Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on April 25, 2013 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- MicroATX
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Introducing the Corsair Obsidian 350D
It seems like just yesterday we were talking about Corsair's gargantuan Obsidian 900D, a behemoth designed with the single goal of housing as much computer as you can possibly imagine. The Obsidian 900D supersized the already successful 800D (along with its price tag), and judging from the comments left on the review it's exactly what a lot of the watercooling enthusiasts were waiting for.
What you may not be aware of is the fact that the 900D ran...a little late. I had one of the early review units, and it had actually been sitting in my living room for some time before the new embargo date hit and gave me a deadline. That's part of the reason why we're seeing another case from Corsair as quickly as we are; had the 900D been on time this still would've seemed like a pretty quick turnaround time. Proving someone over there has a sense of humor, though, Corsair is following up their largest case with their smallest.
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I'm actually a little disappointed that the campaign around the 350D was basically subsumed by the 900D, because of the two cases I think the micro-ATX 350D is actually the more interesting one. With the 900D, the sky is really the limit as to what you can put in it (or more accurately, your wallet is the limit). The 350D, on the other hand, is a case for people who thrive on limitations. That's not to say the case has limitations, per se, but when you're confined to the micro-ATX standard you start having to make creative decisions. As you'll see, Corsair made a few of their own that make the 350D a particularly interesting specimen in what's often one of the most diverse enclosure categories.
| Corsair Obsidian 350D Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 2x 5.25" |
| Internal | 3x 2.5", 2x 3.5" | |
| Cooling | Front | 1x 140mm intake fan (supports 2x 120mm/140mm) |
| Rear | 1x 120mm exhaust fan | |
| Top | 2x 120mm/140mm fan mount | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| Expansion Slots | 5 | |
| I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 160mm |
| PSU | 200mm | |
| GPU | 300mm | |
| Dimensions |
17.3" x 8.3" x 17.7" 440mm x 210mm x 450mm |
|
| Weight | 13.3 lbs. / 6.1 kg | |
| Special Features |
USB 3.0 via internal header Removable drive cages Removable filters on intakes and bottom Supports 280mm radiators |
|
| Price | $99/$109 (without window/with window) MSRP | |
What needs to be considered in evaluating the Corsair Obsidian 350D is that this case is pretty clearly designed capitalize on liquid cooling. While my experiences with Corsair's closed loop coolers have been inconsistent, everyone benefits from them having a 280mm cooler like the H110 in their lineup. The existence of a 280mm cooler in Corsair's portfolio doesn't necessarily demand they include a place to mount it in all subsequent case designs, but it makes a convincing argument.
The reviewer's guide makes a big deal about using the 350D for water cooling, both with Corsair's products and with custom loops. There are five total fan mounts, and all of them support radiators: the top of the case features two 120mm/140mm mounts, the front of the case features another pair of 120mm/140mm mounts (and the 3.5" drive cage is removable), and then the rear of the case features a 120mm fan mount. What does surprise me is that Corsair opted not to include an additional fan mount beneath the drive cage, in the bottom of the case. It feels like a missed opportunity.
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Grok42 - Saturday, April 27, 2013 - link
USB card readers are cheap and way more flexible and usable unless you somehow don't have USB ports close. The only USB device I own is a trackball and a DVD drive that lives in the closet. Despite having almost no need for USB, I have 16 USB ports within 12" of my hands when I'm typing. I can't imagine you don't have at least one. If you don't want an actual USB reader you can get USB converters which are the size of quarters that will convert a card to a USB stick. One of these options should work easily for you.okron1k - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
i'm curious what you mean by hinged panels? i'm picturing the doors opening similar to the cosmos 2, but that doesn't seem to be the case.mmenart - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
It's pretty heinous that TJ08B-E test results went away with the new test bed. I'd love to see these cases put head-to-head in thermals and noise. Anyone feel like donating to Anandtech?bmaltz - Saturday, April 27, 2013 - link
nice soup bowl...Grok42 - Saturday, April 27, 2013 - link
This is one of the better looking cases I've seen recently. I really like how the feet are done and how there is a large gap all the way around the case in the front view that creates a bold shadow line. Really top notch industrial design.I'm also really excited to see *any* case acknowledge the rising role 2.5" drives will have in the future. At some point the 2.5" magnetic drives will break free of their "laptop drive" stigma and all our drives can be the same 2.5" form factor. Sure you will always be able to get more storage in a 3.5" format at a lower cost per GB but the same was true of 5.25" and double height 3.5" drives and those are all gone. If all the drives where 2.5" and there was an open rail system for drives cases could be so much better.
If they really wanted to push forward they would have dropped all the 5.25" bays. Most computers sold don't include any optical drives anymore. Why are the smallest cases still including bays for 2 of them? I'm not saying no one has a need, but there are a lot who want a case with none and no one is acknowledging this fact and proving products for it. I certainly think the overall sales numbers for this case would have been improved by removing one of the 5.25" bays and having 2 additional internal 3.5" bays.
karasaj - Sunday, April 28, 2013 - link
I might be too late to comment, but please review the Arc Midi R2!Alvar - Monday, April 29, 2013 - link
The Obsidian Series 650D is manufactured with strong, stamped steel parts for increased rigidity, and coated in a black textured paint. The front panel features a beautiful black brushed aluminum faceplate to bring a subtle elegance to your next build... more details :- http://tinyurl.com/c5czh4bBoloMKXXVIII - Monday, April 29, 2013 - link
I think Dustin and the 350D need to get a room. ;-)CloudFire - Friday, May 3, 2013 - link
I'm still waiting on a mini-itx case from Corsair, this is an excellent offering nontheless but I'm wishing for a case layout similar to the Bitfenix Prodigy (with Corsair quality/style/finish) where the motherboard is laid out flat instead of on its side, that way there is no pressure/sag from gravity on heavy graphic cards.shadess - Friday, May 17, 2013 - link
http://www.anandtech.com/Show/Index/6917?cPage=6&a...