Corsair has really done a great job with their first chassis. They have invested a lot of work and thought into the design and look of the chassis. Instead of going with elaborate looks, the Obsidian 800D goes for the understated look with clean lines and functionality on the outside. In the interior, they have managed to take advantage of the large size and divided it into thermal chambers. This does not only make it easier to plan your cable routing, but it also looks much better.
The Obsidian 800D gives you compete freedom in regard of cooling, with the possibility to install a triple radiator or virtually any air cooler on the market. Even if you fill the chassis to the rim, you can easily keep things perfectly clean, as there are many ways to hide and route the cables. That said, there is a bit of room for improvement. There are a few features which are so good, that they do have a small downside as well. First off, getting into the chassis is so easy that you want to keep an eye on it at a LAN party and the fact that you may install a tri-rad means that there is a large opening in the ceiling if you do not use this feature.
But, the biggest gripe I have are those lose plastic front drive bay covers. Those expecting am uncompromising full-aluminum front without that slight cheat may find this to be a deal breaker. Even with these little kinks, the Obsidian 800D is a worthy player in the high-end, full tower segment and I am looking forward to future cases from Corsair.