Corsair has nearly all of their bases covered in the enclosure market with the Obsidian, Carbide Graphite and new Vengeance chassis all vying for different segments. All that’s left is to fill in some gaps within certain far-flung consumer niches and they can call it a day. This brings us to Corsair’s latest enclosure: the Obsidian 550D.
Initially, Corsair’s original Obsidian series targeted a high end enthusiast crowd that didn’t want to make any compromises in terms of construction quality, interior size or cooling options. The new 550D modifies this initial vision somewhat by focusing upon silent computing while still retaining the Obsidian appeal for serious builders. To this end, Corsair has equipped it with various technologies that limit the amount of noise leaking out from internal components while also ensuring the chassis is thoroughly isolated front vibration enhancing surfaces. The 550D also happens to be one of the least expensive Obsidian cases with a price of about $150.
While it may be inexpensive and looks quite plain from the outside, the Obsidian 55D has been specifically designed with acoustics in mind but we happen to like its stealth-like qualities. This design’s sleek lines and no nonsense industrial qualities will likely find its way into the hearts of gamers who are sick and tired of all the oddball designs on the market.
The front panel is made of machined aluminum that has been thoroughly lined in noise dampening foam and mounted on a reversible swing mount. Meanwhile, the main side panel has an opening that can be used one of two ways: it can be closed for silent operation or the meshed in area (with two 120mm / 140mm fan mounts) can be left open for additional ventilation. This allows end users to choose between silence and increased airflow. As with the front panel, the two sides’ interiors are finished with noise dampening foam.
Corsair’s attention to detail is even evident under the case as they’ve included a pull-out dust filter for the power supply and thick rubber feet to cut down on vibrations.
The 550D’s interior is very similar to that of Corsair’s own 500R with the only difference being a slightly higher top panel for radiator mounting and of course the aforementioned acoustical dampening. With that being said, there’s plenty of space for 12” long graphics cards and if you need even more space, one of the two hard drive cages can be removed. For those of you wondering, Corsair has also included a top mount for a 240mm radiator and their design team remains one of the few that see the benefits of sleeving every front panel cable.
Directly in front of the drive bays are a pair 120mm intake fans that are equipped with magnetic dust filters which makes cleaning extremely easy. Unfortunately, due to a restrictive front panel design, these two fans may be constantly starved for airflow.
Corsair has tried hard to bring a silent chassis to fruition but have they reached a bit too far this time around. Watch our video review below to find out.
Initially, Corsair’s original Obsidian series targeted a high end enthusiast crowd that didn’t want to make any compromises in terms of construction quality, interior size or cooling options. The new 550D modifies this initial vision somewhat by focusing upon silent computing while still retaining the Obsidian appeal for serious builders. To this end, Corsair has equipped it with various technologies that limit the amount of noise leaking out from internal components while also ensuring the chassis is thoroughly isolated front vibration enhancing surfaces. The 550D also happens to be one of the least expensive Obsidian cases with a price of about $150.
While it may be inexpensive and looks quite plain from the outside, the Obsidian 55D has been specifically designed with acoustics in mind but we happen to like its stealth-like qualities. This design’s sleek lines and no nonsense industrial qualities will likely find its way into the hearts of gamers who are sick and tired of all the oddball designs on the market.
The front panel is made of machined aluminum that has been thoroughly lined in noise dampening foam and mounted on a reversible swing mount. Meanwhile, the main side panel has an opening that can be used one of two ways: it can be closed for silent operation or the meshed in area (with two 120mm / 140mm fan mounts) can be left open for additional ventilation. This allows end users to choose between silence and increased airflow. As with the front panel, the two sides’ interiors are finished with noise dampening foam.
Corsair’s attention to detail is even evident under the case as they’ve included a pull-out dust filter for the power supply and thick rubber feet to cut down on vibrations.
The 550D’s interior is very similar to that of Corsair’s own 500R with the only difference being a slightly higher top panel for radiator mounting and of course the aforementioned acoustical dampening. With that being said, there’s plenty of space for 12” long graphics cards and if you need even more space, one of the two hard drive cages can be removed. For those of you wondering, Corsair has also included a top mount for a 240mm radiator and their design team remains one of the few that see the benefits of sleeving every front panel cable.
Directly in front of the drive bays are a pair 120mm intake fans that are equipped with magnetic dust filters which makes cleaning extremely easy. Unfortunately, due to a restrictive front panel design, these two fans may be constantly starved for airflow.
Corsair has tried hard to bring a silent chassis to fruition but have they reached a bit too far this time around. Watch our video review below to find out.
<object width="640" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UocnbMxChy4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UocnbMxChy4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
