CORSAIR CARBIDE SPEC-01 Mid-Tower Gaming Case, Red LED Fan

This is easily the most well built and designed case I've ever worked with, though to be fair it's been years since I built a pc. It isn't the easiest to work in however, only because it's size is a bit cramped inside. I choose to install the psu first which went without a hitch. I especially liked the wide, dust filtered opening on the bottom for the psu fan to get fresh air from underneath the case. I installed an MSI z71 Gaming 7 atx board and really liked how the board mounting studs were pre-installed in the case. However, it was difficult to get the uppermost left screw in because of my board's design coupled with the fact that the board sits right at the very top of the case, where only a short, thin, magnetic screwdriver can access the mounting hole and get the screw in properly. If they had just added half an inch to the height of the case this would be a non issue. Next in was a hyper 212 Evo cpu cooler which I chose to mount vertically with air being blown to the back of the system. This is a huge cooler and just barely clears the window panel, but it does clear it. I believe it could have also been installed blowing upward without issue. It looks like two 120mm fans on the top of the case should clear fine with the hyper 212 mounted vertically but I can't confirm as I don't have any installed there currently. My gtx 960 fit easily with room to spare so no issues with longer video cards. It did however take me a minute to figure out that you need to remove the plate that goes over all the pci ports behind the case (2 screws) before the card was able to drop in nicely. I liked how incredibly easy it was to add two optical drives. I literally just popped the covers off and slid the drives in until they clicked into place perfectly aligned with the case. The hard drive solution in this case was very nice too with the drives mounted sideways (ports facing away from the windowed door with wires out of sight for a clean look). I simply needed to mount my 2.5" Samsung Evo 850 to the tray with the supplied screws, no third party bracket needed. My 3.5" drive clipped right in without tools and I still have space for two more drives if I want. Others have complained about cable management but I had no problems tucking wires away whatsoever. It seems people's main gripe is the access hole for the cpu power cable not being useable, but there's a trick to it. You simply have to run the wire through the hole before you install the board. I really liked all the access holes to run cables behind the board and my system came out very neat. The case even came with zip ties and I only used one. All in all, this case was fairly decent to work with and less troublesome than cases that have cost me twice as much.As far as features go it has a front high speed USB 3.0 port (and a 2.0 port and hd audio jack). It came with a silent red led 120mm fan installed up front (behind a built in dust filter) pushing air through the case with room for one more underneath it (also with a built in filter), and it can house a total of five 120mm fans. The case material is very sturdy and not easily dented like other cases I've worked with. The finish is a textured matte black and the window is tinted which is a really nice touch. The red theme in front looks great and will only look better with a second red fan installed. The only thing I want to add besides the rear exhaust and second front 120mm fans is 2 dust filters on top of the case, regardless of if I put fans up there or not because the air holes are pretty wide and lots of dust can get in up top.In the end, I really love this case and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for high quality at a great price. I always knew corsair could make great RAM, but I never would have thought they would do such a great job building cases.

Airflow: 5/5 THE HYPER 212 EVO WILL FIT IN THIS CASE. There is also the option of installing a 240mm radiator in the front at the expense of the drive bay. Both of these statements are supported by my own testing, not the word of others. There is a dust filter build into the front panel that covers the 2x 120mm fan slots, and a removable dust filter for the power supply fan slot.Quality: 4/5 The side panels are on the flimsy side, I've had to bend them back a few times after handling them. The window is great, hasn't scratched. The front panel is sturdy plastic. The case itself is very sturdy as well. No sharp corners on the interior of the case. Plastic stands are what knocked off a star, rubber would be much more appreciated.Cable Management: 4.5/5 You might have to work for it, but cable management potential in this case is great. There is space between the powersupply and the drive bays at the bottom of the case so any unused cables from a non-modular will have a home where they can lay unnoticed, as you cannot see them with the side panel on. Plenty of zip-tie anchors to route cables.Other: The included fan is audible, but I do not mind it. In the pull configuration it is ideal to have it in, since it is on the front panel, it doesn't do much to illuminate the interior of the case. Most of the light goes to the outside of the case.Recommendations/Notes:CX series power supply. The paint coating on the CX series power supplies is identical to the coating on the case, and they are budget friendly. The cables are also sleeved, which is a great feature at the price point. There is also a CX(XXX)M series for those that demand modular power supplies.Hyper 212 Evo or H60i CPU coolers. Both options are equally sensible. The Hyper 212 Evo is more budget friendly, but you could mount the H60i on the front panel, where it would benefit a dust filter, and mount the included LED fan on the back panel, where it's light would be facing the interior of the case.I would recommend looking at the 88R case as well. Both are made by Corsair and are in the Carbide series, the 88R just seems to have a better designed interior and professional aesthetic as well.I think this case would be great to house an APU such as the A10 7870K. If you want a budget build, the A10 7870k is great for games like World of Tanks and CS:GO but it can play battlefield 4 at 1080p at ~30FPS WITHOUT A DISCRETE GRAPHICS CARD so it's sweet deal for those looking to game casually.