Installation
Installing the motherboard is very quick and simple for the Carbide 400R. Since the motherboard standoffs are already raised (or in place), all you have to do is attach your motherboard I/O plate and then secure the motherboard via the 9 screws required for standard ATX motherboards.
Installation expansion cards are quick and simple, just simply remove the thumbscrew(s) and slot covers, install the card, then secure with the thumbscrews. I only have a single graphics card which takes up two slots, plus my motherboard only supports up to 7 slots, so we can’t really use the fullest extent of the cases 8 expansion slots.
Like I mentioned before, 3.5” drives are easily installed with the tool-free system of the Carbide 400R. The drive trays are very flexible and certainly made of high quality materials, probably the best quality I’ve seen in a while. Installation takes just a few seconds for each 3.5” drive.
Installing 2.5” drives takes a little longer, but also a little more effort. Just simply align the drive up with the holes on the tray and secure properly.
You may have to remove the tool-free clips on the side the drives installed on because it makes it difficult to align with the holes, plus it sticks out too far away from the drive tray, disallowing a proper installation back into the hard drive cage. A needle nose plier or small flathead screwdriver should do the trick.
For the 5.25” drive installation, just simply remove the front panel, remove the correct slot cover, and then secure it back to the case. Then all you have to do, at least for drives, is to simply slide the drive in until the drive clicks. The tool-free system will automatically secure the drive and lock it into place. To remove it all you have to do is push forward on the words “push” and slide out your drive.
Installing a larger PSU wasn’t too difficult, but I found it to be a very tight squeeze between the back lip and the bottom rubber pads. However, there was a lot of room for cable management. Taking just an extra minute to think out your cable route makes for a clean case, even if you don’t spend that much time.
As you can see it looks nice on the front, but I didn’t do much with the back. What’s nice about this case is you don’t really have to worry about the cables in the back since the side panel gives you enough room to stuff the cables in.
The case looks pretty nice either with the front white LED fans turned on or off.
