As I mentioned in the introduction to this review, the original Obsidian 800D is my all time favorite case. The only real issues with that chassis are its full size stature and the price tag. Not everyone has a use for a full size ATX case nor do they want to haul one around to a LAN party. Additionally, the premium on such a case will keep many potential buyers at bay. Fortunately Corsair has addressed all of these issues with the 650D, although a few sacrifices had to be made to do so.
Starting with the exterior, the 650D looks very similar to its bigger brother; a solid black steel chassis with a black aluminum front bezel. The 4-drive hot swap bay had to be nixed due to limited real estate, but Corsair has included a hard drive dock on the top of the chassis that accepts 3.5" and 2.5" drives. In place of the 4-drive bay is now a removable grill that hides a large 200mm intake fan. Additionally there is another 200mm fan at the top of the chassis and a 120mm fan at the back.
The left side panel has been redesigned with more of a "throwback" window design and an excellent door mechanism that brings the latches to the side instead of at the back of the case.
Inside the case are six toolless 3.5" hard drive bays that are also 2.5" ready. The top three bays can either be removed or relocated to the floor of the case if you happen to have a very long video card and are worried about clearance. The optical drive bays are also tooless and work great.
Cable management inside the case is top-notch. There are multiple cutouts in the motherboard tray to route cables for a cleaner install. There is also plenty of space between the back of the motherboard tray and the right side panel to store unused cables. Corsair has once again included a large cutout to access the backplate of your CPU making cooler installation / removal seamless. I was able to install the Corsair Hydro H70 with the motherboard already installed in the case.
Corsair has also integrated a fan controller into the case that is capable of controlling up to four fans at high / medium / low fan speeds. This is very useful as you won't need to install an unsightly optical bay controller or worse, be stuck with fans that are too loud for your liking.
All said, the 650D is an excellent mid-tower case, but there were a few things that I didn't particularly care about. First are the feet on the bottom of the case. The back feet feature a slick Teflon-like surface that easily slides around on a desk or table. The front feet, however, are very grippy and don't really slide at all. I don't really understand why Corsair went with two different materials here. I'd much rather prefer one or the other; personally I like the slick feet as it is easy to move around when working with the system.
The front bezel was a bit problematic in that I had to remove the optical drive in order to completely remove the bezel.
As of writing, the Corsair Obsidian 650D retails for $199.99 at Newegg ($189.99 currently after rebate). This is $79 cheaper than the 800D currently sells for. Don't get me wrong, $200 for a mid-tower case is still a lot of money, but this price point is fair considering the features and level of craftsmanship that accompanies this chassis.
Simply put, if you want a premium mid-tower with a wealth of features, this is the one to get. If you need more space for additional hardware, the 800D is still my top choice for a desktop PC case.
OCIA.net awards the Corsair Obsidian 650D our Gold Seal of Approval!
