Obsidian Series for under $100

We spend a little time with the new Corsair Obsidian 350D Micro-ATX case.

If you need a case for your next PC build, the chances are good that Corsair has a model that you'll like.  Ranging from the obscenely large Obsidian 900D to the $69 Carbide 200R and just about everything in between, Corsair has a ton of options  Today we are reviewing the brand new entrant to the Obsidian series, the 350D, that brings Corsair to the Micro-ATX form factor. 

The Obsidian series is the flagship chassis line from Corsair and typically means you are getting the best of the best from the expanding components company.  With an MSRP of just $99 you are definitely making some sacrifices on features and on size, limiting us to Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX motherboards and systems. 

The front panel has an attractive brushed finish to it with removable front panel (and fan filter).

Connections up top include headphones, microphone as well as a pair of USB 3.0 ports.  There power button is right in the center with dual LEDs on each side.  The reset button is just to the right of the mic port and is recessed enough to prevent accidental presses.

Up top is ventilation that supports both 240mm and 280mm water coolers though you are going to be intruding on the space of the top 5.25-in bay wen you install a cooler that size. 

The 350D is short but I love the window on the side panel – it is as big as it could be while maintaining the structure of the door.

The back of the case shows the bottom mounted power supply opening, five expansion slots, removable water cooling punch outs (though without rubber grommets) and a 120mm fan.

Opening her up shows us the 350D has a lot of space for such a small design though you are indeed still limited to Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX form factors.  You can support two dual-slot graphics cards, two 3.5-in HDDs and three 2.5-in drives.

The SSD bays are innovative, completely tool less and can be removed 1-by-1 if you happen to have long graphics cards that need the space.  The drives simply push in from the back.

Opening the door on the other side reveals the same kind of cable routing options that we have seen in many other Corsair cases over the years.  The CPU bracket opening is HUGE and you shouldn't have any problems with post-installation change down the road. 

Up front, behind the removable door and filter you'll find the included 140mm fan from Corsair that can be replaced with a pair of 120mm fans.  In total, counting the top mounting area, the 350D supports five fans. 

We built a system in the case for our review (see the video above) using a Micro-ATX motherboard, the Corsair Hydro Series H100i 240mm water cooler, dual EVGA GeForce GTX 680 graphics cards and a 1050 watt power supply.  Obviously the small size of the Obsidian 350D is not going to hold you back from many system design options…

Finally, for those of you familiar with the rest of the Corsair lineup, we have placed the Obsidian 350D next to the 650D so you can get a good size comparison.  It is shorter, narrower and less deep and will definitely appeal to users that want a powerful PC but don't want the bulk of larger cases around the office.

 

For $99, the new Corsair Obsidian 350D might be my favorite Micro-ATX chassis yet!  I personally like the flexibility of the full size ATX case designs and I know that many people will decide to scale all the way down to a Mini-ITX chassis (if they are concerned about space). But the 350D presents a great middle ground that enables advanced configurations using 240/280mm water coolers and SLI/CrossFire graphics configurations.  Solid construction, great cooling capability and standard fare Corsair features like cable routing, intake filters and tool less accessories make for a great entry level product!