Amazon.com: Customer reviews: CORSAIR Crystal 280X RGB Micro-ATX Case, 2 RGB Fans, Lighting Node PRO Included, Tempered Glass

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2018

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: BlackVerified Purchase

So I originally was going for an itx build but poor planning and rushed decisions made me buy this case as the original case was too small. My mistake not to measure every dimension out and I got fed up but ended up happy with this case. A little bit on the heavy size but its still a good medium size case.

+ Nice tempered glass makes everything look nice/design.
+ Back compartment helps me hide all the ugly cables, I don't really need any of the SSD or HDD slots since I only have 1 NVME installed currently.
+ Fan filter galore: front, bottom top, side panels all have magnetic dust covers. Really nice to prolong dust buildup.

- A bit on the heavy side mainly because of tempered glass on front, side, and top.
- My original intent was to put the LL120 RGB fan up front but had to cut all the zip ties that was preinstalled. Kinda annoying if you dont have a wire cutter readily available.
- Tempered glass easy fingerprint.

+/- Tempered glass design/dust filter, you don't have to keep the filters on but it does give a 100-200 lower rpm (guesstimate) resistance.
+/- If you're putting an itx board in this case and you have an AIO or something that uses the onboard USB header, make sure the motherboard has 2 or you have a USB header splitter/hub. The cases's lightning node pro that controls the RGB uses the USB header. My ASUS itx board only had one and I had to control the H115i Platinum as well, so I had to buy a $5-6 splitter. So not really a con if you have a mATX or itx that already has multiple headers.
+/- A lot of hard drive/SSD slots in the back, kinda useless if you only use m.2 drives.

Overall just make sure you plan out your builds first and not rush it like I did when I became an early adopter for the 9th gen Intel. The case is really nice overall and the tempered glass helps with the overall sleek design if you go the RGB way. Kinda on the heavy side but glass is glass lol.

Current setup:
CPU - Intel i7 9700K @5.0GHz
RAM - 16GB Trident Z RAM @4000CL17
MOBO - ASUS Z390-i ROG STRIX
NVME - Samsung 970 EVO 1TB NVMe
GPU - MSI RTX 2070 Gaming Z
PSU - Corsair AX850
Cooler - Corsair H115i RGB Platinum

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Neptune

280X is unique, easy to build and this Seller means what they say...

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2023

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: BlackVerified Purchase

A Corsair Crystal 280X RGB.. $185 Case for $116 shipped to my door, with quote "Minor Box Damage, but product has no damage" and that's exactly what showed up at my door. The box had a couple little scratches but inside was a brand new Corsair 280X case with zero issues.
If you're gonna use this case some things to note..
#1: It's expensive, but take into account it comes with x2 LL120 RGB Fans (Example I was gonna buy a Fractal POP for $80, bought Fractal Aspect-12 RGB Fans for $54=$134, so your not that far off, and though I've had issues with Corsairs Peripherals my last case was a 4000D Air Flow which was the best case for the money hands down. When it comes to cases Corsair really do a great job, and honestly I've yet to build in one of there cases I haven't liked.
#2: It's Micro-ATX or ITX ONLY, I know it looks like it will take a normal ATX MOB but it does NOT.
#3 No Rear Exhaust Fans.. However I believe 60-65mm fans will fit in the small gap in the back, but honestly I'm running x4 LL120 Fans (Bottom & Top Intake)+ Fractal Prism+ S24 AIO x2 120mm Fans (Exhaust out Top) x1 Fractal Aspect-12 Fan for side panel (Do either intake or exhaust) but honestly the case positive pressure is so high i don't see that you'll need anything else.. I've tested small exhaust fans and they don't really do anything.
#4 If you Run An AIO Top Mounted, add some rubber spacers (About 1/4") between the top glass panel to allow the AIO to bleed off it's heat better (That's if you wanna keep the top glass panel)
#5: Wire management is incredible.. The side basement is incredible.
#6: If you're like me and not using HDD or SSD, and remove the both the cages you're gonna have space for days.
#7 The Front Glass Panel.. If you don't like it, google some custom panels people have made of lexan and 3D printing that greatly increase air flow (Looking to build a custom mesh panel myself)

Enjoy it. I build a lot of Gaming PC's every year, enough it's impossible to count and I've come across horrible cases and I come less and less across good cases but building a ITX setup in this was very unique and also very easy, not like a lot of other SFF cases out there.. and believe me when I say the case looks huge in the pictures and though yes it has a girthy foot print it's pretty short and actually kinda small for what it is.

If you end up coming by a deal like a did, and you get the same seller.. If they say it's in good shape then I'd say you can trust them. I fully expected this case to be mangled for $116, but it was perfect.

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Dustin Holub

A REALLY good case that can be made even BETTER

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: WhiteVerified Purchase

It's a great case to introduce to the smaller form factor realm (mini-ITX and micro-ATX). The layout is functional for the most part, good size, quality build, and looks best in white.

Pair this with other white-ish components (B450M Mortar Titanium, ARMOR Radeon RX580 GPU, VENGEANCE PRO White RAM, C7 SFF Fan/Heatsink, RM750X PSU), and you'll have a nice black/white contrast build.

For Corsair:
- Make adjustments to the tempered glass and allow more air flow.
- Bundle the Commander Pro and ditch the Lighting Node.
- There are bits of areas on your case that could be more utilized!
- Switch out the feet for added clearance and better air flow.
- Re-evaluate your promo video for the Crystal 280X, including the use of fans and mATX compatibility. Like a disclaimer or something.

For Customers:
- Installing Windows on an M.2 and storing games/data on 3.5" or 2.5" HDDs? Remove one of the cages; you don't need both.
- Wanting to install 6 case fans? Might want to stick with 4 (2 on front, 2 on top).
- Still want to install 6 case fans? The bottom of the case is very debatable, considering how close they can get to your preferred GPU and/or the pins/headers of your mATX motherboard. Clearance may be an issue here. Same rule applies to radiators.
- There's a reason why AIOs exist in most current builds (especially by YouTubers), and why most builds do NOT have fans installed on the bottom.

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Raed Almulla

Best pc case I owned.

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: BlackVerified Purchase

This case is perfect. Even though it’s small it’s has ample space for everything. And everything looks very neat by placing the power supple and Hdds on the wairing side. Only downside is that it not very compatible with Asus Strix m atx mobo as the front usb 3 connection prevents me from installing cooling fans in the bottom.

Edit April 2019. Adding a custom loop is very difficult in the case. Had to modify some parts to make it work. And I still can’t figure out a way to place the drainer.

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Sam

Almost perfect, ZERO wasted space.

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: BlackVerified Purchase

Mostly fantastic.
It's a great case with NO WASTED SPACE. Exactly what I was looking for.
With a few modifications it's perfect.

I managed to fit a 280 radiator with fans up top, one 140 fan and one 120 radiator with fan in the front. There's less than .5" of clearance between most of these parts, the graphics card and the vrm heat sinks, but that's the entire point of the case and what I was looking for. This is a positive.
It was not the easiest to build in because of the small size but that's just the nature of the beast.
The radiators cover most of the fan real estate so the 140mm fan in the front top and the 2 80mm noctuah fans i added myself in the rear being the only true case fans, I was pleasantly surprised when the average temperature was only 12 degrees C over ambient at idle and only 37 degrees C over ambient (average of all temp sensors on motherboard and a few of my own) under HEAVY load stress tests. This is with an overclocked 2080ti and a heavily overclocked ryzen 2600..

The noise level is decent. I'm using AIO radiators for the majority of things so that cuts down on it a good bit. It's not overly loud, it's just average I'd say, maybe slightly better than average.

Here are my complaints about the case.
The clear panels (besides maybe the top one for some reason) are not glass, but plastic. It is high quality stuff, but I vape a lot, and the smoke sticks to the inside of it much more than it would with glass, and after a few days the front especially will look like someone breathed on a cold window, hazy. Would tempered glass REALLY been that much more expensive?

The case really NEEDS the 2 80mm fans installed in the rear of the case to provide proper airflow. If you use the top only as the exhaust, not only will the small area (because of the very low amount of space between the case and the top clear panel) inhibit this, but you will blow your exhaust back into your intake fans, but it will cause the case to suck in air through the back grate, where there is no filter and disrupting the intended airflow. Not only does the case not come with these fans (I recommend noctua 80mm pwm redux edition) that you really need, it does not have mounting holes or slots for them when there is more than enough room for them, like I said I have them installed in mine. The only reason I can think of for this clear blunder is because corsair DOES NOT MAKE 80mm fans. So unfortunately, you're limited to non RGB ones if you want your case to be consistent with rgb quality. They could have at least provided mounting holes/slots though. This is my only major complaint.

Unless you're building a mini ITX, instead of a micro ATX PC, you will not use the bottom area for fans. You just wont, trust me.

Lastly, the included led controller is... a gimped version of the corsair commander pro fan/led combo controller. I wish the case was a little more expensive and they just put the full version in there so I didn't have to replace it, wasting mine and corsairs money.

That's it! Only minor gripes really, if you can find a micro atx or micro itx board you like, this is the best case. Almost nobody will need more than 2 HDDs, 3 SSDS, and one or two M.2 SSDs (on the motherboard), which it has in the back of the case in nice, hot swapable trays.

If you're worried about clearance issues, dont. It may be an uncomfortably tight squeeze if you use the max size components that this case will fit like I did, but it WILL fit, and thermals will not suffer for it.

TL;DR, I highly recommend this case. It looks good, works good, perfect size.
... just dont forget the 2 80mm fans to go with it.

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Ari Gold

First time gaming PC builder...

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2019

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: BlackVerified Purchase

This case is not only good looking but also extremely functional. Its large back area gives plenty of room to exercise cable management or just shove everything out of sight if you're lazy. The three panel glass system looks great and is an excellent way to show off your rig.

The smaller microATX stature is perfect for those who want a lot of PC punch in a small package. It looks great and isn't some unnecessarily large tower.

The airflow on this case is amazing. I moved both included RGB fans to the top so I could mount a AIO cooler on the front. In the future I will add some more fans to the bottom, since I've noticed my large graphics card blocks some of the airflow down there.

The only issue I found with this case is that the two rear screws that secure the PCI slots in the rear will strip the case under pressure. The screws on mine are crooked now, but its only noticeable to me since I know that I messed it up.

Overall, if you're looking for a small case that is great to look at and very easy to work with, I 100% recommend buying this one.

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Connor

Not a beginner case.

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: WhiteVerified Purchase

I'd give it 4.5 if I could but it's closer to 5 for me.
Preface: I've been building PCs for the better part of the last decade and I can say with 100% certainty this is not a beginner case. This is actually my second mATX build and my first was in the Lian-Li O11 Dynamic. I've set that case aside for a water cooling adventure I plan on taking sometime soon, which is why I bought this case.

Review: I absolutely LOVE how compact it is. There are so few cases that are genuinely creative in their style that are built for mATX in mind. The back is definitely tight and I won't provide a picture of mine because it's a bit of a mess, but I had a much better experience after removing the 3.5" Bay. I personally don't use HDDs any longer and the fact that it was easily removed was a nice touch. It's a little cramped but I personally like how small it is and my thermals haven't taken a dive yet. If I had a spare air-cooler I'd probably opt for that but installing an AIO wasn't really too much of a hassle. All in all I'd say it's easily my second favorite case on the market, second only to Lian. If I had to change anything though. I'd definitely make the front fans more easily accessible.

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Cody Lloyd

Corsair Computer Case: Very Spacious

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2023

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: WhiteVerified Purchase

Bought this for my current parts to get a little more space in my tower. Gotta say this case did more than that. It also provided an extra GPU mount which I will be sure to use in the future.

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Janet

Built a great system with it, but there are repeated quality control issues. Some design oversights.

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2023

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: WhiteVerified Purchase

This case let me build a great system, both in appearance and functionality. It fits all my hardware and doesn't take up much space. I went with a MicroATX motherboard, which fit well, but I had to use slim fans in the bottom or the PCIe x1 slots would be blocked. Getting the front panel and USB connectors at the bottom of the board and then routing them was tricky, as there is very little room there if fans are installed.
(Had to use a slim fan in the top-front position for the top of the AIO, where the hoses are attached, to clear it.)

The appearance is great, and it doesn't take up much room despite fitting all my hardware. Airflow is plenty sufficient for my needs (I am running a 5900X with 2x140mm AIO, push-pull with the AIO's fans and the included front RGB fans, RTX 3060ti, all the fan positions populated.)

Some issues with the manufacturing quality and design:

The non-windowed side panel was bent where the top thumbscrew goes. The result is the thumbscrew provided cannot reach the hole, so I can only secure the bottom thumbscrew and the top of that panel will move if I don't secure it with a piece of clear packing tape. I ordered a replacement panel from Corsair, and it was bent in the same place, but in a slightly different way. The thumbscrew still does not reach, so I will have to buy an aftermarket thumbscrew that is longer to resolve this cleanly.

One of the motherboard standoffs that was preinstalled had no screwhole, instead it had a sort of rounded shape. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, but I think it was a factory error because it seemed to serve no useful purpose, prevented motherboard instalation, and was torqued down so much I needed pliers to remove it. Thankfully I was able to replace it with a proper standoff.

There were a few screw holes elsewhere in the case which had paint in them, or otherwise were stubborn (manufactured out of tolerance?)

Removing the front panel, which is necessary to clean the front dust filter, is difficult. I needed a second person to hold the front panel to ensure it did not go flying and break the glass. The panel DID go flying once and thankfully didn't break upon hitting the floor. After removing it several times, it becomes easier.
The faceplate is held on with those old-fashioned cone-shaped tabs which must be squeezed as the faceplate is pulled away. Three of these on each side, and then (2?) in the middle, which are impossible to reach once my radiator was installed in the front. This approach is 1990s case design or older, an easy thing to install at the factory, but a major pain for the customer to remove. This part of the case needs a redesign.

That said, the side panel, bottom and top fan filters are easy to clean and do not require opening the case or removing the panels.

The preinstalled Lighting Node seems flaky. The included front RGB fans went dark, and didn't illuminate again until I moved it to the other channel. It went dark again, and wouldn't light with either channel. Then I moved the cable to the original port again and it worked. Then the Commander which it plugs into stopped being recognized by the system, and both ends of the USB cable appeared to be connected properly. Spontaneously appeared again, after making no hardware changes. I'm doubtful about the quality control on these devices and intend to switch to motherboard lighting control when I replace the Corsair fans.

Overall, very happy with this case, but it presents some challenges and has some design and quality control issues.

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C

GREAT for Mini-ITX, not so great for mATX

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2019

Style: Tempered GlassSize: 280X RGBColor: WhiteVerified Purchase

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Fair warning: My high butt is a sucker for RGB.

After carefully reading reviews online, I decided to use a Mini-ITX motherboard (ASUS ROG Strix B450-I). Thankfully I did. If you look closely in the pictures, you can see that with a Mini-ITX mobo, there is just enough clearance for the bottom fans and the case cable holes were clearly designed for Mini-ITX. A mATX board would be far too cramped in this case.

My build consisted of the H110i Platinum RGB water cooler, one ML140 fans, two LL140 fans, and two LL120 fans (one of which is on the other side of the case, unpictured). With two fans on the bottom and another two on top, a 240mm radiator will not have enough room for the front as the pipes will not have room. If you can get it to work, you will probably worry about leaks given the tight fit. Anyway, as such I decided to put the ML140 fan and one LL120 fan on the bottom for intake, the H110i on top for exhaust, the two LL140 fans in front for intake, and one LL120 fan in the back for exhaust to help keep that area from getting too hot. With this set up, my CPU (2700x @ 4.2 GHz) maxed out at 35.5 C and my GPU at 65 C with GTA V on max settings for 2 hours--with the tempered glass panels on. This was in CA with an ambient room temp of around 72 F. Air cooling or using an 8700K may be a problem though as the fans do have to work harder to move air with the panels on.

Cable management can be bit of an issue too depending on your build. The holes provided were great, but I ended up routing all the CPU-related wires through the upper left corner, and the GPU wires hard to be routed over the GPU instead of under to avoid the wires touching the bottom fan. However, some of the messiness you see by the GPU is due to the mobo design as the HD audio pins were all the way in the bottom left corner by the GPU. I also think this is due to how small the case is as well.

In the back, you have a 2.5" SSD bay in the upper corner toward the front and a 3.5" HDD bay in the other upper corner. The HDD bay can be accessed from the back (check the pics on the main page) and can also be detached for additional space. The SSD bay can probably be detached as well, but I haven't tried. One issue to note is that while the back panel allows for up to a 140MM fan, you will need to remember to keep that general area clear of wires when the space is already fairly cramped. I would highly recommend a semi- or fully-modular PSU. as you want as few wires in the back as possible. That being said, it's not like you will be playing Tetris at all.

The GPU and other possible PCI/-E components are held up by a smaller pivoting panel in the back held up by 2 screws. This panel has a small bump for where the screw normally would be on the components. You will have to hold the heavier components up (i.e. GPU) while re-screwing this panel back in place otherwise the component may be slightly slanted.

The case also requires one USB3 connector on the mobo. A mobo with a USB3 connector shouldn't be very hard to find at all, but in case you're going for a serious budget-friendly build, you may find some mobos without this connector.

Also, I have often wanted to get the H115i water cooler to replace the H100i cooler since it is 280mm (compatible with the top panel), but I worry about whether or not it would be too cramped with the front fan in place or if it would actually make airflow worse. The case is designed for air to come in from the front and exit through the top, so a larger set of fans would mean intake air will be pulled up much earlier/with more force. In my normal-person mind, I imagine this would make it a bit harder to replace the air in the back with fresher, cooler air or may even create a small low-pressure pocket for outside air to come in. This may be [incorrectly] over-thinking it, but it's still food for thought.

The length of the case only allows for smaller GPUs (< 300mm), so cards like the 2070 Duke or similar will not fit in the case.

One last thing to keep in mind before purchasing: the bottom has very little clearance. As such, avoid putting the case on carpet and maybe invest in a monitor stand to put this case on. I got the Rolodex 82411 Wire Mesh Monitor Stand, which is just the right side for the case. This has helped me cool my GPU much better, and I believe this allows more air to come in from the bottom even if I had put this case on a hardwood floor or something similar.

Beyond all this, this is a great case. I highly recommend this case if you account for all of the above.

-1 star for marketing this case as an mATX when an mATX build would not be very good in this case.

================
Specs:
Ryzen 7 2700x @ 4.2GHz
Asus ROG Strix B450-I
MSI RTX 2080 Ventus OC
G.Skill TridentZ RGB RAM 2x8GB
H100i RGB Platinum CPU Water Cooler
Seasonic Focus Gold 650W

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