Corsair Crystal 280X RGB mATX Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 6 years ago

Final Thoughts

How Much Does it Cost?

The standard Corsair 280X is priced at just $109.99, and comes with all the glass but lacks the RGB fans and the control hubs. That’s a pretty great deal overall. However, if you want to dip into the Corsair lighting hub features and the two fans, it’ll cost you $159.99. Again, that’s a good deal, as it would be more expensive to add them later. Unfortunately, we don’t have retail links, as we’re writing this review pre-launch and if you’re reading this on launch day, we’ll be in Taiwan at Computex to see the launch of this chassis, woo-hoo!

Overview

Corsair can do no wrong, or at least it certainly seems that way. The Crystal 280X and the 280X RGB are without a doubt some of the best looking mATX chassis we’ve seen in a long time. There’s a fantastic design here that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but certainly offers plenty of attention to detail to keep it feeling new and fresh. Again, the design still bears a few features and designs we’ve seen throughout the Corsair range, so it feels familiar and will pair up nicely with the rest of their range.

Features, And Lots Of Them!

Great things really do come in small packages today, as the 280X RGB is crammed full of cool features. One of the most obvious is that lovely RGB lighting tech. The two included fans are Corsair’s current flagship models, and offer lots of cool effects and cooling efficiency too. Add to that the two hubs that allow you to take your RGB to the next level. Everything is here to expand with RGB lighting strips and more RGB fans from Corsair. Then you’ve got easily accessible dust filters on every intake, removable hard drive bays (which are also tool-free), a dual-chamber design, routing grommets, radiator support, and the list just goes on and on.

Build Quality

The best part of the 280X is how well it is made. It’s the little details, like the easily accessible thumb screws to remove hard drive bays, well-placed routing holes, magnetic dust filters, etc. All of this means you can strip down and rebuild the chassis in minutes, making it easy to maintain your rig. The addition of three tempered glass windows are welcome too, and the fit on to an impressively strong and robust frame. It may be small, but this chassis has some meat to it, and it is quite heavy but in a reassuring way.

Should I Buy One?

It’s not a particularly cheap chassis, but overall I think it’s still very good value for money. You do get what you pay for here, and paying a bit more for a steel construction chassis, lots of tempered glass and RGB lighting is no bad thing. You can get similar looking chassis’ for less but expect more plastic, and less premium grade fans, filters and glass. The Corsair 280X RGB is one of the best mATX chassis money can buy.