The Carbide Series receives another mid-tower chassis by way of the SPEC-04 – delivering great value inside a steel body and perspex window.

Product on Review: Carbide Series SPEC-04
Manufacturer & Sponsor: Corsair
Street Price: UK: £50 US: $50

The Carbide Series has been a highly active range for Corsair – boasting an astounding forty varied models. The portfolio is filled with enclosures which are largely associated with value for money, blending great aesthetics with useful features. This week Corsair has squeezed in yet another new mid-tower under the Carbide classification, namely the SPEC-04.

Firm Corsair advocates will recognise the styling on SPEC-04 as it is very similar to that of the SPEC-ALPHA. However, this new mid-tower caters for those on a tighter budget – bearing all of the essential system builder features and adding in a bit of finesse too.

Corsair on their SPEC-04

The Carbide Series SPEC-04’s angular, hard-edged exterior features bold styling for a remarkable look. The sleek, tinted window shows off the roomy interior, which fits up to five 120mm fans and can accommodate ample storage configurations.

Technical Specifications

Below are the technical specifications surrounding Corsair’s SPEC-04.

SPEC-04 Video Review

For this review, we’ve produced a video review over on our YouTube channel which details all of the included features, and takes a close look at the clearance options and lighting for this case. Please check out our video review or hit play on the video below:

Thermal Performance Testing

Inside our SPEC-04 we have just a single 120mm cooling fan, in a push configuration (intake). This breaks away from the traditional push/pull design which yields good results.

To discover the thermal performance of SPEC-04 we will record idle temperatures after 20 minutes from a cold boot. We will then stress the system and temperatures will again be monitored after 30 minutes have elapsed.

For the purpose of accurate analysis, the idle and load temperatures for CPU will be recorded and the range between idle and load will be calculated to determine how efficient cooling is.

NOTE: Ambient temperature is 20C

System Components

CPU Intel Pentium K G3258 @ 4GHz
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU DeepCool DQ750

Noise

As shown in our video, SPEC-04 is whisper quiet since this case features just a single 120mm fan. Users will find no problems with noise.

Conclusion

Computer cases at the lower-end of the range are always intriguing to analyse because it’s a tough challenge for manufacturers to apply a low-price tag while still retaining an acceptable level of quality/features.

Corsair’s new Carbide Series SPEC-04 breaks away from the rest of the SPEC lineup to offer something with modern and futuristic styling. The external aspects of SPEC-04 are comparable to the SPEC-ALPHA but inside, the design is reminiscent of the SPEC-01 with minor refinements.

SPEC-04 can accommodate a wealth of hardware including large CPU coolers, big graphics cards and some closed loop water cooling systems – the latter is restricted to front mounted 280/240 or 140mm options.

Our only criticisms with this case stem from the tight space behind the motherboard tray for cable management and the inclusion of just one cooling fan – but for the asking price, there does have to be certain reductions. While there is only a single fan, there is the option to increase this to five for those wanting to improve the airflow within the chassis.

The SPEC-04 is priced at just £50 GBP and $50 USD, making it an excellent value for money case. This new Carbide addition is ideal for enthusiasts who are constrained to a tight budget but need all of the essentials.

SPEC-04 is a superb starter case for anyone looking to pursue a custom build. This case includes some great features and style making it also ideal for enthusiasts who need to keep those costs down!

Pros
+ Modern styling
+ Reasonable build quality
+ Flexible storage options
+ Can house high-end kit
+ Lightweight – just 4KG
+ Great value for money

Cons
– Top is exposed to dirt/dust
– Features just one fan
– Cable management can be tough

Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.

Tags:

CORSAIR