Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: - Quiet
- Plenty of expansion capability
- More than adequate air flow
- Solid construction
- Soft rubber grommets for cable routing
- Efficient side-door release mechanism
- Textured paint and a 1/8"-thick black anodized aluminum front door.

Cons: - Wire tie-down locations could have better placed in my opinion, but anyone with a little ingenuity can make it work.
- Front fan filter is not rigid so be careful to not press on it when the fans are churning.
- Front USB ports could be a hindrance to opening the front door if you have some Goliath USB flash drive or peripheral.
- Ground clearance could be better if you have thick pile carpeting.

Pros: *Plenty of space for mb
*Very quiet
*ssd and ide compatible
*tool less ...mostly
*room for future enhancements: watercooling, fans ...etc
*2 usb 3.0 plugins
*Magnetic dust filters are easy to remove and clean

Cons: *Front metal case door gets in the way. I just removed it.
*A little tight for multiple drives...Might be my PS cables?

Pros: Stylish - it's a simple but very good looking design. Whether the front aluminum door is on or off.

Choose your own adventure in quiet/cooling - This is where the case really shines. Stock, with all panels installed, it's a very quiet case with adequate cooling for any typical setup. My i7-860 and GTX 670 never overheat and I can barely hear it.

Should you need more cooling though, there are options. The front panel can be removed, allowing much more airflow from the front. In addition, there are removable panels on the top and rear, allowing two more fans each. It can be a cooling monster if you really need it to be, though there are probably better cases for that purpose.

Room - the drives are mounted the right way (outward) and there's cable routing behind the motherboard tray. Nothing real fancy but everything you'd expect in a case of this class. The only downside is the 8-pin power cable may not reach around the back to to the motherboard. I had to route mine behind the video card. Not a big deal, but it was annoying given how cleanly I was able to do everything else.

USB 3.0 - you expect it in a case in this price class, and it's there. Two USB 3.0 ports on the front alone, accessible even if the front door is installed and closed.

Cons: Front door - only an issue if you use optical media a lot, or if you plan to open the door frequently for the increased ventilation. it opens both ways, which means it comes off either hinge easily. It's easy to remove the door when you just want to swing it open.

Bad on carpet - I say it has adequate ventilation with everything closed and this is true, but there is one caveat. It breathes from the bottom with the front door closed, and the power supply also breathes from the bottom, so you need something underneath the case if you plan to sit it on carpet. I have cardboard cut out to the right size, which has worked well, but it is something to keep in mind.

Other Thoughts: Overall I chose this case because it had everything I wanted. A very nice but understated aesthetic, quiet, but still with plenty of room and good cooling. I have no regrets.

Pros: -Excellent ventilation.

-Quiet as a whisper. Incredibly quiet, actually.

-Great tool-free components.

-Good cable management space and options.

-Slick design- cool look, and the bada*s push-button sidewall releases.

Cons: -Several of the fan mounts are really intended for corsair fans, and using 3rd party fans will require some improvisation and cursing on your part.

-Pricey.

-Minor- Lower-left mobo screw is a pain to get at, as it is with every case I've ever seen.

Pros: Front aluminum brushed door is top quality. Plastic top is of good enough quality and finish that it blends in with the metal side panels, can't tell the difference unless you touch them. Panel access is superb; no slotting, grinding or slamming to get the panels off or on. Interior and cable management are good. Removable HDD cages are good. Designed with 240mm or 280mm radiator placement with one set of fans in pull intake or pull outtake at the top. Sound absorbing material inside is of good quality, not cheap. Air flow is outstanding if you use the top two fan slots. I prefer this one over the Fractal Design Define R4 but the Define R4 is $30 to $40 less so it takes the cake in it's price bracket.

Cons: Cannot fit a 240mm radiator in the front. Nothing else that stood out as a con in my view. If you want a Window, get a 650D.

Other Thoughts: H100i with a set of fans barely made it in due to the huge heatsink on the Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard. Made it with .5mm to spare. Like the look of the case. Synonymous with the name Obsidian. They just released an Obsidian 350D m-ATX version. Looks very nice and worth a look.

Pros: Let me start off by saying that the case was a breeze to build in and contained more than enough nooks and crannies took make routing wires and cables fast and efficient. The case is constructed of very high quality materials such as the diamond cut aluminum front panel and the rubber grommets on each and every mounting position in the case. It maintains a very professional look while still catering to the needs a gamer would want of a case. Both hard drive cages are removable for optimization of airflow, and there is room in the top to mount a 240mm radiator. For being a silent case it has extremely good airflow. However, if you have a top mounted radiator like i do the case can become quite loud actually as you have to remove the top panel resulting in the majority of noise flooding out of the top. This is the dilemma with the case, the user must pick between either silence or airflow there is not really a middle ground. I genuinely think this is one of the best cases you can buy in this price range. Highly recommended.

Cons: User must choose between either airflow or silence. The top panel you have to pop off to mount fans is sometimes a pain to take off. (It may just be mine though).

Other Thoughts: I feel as though this build would be most optimal for those who do not need to remove the mounting panels so that the case maintains maximum silence. However if you are going to mount a radiator in the case, it is more than capable of handling it.

Pros: Very sturdy construction. Corsair def gives you your moneys worth with this case! Just when you think something might be a tad cheap guess again! Very roomy, and the cable management system is very nice to have! The front panel is made of very strong and very thick aluminum. Nothing feels loose or like it may break after some wear and tear. Case keeps very cool and def does everything it says it will do!

Cons: none! Very happy with this case!!!!

Pros: Amazing cable management

Cons: nothing, really. 2.5 ssd management is a bit off. However, I didn't spend much time figuring it out. I got it to go in and didn't mess with it much more than that. I'm sure if I spent time working with it. 2.5 inch integration is better.

Other Thoughts: Cable management is amazing. Everything works perfectly. Air flow is very nice. Aluminum provides good heat dissipation and the steel provides good stability.

Pros: Is truly quiet. Roomy. Contemporary design (ie: Cable Mgmt w/ grommets, aftermarket cpu cut out, side mounted drives, good dust filters; support for large fans from many directions, etc , etc). Understated exterior. Lots of small little things that make you say "aahhhh, that's nice..." when your assembling it.."

Cons: Made me hyper aware of noise from other PCs (they sound like jet engines now). How did I never notice before? And no grill replacements for the removable panels. Come'on Corsiar, love this case, but couldn't you make some snap in grill to replace them? As is, I don't want to take the covers off for destroying the sleek sophisticated look/feel, as strange at that sounds.

Other Thoughts: Have a dozen builds or so, under my belt over last 15 years. Most built with a limited budget. That's meant a lot of squeezing components into tight grey/beige cases along with the scrapes, broken parts and strange cable wrangling schemes to show for it. Feel like this is now my first "real" case; the design made assembly fun and speedy. No dreading of altering things either. Not sure if I am a troglodyte and the industry standards have now matured or if Corsair really knows what they are doing. Maybe both. Next case will definitely be a Corsair.

Pros: innovative looking design...

Cons: Crappola...I shouldn't have to waste anymore time but...the drive bays for optical drives are designed with catches for the faceplates they have installed as covers but those bulk out the frame around the sides of the drives...looks like the drives are too wide but really case design flaw. Next up the front intake fans have the cheapest magnetic filter they could imagine fridge magnets glued onto screen and not easy to access although it should've been. the others aren't as bad I will say that much for it.
I bought this one because it looked like it was designed with versatility and good quality but pictures are worth one word here in the end...Crappola