I recently did my first ever custom loop in my 680X, I came across a few fitting issues during my first attempt, but you can see my final result below. We measured the 680X at 42.5 dBA. It could certainly run quieter with decreased fan speeds, but there are four 120mm fans, and the large air gaps around the front panel do very little to muffle the noise generated at max speed. The trouble with all of this is that the Corsair 680X is not particularly quiet nor particularly effective at cooling, which is odd since it is named the “680X RGB High Airflow.” Conclusion: Corsair 680X vs. Lian Li O11 Dynamic A vertical GPU mount puts your graphics card center stage, perfect for showing off custom GPU cooling or your latest upgrade. Illuminate your system with three included LL120 RGB fans, boasting a total of 48 customizable RGB LEDs.

High-resolution images of the CORSAIR Crystal Series 680X RGB and the CORSAIR Carbide Series 678C can be found at the links below: Toward the front of the case, Corsair has included three of their LL120’s fans and has room for up to a 280mm radiator/AIO. I more or less went the route of the "reference build guide" for the 680X. You can see the photos below, I didn't have room for the XD5 pump in the main chamber mainly because of the front XR5 360mm radiator. I ended up putting the XD5 in the "ugly" side of the case (realized I should have maybe used a 45° fitting on the outlet after I filled the loop, also cable management wasn't done at the time of the photo). Install up to 8x 120mm or 7x 140mm fans for massive cooling potential, with room to mount up to four radiators.The 678C’s refined styling belies its massive cooling and storage options, which are among the most impressive of any CORSAIR ATX case. With room to install up to nine 120mm fans and multiple radiators, including dual 360mm radiators, the 678C can accommodate a wealth of custom cooling to match the highest spec systems. A modular drive bay system allows the 678C to host a huge array of storage and accessories, with room for up to 1x 5.25in drive, 6x 3.5in and 3x 2.5in drives, and the potential to add a further 2x 3.5in drives with additional trays.

Now that the Light Node PRO has been configured, we can adjust the lighting effect for port 1 using the left navigation pane. Corsair’s Crystal Series of cases have been a staple for builders and is well-known for including multiple tempered glass panels enabling you to see every aspect of your PC. The iCUE comes with a lot of predefined lighting effects that you can additionally configure settings for, such as speed, color, and direction. So I am still not 100% sure on the pump being up front, because I don't want it to look too crowded, but it's good to know that I have that option!Basically, is my thinking sound on this? It might seem like a dumb or obvious question but as I've never done vertical mounting before I'm not sure. Cheers! Next up is what we don't care for or wish to be improved in the 680X. This one is tough as the 680X does a lot of things right. While the three front LL fans are PWM, the rear exhaust is DC, and I think it would be helpful for all of the fans to be PWM so that they can be controlled on the same curve. Also, on that note, a PWM splitter would be a welcome addition here as while I would love to believe that all boards will work with no issues controlling all of the PWM fans you want, many do not have enough fan headers to service a vast array. I think a small PWM hub numbering 6-8 ports would be a great feature and add to the overall ease of building in the 680X.

The Corsair Crystal 680X came to market with a part number of CC-9011169-WW, which is not as simple to be able to remember as some we have reviewed previously. The dimensions of the cube style mid-tower come in at 505mm tall, 423mm deep, and 344mm wide. As you can see, the width is quite higher than a normal mid-tower, and this is due to the dual chamber design, which houses the storage and PSU behind the motherboard tray. Equip your PC with outstanding high airflow cooling, with four fans and a Direct Airflow Path layout delivering massive airflow to your PC’s hottest components. High-speed USB 3.1 Gen-2 Type-C front panel connector puts future-proof connectivity within easy reach.

System Build & Installation

The front of the 680X includes the second of the three tempered glass panels which show off the three pre-installed LL120’s RGB fans. In addition to the side ventilation, there is also a generous amount of room between the tempered glass panel and 680X. The may not give the optimal airflow such as a meshed panel but I believe this is an excellent midground between aesthetics and airflow. With everything powered up, we can see that the system comes to life, and the LL fans shine brilliantly in its default rainbow setting. The fans have a myriad of options for RGB settings to bets match user taste, but the rainbow one worked well enough for photos. One thing of note is the fact that with our Corsair AIO and RAM, we can sync all of them to the same lighting profile for a more cohesive illumination of your build, especially if you get the additional RGB strips for the chamber. Final Thoughts

I'd make sure that Cooler master part is compatible with your Corsair case. It seems pretty big, and specifically made for specific models of Coolermaster cases. Since my PC only contains a single 2.5” I would have liked another option to mount it without the use of the drive bay. At some point, I may try and mount it on the rails near the front of the case so I can remove the cage altogether. As I type this thinking maybe 5000x be easier..I like the LL120 fans in the 680x so could always put some in the front of the 5000x and use those 3 for the side intake Fan fitment has already been mentioned with up to 8x 120mm (3x front, 2x top, 1x rear, and 2x bottom) or 7x 140 (2x front, 2x top, 1x rear, and 2x bottom). Radiator fitment is the same fitment for radiators as its associated fans. If opting to air cool your CPU, the limit to height will be 180mm, which is not much of a ceiling and will allow pretty much any CPU cooler we have seen. The included fans are a point of interest for the 680X as it comes with triple 120mm LL RGB PWM fans in the front and a standard chassis fan on the rear as exhaust.

A Closer Look: Interior

At the bottom of the case are mounting rails for up to two 120mm/140mm fans and can also support a 240mm/280mm radiator. Visor – Random/alternating colors moving across the LEDs then bouncing off the last one and returning to the start We recently validated our test methodology using a thermal chamber, finding our approach to be nearly perfectly accurate. Learn more here. Thermals & Noise Once you have selected your desired lighting effect, you can see how it will look in the upper right pane. If you which to change attributes such as the speed, direction, and colors you can do this on the lower portion of the screen. After selecting the Lighting Node PRO from the device list, you get an additional navigation bar on the right to configure the device as well as the lighting for any attached fans. In the left pane, you will notice a photo of the Lighting Node PRO as well as its current configuration below the image. For our 680X, the three LL120 fans are installed on port one so we go ahead and adjust the configuration to reflect this.