Corsair Vengeance C70 Case Review (Military Green)

1. Introduction2. Corsair Vengeance C70 (Exterior)3. Corsair Vengeance C70 (Interior)4. Testing Methodology5. Thermal Performance6. Acoustical Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

The Corsair Vengeance C70 is definitely a design that will split opinion. Some may loathe the rather unusual appearance, while others may find its rugged, no frills military design quite appealing. There is no doubt it is built like a tank and will survive plenty of abuse over the years. If this is important to you, then we recommend you shortlist this case when considering a new purchase.

Whether the implementation appeals to you or not, it is difficult to deny that Corsair are trying to break the mould by bringing a fresh and innovative design to the PC case market. In doing so, they have introduced a few ideas we may see other companies copying in future designs.

The case is beautifully finished, with an even, smoothly coated paint finish. It also has a few tricks up its sleeve for easy access and portability.

It is however let down by a few niggling, but important concerns.

The hard drive sliding tray system works well, but once a drive is mounted in place it is incredibly stiff and rigid. An unpleasant side effect of this robust design means that removing the drive again is quite tricky as it feels firmly wedged in place. This is by no means a major issue, but it was something we noticed when inserting and removing multiple drives.

The cable routing clips at the back of the motherboard are a fantastic idea and I hope other manufacturers adopt a similar system. Sadly, they are made from flimsy plastic and two of the three clips snapped while being released from the clipping mechanism. This negates the tough ‘army' design concept for us and is an oversight on behalf of the company. Using thicker, more durable plastic would easily resolve this concern.

The cooling capabilities of the case, on paper, appear impressive. However there are a few design issues which could be addressed for the next revision.

The hard drive inner fan placement is certainly a bold move, however the best position is clearly on the outer chassis, pulling in cool air directly. Additionally, Corsair could have included a grill on these fans as they could possibly catch on any cables plugged into larger graphics cards.

While these fans do move a reasonable amount of air, they are noticeably loud, not helped by poor chassis sound proofing. We would swap these fans out for higher grade models immediately if we were using this case regularly. Unfortunately this could add another £20 to the overall cost.

Ultimately, the case is built to last and will appeal to those who like its chunky, military theme. Innovative features could make this case class leading, but Corsair seem to have overlooked some important details which lower the overall appeal.

You can buy this case from Overclockers in the UK for £119.99. There is a week offer running at time of publication dropping the price to £112.98 inc vat.

Corsair face tough competition at this price point, especially with the noise and cooling concerns we mentioned. The next revision of this case could be a world beater, if they rectify the cooling and noise concerns we mentioned.

Pros:

• Some innovative ideas.
• Feature rich.
• Great cable management.
• Sturdy design and construction.

Cons:

• Some lesser quality parts used.
• Some may think it gimmicky.
• Tough competition for the price.
• Loud fans.
• Poor sound isolation.

Kitguru says: We like this case because it is built to last, and is styled to catch attention. Sadly it has poor sound isolation and the fans need replaced with quieter, more expensive units.

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