Overall and Final Verdict
At this point I think everyone knows I have a thing for small Mini ITX cases, especially designs that can handle high powered PCs and are easy to carry, AKA LANrigs. Well the 3800T without a doubt falls into that category with its built in carrying handle and its support for full length video cards. Corsair really went all out with the 380T. For starters the design is really eye catching with is unique side panels with tinted windows up on the top of the case. The bright yellow of our sample helped draw even more attention as well. I did see a few photos of potential colors in the future a while back but as of right now it’s just white, black, and yellow. I really hope Corsair brings out a few other colors in the future, the 380T would really look great in a blue, orange, green, red, ect. The 380T wasn’t just about aesthetics though, Corsair managed to slip in support for a 240mm water cooling kit into their ITX case. In addition I really liked the built in lighting in the 380T as well as the three speed fan controller.
As much as I loved the case, it wasn’t perfect. The horizontal motherboard mounting does mean that you don’t have any place to hide the wiring so when you wire everything up you are going to have to work hard to keep things clean. I don’t consider it to be a big issue, but when picking your power supply try to get the shortest model possible to give you additional room for wiring. Our obnoxiously long 1200 watt didn’t fit in the 380T, no surprise there though.
So is this the case for you? Well when it comes to LANrig cases the 380T is up at the top of the list for me right now. The only reason I’m not building a new rig in it right now is because I already have far too many small LANrigs currently. The other thing you will have to keep in mind is the price of the 380T. With an MSRP that is just under $140 this is on the high end for a Mini-ITX case. I don’t consider it to be a downside because you are getting plenty for your money, but this is not a case for a budget LAN rig. The 380T really sets itself apart with a high end video card and a 240mm water cooling kit, both things you aren’t going to get on a budget as well.
