Float like a butterfly, look like a bee
Performance enthusiasts like big stuff. Big cases, big videocards, big monitors. But we also enjoy the challenge of fitting a lot into a little. Sometimes it’s putting a Porsche engine into a vintage VW Beetle. Other times, it’s putting a high-grade gaming machine into a Mini-ITX cube case. Corsair came out with the Obsidian 250D last year, and now it’s time for something a little less boxy. The 380T fits the bill, and also delivers a compelling design.
You’ll notice one design decision right away. The side panels are tool-less—just pull the handle at the top of the windows and they come off. Almost all of it is a grill, about 10 inches tall and 12 inches wide, so you have some serious ventilation. The front intake grill is about 8.5 inches wide and 9.5 inches tall, and a 140mm fan comes pre-installed. But as you’ve probably guessed by its sheer dimensions, you can also fit two 120mm fans, or one 200mm fan. You also get a 120mm exhaust fan pre-installed in the rear. Lastly, the power supply gets a grill with a slide-out dust filter. The front and rear grills are also fitted with a fine mesh to keep out dust.
If that’s not enough, the 380T has an integrated three-speed fan controller that can connect up to three fans, and it accommodates three- and four-pin fan cables. This gadget is especially handy in an ITX case, because this size of motherboard rarely has more than two fan headers, one of which is reserved for the CPU cooler. The controller is accessed from a button on the front of the case, which also sports two USB 3.0 ports, a large reset button, and a power button.
If you want to add a tower-style CPU cooler, you’re limited to a max height of 150mm, but there’s a bracket on the right side of the case that will hold a 120mm or 240mm radiator (or two 120mm fans). We installed a Corsair Hydro H100i cooler during testing, and it fit, just. But you do have to install the cooler on the mobo before putting the motherboard in, because the central handle on the top of the case is pretty wide and will block most screwdrivers. It might be better if the handle section was removable, but that could take away the handle’s ability to accommodate the case’s weight.
On the bright side, you can fit a videocard up to 11.4 inches long. We’d recommend a shorter one to make your cable routing a little easier; when space is this tight, every square inch counts. But it’s nice to have the option to install a full-length videocard. For an ITX case, the 380T also has some pretty solid storage options. You have two 3.5-inch bays in a removable drive cage that sits in front of the power supply, and two 2.5-inch slots to the left of the power supply. If you need more, an adapter in a 3.5-inch tray will let it accommodate two 2.5-inch drives. We wouldn’t recommend a beefy power supply—the practical limit is about 150mm, unless you remove the drive cage. But with space for just one videocard, you won’t be pulling much juice anyway. We don’t see a scenario where you’d need more than a 600-watt unit.
With a street price of about $140, you could get a pretty slick mid-tower or even a respectable full tower case. So the 380T needs to do some convincing. For what it’s worth, we think it’s one of the best ITX cases we’ve seen. You have lots of cooling, space, portability, and eye-catching design (though beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Maybe keep an eye out for a sale on this little bumblebee. – TOM MCNAMARA
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (W x H x D) - 11.5 x 14 x 15.5 inches
Included Fans - 14cm front, 12cm rear
Drive Bays - 2x 2.5-inch, 3x 3.5-inch
Max GPU Length - 90mm
Max Cooler Height - 150mm
Max PSU Length - 160mm
Mobo Support - Mini-ITX
Connectors - 2x USB 3.0, headphone, mic, three-speed fan control
Weight - 12.2lb