A Closer Look - Outside

Various pieces of tape and a plastic protective layer on the door hold all the separate parts of the chassis in place during transport, so you should receive your Obsidian 550D in pristine condition.


Corsair aims to offer a chassis with silence and thus, the design is quite edgy, straight and simple. With the Aluminum front door and no visible air vents, the chassis rightfully carries the Obsidian name, as it best fits with the high-end series of cases instead of the Graphite or Carbide offerings. The rear of the case has some definitive genes from other mid-tower cases from the Corsair line-up, which is only natural as there is no need to reinvent the framework with every new chassis. The PSU is located on the bottom and the entire case - including the interior - is black.


Geared towards encapsulating the noise within the system, Corsair has finally covered the side and top air vents. These also feature a layer of sound dampening material, are held in place by a clipping mechanism and may easily be removed. Behind the one on the side, you will find space for two 120/140 mm or a single 200 mm fan. A magnetic metal mesh dust filter has been placed here as well, aiming to keep dust build-up to a minimum within the case itself. The other side of the 550D is completely solid. Corsair has kept the openings to a minimum and only included ones which are actually useful in cooling whatever components you choose to put inside the chassis.


Another interesting aspect is the solid Aluminum front door. It is designed in such a way, that you will always have access to the front I/O and buttons of the chassis, regardless if the door is open and closed. Corsair has lined the insides of the panel with sound dampening material as well and utilizes plastic clips that allow you to swing the door open in either direction without any tools or work - simply pull it open the way you like. This is achieved by plastic clips that also act as hinges on either side of the front panel. As these are made of plastic and thus may break, Corsair has included additional ones for you to use as a replacement.


Even though the front looks solid at first sight, you may remove a bottom panel in the front as well, revealing two 120 mm fans with a dust filter in front of them. The cover is also lined with sound dampening foam, which means that you will have one layer of plastic, one layer of Aluminum and two layers of foam separating you and the interior of the chassis in this area of the Obsidian 550D, which should encapsulate any noise quite nicely. On the other hand, you should not expect the two fans in front to be able to push as much air across your hard drives in such a configuration.

The top half is utilized by four 5.25 inch drive bays, and the front I/O panel, which is silver colored and thus stands out quite noticeably. It holds two USB 3.0 connectors, a large power button, a smaller reset one and the usual pair of audio connectivity. While this set of connectivity is fine for most scenarios, some may miss added features like an SDHC card reader or the likes.


Turning the Obsidian 550D over, we have the afore mentioned PSU bay on the bottom. You may install units here with the fan facing upward or downward. With silence in mind, actually having the PSU pull air out of the chassis and out the back may not be such a bad idea, but it comes at the cost of keeping the power supply cool. Above that are eight motherboard expansion slots and four openings to route water cooling tubes through. In the very top you will find a 140 mm fan which pulls hot air out of the back of the system. Two square buttons to the left and right edge of the chassis are to release each side panel - perfect for those wanting frequent access to the interior. There are no thumb screws holding the side panels in place though, so you may want to keep an eye on your system at the next LAN party.


Corsair has employed the same system to cover the top panel air vent as on the side of the Obsidian 550D. A plastic panel, lined with sound dampening material covers the metal mesh part, while a magnetic dust filter has also been placed here. This means that all optional air vents which do not face the underside of the chassis, have been covered so that you should be able to really build a system that is silent.


Speaking of which, there is a large dust filter on the underside of the chassis, covering both the PSU air vent and the spot for another 120/140 mm fan. Thumb screws toward the right side hold the hard drive bay within the system in place - but we will get to that in a bit.