Corsair Graphite Series 600T Mid-Tower Case Long-Term Review @ ModSynergy.com
By: Michael Phrakaysone
Among choosing components when building a computer system, one must choose what type of chassis they will be using. Some may believe they can cheap out when purchasing a PC case, but the type and quality of PC case you choose makes a lot of difference in your actual building experience, future expandability, and also overall system performance when you factor in things such as airflow, temperatures and noise. Choosing a PC case also allows you to pick your own personal style, I mean who wants to use old boring beige computer cases?
I was given the opportunity to review and fully test one of Corsair’s latest entries into the mid-tower case lineup, dubbed the Graphite Series, I will be sharing with you about the 600T and what it means to this segment. Given what people know about Corsair and their premium brand label, coupled with their innovation, style and performance oriented nature, I was eager to see what the Corsair 600T would be all about.
About Corsair
Meeting Performance Computing Demands since 1994
Corsair is a global company bringing innovative, high-performance components to the PC gaming market. Specializing in very high performance memory, ultra-efficient power supplies, and other key system components, our products are the choice of overclockers, enthusiasts, and gamers everywhere.
Founded as Corsair Microsystems in 1994, Corsair originally developed Level 2 cache modules for OEMs. After Intel incorporated the L2 cache in the processor with the release of its Pentium Pro processor family, Corsair changed its focus to DRAM modules, primarily in the server market. In 2002, Corsair began shipping DRAM modules that were specifically designed to appeal to computer overclocking enthusiasts. From its roots in high-performance memory,
Corsair has expanded its award-winning product portfolio to include ultra-efficient power supplies, builder-friendly cases, ground-breaking CPU coolers, blazing-fast solid-state drives, and other key system components.
Corsair has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships. Corsair’s products are sold to end users in over sixty countries worldwide, primarily through leading distributors and retailers.
Corsair Graphite Series 600T Product Overview
The Graphite Series 600T is a sleek, streamlined case designed to bring full tower functionality to the mid tower market. With four 5.25" bays, six hard drive bays with full SSD compatibility, an innovative cable routing system, and fantastic cooling from dual 200mm white LED fans, the Graphite Series 600T is the stylish and easy way to building the ultimate gaming PC.
The Graphite Series™ 600T makes it easy to build a world-class gaming system. With excellent cooling from the dual 200mm fans, eight PCI-E expansion slots to accommodate multiple graphics cards, and plenty of room for large, power-hungry components, the Graphite Series 600T can handle just about anything you can throw at it.
Mid-Tower Size, Full-Tower Features
The Graphite Series 600T is a mid-tower in height, but inside it’s positively cavernous. Easily accommodate even the longest graphics cards in the industry due to the reconfigurable hard drive bays. The increased space behind the motherboard tray allows clean, uncluttered cable routing. Up to six hard drive caddies, each of which can accommodate SSDs and standard mechanical disks, sit below the four 5.25" tool-free optical drive bays. If that weren’t enough, you can remove the top panel 200mm fan and install a 240mm radiator and dual 120mm fans for a quick water-cooling upgrade.
Features for Builders
Corsair innovated cable routing with the Obsidian Series™ cases, and the Graphite Series features the same ingenious design. Pre-cut holes in the motherboard tray with rubber grommets and plenty of room behind the motherboard to route cables for a clean, uncluttered interior. The optical drive bays are tool-free, the side panels easily detach with the built-in latch mechanisms, and the integrated fan controller allows you to choose between quiet operation or maximum cooling performance.
Corsair Graphite Series 600T Product Features
- Twin 200mm cooling fans with white LEDs for excellent cooling
- Eight expansion slots provides you flexibility for multiple graphics card solutions
- Unique cable routing holes guarantees you a clean and clutter-free installation
- Integrated fan controller, for up to four fans, gives you the choice of noise vs. performance
- Tool-free optical drive installation makes building your system faster than ever
- CPU back plate cutout makes upgrading your CPU heatsink easy
- 2.5” and 3.5” hard drive compatibility for up to 6 drives — straight out of the box!
- Two year warranty with Corsair’s world-class customer service and technical support
Corsair Graphite Series 600T Product Specifications
- Warranty: Two years
- Dimensions: 20" (H) x 23.3" (L) x 10.4" (W) - (507mm x 592mm x 265mm)
- MB Support: ATX, mATX
- Expansion Slots: 8
- Form Factor: Mid-tower
- Material: Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces
- Drive Bays: (x4) 5.25" (x6) 3.5"/2.5" Drive Caddies
- Cooling: (x2) 200mm Fans w/White LEDs (x1) 120mm Fan
- Front I/O: (x4) USB 2.0 (x1) USB 3.0 (x1) IEEE1394 (x1) Headphone, (x1) MIC
- Power Supply: ATX (not included)
First Impressions
When you first see the box that the 600T from Corsair comes shipped in, you cannot help think that it’s rather large, rather similar in size to a full-tower PC case. The first time I held the box, I really thought Corsair sent the wrong case to be reviewed. It was only until I set it down and saw the specs and image on the corrugated box that I realized this had to be one of the largest, if not the largest, mid-tower PC cases I’ve ever seen.
The corrugated box that the 600T comes in is standard, but also features a monochrome image of the actual product, some features and specifications of the PC case on the sides of the box. Open the box and you find really good protection to prevent any bumps and bruises to the PC case from shipping related mishaps. Remove the foam protection and uncover the 600T from the cloth bag and all is revealed.
The Corsair 600T is exactly the type of product James Bond would use. The design is not over the top, but rather elegant and down to business. It exudes function over form in its lines and demeanor. On the outside, the 600T doesn’t provoke with wild flaring designs, but it looks grown up and down to business with the whole front and top of the case being well ventilated with its mesh grille design. These grilles also have the ability to be removed for making cleaning of dust easier.
Take a look around the 600T and you won’t see a single Phillips screw, making it visibly clear that tool-less design is being used throughout the Corsair 600T. Even the side panels have no use for them, but Corsair opts for a pull down/up lock mechanism, which I find works very well. The side panel is made from steel, although not the thickest, it gets the job done and cuts the weight down to a minimum. Vibrations are really not of a concern.
Construction wise, most of the Corsair 600T is comprised of steel and ABS plastic facing for the trim and edges. Even though no fancy aluminum is used, construction and fit and finish of the 600T is top-notch. Inside the accessories are taped down to prevent damage from shipping and everything is organized neatly.
On the exterior of the 600T, Corsair opts with an all-graphite theme, hence the series name. The color looks fantastic and if you look closely, small specks are included to make a textured look.
Presence is something that the Corsair 600T has in spades as it’s just big, wide, and tall. The bottom of the 600T has rubber feet that stick out a couple of inches to make it stable and prevent sliding on a table.
Let’s go around the 600T, first starting off with the front of the PC case. At the front we have a full mesh perforated metal grille. The 600T supports up to four 5.25” drive bays that can be used for Blu-Ray and DVD internal drives. Just below these faceplates is a lower front mesh section with the Corsair badge at the bottom. This piece can be easily removed by pressing on the top section, and pulling it out towards you. Dust can be cleaned from this area. You’ll see one of the included 200mm case fans that is capable of 92CFM @ 1000RPM while being quiet at only 28.8dBA. White LED’s on this fan make it shine through the mesh.
To the top we can find another top mesh section that is able to be easily removed such as the front. Once this mesh is taken out, you can clean dust on top of the 600T and revealed is the second 200mm case fan. Within this compartment you are able to install a 240mm radiator (dual 120mm fan radiators) that is part of the Corsair Hydro Series water-cooling setup. Corsair has really thought out everything and it shows because of the flexibility of what is possible.
Closer to the front edge are a number of connectivity options such as four channel fan speed controller dial, four USB2.0 ports, USB 3.0 port, headphone/MIC jack, FireWire port, recessed power and reset buttons, and LED indicators for power and activity.
Coming to the rear of the 600T things are a bit different from a conventional PC case. Whereas with a normal PC case the power supply is located at the top of the tower, but with the 600T, the power supply is located at the bottom of the tower. Corsair (and other manufactures) believes this design change helps airflow around the system. There are eight removable and reusable expansion bay covers that are fastened down with black thumbscrews.
Beside these are two exposed holes covered with grommets and allows you to route either water-cooling tubes or the front USB 3.0 panel cable to the rear I/O back plate on the motherboard.
Note: The front USB 3.0 panel cable that is included with the 600T was not long enough to reach out to the location of the USB 3.0 port on the motherboard that I was testing. I had to purchase a separate USB 3.0 extension cable to make this work. So depending on where the USB 3.0 port is on your motherboard back plate, you might have to spend extra on an extension cable. I wish Corsair would have elected to use a longer cable, but it is what it is. This was about the only negative that I could find.
Rounding off the rear is the I/O back plate cutout and the standard black 120mm exhaust fan. In total there are 3 case fans within the 600T and all are PWM capable and able to be connected to the four channel fan speed controller dial that is located on the top of the case. The leads that make this happen are located inside.
Rounding off we look on the bottom where we find another removable dust filter for the power supply and looking at the side panels, they can be easily detached with their built-in latch mechanisms.
Inside the Corsair 600T - Spacious Innovation
When you remove the side panels to the Corsair 600T, you can’t but help it but realize how gorgeous it sports the all-black theme. The all-black interior is very well done and the paint is not cheap and thin, but you can tell it will last throughout the years of wear and tear. Realize the spacious innovation that the 600T showcases, because it doesn’t look like a mid-tower. Everything is open, spacious and customizable to an extent. Tool-less design and cable management is evident.
The first thing you might notice is the amount of holes in this case. There is a very large pre-cut square on the motherboard tray that allows you to install heatsinks that require back plates without actually removing the motherboard from the PC case, and that’s just fantastically thought out. It’s a major inconvenience when you purchase a new heatsink/fan combo for your CPU and you realize it comes with a back plate piece that you need to put on the backside of the motherboard, and without the cutout, you are forced to take out the motherboard to install it. But with the 600T, you can leave your motherboard inside and install the back plate. Awesome.
The second thing are the cable routing holes in the 600T. There are eight of them and are covered in grommets. All these holes gives you the ability like never before to route cables in a neat fashion and doing so helps performance through airflow, and it just makes the inside of your computer look professional. Take a look at some of the examples in the gallery below.
The third thing that caught my attention was the two hard drive cages on the right side of the case. These two cages are not only stackable from top to bottom, like they are by default, but depending on the graphics card you put inside the 600T, you can also remove them, and reorder them in a side by side configuration. Doing this will obviously help fit a long graphics card into this case and also further help airflow inside the case. The maneuverability aspect of the drive cages is impressive. Side by side will have one of the cages sitting beside the power supply area. Like I mentioned earlier, Corsair adopts a tool-less design throughout and the drive cages are no different. Simply put your hard drive in the removable cages, line up the position with the already mounted vibration mounts and you’re good to go. And if you are installing 2.5” SSD’s then use the included screws to mount them. You are able to install up to 6 hard drives if you like!
Optical drives are also easy to mount, simply remove the front mesh plate, unlock the lock, slide the drive in, align the locks to the optical drive, and snap shut the tool-less lock. Corsair is sure making everything easy. The experience of installing components inside the 600T is very pleasurable.
Speaking of power supplies, nowadays there are a wide variety of wattages available. And with the higher wattage options out on the market, now their physical sizes are much larger than before. These very large power supplies may not fit into your conventional PC case because there is just not enough room to go by, but with the 600T, that is not an issue because Corsair provides a bracket that allows you to mount your power supply in the proper position inside the case depending on its size.
The 2012 ModSynergy PC Build
I am just highly impressed at what Corsair has managed to accomplish with the 600T. They made the experience of building a computer within a PC case simple, neat and organized, easy and without confusion. The tool-less design helps aid in the easy to use factor. Everything just works the way it should work. The edges are sanded down so you don’t hurt yourself in the process and everything is prepared for you to just to start building.
Just about the only thing you have to worry about is not the case itself, but how you choose to route the cables within the case, since Corsair gives you many way to do so. Depending on your configuration and components this will vary.
For our newest PC build that comprises of this list shown here (link), the process couldn’t have been easier. Again the routing of cables was tricky but the many holes for cable routing was nice to have. Just about the only issue I had were routing cables that were short, and routing the front panel USB 3.0 cable that was short. An extension was needed to get to the back end of the motherboard I/O shield, Corsair should have added a longer USB 3.0 cable, but it'll be cheap purchasing an extension online.
But as you can see from the end result, it looks fantastic with almost zero cable clutter. Fantastic.
Conclusion
The Corsair Graphite Series 600T Mid-Tower is an excellent product. The innovation and spacious full-tower type design it brings is just brilliant. The airflow in this case is also something to mention as Corsair provides more than sufficient airflow with two 200mm and one 120mm case fans throughout the case. Cleaning dust the from the system is easy with the removing mesh grilles around the case and the noise of the system is not a factor with the large side panels with their easy pull up/down locking mechanisms. It was just a joy building a PC within the 600T.
