Today we'll exist taking a break from our typical PC hardware benchmarking sessions to check out a slick new computer case from Corsair. I'1000 sure many of you are familiar with the company's elite Obsidian serial considering models such every bit the massive 900D and the slightly less massive 750D have been around for some time at present and remain popular choices amidst organization builders.

Information technology's been quite a few years since Corsair has refreshed the Obsidian lineup just that changes today with the introduction of its new $150 Obsidian Serial 500D.

With the exception of the original 550D, every Obsidian model has followed the same general design cues, but the 500D throws everything out the window in what is a significant departure from the norm for the serial. Corsair says the 500D is a land of the art mid-tower designed for enthusiasts, with notable features including smoked tempered glass side doors and a premium aluminum trim. Looks are plainly subjective but I think most will agree that the new 500D is sleek looking yet more adventurous than the traditional Obsidian instance.

The example manages to merge clean lines with subtle curves actually well and the front panel is a smashing example of this. At first the front console appears to be a solid slice of brushed aluminum but information technology's actually mostly plastic wrapped in a thin sheet of brushed aluminum. I feel like a solid aluminium console would have worked ameliorate hither and matched side door panels. Speaking of which, the door panels are mostly smoked tempered glass but at the leading edges are attached to thick aluminium trimmings which not just help make up the front panel but too human activity every bit handles -- artistic and it looks keen.

Both the left and right side tempered glass doors panels are hinged for quick and convenient access. Information technology was also great to find when lying the case down to work on that the doors merely don't fall off like they have on some other cases I've worked with. The hinge is actually locked into place with a screwed simply you can remove this if you desire to have the door off entirely.

The panels themselves lock into identify using magnets which is really nice, though I did detect a few times when moving the instance around they would fly open and smash into whatever was in their manner, so exist aware of that.

On meridian of the 500D we find an interesting winged looking blazon embrace that has been constructed entirely from aluminum. It'south raised upwardly at the sides to allow airflow while there are also triangular shaped vents down the eye. Upward forepart in the gap between where the top and front panels run into is a smart trivial I/O panel featuring two USB 3.0 ports, ability and reset buttons, ii sound jacks and wait for information technology, a USB 3.1 gen two Type-C port, good stuff Corsair.

There isn't annihilation to exciting going on underneath the example. There's four pretty standard looking plastic anxiety and a removable dust filter for the PSU. So finally around the back it's too a very standard affair with seven expansion slots, a PSU in the lesser of course and a rear mounting point for a 120mm fan that nosotros'll look at more closely in a moment.

Before checking out the interior I should also note that there are large removable dust filters in the top and front of the example which are very easy to reach. The elevation filter is held in place with four magnets while the forepart filter gets eight. Both can be removed in seconds without the need for tools -- a dandy design by Corsair.

All told, this mid-tower measures 508mm alpine, 502mm deep and 233mm wide, and it tips the scales at 10.25kg with no components installed, which is reasonable given its size and the sheer amount of drinking glass used in its design.

Heading inside, we detect a compact merely dissever basement section for the PSU that can be opened up if need be for actress long power supplies. Corsair has besides provided grommets in the top of the PSU embrace for running power cables to the graphics bill of fare for case.

All ii.5" and 3.v" storage slots are constitute backside the motherboard tray and this infinite tin can adapt two 3.5" drives as well as three 2.five" drives. Corsair has provided removable trays for mounting the drives and it's a tool-less design in the case of the three.v" drives. For builders who crave more storage options, I suspect y'all'll be able to buy a bulldoze cage with three trays separately and that will sit next from the PSU shroud.

By default, that location is reserved for liquid cooling gear and you could install a pump and reservoir combo for instance. Corsair has provided mounting holes for all the commonly used kits.

Speaking of liquid cooling, the 500D has room for a up to a 280mm or 360mm radiator in the forepart, a 120mm rad in the back and a 240mm or 280mm radiator in the superlative. Corsair has made installing radiators and fans like shooting fish in a barrel by including removable fan trays in the pinnacle and front of the case. This lets you mount all the hardware outside of the case.

As you lot might take guessed, given the radiator back up you lot can install either three 120mm or two 140mm fans in the front and two 120mm or 140mm fans in the top. Past default the 500D comes with a 120mm fan pre-installed in the front, the center location and and so one in the rear.

When it comes to clearance, the 500D volition support GPUs equally long as 370mm (that covers all of them), CPU coolers standing 170mm tall (again, pretty much all of them) and PSUs that stretch 225mm long. You'll be hard pressed to discover something that doesn't fit in this generously sized mid-tower.

Corsair has also made it possible to not just install total-length graphics cards just you can also take reward of the new vertical GPU mounting fad that really took off last year. That said, I don't recommend that you have advantage of this feature with an air-cooled graphics menu as information technology simply sits too close to the drinking glass side panel and this will restrict airflow.

Additionally, you'll demand to purchase the PCIe riser cable separately and Corsair says this standalone accessory will be available from them soon. These things are never cheap though and good quality shielded versions often cost over $fifty. It'southward also worth noting that even proficient ones will introduce a minor amount of added latency then keep that in mind.

Finally, when information technology comes to cable direction, the 500D looks later on you well and is a pleasance to build in. Corsair has included their removable cable routing cover which makes it possible to create a build that looks clean from all angles. Making life easier are included velcro straps and cable routing grommets for quick and easy cablevision routing.

For my test build, I installed the MSI X399 Pro Carbon Air conditioning, a standard ATX motherboard supporting the big and bold Threadripper CPUs -- and of course, I installed the grand daddy 1950X. The graphics card of choice was the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Trio and what a animal this thing is. For cooling, I wanted to give the Corsair H150i Pro a whirl simply it doesn't support the TR4 socket and then I instead tested with the Noctua U14S TR4-SP3 ($eighty), besides as the Enermax Liqtech 280 TR4 all-in-ane liquid libation( $140).

Although the Noctua U14S stands 165mm tall, it fit with room to spare and temperatures were nifty when using the stock fan configuration. The CPU ran at 61 degrees under full load and the GTX 1080 Ti Trio never went higher up 58 degrees when gaming.

Skillful stuff, although I wanted to really wearing apparel the 500D up so I stripped out the stock fans and replaced them with Corsair'south flashy loftier airflow ML series and I installed the Enermax Liqtech 280 at the same time. This meant we now had three 120mm ML fans in the front end drawing air in, two 140mm ML fans in the meridian pushing air out through the Liqtech 280 radiator, and a 120mm ML exhaust fan installed in the rear. What an RGB bonanza this turned out to be.

This configuration dropped the GTX 1080 Ti Trio load temp down to 52 degrees and the Liqtech 280 kept the 1950X at just 58 degrees while maxed out. Both the CPU and GPU were left at their stock settings for these tests. I haven't had time to tinker with overclocking but this is something I'll explore with this system in the future.

To actually show off the Obsidian Serial 500D and all the glorious PC hardware within, nosotros suggest installing a few LED calorie-free strips. Otherwise, I experience similar the 500D does a expert job of balancing looks with practicality. It's a sleek case that doesn't cede airflow to achieve its clean looks and its overall build quality is high, every bit yous would look for an Obsidian series chassis.

Most mid-towers are priced betwixt $75 and $100, then at $150 the 500D is certainly a premium product. You could fault Corsair for not providing whatsoever extras, such every bit LED light strips or even a fan controller, and we as well would have liked to see 1 of these things included given the price, but we're also grateful for the characteristic that are included. For case, the case's hinged tempered drinking glass doors are of the highest quality. Information technology'south also worth noting that the 750D tin can often be constitute selling for $130 (currently $150), despite its $160 MSRP, so chances are that information technology won't be long before the 500D is a lilliputian more competitively priced.

In a nutshell, the 500D is a well congenital example that's second to none in terms of pattern and build quality. Again, information technology's also pricey at $140, though we've come to expect such a premium from Corsair'southward upper-stop products.

Pros: Unmatched build quality for a case in this category. Sleek looks courtesy of glass and aluminum. Clearance for virtually all hardware.

Cons: Expensive for a mid-belfry chassis at $140 and information technology doesn't have the longest feature list (y'all may desire extra fans or LED lighting etc.)