Reviews - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D

[HEXUS]

Corsair's first soundproofed chassis reviewed and rated.

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[Roobubba]

Excellent!! Thanks for bringing us this review! I wish this was around when I built my system, but I'm glad Corsair have finally got around to giving us a quiet solution - looks very nice and will be top of my list when I build again

[Hicks12]

Make a case big enough to fit a 360mm RX and 240mm RX radiator with ease and sell it at £100 and i will take it at launch . I hope they make something similar to the 700/800D (size wise, needs tougher paint though).

Looks like a good attempt apart from that ugly piece of silver at the front, they should have left it as one black piece or somehow make it look less tacky...

[Skywalker]

Looks nice and well thought out case.Im in the market for silent, visually appealing case with decent air circulation and this might as well be it. Although a little pricey, as I could use one more GFX for SLI...oh them priorities

Nice review nontheless

[Repressor]

I would like to replace my 300 at some point because once you start putting long graphics cards in it starts to split the case in two and so routing cables becomes a huge issue.

The 550D is a nice case overall but I can't imagine trying to get that bottom fan filter out quickly. It's too long and I assume the back of everyones' cases are near to, if not right next to a wall...

Will we be seeing more work from the hand model?

[Phage]

Excellent review at last. Thanks.
Pity I've just got a mint 2nd hand R3. This is the case that I would buy from new.
Still saved myself a fair few quid.

[lkarunan]

Thanks for the review. This could be my next case.

[llbdtiberio]

Great review of the case, have been interested in this case since it was announced.
Looks like a great option for those of us who want a more understated look but still want the great features of a Corsair case.

[chis]

Excellent and concise review of this probably quite sought-after case. It hits a sweet spot of features and performance for many, I'm sure.

However I have one small issue with the 550D which practically makes it useless to me. The push-button panel releases are all well and good, but because there are no holes down the back edges of the panels, there is no way to install screw locks. And therefore, there is no way to secure the case from theft.

I'm sure some will scoff at this suggestion, but it bothers me - I always lock my cases up - and means the 550D cannot be "secured" from hard disk theft. At least, not without getting a dremel out, and probably invalidating the warranty.

Great noise figures though. Would be superb for audio workstation builds.

[Noxvayl]

Great review, the exact specifications that I need, now just to find the money for it... Does anyone know of a lucrative rock I could check under?

Could we please get an update to this review with some results using a customised fan setup? I would install fans at the top and bottom in addition to ones at the front and back, arrange them so the airflow in is greater than that coming out(low noise/low CFM fans as exhaust and opposite as intake) and connect the fans to a fan controller. That should give a more realistic result for most Hexus forum members.

[Noli]

Looks like a good attempt apart from that ugly piece of silver at the front, they should have left it as one black piece or somehow make it look less tacky...

I quite agree - while I can live with pop out panel cuts, the faux silver is a real shame in another wise good looking case. Would prefer power button up top and would prefer 4 USB ports but that's relatively minor.

[davidcrofter]

To me it simply looks like a basic and slightly cheap/lower end version of a Corsair case with a bit of foam attached to the insides ... the fact that Corsair are charging a premium for a budget looking case and don't even include a fan controller is a bit of a crime in my book.

To me they are trying to put too many cases onto the market at a similar price point and should be looking at the high end market to introduce new cases as the 700/800D are getting a bit long in the tooth.

[ed^chigliak]

I'm seeing what davidcrofter is seeing. At least with fractal the prices are lower.

[Phage]

I disagree. It's a shame the R3 wasn't in the test group, but I think this looks like a good case with quality features. I particularly like the flexibility of the fan mountings.

[draken]

Thanks for the review, looking to make this case as part of my next upgrade.

[J3FFW1SH]

I bought the 550D based on this review so thank you Hexus on being through. It is an awesome case and I installed all of my hardware and a new HD7970 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/atiradeongraphicscards/atihd7900series/hd7970-dc2-3gd5.html) with ease. Build quality is excellent in keeping with all other Corsair products I own and noise is kept to a minimum without compromising airflow. The option to add the H100 cooler at a later date is great for future plans of overclocking the Piledriver chip when it is (eventually!) released.