A case for quiet and for performance
We take a look at Corsair’s latest Obsidian 550D chassis in this video review!
In recent years, some of my favorite cases have come from Corsair – a statement that not too long ago I would have never thought I’d be making. Since the company’s rapid expansion into nearly all things enthusiast computing, the Corsair Obsidian line of chassis have helped move along a pretty stagnant industry and foster innovation and change.
Today we are going to be looking at the new Corsair Obsidian 550D, a case that claims to master both noise reduction and sound isolation as well as offering flexibility for some intense cooling capability.
Check out our video review below!
Overall we found the 550D to be a great case for the money and the ability to run it in both a quiet and a cooling mode will allow users to swap components and PC designs without having to buy another case at the same time.
The Corsair Obsidian 550D is available at Newegg.com for $139!
You can catch more images after the break!
I’m still drooling over that
I’m still drooling over that case!
This is on my shortlist of
This is on my shortlist of next case.
Yup, same here! 🙂 Ever since
Yup, same here! 🙂 Ever since I saw this thing at CES 2012, I’ve wanted it!
Can you guys test out the
Can you guys test out the motherboard side panel? Initial reports have that it was pretty flimsy. Please and thank you 😀
Yeah, we might be able to
Yeah, we might be able to test that out.
Much thanks Tim!
*salute*
Much thanks Tim!
*salute*
I passed your question onto
I passed your question onto the reviewer, no promises but if we have time I think we can check it out.
I bought this case a week ago
I bought this case a week ago and I love it. I had the mother of them all, the Antec P180, before that. (The Antec is better built than any other case I know of besides Lian LI). I had it custom fitted with noisedampening material and Basotect for remaining noise (look it up, Basotect is incredible, though expensive).
For my new PC I first tried the Fractal Design R3, which is not very good, everything is flimsy and falling apart easily. The Thermalright Silver Arrow did fit, but it dented the side panels.
It is cheaper than the Antec or the Corsair, but you feel every penny.
The Obsidian 550 is much better, everything works nicely, even though the side panels are quite wobbly.
I never had that much fun assembling a PC, even though I exchanged the fans (those corsair supplies are ok, I guess – but not great) for three Noiseblocker 700rpm – which are really amazingly quiet.
I don’t use PSUs with detachable cables (one less point of failure) and everything fitted nicely behind the moterboard.
The biggest problem with this case is vibration from the ODD bays – i have a WD Black in a special dampening case…it is not useable with the 550D because the whole frame starts to vibrate.
Another small problem is that the power led is too bright for my liking. Well, I just don’t use it at all…
I use a 3570K and an Asus p8z77-v – the PC stays inaudible and well below 60°C after hours of prime95. Just amazing.
Sorry for my english, feel free to ask me anything about the case.
Thank you for your
Thank you for your comments!
I agree on the sound levels of the ODD drives – the screwless design there seems to leave things “too loose” for the best case noise levels.
Your English is flawless in
Your English is flawless in my opinion. I didn’t even think it wasn’t your first language.
Thanks for your comments, can you take a look at the motherboard side panel and give your opinion of if its thin or not? Felt unusually thin when I had a brief hands on with it.
i am not sure which panel you
i am not sure which panel you mean, the tray you mount the motherboard on or the exterior panel.
well, i just checked:
the tray is fine, not as sturdy as in the antec, granted.
the side panel is very wobbly, yeah. i think it is the same base metal as the other side panel but since there is the fan mounting structure on the left side (when the case faces you) it feels better and stiffer. also there is a little less dampening material on the motherboard side – to make room for the cable management, i’d think.
but the important part: when you close the case, the mounting mechanism puts the side panels under some pressure and they feel nice and stiff.
verdict: to me it felt weird when you first open the case, but it is ok. and: the case weighs about half the antec does. something’s gotta give 😉
oh, and one last thing: when i handled the case i remembered that the coating, which is grainy and feels like the soft touch coating some mice have, is VERY susceptible to smudges. I don’t mind since i don’t usually fondle my computers, but, well, some people might be put off.
You can screw the Optical
You can screw the Optical Drives instead of using the toolless design.
Yes…I agree on all the
Yes…I agree on all the above! Corsair’s 550D is definitely a keeper…looks elegant, super-convenient side facing drive bays, front panel swing door, sound absorbing insulation, fan setup to include removable/cleanable mesh dust catchers…everything I’d want for sure. Oh, BTW, take a look at Antec P280 pictures and specs. Compare the 550D and the P280 side by side. Hmmm…now isn’t that interesting–they’re almost identical twins. Good job Corsair 😉
FYI: I do love my Antec P280; however, if Antec hadn’t come out with it last year, I’d buy Corsair’s 550D in a heartbeat!