A Closer Look - Inside

You do not have to remove any screws to gain access to the interior as the side panels are merely held in place by two magnets each. That may be fine when the system is stationary, but you should maybe tape things down before moving the chassis. To detach the panels completely, simply remove the single screw holding each down. The interior looks pretty simple, but CORSAIR has wisely chosen to stick to nothing but metal. You have around 22 mm worth of space to work with on the backside of the motherboard, which should be fine for most cable-management scenarios.


You may have noticed that there are no apparent drive bays inside. Instead, CORSAIR has placed them all on the backside of the motherboard tray. There are two plastic 3.5" trays towards the front of the case, and you will find three 2.5" variants just underneath the big CPU cooler opening. The other noteworthy element is a metal cable tunnel, which not only helps with keeping the case tidy, but ensures that it looks good for when someone takes a closer look through the glass side panel.


In front, you will find the second 120 mm fan of retail quality. You may install up to three 140 mm units here or even place a thick radiator of the same size on the removable bracket. Having the ability to mount fans or radiators outside of the chassis does not only help during the assembly process, but is a necessity as the front cover is not meant to be removed.


Unlike most cases with shrouds, the Obsidian 500D only covers the PSU, with a large air vent in it. This will allow you to place the PSU with the fan facing either downward, pulling outside air in through the underside, or upward, sucking air out of the case. It looks like you may mount another drive on the floor or place a pump there instead. Unfortunately, the manual is very basic and does not mention what these holes are to be used for. You may also remove the cover on the side of the shroud, but once again, the purpose of it is not clear.


In the rear, the PSU bay underneath the shroud comes with rubber pads on which the unit will rest. Above that are the 7+2 expansion bays. While it is awesome to see the extra openings to show off your GPU nicely, I am not seeing any way to mount such a card to the shroud. CORSAIR may offer some sort of optional accessory to make the most of the vertical openings. In the very top, the 120 mm fan is identical to the one in the front, and it is set to push hot air out the back of the Obsidian 500D.


Taking a look at the top, you will see the mesh filter clearly. Thanks to another removable frame, you should have no issues with adding cooling fans or radiators to this part of the enclosure. Due to the additional width of the case, you should not run into any problems due to a radiator colliding with motherboard elements.


All the cables within the chassis are of the expected variety. Naturally, due to the USB 3.1 Type C plug, you will find that connector to attach to the motherboard. Definitely noteworthy are also the doubled-up power LED strings and lack of an HDD activity light within the chassis.