Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Computer Case

Pros and Cons are indeed the same to me in this brief review, more of a build summary..

2x 140mm fans in the front are doable easy, but I didn't want dual blue LED's in front
so I have the top front 140mm blue and the bottom is basic 140mm (black).

the top part is where it got interesting..
top front can't be a 140mm fan if you have your optical drive in the top 5.25' bay,
has to be a 120mm because it will block the optical from seating correctly and flush.
the back top fan can't be a 140mm if mounting a H60 or H80 rad in the back slot.
the length again of the 140mm fan will block install of this configurations as well.
so to counter this I swapped the fan controller in the top 5.25 bay
and the optical is now in bay #2, the 140mm top/front stays.
currently back on air so I'm using a 140mm fan in the back/front as well
but I did have to use the 120mm fan in the back/front when closed looped / rad.

side fans not need to blow on GPU's, unit runs cool and aftermarket coolers on hardware anyways.

no fan slot on the bottom next to PSU but I'm cool, no big deal, case has feet..
for me 2 x 2.5" drives and 3.5" drive for OS and storage so the caddy was nice.

ATX board with SLi set-up fits perfectly, case is a keeper. I have the non-windowed version.
cheers.

Summary
This is a great case on a budget, but there have been some corners cut. It has decent airflow and stock fans don't push much air but are relatively quiet.

PROS

Sturdy build , thicker metal than Cooler Master 690 II

Dust filter in front and bottom of the chassis

Corsair support

USB 3.0

Decent price when it is on sale for $50-60

Fits full size ATX and full size GPUs (17.7")

170mm CPU coolers fit

Tool-less 5.25" drive bays

Vibration grommets for HDDs

Vented PCI slot covers

Cable routing holes

17.7 x 19.1 x 8.3 inches (HxWxD) is a nice size

Better thermals for the CPU than the 200R and other cheap cases

Can fit two 140mm fans on top, front and side (most cases can only fit 120mm or 200mm on sides and front)

Bottom mounted PSU with PSU filter

Well painted interior

Doesn't look like a Christmas tree (lighted fans on the higher models)

CONS

The power button is not spring loaded, so sometimes you don't know if it's pressed.

You need to route the HD Audio cable creatively if you have a ATX motherboard

Front fan filter isn't easily removable (500R has the same issue)

Want fan filters for the side and top? That's about $20-30 of corner cutting right there. The 400R also has the same issue, lacking top and side fan filters ; 500R lacks side filter

Want grommets? Drop $15 on Corsair 800D/700D grommets for $15+shipping (for me this is $8-11...), and you will have extras you won't know what to do with.

No USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 adapter kit available from Corsair

I have 3 USb 2.0 headers on my motherboard but nowhere to plug them in without buying a 5.25" bay.

A fan in the bottom middle like the 200R would do wonders for GPU temps and for Dwood bracket radiators

Needed EPS extension for motherboard to be connected to PSU (probably PSU cable's fault) = $8

No rubber vibration mount for PSU

Other notes
* Does not need motherboard standoffs , uses bumps that may cause shorting if you're not careful
* Don't put a loud GPU in it since the hexagonal cut panel next to the GPU will vibrate , noise is the 300R's biggest con
* Need screws for SSD mounting
* Unlike Antec ONE & Xigmatek Asgard Pro, the 5.25" drive bay covers and PCI slot covers can be replaced (they are not breakout covers)
* Alternative is Fractal Define R4 , with fan swap. (About twice as expensive) or Fractal Design Arc Midi (not the R2 with the window), also with fan swap ... the advantage those have is the bottom fan mount + 140mm rear fan , Midi R2 has filters on top , Define R4 has 2 removable foam pieces on top where fans normally go
* Purchased for $70 and received $20 MIR a month after , this case has a higher MSRP but $70 is the max I would pay for it
* There's a trade-off of sound and thermals. If you get a loud CPU cooler don't bother with this case , even if the CPu cooler will spin lower. It's better to get quiet components and a case with good thermals instead of loud components and a quiet case that will end up cooking your parts.
*** 1°C better than Fractal Define R4 according to Vortez: http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/fractal_design_define_r4,10.html
*** a few °C better according to Anandtech http://www.anandtech.com/show/6102/fractal-design-define-r4-case-review-evolution-not-revolution/6

How I would improve it
* Make it easy to remove front panel filter for cleaning (500R also has this issue)
* Make it a bit higher (5mm?) so that radiators fit in the top
* Include grommet kit as purchasable for $5-10 shipped
* Make the PSU filter extend further and then add a 120mm/140mm fan mount on bottom