A quick look tells you that this PC case is all about presentation: While the curved panels of its predecessors simply moved the panel seam to a different place, Corsair’s Frame 4500X series gets rid of it completely. That affords your friends and loved ones an unobstructed view of your hard work—that is, the painstaking PC build you performed inside. Corsair was even careful to place a group of intake fans on the right side panel of this ATX case to ensure performance adequacy in the as-delivered trim. (We’ll see how well it compares to other cases in its class on our tests.) The Frame 4500X RS isn’t cheap, at around $189.99, and we have some thoughts on its thermal performance. However, it delivers a sleek-looking, high-visibility build with minimal out-of-the-box friction for showcase-PC builders who prioritize aesthetics over cooling performance.

Design: Obstruction-Free Meets ARGB

Removing the seam between the front and side panels appears to be a small step in the major task of giving your PC build the cleanest possible view of its internal components. But it's like a gateway drug: From there, the case then entices buyers to use a concealed-cable/reverse-connector motherboard (see Asus’ BTF or MSI’s Project Zero) and even graphics card (see our recent BTF 2.5 coverage) by providing all the necessary holes to accommodate rear-facing motherboard headers.

The things we’ve said so far apply to the entire Frame 4500X series, which includes standard ARGB and Corsair iCUE-equipped versions in both black and white. All versions also have the same front-panel combo of power button, headset jack, dual USB 3.x Type-A and single Type-C (on Gen 2x2 cable) connectors. The power button is translucent, with an opaque sticker over its center to appear as a lighted ring when the power is on, and the four-pole headset jack can be split out to separate headphone and microphone connections via a third-party adapter cable (not included).

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

A dust filter that covers most of the Frame 4500X’s bottom panel slides out the side for easy cleaning. Primarily responsible for keeping dust out of your power supply, it also covers a 120mm fan mount that sits in front of the power supply’s shroud.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

What goes in must come out: A row of vents that runs up the side of the Frame 4500X makes a right angle turn toward that back, feeding air from the bottom and side intakes to the top and rear. The rear fan bracket has separate slots for installing a 140mm or 120mm fan at adjustable distance from the top panel, and the location is left empty by Corsair.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

The expansion slot panel is filled with the standard ATX number of seven removable slot covers, and the entire section can be removed and rotated by those who’d rather use the case to hold a single card standing up on its edge connector. (The latter arrangement requires the addition of a PCI Express riser cable, which isn’t included.)

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Two captured knurled screws allow for tool-free installation of the power supply, though builders are also welcomed to add regular screws if having twice as many attachment points sounds like a great plan. The sunken screw to the right of the power supply mount is one of three that secures the removable power supply shroud.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

The right side panel is actually two panels, the rearward portion being steel (thin sheet) and the forward section a plastic grille. Because that grille covers the right side’s fan mount and all three fans are intakes, Corsair was kind enough to include a sheet of filter mesh on its inside. On the other hand, since it’s a complex part where dust could stick in the crevices, you’ll probably want to blow it out from the inside using compressed air or vacuum-clean it from outside using a brush head.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Eagle-eyed readers might have noticed that the reverse curve side of the fan blade is facing inward so that the frame is on the intake side. That’s what the second “R” stands for in the name of its RS120-R ARGB fans, which Corsair uses specifically so that users who want these to function as intakes won’t have to look at the backside frames.

Also note that the motherboard tray is no larger than standard ATX. Removing its attached card support brace will allow oversize boards to hang past the edge, and while Corsair says that the limit is 10.5 inches deep, we measured 11 inches of space between the side fan bracket’s rear edge and the inside of the slot panel.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

The bank of side fans is also offset 1.4 inches behind the motherboard, leaving plenty of room for a board that’s longer than 11 inches—though users of these EATX-labeled boards will still need to get that pesky card support pin (and its bracket) out of the way.

Regardless, we put a bit more time into outlining where the screw threads are for installing up to three 120mm fans (red outlines) or a single fan and a vertical card adapter (blue outline).

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Corsair rates both the top fan mount and the side fan mount to support up to three 120mm or two 140mm fans. The top mount is quite a bit different, as it uses a sliding bar to adjust between 120mm and 140mm fan spacing; using the smaller (120mm) fans provides 20mm more horizontal distance from the motherboard’s surface.

That around-55mm horizontal distance between the motherboard and a 120mm/240mm/360mm format radiator is particularly important for the Frame 4500X series, because the approximate 30mm distance between the motherboard’s top edge and the case’s fan mount would otherwise be insufficient for installing nearly any combination of top-mounted radiator and fans.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

A view from the opposite angle gives us even more appreciation of the gap between the motherboard tray and side fan bracket, which is the through-passage that the power and accessory cables of traditional motherboards and graphics cards will use.

We can also see the inside of the removable power supply shroud, which provides 10.5 inches of room for the power supply and its cables. Removing the shroud would allow a far larger unit to be installed, but exposing its cables seems at odds with the case’s clean aesthetic.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

A removable drive tray covers the motherboard tray’s access hole for CPU cooler support plates. The tray can hold either one 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch drives on this version of the case, but users of the iCUE versions of this case will have to relocate its iCUE Link controller to use both bays, since those cases are delivered with the controller’s magnetic base stuck within the tray’s square impression.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Building With the Corsair Frame 4500X RS

The Frame 4500X RS we received didn’t include a manual, but it did include the hardware kit mentioned in Corsair's downloadable version of the manual. In a handy organizer box, you’re looking at a motherboard standoff, two vertical GPU cable riser standoffs, eight M3 SSD screws, 18 #6-32 x quarter-inch screws for motherboard standoffs and 3.5-inch drive mounting, a dozen #6-32 shoulder screws for attaching 120mm-by-25mm fans to the lower fan mounts, an F-Panel breakout cable, and 12 zip-style cable ties.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Here’s a closer look at the F-Panel cable: It allows users of ancient boards to connect their individual front-panel headers to the case’s now-common, combined 9-pin header cable.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

The case’s cables include front-panel audio for the headset jack, a 19-pin USB 3.x Gen 1 cable for the two Type-A ports, a Type-E (Gen 2x2) cable for the Type-C port, a combined F-Panel header cable for the power button and indicator light, and PWM fan and ARGB extension cables. The fans’ cables are short, wired male-to-female and chained (plugged in series) together at the factory.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Notice that the fans of our closed-loop cooler block visual access to the top of our motherboard, further illustrating our appreciation for the around-55mm of horizontal distance that the top panel’s design created between these components. Meanwhile, at 12 inches long, our test card still leaves 6 inches of space for those seeking something larger.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

While this reviewer’s ability to photograph a white case against a white table without getting the image blown out by case lighting might leave something to be desired, readers are likely able to get enough visual information from our test build photo to imagine how it might appear within their gaming, leisure, or working environment.

(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)

Testing the Corsair Frame 4500X

Here’s a quick recap of the parts shown above in our test build, the configuration we’ll be using for today’s test.

Being the curved-panel deluxe alternative to its earlier Corsair 3500X, we’ve included that model in the Frame 4500X RS’s charts. Also included is its closest competitor in the curved-glass space, the Cougar FV270, and its strongest-performing BTF-supporting competitor, the Asus TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB.

Cougar’s competing curve case performs worst in this group in CPU and voltage regulator cooling, while the Frame 4500X RS is down there with it in our GPU temperature measure. While the Frame 4500X RS didn’t get close to the cooling crown in the other two tests, either, it was midpack and not too far off most of its competitors.

The Frame 4500X RS also landed in the middle of the pack in noise levels in its stock fan configuration.