Hi guys, let me apologise first if I make little sense at some points. I am not the best at explaining things.
Anyway I thought I'd do a little review of the Corsair 230T Shop Link and my efforts to transfer my rig across.
After the front USBs on my old case, a Bitfenix Merc, failed I decided it was time for a better bit of kit. I finally settled on the 230T and will admit the colour played a large part in my choice, that and the USB 3.0 ports on the front, which are currently an issue that is my fault.
Any way, I'm sure you're all aware of the great service provided by OcUK and DPD when delivering and I was greeted by a box in perfect condition.
The reverse of the box has a nice exploded view of the case, ideal for someone like me who will tug at something to see if it comes apart.
Once unboxed I fell in love with the colour and really liked the styling. I think it has a good mix of sleek lines and nice details without looking like an alien neon bar sign like some cases do.
Here are a few shots from various angles:
Front, you can just make out the two intake fans on the front here. The gaps between the side panels and the front are a design feature.
Side with window.
Side with panel removed, tool-less HDD and Optical bays, the small cardboard box includes all the screws and cable ties needed.
Rear, you can see the extra position for a fan on the floor of the case in front of the PSU air inlet, which will fit either a 120 or 140mm.
Front 3/4, again you can see the top fan positions which will fit 120 or 140mm, also there are rubber grommets to keep case vibration to a minimum.
The contents of the cardboard box, manual, screws and cable ties.
Artsy shallow DoF shot of the front panel.
Close up of the tool-less drive bays, there are actually two fans in the front, one hidden by the lower bays.
Removable front panel, easily taken off as it has push-clips on the inside. Bear in mind I found I had to remove the other side panel in order to easily take it off. Also, the front panel has a non-removable dust filter, the filter on the lower left slides out from beneath the PSU.
Fans and naked switches & USB ports behind front panel.
So once I'd had a good look around and spotted the SSD bays, something missing on my Bitfenix, I decided it was time to take the old one apart (I admit I'm no good at cable management).
And there she is, with the GPU and soundcard removed, perhaps the eagle eyed of you may spot why I have an issue with the front USB ports.
The 230T came with the MB stand-offs already in place which made my life much easier.
At this point I fully expect someone to tell me my CPU cooler is facing the wrong way bear in mind it came out of a case where it was upside down previously.
Drives in, one Samsung 840 and two Seagate 1TB HDDs, I thought it best to space them out to allow the lower fan to flow more air.
Soundcard and GPU next, again, I'm not the best at cable management, it does look better than in this next photo though.
And finally, her she is booted up. I was so relieved when it worked first time, I have a habit of forgetting a single plug usually.
So overall I'm very pleased with it. The tool-less bays are a doddle and hold everything nice and snug. I can't feel or hear any case vibration when the HDDs spin up. The dust filters while a nice touch it would be useful if the front one slid out of the panel for easier cleaning. case fans are fairly quiet, my one niggle however, is that the three (two front, one rear) aren't all the same but the I guess the rear exhaust doesn't need LEDs. Also, for cable management there is a decent amount of space between the side panel and panel the MB sits on so you can tuck a decent amount of wires down there. Fortunately I have a modular PSU so if you don't you may struggle to hide the whole loom properly.
Onto a couple of issues, my first is that the top and bottom fan positions don't have any form of dust filters. That may not be a problem if you choose to use them as exhaust fans. Secondly, whilst there were cables for the HDD activity LED, I don't actually seem able to find one. Finally, and to be fair this is probably my own fault for a lack of researching, the front USB ports are 'Super Speed USB 3.0' and have a connection that will not fit my motherboard a Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 Rev 1.0 perhaps there is an adaptor so I can use them as USB 2.0?
If any of you have questions, criticism or advice I'll be happy to hear them all.
Anyway I thought I'd do a little review of the Corsair 230T Shop Link and my efforts to transfer my rig across.
After the front USBs on my old case, a Bitfenix Merc, failed I decided it was time for a better bit of kit. I finally settled on the 230T and will admit the colour played a large part in my choice, that and the USB 3.0 ports on the front, which are currently an issue that is my fault.
Any way, I'm sure you're all aware of the great service provided by OcUK and DPD when delivering and I was greeted by a box in perfect condition.
The reverse of the box has a nice exploded view of the case, ideal for someone like me who will tug at something to see if it comes apart.
Once unboxed I fell in love with the colour and really liked the styling. I think it has a good mix of sleek lines and nice details without looking like an alien neon bar sign like some cases do.
Here are a few shots from various angles:
Front, you can just make out the two intake fans on the front here. The gaps between the side panels and the front are a design feature.
Side with window.
Side with panel removed, tool-less HDD and Optical bays, the small cardboard box includes all the screws and cable ties needed.
Rear, you can see the extra position for a fan on the floor of the case in front of the PSU air inlet, which will fit either a 120 or 140mm.
Front 3/4, again you can see the top fan positions which will fit 120 or 140mm, also there are rubber grommets to keep case vibration to a minimum.
The contents of the cardboard box, manual, screws and cable ties.
Artsy shallow DoF shot of the front panel.
Close up of the tool-less drive bays, there are actually two fans in the front, one hidden by the lower bays.
Removable front panel, easily taken off as it has push-clips on the inside. Bear in mind I found I had to remove the other side panel in order to easily take it off. Also, the front panel has a non-removable dust filter, the filter on the lower left slides out from beneath the PSU.
Fans and naked switches & USB ports behind front panel.
So once I'd had a good look around and spotted the SSD bays, something missing on my Bitfenix, I decided it was time to take the old one apart (I admit I'm no good at cable management).
And there she is, with the GPU and soundcard removed, perhaps the eagle eyed of you may spot why I have an issue with the front USB ports.
The 230T came with the MB stand-offs already in place which made my life much easier.
At this point I fully expect someone to tell me my CPU cooler is facing the wrong way bear in mind it came out of a case where it was upside down previously.
Drives in, one Samsung 840 and two Seagate 1TB HDDs, I thought it best to space them out to allow the lower fan to flow more air.
Soundcard and GPU next, again, I'm not the best at cable management, it does look better than in this next photo though.
And finally, her she is booted up. I was so relieved when it worked first time, I have a habit of forgetting a single plug usually.
So overall I'm very pleased with it. The tool-less bays are a doddle and hold everything nice and snug. I can't feel or hear any case vibration when the HDDs spin up. The dust filters while a nice touch it would be useful if the front one slid out of the panel for easier cleaning. case fans are fairly quiet, my one niggle however, is that the three (two front, one rear) aren't all the same but the I guess the rear exhaust doesn't need LEDs. Also, for cable management there is a decent amount of space between the side panel and panel the MB sits on so you can tuck a decent amount of wires down there. Fortunately I have a modular PSU so if you don't you may struggle to hide the whole loom properly.
Onto a couple of issues, my first is that the top and bottom fan positions don't have any form of dust filters. That may not be a problem if you choose to use them as exhaust fans. Secondly, whilst there were cables for the HDD activity LED, I don't actually seem able to find one. Finally, and to be fair this is probably my own fault for a lack of researching, the front USB ports are 'Super Speed USB 3.0' and have a connection that will not fit my motherboard a Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 Rev 1.0 perhaps there is an adaptor so I can use them as USB 2.0?
If any of you have questions, criticism or advice I'll be happy to hear them all.
But there are other colours. 
