Small & See-through: Corsair Shrinks Its Crystal Series Down To Give Us The mATX 280X

With its Crystal series of chassis, Corsair gives users an option that is rather… see-through. Most panels on most Crystal models feature tempered glass, and with RGB kitted out throughout the system, the end result is seriously eye-catching (whether that’s a good thing depends on your tastes). Personally, I’ve come to really love the Crystal 570X which graces our GPU test PC, although I admit that lately, I’ve been tempted to replace it with another, and adopt the 570X for my own machine (one that doesn’t need parts swapped out of quite so often!).

Well, for those who don’t necessarily need a big PC, Corsair has taken advantage of Computex 2018 to unveil a new choice – one that wraps itself around the mATX form-factor. It’s not too often we hear about mATX, so it’s good to see some companies are still focusing on it, because not everyone needs an 80lbs PC.

The Crystal 280X is going to come in two flavors aside from the base color, with the only difference between them being the RGB component. If you opt for the regular chassis, you’ll still see the same number of fans, just without the illuminating eye-candy. It’s important to note that this same SKU drops the Lighting Node PRO digital controller, so it’s best to buy the RGB option up front if you want that functionality later. And whether you like white or black, the 280X comes in both.

At the left side of the Crystal 280X is a full-size tempered glass panel, which is joined by another panel in front that covers only half, complementing the dual-chamber design (and the result is pretty attractive, at least in my opinion).

If you’re in love with RGB, then you’re probably already a huge Corsair customer. With this chassis, the company is definitely hoping to sell more RGB, because there is capacity for 32 individually controllable LEDs. Bling City.

The half-glass front of the 280X allows users to show off their performance hardware (CPU, GPU, DIMMs, etc), while hiding the boring stuff (not technically) in the back. That includes the PSU, hard drives, and the bulk of the cabling. The 280X supports a fair amount of storage capability: two 3.5″ hard drives, and three 2.5″ solid-state drives.

Naturally, the 280X perfectly complements Corsair’s iCUE software, which offers a wide-range of functionality, but shines when it comes to managing RGB across your entire desk – not just with the chassis and its fans. In addition to creating a color circus with your PC, iCUE allows you to adjust the settings of any Corsair peripheral that supports it (cooling, keyboards and mice, etc).

Corsair is pricing the RGB variant of the 280X at $159.99, while the non-RGB version shaves $50 off to settle at $109.99. If you want one, you might be in luck: Corsair expects immediate availability.