The Corsair Carbide Series features two models so far, the 400R and the 500R. We reviewed the 400R a couple of months ago, and it proved to carry a terrific cost/benefit ratio, deserving our Golden Award. Let’s see if its brother, the 500R, follows the same heritage.

The 500R is available in black or white. We received the white version for review.

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Figure 1: Corsair Carbide Series 500R case

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Figure 2: Corsair Carbide Series 500R case

The left panel of the 500R has a mesh that comes with a 200 mm fan on its side panel. This fan glows in white when turned on, and you can turn the LEDs off through a button located on the front panel. Unfortunately, Corsair doesn’t publish the specifications for this fan. It must be connected to the case’s fan controller, since it uses a unique three-pin connector. If you remove this fan, you can install two 120 mm or 140 mm fans on this panel. The 400R doesn’t come with a side fan and doesn’t support a 200 mm fan here.

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Figure 3: Left-side panel