Corsair Obsidian 750D Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on September 24, 2013 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- ATX
- Case
The script for Corsair cases is pretty much down pat at this point. You can expect ease of assembly, clean design, great liquid cooling support, and middle of the road air cooling stock performance. In these respects, the Obsidian 750D is a pleasant surprise; air cooling performance isn't pack leading, but it's slightly better than just competitive until you start really beating on the system. I'd come into this review having a clear idea of what to expect, but everyone loves when their expectations are exceeded, and that was true of the 750D.
To be certain, the 750D isn't a total, market-crushing homerun. Corsair has yet to really hit one of those, but this is at least an excellent entry in their portfolio. Usability has always been their strong suit and the 750D continues to improve on that; there simply isn't another company that makes easier cases to build in. The toolless 2.5" drive caddies hammer that home. SSDs continue to be a usability hiccup with modern enclosures, and only Corsair and NZXT seem to really be thinking outside the box here. We also continue to get solid build quality, good looks, and excellent liquid cooling support.
Corsair's seemingly ancient struggle with air cooling performance is starting to finally wane, but their balanced approach with the 750D's fans sacrifices performance in overclocked multi-GPU configurations. The old ATX standard is something Corsair continues to have issues with; only their exotic Carbide Air 540 is really able to offer a solid balance between liquid cooling support and air cooling performance. The cabling issues that spring up around their otherwise innovative SSD mounting system are also a small scratch on their otherwise excellent usability record.
The net result is that the 750D is exceptional, but still requires at least a little specialization. I think it's worth the $159 and I suspect any watercooling enthusiasts out there looking for something solid from Corsair that didn't cost an arm and a leg and weigh twice that much will be happy to see it; in some ways this is really a 900D for the rest of us. Corsair's case designs continue to grow and evolve and they're quickly becoming the new Antec (as that company seems to have unceremoniously ceded the case market they used to own), and the 750D is at least another interesting step on that road.
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b3nzint - Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - link
Does it has a gpu holder mechanism? and I need 4 bay 5.25". But overall not bad.hemi79 - Wednesday, September 25, 2013 - link
This looks like a great case! I had the C70 and just felt the need for more space so I looked into to the Obsidian models, but the 650D model didn't convince me due to the 200mm fans. This seems like the perfect case for my case. I went with the NZXT Switch in Matte Black and while I had all the space I dreamed of, I have to say the quality of the build and material did not compare to the Corsair C70. I almost regretted it, but I made peace with my decision instead of paying return shipping. lolUltraWide - Saturday, September 28, 2013 - link
One thing you can't tell from the pictures and review is how flimsy this case is. The overall quality is very low, more in line with the Carbide series. The design and layout is excellent, but the metal is just too thin and the case frame/structure bends easily. I am returning mine and going with the NZXT H630.Cainethanatos - Monday, September 30, 2013 - link
Oh really, is it that bad ? I am aswell looking at the 750D or the H630 . Dustin, compared to the H630, the build quality better oir worse (or the same(ish) ). Otherwise I might need to flip a coin :)lorribot - Saturday, October 5, 2013 - link
Hands up anyone who would use all 10 HD drive bays? What about all three 5.25 bays?I do sometimes feel it is a case of "because we can, we will" when it comes to the number drive bays in cases. I imagine most people are likely to need no more than two, one 2.5 and one 3.5, some may need to use a 5.25 for fan controls or even a blue ray but to be honest I can't remember the last time I put a DVD into a computer.
It would be a brave case manufacture that dropped completely or only provided ony a single 5.25 bay (or low profile one) and only 2 or 3 2.5/3.5 multi use bays in anything other than an ITX case
But whatever the case size I would expect improved air flow without all the extra bits of metal spoiling things. It might even reduce prices a bit and simplify installations and provide more layout options internally.
This case like many others reviewed is safe, uninspiring and of little merit. Apart from the odd case that nudges at the boundaries there is nothing really happening in case design, it is ripe for some real design people to step in and provide some real inspiration and flair, sadly it seems that only Apple, albeit freed from the constraints of standard motherboard layouts, is up for the challenge.
limaxophobiac - Friday, October 11, 2013 - link
"Noise levels prove to be a victory for Corsair, but they're still struggling to beat NZXT's Phantom 630, which runs both quieter and cooler."This isn't true at all, look at the test, at Overclocked Load and Full Fat the CPU in the NZXT Phantom 630 is 8-10 degrees hotter, this is HUGE in the 750D favour.
limaxophobiac - Friday, October 11, 2013 - link
Nevermind I was looking at the H630 not the Phantom. The Phantom is indeed cooler.The_Goods - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
I love the heck out of my 800D. It's a gorgeous space to build a veritable waterpark of cooling.When I don't love it, is when I have to pick up the 70lbs of PC manlove.
These new ones are going to make for some happy hooligans.
sdmf74 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
dude you have your SSD plugged in to your optical drive WTFAntonio Cortina - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
I have this box for a week now and I've seen the HDD LED does not work :(Not know the Corsair RMA policy but they should change the box completely.
I've already put a complaint in the store but they doubt that the supplier's change me for another.
All Obsidian boxes I've had in the European area had a defect.
I hope Corsair fix this or lose a lot of customers