I just noticed my front lip isn’t completely flush in this photo and that’s me. I I was confirming if the panels are bookmatched which doesn’t seem to be the case. Still, its a nice aesthetic change and a cool change of pace from the conventional look of just plain metal. The Elite Panel Kits are sold separately.
Alright, time for some final thoughts. Starting off with the base offering of the 6500X, it’s abig redesign coming from a Corsair Crystal 680X and even moreso from the Carbide Air 540. Both cases are Corsair’s dual-chamber offering from certain eras with the 540 being the inaugural dual-chamber for Corsair while the 680X as their dual-chamber model for the start of the iCUE RGB era. The 6500/2500 series is a delayed arrival from a company that help push dual chamber to mainstream use.
Truth be told, the majority of dual-chambers was spurred by Chinese white label makers which eventually kicked brands to innovate. The Lian Li O11D has become the poster child for dual-chamber chassis but since its latest revision, I personally feel that the aquarium style has peaked and its hard to anyone to really innovate further.
With a $200 price tag or PHP11,000, its definitely a premium case but versus the NZXT H9, the Corsair is so much more heftier. Against its primary target, the 011D, the Corsair still wins out in build quality and ecosystem benefit.
Its larger ecosystem is another bonus and while value gets thrown out the window if we factor in the iCUE LINK system and the Elite Panel Kit, it does speak a lot about Corsair’s priority when designing their cases.
Ultimately, for pure performance, I still highly recommend the 6500D Airflow version for maximum radiator mounting option but for a nice balance of aesthetics and performance, then the 6500X is easily a good option as its a build and forget chassis that will age gracefully just like its predescessors.
Barring cost, the Corsair 6500X is a great looking case and is a highly recommended product for premium builds that want a case that’s guaranteed compatible with a standardized custom watercooling system made by none other but Corsair.
The Corsair 6500 series chassis is backed by a 2-year warranty. Its quite premium but have you seen the price of the older O11D today? Heh, the Corsair 6500X and 6500D Airflow gets a recommended badge.
