After removing the two side panels we encounter an old friend. Not so long ago we reviewed the Cougar MX300 gaming case, also a very affordable enclosure. The resemblance of the chassis is proof that Corsair has picked the same manufacturer/designer as the Cougar team. This will make things even more interesting to compare too. Biggest difference at first glance is the omission of one 5.1/2 drive bay and the 3 way 2.5inch bays for superior airflow. Cougar opted for a single rear fan, Corsair opts to work with one front fan.

One of the biggest flaws with the MX300 from Cougar was the badly positioned 8 CPU power plug cutout, meaning the cable has to be routed in front of the motherboard tray; seems Corsair hasn't addressed this either. With some power supplies it might work out fine, though our test setup only left us one option and the was to route the cable on the visible side. Nevertheless the numerous cutouts aid cable management, again this was not one of the strong points of the MX300 as the clearance behind the motherboard tray and the convex panels is hardly sufficient: the Carbide SPEC 01 shares an identical lack of clearance. With some patience it is possible, though half a cm more would make all peoples' life way easier.

Where did Corsair improve then? The ventilated back plates are now removable and not the screw less design of the MX300. Secondly the mounting mechanism for the optical drives is far superior to the Cougar MX300 solution.

Similar to the MX300, the top mesh is off-centered, automatically thinking that the case would be 240 radiator compatible. This is not the case, the top part is only for adding extra fans. The Corsair webpage clearly states only 120mm AIO versions are supported for the SPEC series, being the H50/60/75 and H80. The SPEC 01 rests on four oversized plastic feet, cheap but effective.