Corsair Crystal 680X RGB - user experiences, thermals and front panel

[AngryShrimp]

I will be upgrading my system in the 680X. I received the case a few days ago, and unfortunately the one I received was a disappointment. The top and front panel was not entirely aligned, and the side panel screws did not align with the screw holes, making it difficult to reattach. I assume the whole thing is somewhat warped, as it didn't sit flush on my desk and wobbled ever so slightly. Not what I was expecting for a case at this price point. I will be returning this one and hope that the next one I receive delivers.

 

My case of bad luck aside, I will be running an Intel i9 10850K and a ASUS RTX 3080 TUF (once I am able to get hold of one, of course). My biggest concern about this case is the thermals, based on what I have read and seen. Perhaps in particular the Gamers Nexus review.

 

User experiences from other members of the forum would be greatly appreciated. So would pictures of your builds and any tips and tricks on maximizing airflow. I realize removing the front panel is probably the best way to go, but that does ruin the aesthetics of the case that made me choose this in the first place.

 

My hope is that Corsair will be releasing an optional front panel to accommodate better cooling. It's a simple move that would help make this case go from decent to good or even great in terms of thermal performance. So if you are out there Corsair, pretty please?

[LeDoyen]

No need to remove the front panel, even if it helps. What you can do though is remove the top glass and do a bottom to top airflow path. whatever comes through the front panel is just bonus.

It's clearly not a high airflow case despite the marketing claim so you'll have to work around it.

The feet are tall enough to get good airflow to the GPU so that's a good point for a 3080. I'd strongly advise agaisnt doing a vertical mount tho :)

 

Another common solution to get fresh air is to set the top fans to intake (basically all intake except the back fan).

 

Regarding the build quality unfortunately i can't say better... mine also has the panel screws misaligned and every single screw was overtorqued from the factory, partially stripping most of them.

On top of that it is very thin sheet metal (hence the warpage you got). I had to push the back of the case to get the PCI screws to align with the GPU PCIE bracket.. The plastics and front panel are very good, but the metalwork and general fit is pretty poor IMO.

 

That said, once your system is built, with all the added weight it does sit it better.

Mine is somewhat square so i didn't have that issue..

 

Swapped it for an O11-XL, for less money.. no competition.

 

My view of the 680X is that it's a mid range case with its priced bumped up by RGB. Would have been a good case at 120 - 130$.. not 250.

Pretty tho. love dual chambers :)

[AngryShrimp]

Thanks for sharing, LeDoyen.

 

I was considering the O11 Dynamic XL. Personally I the appearance of the 680X more pleasing, although I am aware that the O11 outperforms the 680X in most aspects.

 

My 680X came with the Commander Pro pre-installed. As I am going all in with RGB fans, that is an added bonus that would have cost me around 80 Euros. When adding the 3 LL RGB into the equation, I guess the case itself ends up at +/- 100 Euros, which probably explains the quality issues we've both seen. I find that the inclusion of the Commander Pro does help justify the price.

 

Did you check the temperatures while you did have the 680x?

[LeDoyen]

Remember to read up about the case eh, that's just my experience with it :) a lot of people are happy with their case.

 

It's cool that it has a CoPro indeed. Mine came with a lighting node pro only. i guess that changed to make it more attractive.

 

Temperature-wise it was ok because i used it on custom loop watercooling. So unless the case is really closed up the only difference with a good case will be noise, as you have to spin the fans faster for the same coolant temp.

And that was the problem. it was noisy. to keep my GPU at 45° under load i had to almost max the fans.

removing the top glass dropped coolant temp by a few °C. removing the front panel helped too.. but at this stage the thing was basically defaced and looked ugly.

 

With the same hardware in the O11 XL, i still gained a few °C with no alterations to the case and lower fan speeds.

 

Finally getting rid of Corsair fans and getting proper high static pressure fans with a more silent blade profile made the thing whisper quiet and cool, which is what i was going for to start with.

 

Now on air cooling it will be different because you rely a bit less on fan performance there's no radiator obstruction to overcome. so it will probably be adequate.

Also the 680X is basically build around the use of 140mm fans, which are not always ideal on watercooling (low pressure) but have more CFM for air cooled builds. But again, the O11 can take 140mm fans too..

 

In the end you don't build everyday in the thing. So once it's done, and working, cooling reasonably well, it's you who will be looking at it, not me :) If it brings a smile to your face when you look at your handiwork then that's the best case hehe

[TenaciousB]

I didn't see any major misalignment issues w/ my 680x. The only item i don't think fits properly is the dust screen that goes on top. It is too big to fit nice & snug in the fan opening, but not big enough to cover the entire opening. Odd.

 

Mine also only has the lighting node pro.

[AngryShrimp]

I didn't see any major misalignment issues w/ my 680x. The only item i don't think fits properly is the dust screen that goes on top. It is too big to fit nice & snug in the fan opening, but not big enough to cover the entire opening. Odd.

 

Mine also only has the lighting node pro.

 

Glad to hear it! The top dust filter is (unfortunately) designed to go on top of the top fan/radiator bracket on the inside of the case. That means cleaning it will involve removing the bracket. Same principle as the front panel and it’s dust filter. It’s an odd choice seeing how the top does seem to have a cutout designes for a dust filter, which would have been a better place for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Edited December 7, 2020 by AngryShrimp

[LeDoyen]

technically you only need to unscrew the top bracket and angle it slightly to take the dust filter off / reinstall it.

It may be tricky with a big air cooler, but with an waterblock or an AIO it's a 5 seconds job.

[Kontio]

Hallo

 

sieben QL140mm Lüfter sorgen im 680X dafür das es angenehm kühl im Gehäuse ist

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Kontio

[AngryShrimp]

Great looking build! What kind of temperatures are you getting with your 7 fan setup?

[Kontio]

Hallo

 

im Leerlauf 30°-35° und unter Last etwa 75°

[AngryShrimp]

While looking for information on this case myself I kept spotting questions about the GPU support of the case. Thought I'd contribute to the knowledge archives.

 

The case officially supports cards up to 330mm with the standard LL front fans installed.

 

Attached is a picture of my own measurement with the brackets still installed. To have some clearance to the fans I imagine that you may not want to go beyond 320mm.

[AngryShrimp]

Here's a short video of my 680X with a replacement front panel from Coldzero:

 

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[mrshrir]

heres my setup, overall good temps, 58c tops on the gpu, my 9900K idles in the 30s and gets to 55-60 in games

[Xanda73]

I think the 680x works better as a water cooled case, but with rads top and bottom, both exhausting and the front 3 fans as intake.

 

Air cooled you are working against the glass obstructions, and if you are looking at removing them, I think you bought the wrong case for your use.

 

My water temp is 31c on idle/browsing & 37c when gaming and my 2080Ti never goes above 50c overclocked with 22-24c ambient, so the case can provide good temps I think, but only with a build that fits its design. It's not high air flow as Corsair advertise though.