A Closer Look - Outside

The case makes heavy use of glass and aluminum on the outside. While the front cover is mostly plastic, it is of very sturdy quality and comes lined with a brushed metal sheet. A CORSAIR logo can be found on the bottom of the front.


There are no drive bays in the front cover. CORSAIR has designed it with a fairly large gap behind the actual front to allow for maximum airflow. A large dust filter protects the entire front from dirt and grime; it is held in place by strong magnets so that you may easily remove it for cleaning without worrying about it coming off on its own.


In the rear, things look quite traditional for the most part. As the doors rest on hinges, you will see those clearly from this side of the chassis. A dust filter, which covers the PSU intake opening, may be pulled out through the back of underside.


Both sides of the CORSAIR Obsidian 500D are made out of thick glass with metal bits attached to their ends. The forward strips are curved slightly, which adds to the overall design of the case. CORSAIR has opted for quite the heavy tint, which makes it hard to really see what is inside when the system is assembled, as we will see later on.


Taking a closer look at the rear, the bottom consists of a PSU bay with two sets of mounting holes, which gives you the utmost flexibility here. Above that are the seven horizontal and two vertical expansion slots. Interestingly enough, CORSAIR has made the latter of the break-out kind, while the traditional ones may be removed and reused. In the very top is a 120 mm fan that may be adjusted in height to have it line up with any CPU cooler you have installed.


In the top edge of the front, you will find the square power button with an embedded power LED, a small reset button, and the usual set of USB 3.0 and audio plugs. The one special connector here is the USB 3.1 Type C Gen2, which is great as long as you have a motherboard to support it. A solid aluminum cover can be found on top, but unlike most cases, it is not removable. CORSAIR has glued it to little spacers that are in turn screwed down to the chassis. A dust filter lines the whole top as well, and it may be pulled out through the side of the case. This means that all three major areas come with high-quality dust and grime protection.