Corsair Obsidian Series 550D - The Quiet One
The Corsair Obsidian Series 550D is the latest mid-tower casing from the company and is unique thanks to its noise-dampening features and clean design. We take a listen to see if it really works.
Corsair, More than Just Memory
Perhaps more commonly known for its memory, Corsair has recently upped its efforts in diversifying its business, releasing and heavily marketing a variety of new products including casings, SSDs, PSUs and gaming keyboards and mice.
Today we are taking a look at Corsair’s recently released Obsidian Series 550D casing. The Obsidian Series is Corsair’s flagship line previously consisted solely of the 800D full-tower casing. The series was then expanded to include the 650D mid-tower casing and now the 550D. The 550D is also a mid-tower casing, but differs from the 650D because of its silent operation preposition.
The Corsair Obsidian Series 550D is the latest addition to Corsair's lineup of casings.
As we all know, high-end components, graphics cards especially, can get very noisy during operation. They also need lots of ventilation and cooling, which in turns translates to more fans required for cooling, which leads to more noise. In this respect, the Corsair 550D has a couple of noise isolation tricks up its sleeves which the company claims can help significantly dampen noise from the casing, ensuring a smooth and quiet operation.
Before we take a look at the casing proper, here’s a quick look at its specs:
Casing Dimensions &Specifications |
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Drive Bays &Expansion Slots / Ports |
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Case Cooling |
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Power Supply |
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External Design
Aesthetically, the Corsair Obsidian Series 550D cuts a handsome figure, thanks mostly to its clean lines and a diamond-cut aluminum front panel. The aluminum front panel conceals the optical and peripheral expansion drive bays and is held in place by magnets. Another unique thing about the front panel is that it can be open in both directions thanks to a cleverly-designed hinge system. Also behind each panel, you'll find a generous amount of sound dampening foam to help isolate noise.
While only the front panel is aluminum, the rest of the panels are put together using stamped steel that have a matte and brushed feel. It doesn’t look nor feel tacky and all in all, the combination of materials here makes the Corsair 550D look and feel like a premium product.
The diamond-cut aluminum panel opens both ways thanks to a cleverly designed hinge system. Unfortunately, the panels are held in place pretty tightly, which means you will need two hands to open the panels - one to open the panel itself, and the other to hold the casing in place. This is not ideal for users who, for whatever reason, need to access external drive bays often.
The front panel has a cutout so the front I/O panel is always exposed. The finishing is excellent so the front panel and the I/O panels are nicely aligned and flushed. Here, there's two USB 3.0 ports, power and reset buttons, and headphones and microphone jacks.
The bottom front panel can be removed to reveal more sound dampening foam. There's also a removable dust filter for the two front intake fans.
There's a removable panel on the left side panel that reveals mounting points for two side fans. Again, an easily serviceable dust filter is provided.
Side panels can be easily removed using this one push button system - one push releases the side panels. It's a very elegant and functional alternative to boring old thumbscrews.
The side panels are well padded with sound dampening foam.
The rear of the casing is pretty standard fare. There's a single 140mm exhaust fan, eight expansion slots and four grommets for liquid-cooling setups.
Internal Design
The first thing you’ll notice as you attempt to peel open the Corsair Obsidian Series 550D is its unique one-button side panel removal system. On most casings, side panels are secured by way of thumbscrews, but with the Corsair 550D, a single push of a button is all it takes to remove the side panels - very convenient for those who are constantly upgrading their components or love tinkering with their setup.
With the side panels out of the way, we were greeted by a spacious motherboard tray area. Corsair says the 550D will be able to accommodate graphics cards of up to 452mm in length (is there even a graphics card this long?) and judging from first impressions, we have no reason to disbelieve them.
Installation is a mostly tool-free affair since optical drives are installed simply by sliding them into the respective drive bay and then locking them in place using the clips, while hard drives can be installed by fitting them into the brackets and then sliding them into the hard drive cage itself. Unfortunately, there’s no specialized brackets for smaller 2.5-inch SSDs, so you’ll have to use screws to secure them to the hard drive racks yourself first before installing them into the cage.
Possibly the only time you’ll need to bring the screwdriver out is when installing the motherboard, since that requires your trusty standoffs and screws. Speaking of installing the motherboard, we found that there’s sufficient cutouts in the motherboard tray for cable routing. There’s also a fair amount of space behind the motherboard tray too, so it shouldn’t be too much of a squeeze as long as you make sure you are tidy in your routing.
In closing, installing components in the Corsair 550D was a fuss-free experience. For a mid-tower casing, the 550D is pretty spacious and should please enthusiasts with even the most extreme setups.
The internals of the Corsair 550D is spacious and has a neat and logical layout.
The motherboard tray has numerous cutoffs for cable management.
There's enough space near the top of the casing for a 240mm liquid-cooling radiator. Corsair designed the 550D such that it can accommodate Corsair's own Hydro series <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en/cpu-cooling-kits/hydro-series-water-cooling-cpu-cooler/hydro-series-h100-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler.html">liquid-cooling setups</a>.
Optical drives can be easily installed simply by sliding them into the drive bays and securing them with the clips. Hard drives are installed using the provided brackets.
Slip these brackets onto your hard drive and slide them into the hard drive cage and you're good to go. There's no special brackets for smaller SSDs, so you'll have to screw them to the brackets.
The PSU bay is pretty spacious and features rubber standoffs to insulate vibrations. There's also mounting points for another bottom intake fan. Corsair has also provided a dust filter that extends throughout the entire base of the casing, good for both the PSU and bottom intake fan.
A look at the Corsair 550D with all the major components installed. There's tons of space even after installing an 11-inch long Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card.
Quality Comes at A Price
Corsair has a reputation amongst enthusiasts as a purveyor of premium, high-end components and their new Obsidian Series 550D mid-tower casing lives up to this billing. Aesthetically, we especially like the diamond-cut aluminum front panel, which, coupled with the stamped steel panels, gives the Corsair 550D a premium look and feel that elevates it above its competitors.
However, the Corsair 550D is not just about looks. As we found out, it is also an accomplished casing with some nifty innovations and features. The aluminum front panel which can open both ways is a nice touch as are the one-touch push open side panels. On the inside, the Corsair case is neatly laid out, easy to install and has loads of space for enthusiasts to install their gear. And while we don’t have a sound-proof room to accurately get a decibel reading to measure the effectiveness of the Corsair 550D’s sound proofing, the Corsair 550D did sound quieter than other casings we’ve tested.
As far as mid-tower casings go, the Corsair Obsidian Series 550D is not cheap. Fortunately, with its features and excellent build quality, you do get your every penny's worth.
Overall then, the new Corsair 550D is one of the most all-rounded casings we’ve reviewed in some time. Quality, however, comes at a price, because at S$219, the Corsair 550D is also one of the more costly casings in its class. The recently reviewed Cooler Master Silencio 550, which has the same sound dampening features retails at nearly half the price - S$129. Whether or not the Corsair 550D is worth the premium depends very much on the individual user's preferences and needs, but overall, the Corsair 550D looks and feels like a better put together product than the Silencio 550 that panders towards entry-level DIY builders.
On a closing note, while the Corsair 550D commands a premium, it backs it up with class-leading aesthetics, performance and build quality. A casing definitely worth looking at if you don't mind splurging a bit more money.
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