Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on April 25, 2013 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- MicroATX
Testing Methodology
For testing Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in a stock configuration as well as with add-on graphics cards to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise. As we've retired our Micro-ATX board from the testbed, Micro-ATX enclosures will be using the Mini-ITX testbed.
| Mini-ITX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i3-2120 (65W TDP) |
| Motherboard | Zotac Z68ITX-A-E |
| Graphics Card |
Intel HD 2000 IGP Zotac GeForce GTS 450 Eco ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DCII TOP |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives | Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD |
| CPU Cooler | SilverStone NT07-1156 with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Plus 1000W 80 Plus Silver |
Each case is tested with just the Core i3's integrated graphics as well as with a discrete graphics card. The system is powered on and left idle for fifteen minutes, the thermal and acoustic results recorded, and then stressed by running four threads in Prime95 (in-place large FFTs) on the CPU, and OC Scanner (maximum load) is run when the dedicated GPU is installed. At the end of fiteen minutes, thermal and acoustic results are recorded. If the enclosure has a fan controller, these tests are repeated for each setting. Ambient temperature is also measured after the fifteen idle minutes but before the stress test and used to calculate the final reported results.
We try to maintain an ambient testing temperature of between 22C and 24C. Non-thermal test results aren't going to be directly comparable to the finest decimal point, but should be roughly comparable and give a broader idea of how the enclosure performs.
Thank You!
Before moving on, we'd like to thank the following vendors for providing us with the hardware used in our testbed.
- Thank you to Puget Systems for providing us with the Intel Core i3-2120.
- Thank you to Zotac for providing us with the Z68ITX-A-E motherboard and GeForce GTS 450 Eco.
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply and NT07-1156 heatsink/fan combo.
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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...