Corsair 110R PC case review

1. Introduction2. Corsair 110R: Exterior3. Corsair 110R: Interior4. System Installation5. Testing Methodology: Acoustics/Thermals6. Performance and Comparisons7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

To sum up, the Corsair 110R case offers exceptional value with its budget price tag. The 110R handled every situation we could throw at it with ease and put some of its higher-priced competitors to shame when it comes to thermal and acoustic performance.

Even though the Corsair 110R features a fully closed off front panel, thermal performance is more than adequate – the generous vents in the sides of the front panel allow enough airflow to pass through so that a front-mounted all-in-one liquid cooler doesn’t have its fans strangled by restricted airflow.

This becomes even more evident during thermal testing when we saw little change in temperature with the case in several different configurations. Just a 3°C drop in CPU temperature was noted when the front panel was completely removed. This proves the front panel isn’t as restrictive as other closed front cases we have reviewed in the past.

Not only does the Corsair 110R perform well in terms of thermal dissipation, it does a great job with noise levels too. The low noise levels will be due in part to the excellent thermal performance. However, in all the case configurations we tested, there was only a minor difference in noise levels. Even under load, noise levels were only a few decibels higher than at idle.

During the system installation, the Corsair 110R was a pleasure to work with. The only slight issue was space for cable management at the rear of the motherboard tray. Again, with price taken into consideration, we can’t really complain too much. GPU installation was a little tight too, but this was more down to our selection of GPU rather than an issue with the case, especially when you remind yourself this is a budget case that was probably never intended to house such a high-end graphics card.

There really isn’t much to complain about with the Corsair 110R. It offers space for large all-in-one liquid coolers, can house graphics cards up to 330mm long and has more than enough positions for mounting storage devices. An ODD drive bay can be included at the top and the 110R accepts full-size ATX motherboards. All this is really quite impressive when you think the dimensions are not much more than what you would expect from a Micro-ATX chassis.

If I’m really nitpicking, an extra cooling fan would have been welcome, but obviously, this would have bumped up the cost. So naturally, only a single 120mm fan is provided. Other than that, I really can’t fault the case at all. Taken as a whole, Corsair has done an excellent job with the 110R.

For all the reasons above and remembering this is a budget case with which it can only be compared to, we would certainly recommend this case to anyone looking to build a home office PC or mid-range gaming rig. The clean and smart aesthetics and excellent thermal/acoustic performance are worth the asking price and more.

The Corsair 110R is available now and can be purchased from Overclockers UK for £54.95 here.

Pros

• Excellent value for money.
• Great thermal performance.
• Good acoustic levels.
• Wide range of hardware compatibility.
• Clean minimalist looks.

Cons

• Limited space behind motherboard for cable management.
• Only one fan pre-installed.

KitGuru says: If you are in the market for a budget PC case that is capable of housing a mid-range gaming system then look no further – the Corsair 110R has to be one of the best PC cases in this price category when it comes to thermal performance, hardware compatibility and looks.

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