Installation and Finished Look
We used a MSI Z170 Mortar motherboard, which is a micro-ATX form factor board, along with a full size ATX power supply. Everything seems to fix nicely. I’ve also included photos of the 3.5″ hard drives, which we installed for good measure.
The chassis caters for large graphics cards such as the GeForce GTX 1080 card (picture here), as well as large heat sinks. Again, no issues here. You can see there’s plenty of room.
Verdict and Conclusion
Believe it or not, there aren’t many many choices when it comes to micro ATX chassis or mini-ITX for that matter. That’s because most midi and full tower cases will fit all three motherboard form factors… mini-ITX, micro-ATX and of course standard ATX. For the majority of users, they would just get a midi tower, allowing them to change or upgrade their motherboard at anytime.
That said, the Corsair Carbide Air 240 is a very decent micro-ATX chassis designed for this pretty niche market. It’s surprisingly spacious, and I like the fact you can completely remove all the 3.5″ and 2.5″ drive bays. This will give tons of options for watercooling. It also comes with some features… such as the cable management slots, magnetic dust guard, and all the chassis panels can be removed.
The only thing I didn’t really like was the side, top and bottom panels, which are made from plastic. That’s just my opinion… I guess this is what makes the chassis so light-weight. Other than that, everything is good.
Pricewise, I was quite surprise to be informed the the Corsair Carbide Air 240 only costs USD $85, which I think is an abosulte bargain. It is a Corsair chassis at the end of the day.
Buy the Corsair Carbide Air 240
Pros:
- Plenty of space
- Compact and Light-weight
- 3 x 120mm fasns included
- Cable management slots
- Fits both micro-ATX and mini-ITX motherboards
- Fits 240mm radiator for watercooling
Cons:
- Top, bottom and side panels are made of plastic
- Apart from the above … nothing else
Final Thoughts:
Micro-ATX chassis are not your everyday purchase, however if you’re a modder, enthusiast or high-end power user, and you want to go for a micro-ATX chassis, then you have to take a look at the Corsair Carbide Air 240. It has everything most users will want … it’s spacious, light-weight and has plenty of options for customization and watercooling.
