Corsair Obsidian 500D Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 22.02.18
The Obsidian 500D is the latest mid-tower case from Corsair, which offers plenty of interior space in order to build gaming systems. Furthermore there is also enough space for big all-in-one water coolers on the front and on the top. Apart from that, the Obsidian 500D features a rather elegant design. With the 500D, Corsair updates their Obsidian series and so far the 500D is the flagship. At a first glance there also is a clean interior and apparently we're rather curious to find out whether this case is capable of convincing us or not. 
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Preview
Specifications
| Model: | Obsidian 500D | |
| Case Type: | Mid tower | |
| Dimensions: | 233 mm (W) x 502 mm (H) x 508 mm (D) | |
| Material: | SECC, Tempered glass, Aluminum | |
| Color: | Black | |
| Drive Bay: | 5.25": | 0 |
| 3.5": | 2 | |
| 2.5": | 3 | |
| Expansion slots: | 7 + 2 | |
| Form factors: | ATX, mATX, mini-ITX | |
| Cooling: | Front: | 3x 120mm / 2x 140mm |
| Rear: | 1x 120mm | |
| Top: | 2x 120mm / 2x 140mm | |
| Bottom: | / | |
| Side: | / | |
| Watercooling | Front: | 360mm / 280 mm |
| Rear: | 120mm | |
| Bottom: | / | |
| Top: | 240mm | |
| Link to the product: | Obsidian 500D | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Features
Tempered glassBoth side panels of the Corsair Obsidian 500D are made entirely of solid tempered glass. The panels are both mounted on a hinge, what makes it really easy to open them and access the hardware. Furthermore both panels can be removed completely. The tempered glass panel allows a quick look inside the case and provides a rather unique design. |
Support for custom watercoolingThe Corsair Obsidian 500D offers good flexibility when it comes to water cooling gear. Looking at the case from the left side, you see two spots, where one is on the front and the other in the upper area. Inside the Corsair Obsidian 500D you can install a 360mm and a 280mm radiators. |
Dust filtersIn total there are six spots for 120 millimeter fans in this case. All the air inlets are covered using dust filters. These can be removed easily in order to clean them under tap water. |
PSU CoverIn order to hide all the cables connected to your power supply, there is cover hiding away the unit. This helps creating a neat and clean looking system. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Product overview
Overview |
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The Obsidian 500D from Corsair is a mid-tower case that features a face plate as well as a top cover, which are made from aluminum. Apart from that both side panels consist of tempered glass. Design wise, the new Obsidian 500D has unique looks, while appearing aggressive to a certain degree and sleek at the same time. Both side panels are mounted on a hinge, what makes it really easy to open them and access the hardware. Compared to the previous series, Corsair has changed and improved several aspects. For example we find a better internal layout and premium materials on the outside.
When it comes to build quality there is nothing to complain about, which is what we expect from Corsair. Looking at the top of the case we find the I/O connectors as well as a power button. In total there are two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C, two mini jacks (mic and headphone), the power and the reset buttons. A quick look at the back reveals nothing out of the ordinary. There is a total of seven slot bezels, space for a standard ATX power supply and the Corsair SP120mm fan pre-installed. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Installation
Overview |
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| Corsair Obsidian 500D it's a mid-tower case, which is compatible ATX motherboards. The motherboard is placed vertically and although the case is rather compact you will not run into any issues installing large heat sinks or high-end graphics cars. The motherboard tray is made of solid steel and it features a big cut out behind the socket, which allows the user to install aftermarket CPU coolers even when the motherboard has already been installed. There is a total of three rubber grommeted cut-outs, which allows for neat cable management. There is also enough space between the motherboard tray and the right side panel to hide plenty of cables. Furthermore we really liked one little detail, that makes perfect sense in combination with right side panels, that are made from tempered glass. We're talking about the removable cover allowing you to hide the cables coming from the the other side of the motherboard tray. We'd actually love to find even more cover in on the backside of the motherobard tray to achieve an even cleaner looking end result.
When looking for places to install drives, we find three spots for 2.5" SSDs and two for 3.5" drives. All those for spots are located on the backside of the motherboard tray and they are therefore very easily accessible. For testing purposes we used an ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming Aura in combination with a big Corsair Hydro 150i AIO and we did not run into any mounting or compatiblity issues. Building a PC based on this case is very easy and quickly done if you use a CPU tower cooler or an AIO liquid cooler. Nevertheless if you want to enjoy all the benefits of this case we recommend using a custom water cooling setup. It's just great that putting a big 360mm radiator is simple thanks to the fact, that there is plenty of space to do so. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Ventilation options
Overview |
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| The Obsidian 500D offers plenty of spots for fans and included in the delivery you will find two 120mm fans with transparent blades and black frame. Overall, the case is able to accommodate three 120mm or two 140mm in the front, two 120/140mm in the top and one 120 fan in the back. As you could have guessed, this means there is enough space for a 360/280/240mm liquid cooling radiator in the front and a 280/240mm one in the top. | |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Temperatures
Overview |
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For testing purposes we're using an MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard, an Intel Core i5-6600K CPU, which receives cooling through a SilentiumPC Fortis 3 HE1425 MCE cooler as well as a MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G graphics card. To put the CPU under full load, we're running prime95 for 10 min and in the case of the GPU we use Furmark also for 10 minutes. After these ten minutes, we're going to write down the temperatures. The ambient temperature is close to 24°C. |
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| All noise dampening panels installed | Idle (°C) | Full (°C) |
| Intel Core i5-6600K | 28 / 30 / 30 / 28 | 52 / 55 / 55 / 55 |
| MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G | 50 | 68 |
| Less is better | ||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Conclusion
Rating |
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| Cooling | Features | Layout | Build Quality | Value for Money | |
| Pros | + Good compatibility for watercooling | + Water cooling + Dust filters + Aluminum plates + USB 3.1 Type-C + Tempered glass |
+ Interior
space + Velcro straps |
+ Good build quality |
+ Price |
| Cons | - 3-pin fans |
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Finally Corsair has succeeded in updating the well-known Obisidian series. With the Obsidian 500D, the company has released a new and fresh looking case, which is capable of convincing us. We really like the overall looks and especially the clean interior and exceptional cable management. Furthermore we want to mention that the steel, the aluminum as well as the tempered glass, that's been used for this case is of very good quality. The aluminum panels are very strong and nice to see; the steel is mainly used inside and it feels very solid. The finish is just perfect and we simply can't find anything to criticize.
The looks of a case are always a matter of individual taste but when checking out the interior, we believe this layout is as close to perfection as it gets. Everything is tool-free and therefore removing the dust filters for instance is as simple as it can be. Even the cable management is perfect, since there are plenty of grommets and the delivery even includes a number of velcro straps.
One of the key aspects of this case it's the great compatibility with custom liquid cooled setups since it allows the installation of one 280/360mm, one 280mm and one 120mm radiator. Looking at the ventilation concept Corsair did a good job with the 500D. Included in the delivery there are two 120mm fans. If we could wish for something then we would love to find a 4-pin PWM fans or a small fan controller.
The Corsair Obsidian 500D is available on Geizhals at a price of 149 euro excluding shipping costs. In our opinion the price matches the quality offered, the well-thought layout and the excellent build quality. We award the Corsair Obsidian 500D with 5 out of 5 stars.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 7 - Temperatures |
| Page 4 - Product overview | Page 8 - Conclusion |