Today we will be taking a smash from our normal PC hardware benchmarking periods to test out a slick new computer case from Corsair. I'm positive a lot of you are familiar with the corporation's elite Obsidian collection considering fashions including the big 900D and the slightly much less massive 750D have been round for a while now and continue to be famous picks among machine builders.

It's been pretty some years considering Corsair has refreshed the Obsidian lineup but that modifications nowadays with the advent of its new $one hundred fifty Obsidian Series 500D.

With the exception of the unique 550D, every Obsidian model has accompanied the same general layout cues, however the 500D throws the whole lot out the window in what's a sizeable departure from the norm for the series. Corsair says the 500D is a kingdom of the art mid-tower designed for lovers, with remarkable features inclusive of smoked tempered glass side doors and a premium aluminum trim. Looks are glaringly subjective but I think maximum will agree that the new 500D is smooth looking but more adventurous than the traditional Obsidian case.

The case manages to merge smooth traces with subtle curves virtually properly and the front panel is a brilliant instance of this. At first the front panel appears to be a solid piece of brushed aluminum however it's definitely on the whole plastic wrapped in a skinny sheet of brushed aluminum. I feel like a solid aluminium panel might have labored higher right here and paired facet door panels. Speaking of which, the door panels are mainly smoked tempered glass however at the leading edges are attached to thick aluminium trimmings which now not just help make up the the front panel but additionally act as handles -- innovative and it appears terrific.

Both the left and right aspect tempered glass doorways panels are hinged for brief and handy access. It was also extraordinary to discover when lying the case down to work on that the doors just don't fall off like they have on some other instances I've worked with. The hinge is in reality locked into vicinity with a screwed but you may cast off this if you want to take the door off absolutely.

The panels themselves lock into vicinity the use of magnets that is surely fine, though I did note a few instances while moving the case round they might fly open and wreck into some thing become in their way, so be aware of that.

On pinnacle of the 500D we find an exciting winged looking kind cover that has been constructed absolutely from aluminum. It's raised up at the sides to allow airflow while there also are triangular formed vents down the middle. Up the front within the gap among in which the top and the front panels meet is a clever little I/O panel proposing USB three.0 ports, power and reset buttons, audio jacks and await it, a USB three.1 gen 2 Type-C port, appropriate stuff Corsair.

There isn't always some thing to interesting happening beneath the case. There’s four quite general searching plastic toes and a removable dirt filter for the PSU. Then finally across the back it's also a totally popular affair with seven growth slots, a PSU within the backside of course and a rear mounting point for a 120mm fan that we are going to study extra closely in a second.

Before sorting out the indoors I ought to additionally notice that there are large detachable dirt filters in the top and the front of the case which are very clean to attain. The top filter is held in place with 4 magnets whilst the front clear out receives 8. Both can be removed in seconds without the want for equipment -- a notable design via Corsair.

All informed, this mid-tower measures 508mm tall, 502mm deep and 233mm extensive, and it recommendations the scales at 10.25kg with no additives installed, which is affordable given its length and the sheer quantity of glass utilized in its layout.

Heading inner, we discover a compact however separate basement phase for the PSU that may be unfolded if need be for additonal long strength components. Corsair has additionally supplied grommets inside the top of the PSU cover for strolling power cables to the portraits card as an instance.

All 2.5" and 3.5" garage slots are observed in the back of the motherboard tray and this space can accommodate three.five" drives as well as 3 2.five" drives. Corsair has provided detachable trays for mounting the drives and it is a tool-less design inside the case of the 3.five" drives. For builders who require greater garage alternatives, I suspect you'll be capable of purchase a force cage with three trays separately and a good way to sit down adjoining from the PSU shroud.

By default, that location is reserved for liquid cooling equipment and you could deploy a pump and reservoir combo for instance. Corsair has furnished mounting holes for all the generally used kits.

Speaking of liquid cooling, the 500D has room for a as much as a 280mm or 360mm radiator inside the front, a 120mm rad within the back and a 240mm or 280mm radiator within the pinnacle. Corsair has made putting in radiators and fans clean by using together with removable fan trays within the pinnacle and the front of the case. This helps you to mount all of the hardware outdoor of the case.

As you may have guessed, given the radiator support you could deploy both 3 120mm or 140mm fanatics in the the front and two 120mm or 140mm enthusiasts within the pinnacle. By default the 500D comes with a 120mm fan pre-installed within the the front, the middle area and then one in the rear.

When it comes to clearance, the 500D will support GPUs as long as 370mm (that covers they all), CPU coolers status 170mm tall (once more, quite a lot all of them) and PSUs that extend 225mm long. You'll be hard pressed to find something that doesn't healthy on this generously sized mid-tower.

This configuration dropped the GTX 1080 Ti Trio load temp right down to 52 stages and the Liqtech 280 kept the 1950X at simply fifty eight stages while maxed out. Both the CPU and GPU had been left at their stock settings for those checks. I haven't had time to tinker with overclocking however this is some thing I'll explore with this system within the destiny.

To actually show off the Obsidian Series 500D and all of the glorious PC hardware interior, we suggest installing some LED light strips. Otherwise, I sense like the 500D does an amazing task of balancing seems with practicality. It's a swish case that does not sacrifice airflow to obtain its easy appears and its universal construct first-rate is excessive, as you'll expect for an Obsidian collection chassis.

Most mid-towers are priced among $75 and $100, so at $one hundred fifty the 500D is clearly a top class product. You ought to fault Corsair for not offering any extras, together with LED mild strips or maybe a fan controller, and we additionally might have preferred to look one among these things blanketed given the rate, but we're additionally thankful for the feature which can be protected. For instance, the case's hinged tempered glass doors are of the very best high-quality. It's additionally really worth noting that the 750D can regularly be observed selling for $one hundred thirty (currently $150), regardless of its $one hundred sixty MSRP, so probabilities are that it may not be long before the 500D is a bit greater reasonably priced.

In a nutshell, the 500D is a nicely constructed case this is 2nd to none in phrases of layout and construct exceptional. Again, it's also expensive at $a hundred and forty, even though we’ve come to expect any such top rate from Corsair's higher-give up products.

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Pros: Unmatched build first-class for a case in this class. Sleek appears courtesy of glass and aluminum. Clearance for definitely all hardware.

Cons: Expensive for a mid-tower chassis at $one hundred forty and it would not have the longest feature listing (you may want extra enthusiasts or LED lights and many others.)