Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-04 Tempered Glass Case Review

Corsair SPEC-04 Tempered Glass Overview

The SPEC-04 Tempered Glass, an ATX case with a steel body design, with our review sample being of the black and red variety. While this is a mid-tower ATX case, it is a bit slimmer that other cases we have looked at recently, with a width of just 196mm. The case is not exceptionally tall either, at just 433mm. These small dimensions played a part in our build process, which we will touch on later. Thankfully, the smaller dimensions and somewhat thin steel body help to keep the weight of the case down. Within these somewhat small dimensions, Corsair was somehow able to find room for up to six 120mm fans.

Spec 04 TG RED 02

Taking a look at the front of the case, we are greeted with a very asymmetrical angular design. The left portion of the facade features three mesh ventilation triangles, each surrounded by a bright red plastic frame. Each section of this intake ventilation area is not only a different size, but at a different angle than the other areas. The right portion of the front of the case is a solid black panel, with a similar angular design. The front panel snaps in and out of place, and once removed, we can see the lone 120mm red LED fan that Corsair provided with the case. There is room for either an additional two 120mm fans, or just two 140mm fans up front. Since the front buttons and ports are not attached to the front panel, removal is hassle free.

SPEC 04 TG Front SPEC 04 TG Front Off
Centered at the bottom is a Corsair logo.

SPEC 04 TG Front Bottom

The top panel of the case is quite Spartan in design, consisting of a flat black surface, only disrupted by two offset 120mm fan grilles. While the slim nature of this case leads to these fan mounts being offset from center for internal clearance reasons, we would have loved to have seen a more symmetrical design.

SPEC 04 TG Top

The left side of the case is the first real deviation from the design of the already existing SPEC-04 case. Here the full-sized tempered glass panel has replaced a bumped out plastic window, thus keeping up with the latest in case trends. The glass panel is secured to the case via four thumb screws, and around the outer edges of the panel is a black trim. This trim really adds an extra touch, as panels lacking this feature tend to show off some of the internal structural design required to keep the panel in place.

SPEC 04 TG Left Side

On the right side we have a full panel that features a bumped out square section to aide in cable management. This does help with routing and hiding cables, as this case is quite slim.

SPEC 04 TG Right Side

Towards the front of this side, near the top, we find a grouping of buttons and ports that we have all become accustomed to. From top to bottom we have an illuminated Power button, a single USB 3.0 port, a single USB 2.0 port, microphone and headphone ports, and a round hard drive activity indicator. While we would have liked to see either just two USB 3.0 ports, or two USB 3.0 ports and a single USB 2.0 port, we understand that all of these options add to the final cost of a case, and as this is a budget-friendly case, decisions have to be made to keep it that way.

SPEC 04 TG Front Ports e1505752617499

Out back is a pretty standard layout for a budget case; room for a 120mm fan, and seven add-in card slots. The PSU hole offers two mounting options, depending on whether or not you want the fan on the PSU facing up or down.

SPEC 04 TG Rear

The base of the SPEC-04 Tempered Glass is quite bare, except for a small removable PSU fan filter and four plastic feet with rubber pads to keep the case in place.

SPEC 04 TG Bottom