Corsair Carbide Series Air 740 Review

Corsair Carbide Series Air 740 Review

Manufacturer: Corsair
UK price (as reviewed): MSRP £134.99 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): MSRP $149.99 (ex Tax)

Corsair's foray into cube cases was a welcome one and the Air 240 and Air 540 both netted top awards in 2013 and 2014 respectively when they were released thanks to unique and effective designs. Today Corsair launches the the latest case to grace the Carbide Series of cubes - the Air 740.


In terms of size, the Air 740 isn't as tall as the Air 540, but it's deeper and wider by a centimetre or two - it is not as you might suspect, a larger version of the latter. It clearly looks very different on the outside too. Those ridges will likely be polarising in their popularity and we have to admit we're not their biggest fans, with the Air 540's design being a bit cleaner and more appealing.


That said, the addition of a large, hinged side window panel is a good move and helps to draw attention away from other perhaps less attractive parts of the case. It's also a joy not to have to deal with thumb screws, even if the panel and extra fittings add to the somewhat hefty £135 price tag. That may seem a bit of a hike compared to the Air 540, which hovered around £115 at launch three years ago, but it too has been retailing for over £130 recently.


Unlike its older siblings, the Air 740 isn't designed to be able to rotate into desktop mode and lay flat - there were no extra feet with our sample and it might be tricky to use the hinged door like this too. The front panel is in the usual place and sports two USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks plus power and reset buttons.

Most of the case is fairly solid, but some parts do lack the kind of build quality you'd expect from a case costing upwards of £130. The far metal side panel is quite flimsy as are some of the internal fittings and it's a shame that fan control is absent too, given we've seen it in cheaper Corsair Carbide cases such as the 600C.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 340 x 510 x 426 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black
  
• Weight 8.9kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3.0, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 3 x 2.5in/3.5in, 4 x 2.5in
  
• Form factor(s) ATX, micro-ATX
  
• Cooling 2 x 140mm or 3 x 120mm front fan mounts (2 x 140mm fans included), 1 x 140mm/120mm rear fan mount (140mm fan included), 3 x 140mm or 2 x 140mm bottom fan mounts (fans not included), 2 x 140mm/120mm roof fan mounts.
  
• CPU cooler clearance 170mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 370mm
  
• Extras Removable dust filters