Corsair Obsidian Series 350D Review
Category : Cases
Published by Marc Büchel on 02.09.13
With the Obsidian Series 350D, Corsair has an mATX case in its portfolio, which should features a well thought interior as well as a decent exterior. Other than that also the price should be on a reasonable level. Overall this sounds like an interesting combination, which is making us curious.
On the following pages we will show you the strengths and weaknesses of the
Corsair Obsidian Series 350D.
[pagebreak]
Preview
Specifications
| Model |
Corsair Obisdian Series 350D |
| Case Type |
mATX Tower |
| Dimensions |
440 x 210 x 450 mm |
| Material |
Steel, Plastic |
| Color |
Black |
| 5.25'' drive
bay |
2 x external |
| 3.5'' drive bay |
2 x 3.5'' |
| 2.5'' drive bay |
2 x 2.5'' |
| Expansion
slots |
5 |
| Form factors |
mATX, Mini ITX |
|
Weight |
6.7 kg |
| Cooling |
1 x 120 mm Front (140mm optional)
1 x 120 mm Rear (140mm optional)
2 x 120/140 mm Top (optional) |
| I/O ports |
2 x USB 3.0
Audio in / out |
[pagebreak]
Front
Overview |
|
|
|
| |
| Taking
a closer look at the front of this standard mATX case shows
that Corsair is using high quality materials. The front feautures a hairline brushed aluminium
finish. In the bottom part you can
find a coverplate behind which there can be a maximum of two 140/120
millimeter fans. The front I/O panel is locate at the top. On the left
hand side there is the audio out as well as the audio in. Right next to
the audio connectors there is the reset button and in the center you
find the power button. On the right hand side there are two USB 3.0
connectors. Right below the I/O panel you can find two 5.25 inch slots,
which are covered by bezels featuring the same aluminium imitation
finish. Overall the front looks very decent and one important reason for
that is the homogenous finish. |
Back
Overview |
|
|
|
| Next
to the usual slot bezels, of which there are five in this case, there is
another pre-installed 120 millimeter fan, which has been placed right
behind the CPU cooler. Right below the last slot bezel there is space
for an ATX power supply. Other than that Corsair provides their cases
with very decent screw threads, which make the thumbscrews fit
perfectly. |
[pagebreak]
Right side
Overview |
|
|
| |
| Business
as usual, that's what you get when you have a look at the right hand
side panel. It's looks are really unspectacular and therea are not even
vent holes. As soon as we remove the panel
things start to look a bit more interesting. The first thing we've
noticed, is the huge cut-out behind the motherboard. This allows you to
easily install a CPU cooler with backplate after you've put the
motherboard into the case. Furthermore there are numerous cable tie
loops which help arranging cables in a neat way. Looking for cable
routing holes reveals, that there are quite a few, which have been
positioned wisely. These holes have also been covered by rubber
grommets. Overall it should be easy to put together a very decently
wired build. |
[pagebreak]
Left side
Overview |
|
|
|
| |
A quick look at the left
side panel shows that it's as unspectacular as the one on the right side
of the case. Once the side panel has been removed, we have a clear view
at the inteior, which is well arranged and not overcrowded. In the
bottom left corner there is space for two 3.5 inch drives, which have to
be mounted on carriages to be slidden in palce afterwards. Right above
there are some free space as well as a 120 millimeter fan, which makes
sure, that you can install even oversized graphics cards and that they
also get plenty of fresh air. Again a bit closer to the top there are
three slots for 2.5 inch drives and above these there are two 5.25 inch
bays. A closer look at the bottom left corner reveals the location where
you place the ATX power supply. The bottom of this case got a dust
filter, which makes sure, the PSU stays dust-free. Above the power
supply you can find another 120 millimeter fan as well as space for an
mATX motherboard. Again the huge cut-out to install coolers with
backplate, after one has put the motherboard in place, is clearly
visible. Last but not least there is the top. Here you can mount a 240
or a 280 millimeter radiator or two 120 or 140 millimeter fans. We
decided to equip this case with a Corsair H100i all-in-on cooler. In
this case, you'd have to keep in mind, that the 5.25 inch bay, which is
closer to the top, gets half blocked.
Once we've put all the hardware in place, you can see, that this case
offers plenty of interior space, even for high-end components.
Installing a dual radiator in the top as well as huge 2.5 slot graphics
card wasn't a problem at all. Also cable routing can be done in a neat
way thanks to the various routing holes. |
|
[pagebreak]
Top
Overview |
|
| |
| As we've already
mentioned you find space to install either up to two 120 or 140
millimeter fans. Obviously it's also possible to install either a 240
rad or a 280 rad at this point. In any case, if you should decide to
populate this spot with fans or with a radiator plus fans, we recommend
to mount the fans in a way that the move hot air out of the case. On the
second picture you can see the rubber grommets which help to reduce
vibrations. |
| |
Bottom
Overview |
|
| |
| The
bottom side of this case is quite unspectacular again. There is a
removable dustfilter which can be cleaned easily as well as four solid
feet with rubber coating. |
[pagebreak]
Conclusion
| General |
|
+ |
- |
| With the Obsidian Series 350D, Corsair managed to build a
mATX tower case with a well thought and spacious interior. In this regard Corsair was
able to convince us but this case still offers room for improvement. For
example: we disaggree with the fans Corsair has chosen and we would
recommend to combine this case with lower rpm fans, which also feature
4-Pin PWM headers. Another idea would be to equip this case with a tiny
fan controller, where the user can select between 5V, 7V or 12V. But
this really is the only thing we're complaining about. Apart from this,
the case offer plenty of space and it can be used for a wide variety of
applications. It really doesn't matter if you want to use it for an
office PC or a powerful gaming rig.
|
|
- Design
- Form factor |
-
Fans |
| |
|
|
|
| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics |
|
+ |
- |
| Build quality with this case is on a
really good level. For example, Corsair didn't hopelessly save weight on
the side panels. Furthermore putting all the
components in place, is very comfortable, since there is plenty of space
everywhere. Very practical, that's what all the rubber covered cut outs
are, since you can route cable exactly where you would like them to.
Apart from that there is the huge cut out behind the motherboard, which
allows the installation of aftermarket coolers when the motherboard is
already in place.
|
|
- Build
quality
- Interior
Space |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Design |
|
+ |
- |
| The Obsidian 350D is quite a small case with a
compact formfactor. The finish of the front is well done. We like its
looks, where the plastic got a treatment, which makes it look like
hairline brushed aluminium. Overall the design is timeless and the case
would look decent on, as well as underneath a desk. We would even go to
the point to say, that installing a 5.25 inch drive would ruin the looks
of the front. |
|
- Design
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Recommendation |
|
+ |
- |
| Should you be
looking for a mATX tower case with decent design, which even features a
very reasonable price tag of 77 Euro, then you will definitely do
everything right choosing this case. |
|
- Gaming-PC
- Desktop PC |
- File Server |
| |
| Rating |
|
The Corsair Obsidian Series 350D gets very good 4.5 out of 5
stars. |
| |
Redacted by:
m.buechel@ocaholic.ch
Article in English
Artikel in Deutsch
Article en français
Articolo in italiano
