sturdy and has a nice weight to it.
 
 hYdFg06.jpg


Upgradability
It is possible to fit a compact high-end config inside of this case (as long as the GPU isn’t longer than 360mm and the CPU cooler bigger than 165mm; Linus showed it in his review of the case), but be aware that it might get a bit tight and warm with more than one GPU and a bunch of HDDs blocking one front fan. Fortunately, with 6 fan mounts in total, high temperatures shouldn't be an issue. Water cooling on the other hand has its limitations. It is possible to fit a small custom loop inside the case (a bit of modding and dedication is required) but Corsair only lists their H55, H60, H75 and H80i AIO water cooling units to fit in this case (-> 120mm single rads mounted as rear exhaust). Thin dual 120mm rads are possible too, but you’ll need to mount the fans on top, outside of the case (clearance from the top of the case to the motherboard is only about 1.3”). So, unless you are experienced and have the parts already at home, an AIO water cooling unit seems light the best/easiest solution if you aren’t fond of air cooling. Oh, and a dual 120mm rad will most likely block the top of your ODD bay.
 
Conclusion
The Corsair Graphite 230T is a solid case I would buy over and over again (mainly for the looks). Of course there are some tradeoffs at this price but for under 100$/€ it's hard to find a case of good quality that doesn't look generic. It's ideal for beginners or people who want a flashy looking mid-tower case.


Pros
  • Paintjob (not very likely to just peel off)
  • 3 different colors (orange, black, grey)
  • huge storage capabilities (8 drives in total)
  • side window only shows "important" parts (mobo, GPU, PSU)
  • tool-less installation (5.25", 3.5", 2.5")
  • comes with 3 fans (2x LED)
  • all-black front panel cables
  • big cutout in motherboard tray
  • nice quality

 

Meh

 

  • not much space between case and ground

 

Cons

  • no rubber grommets on cable passthroughs
  • limited options for water cooling
  • dust filter non-removable from front panel
  • no dust filter on bottom fan mount
Edited by Balverine
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

This was a very good and informative review. The last one that I saw about this case was just awful. 

 

Now I can look at the case without feeling bad.

Potatoes are good for your nostrils.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Great review. I like it. :D

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

Spoiler

Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

Spoiler

Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Great review, but the top fan towards the front should be removed for better temps and air flow

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks a bunch, guys! I'll try to add more information to the review in case I forgot something to mention.

I just thought that Linus' review wasn't as in-depth as I wished it was and it seems like this case doesn't get quite the attention it deserves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×