Corsair Carbide Series AIR 740 Cube Case Review @ [H]

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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Corsair Carbide Series AIR 740 Cube Case Review - Corsair is back with another cube type case this time in its Carbide AIR series. The model AIR 740 is a big steel case that has a big footprint, and along with that comes a spacious interior that will lend itself to just about any amount of hardware you want to install and Corsair has its sights set on excellent cooling for all that hardware.
 
I still need a 5.25" drive bay for Blu-Rays. If UHD Blu-Ray drives ever come to the PC (or if the firmware update rumors hold any water) that need will continue.
The 540 is still a better choice for me as a result.
 
Same for me - I still have occasion to need a 5.25 drive bay - mostly for Blue Rays. My AIR 540 is a great case, and this looks even better except for the missing drive bay.
 
I'd be really tempted to try moving the feet and put it on its side if I got one. Less stress on heavy video cards and better view of the internals if you have it on the floor instead of on a desk.
 
The 740 doesn't have fan filters on the top, kinda sucky imho.

I still use a bluray drive to rip movies, seeing this disappear was a huge disappointment.

This case should house enough room to be a small server, it's literally like they didn't know what to do with the other side.

Overall, few improvements on the original, but not enough to make it notable.
 
Love my 540 case. This one looks pretty meh/blah visually. And I used to not give a crap about how a case looks. :D
 
Gonna go cube just deal with the beast that is the Core X9. A bunch of room for whatever you want and everything is reversible. Plus you get 3 x 5.25’’.
 
Wow, that looks sweet. I really like CoolerMaster cases, but this is pretty incredible for options.
 
Although I am completely satisfied with my 540 (in my sig), if I needed a larger case for stuffin mo' stuff inside, I have no doubt this would be at the top of my list of choices...
 
Have to say I've become quite a fan of the 540/740 style. In fact I'm having a hard time choosing.
  • Is the 740 truly larger on the inside than the 540? (+ if it is)
I wish they'd managed to make something
  • Larger interior H and D wise but just a bit more
  • Kept the simplicity of a front panel over the fans that facilitates cooling
  • Kept the 2x bays, 1 disc reader is still used a lot here and 1 bay can be "other" be anything even a 3rd HD bay if you didn't need anything showing
  • Added the nice handle based, hinged window door
  • Kept the 3.5" bottom drive mounts as at least an "option"

Oh well I continue to be undecided but I think I have to lean a bit to the 540. 740 sure is very nice so it's a Hard decision :)
 
I did a quick comparison of the two a few months ago and if they're different sizes, it's only by the tiniest of margins.
The 740 probably looks a hair more elegant (mainly with the front panel and cleaner side door) but it's missing the option for easy dual hard-drive hookups and a 3.5" optical disk drive. I *do* still use my Blu-Ray drive here and there, so I haven't given up on the idea.
Both have roughly the same fan setup and the same SSD cage, although the power supply orientation is different. No clue which is better/worse, but I've never had an issue with the 540's lower placement.
As a 540 owner, there isn't any compelling reason to swap. Even 4+ years later, it's far and away the best case I've ever owned. Everything is tool-free, there's a ton of room to work, it has great cooling options, and things are located where you want them to be.
 
Thanks for the tips :) I don't need a lot of bays, but don't really want to give up on them completely. I think the air filter (intake) on the 540 is a bit easier to get to and clean. Anyway very grateful that pretty much it's 2 sides of the same coin aside from the bays.
 
Good review on the Corsair Air 740:)

But it would have been better IMO if :

1. Corsair should have added a tempered glass door (but they went with a plastic door that will scratch easy also that big old Retro style handle what was they thinking of!)
2. Added more dust filters at the top and bottom what would that have cost now days!
3. Made it like a real Cube so you can add a 120mm fan at the back and not a 90mm fan
4. Added another HD rack (for those who have 6 or more HD)
5. Made a 5.25 bay for those who have media players,

It could have been much better but they went for a cheaper design mostly all plastic only one part is metal is the body Corsair makes some good products but this mini Cube must be design by teenager.
 
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I think a more durable panel could have been used without resorting to tempered glass which is really heavy.
 
The 540 had been on my short list, really like the idea of a cube case but wasn't sure if I'd have the desk space available for it (which I now know would've been fine).

Not a huge fan of the 740s grill look, personally, but can't argue that space. It's like a tank. Mind you, there's a Thermaltake case that's a behemoth and cube-like, but pricey.
 
I actually wish there was a version of the 540 (or 740) without the window. I don't need or want to see a bunch of blinking or shining lights in the corner of my eye. Ditto with "Geforce" shining all of the time.
I'd rather just have another black metal door on the left side, too.
 
Domingo said:
I actually wish there was a version of the 540 (or 740) without the window. I don't need or want to see a bunch of blinking or shining lights in the corner of my eye. Ditto with "Geforce" shining all of the time.
I'd rather just have another black metal door on the left side, too.
Click to expand...

You could buy the 540/740 and spray it black on the window it will be easy because both of the cubes are plastic window job done no more lights also use black tape on the LED light & HD light better to cover everything just in case that little light shows in the corner of your eye:), you got to be careful we can't have you freaking out.:eek:
 
You could always just get a spare back panel for the 540 as it will fit on both sides of the case.

I wouldn't mind a spare windowed panel to toss on the backside of my 540, especially if I do go with a custom loop, but that would mean I'd actually have to manage that side of the case!
 
oh god that front bezel....

the air 540 was nice with it's flat face but the grille was unsightly...

why not a formed flat mesh and flat face like the 540?

that thing looks like a tipped over Hummer
 
Has anyone had the 740 long enough to know if those front clips get any easier to work with over time? I'm pretty much decided on this case but having to remove the front panel to get at the air filter that will need regular cleaning in my house (we have wall to wall carpet all over) is likely to mean regular access to the filter will be needed. I think that's my only gripe left, a slide out air filter in some direction like they do on the 570 and 500D would have been so helpful. Going to let the kids help build it too. Should be fun!
 
why not just make a bigger version of the 540? That case was considered perfection on so many levels. That front is completly fucking ugly when the 540 look was perfect. I swear Corsairs design team must no longer have any talent. Their AIOs look terrible now, their ram looks terrible, and now their cases look terrible. If i ran corsiar, the person that came up with design and the person that signed off on this design beyond the draft stage would be filling for unemployment right now.
 
Anemone said:
Has anyone had the 740 long enough to know if those front clips get any easier to work with over time? I'm pretty much decided on this case but having to remove the front panel to get at the air filter that will need regular cleaning in my house (we have wall to wall carpet all over) is likely to mean regular access to the filter will be needed. I think that's my only gripe left, a slide out air filter in some direction like they do on the 570 and 500D would have been so helpful. Going to let the kids help build it too. Should be fun!
Click to expand...

That was just one problem for my Air 740 the front panel clips got easy bent having to clean the filter a few times also the bottom was a pain because I had fans, then it was the top, to top things off the side window got easy scratch up just cleaning it, In the end I got fed up with this so I buy the TT900 from Thermaltake much easy to clean the filters on the side also top and bottom, and been glass it won't get scratch.

But I wasted my money on a Air740 that I only had for 4 to 5 months won't buy again in future.
 
50Cal said:
That front is completly fucking ugly when the 540 look was perfect. I swear Corsairs design team must no longer have any talent. Their AIOs look terrible now, their ram looks terrible, and now their cases look terrible. If i ran corsiar, the person that came up with design and the person that signed off on this design beyond the draft stage would be filling for unemployment right now.
Click to expand...

Maybe it was a student trainee design in Asia Corsair liked it because it was cheap to build, but cost more for the consumer so they made a profit IMHO:)
 
Am in a bit of a pickle, potentially looking for a new chassis.

Asked this elsewhere too, bit of luck maybe i'll get an answer before Saturday;
Got a 264mm GPU and a 76mm rad/fan combo. Total of 340mm.
Specs state a "maximum" of 330mms for a GPU, except i'm not sure if this is with the stock fans mounted, or like, a proper maximum? Nothing at all in the front?

Yes, it sounds dumb. Yes, i'd still appreciate it if someone knowing the answer would reply :)
 
Aenra said:
Am in a bit of a pickle, potentially looking for a new chassis.

Asked this elsewhere too, bit of luck maybe i'll get an answer before Saturday;
Got a 264mm GPU and a 76mm rad/fan combo. Total of 340mm.
Specs state a "maximum" of 330mms for a GPU, except i'm not sure if this is with the stock fans mounted, or like, a proper maximum? Nothing at all in the front?

Yes, it sounds dumb. Yes, i'd still appreciate it if someone knowing the answer would reply :)
Click to expand...

I had a GTX1080 TI large GPU in this case and there was more room, also I had a large Be quite CPU cooler three 120mm in front and two 140mm top & bottom, if you have a Watercooler GPU you can fit it if you don't have a larger CPU cooler but if your CPU cooler is smaller or you have an AIO 240 no problem. Then you will face another problem when you want to clean the front filter the metal pins on the front cover get bent easy also lose and then the side windows get scratch easy when cleaning it. plus it can only hold 3 HHD.

That's why I change my Air 740 for a TT900
 
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AORUS thank you very much dude, i appreciate it.

For future reference, i've also got a reply in the official Corsair forums; user with longer GPU than mine (266mm) and a 78mm rad/combo told me he's still room to spare.
 
Nice case... but I still love my Air 540!
Big and airy. I do wish that it supported more than two 3.5" HDD's, though (like this case does)
/the drive bay connectors are cheap though, I broke one yesterday pulling the drives out - had to wire it directly afterwards :/
 
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