A Closer Look - Outside

A lot of protective material has been applied to the front of the chassis, making sure that factory workers do not end up scratching the aluminum surface. That said, our review chassis made it here flawlessly. I did notice, that the Aluminum sheets used on the plastic frame are much thinner than what we have seen on the 750D or 800D. Nevertheless, it still comes across as well built and worthy.


There is not much to be said about the front. Considering Corsair has taken the larger Obsidian cases and shrunk it down to a mid tower, the results are just that. Clean, straight lines, along with some good use of metal mesh make up the looks of the case. Turning the case around, one could mistake the chassis for a Graphite 600T, so we can tell you right now, the interior is going to be all black along with plenty of cable management possibilities.


A large, square window has been placed on the one side. The approach in which it was embedded into the panel is completely different that that of the Obisdian 700D or 800D. The thick lining hides the plastic rivets, but also adds an element to the design which has not been there in the previous cases. Also, the shape is different to the window found on its larger siblings. I would have liked to see a similar side panel, just so the chassis differentiates itself more from the 600T in terms of the body, but this is by no means bad. Both sides of the chassis utilize large clamps to hold them in place.


Taking a closer look at the front, we have a mesh cover on the bottom, which may be popped out by pushing down on it. Behind it you will find the 200 mm cooling unit - one of two such fans in the case. I guess the sole purpose of the removable mesh cover is for cleaning it. Above that you will find four 5.25 inch bays along with a flip down cover with all the I/O behind it. Corsair has done an excellent job transporting the look and feel of the larger Obsidian to the 650D. The only downside - something which is also an issue with the other Obsidians, is the fact that large USB devices cannot be connected to the recessed I/O panel. I am also missing a 3.5 inch slot, or at least an adapter + frame for the chassis.


The rear of the case does not bear a lot of surprises. The bottom is intended for the power supply, which can be installed with the cooling fan facing upward or downward. Above that are eight mainboard expansion bays instead of seven. Unlike the Graphite 600T, there is no special slot cover to allow you to route cables through in this case as all eight covers are of the same type. There is a square hole on the top, which allows you to route the pair of USB 3.0 cables out the back, so that you do not have to sacrifice a mainboard expansion slot or water cooling opening.


In the top you will find an angled HDD hot-swap bay. This approach is excellent, as it reduces the total space needed to slide a drive in, making it easy to use even when the case has been placed under the desk. It also gives the drive more space to rest on as you are not standing it up on the small side with the connector. Behind this bay is the second 200 mm fan, which pulls air out the top of the chassis.


If you look closely to the right of the hot-swap bay, you will find a little fan controller switch allowing you to choose one of three settings. I suggest keeping it on the lowest one all the time. A dust filter has been placed below the floor of the power supply, so that you do not have to worry about dirt clogging up the PSU over time. It is easily removable and sturdy enough for cleaning.