Corsair Obsidian Series 450D Mid-Tower PC Case Review @ [H]

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

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Corsair Obsidian Series 450D Mid-Tower PC Case Review - Remember when Volvo was "Boxy but safe?" While Corsair's new Obsidian 450D may not hit that point exactly, it does pretty darn well in the "Boxy but with a roomy interior that’s optimized for airflow." The 450D has all the features you want for a new cool build whether it be air or water cooled with tons of components.
 
Nice review, I like how they removed one of the 5.25 drive bays for more airflow. I think they noticed online that alot of people tried to make more space for better airflow.
 
Good review, Corsair really need to get their thumb out of their asses and give people an option for a meshed front panel like that for the 750d, been asked for a load of times and seems to get ignored =/ Why offer it on smaller cases and not larger ones? The difference in airflow is quite significant going from the blank face plate to taking it of with just the dust filter in place.
 
I have a 500 and the bulge on the case let you hide cables a little easier but WHY does everyone have to see how narrow they can make their case?

this was a very detailed and impressive test.
You forgot one thing, what flavor is it :)

again impressive review
 
Geez.. another week, another new Corsair case release!! As always Steve, very comprehensive review!! But I will be waiting for the release of the 780T in September, which I predicted here would be used in MaximumPC's 2014 Dream Machine.
 
Glad they lost the recessed/sunken MB tray of the 550D. That was a PITA with big boards and horizontal SATA ports.
 
Looks solid, but I for one are done with these black, sharply rectangular boxes.

Bring the Corsair Graphite 780T on, I say! :D
 
Chris_B said:
Good review, Corsair really need to get their thumb out of their asses and give people an option for a meshed front panel like that for the 750d, been asked for a load of times and seems to get ignored =/ Why offer it on smaller cases and not larger ones? The difference in airflow is quite significant going from the blank face plate to taking it of with just the dust filter in place.
Click to expand...


You're not being ignored. We're working on it as an accessory for both 350D and 750D for people who want the extra airflow.
 
I love boxy, industrial looking cases. The open mesh front, the multiple fan options and mounting locations, the ability to mount multiple radiators, the easily cleaned filters, and the removable drive cages are some of my favorite things about this case. The front ports and buttons are nice as well; they're simplistic and functional, not plasticy.

The only negative I can think of is that when mounting a radiator and fans to the top of the case, it comes too close to the motherboard. I would like it if there was about 1 inch more clearance. I can live with it though. The case is too good to let that deter me.

This will be my next case.
 
Great review thanks.


Fixed link to go back to Corsair at $119.99 and cheap shipping too. - Kyle

Thanks again always a fan boi of Corsair and the amazing line of Obsidian products :D
 
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This case looks fantastic, if I was looking to build a new box it'd definitely be on my short list. I especially like the generous amount of intake airflow. The single exhaust fan may not look like much, but combined with the ventilation up top and the likelihood that I'd be putting an H100i up there, I think it'd balance out nicely. I kinda wish it came in a version without the side window, though. I've never been a big fan of those.

One question I have about it, since I can't really tell from the pictures. If you install fans or a radiator like the H100i up on top, do you have to leave the mesh filter off, or can you re-attach it after mounting everything else(assuming you're mounting it all internally and not mounting the fans externally on top of the case, natch)?
 
I was just looking at this case today to buy for my new build. Need a small case that can fit 3x290's in. I'm externally water cooling it. I built a 750D for one of my customer's and it's a great case. This looks to be a smaller version of it. I had the 900D also but I couldn't get it setup the way I wanted it and for my new desk I'm building I would look out of place sitting on it.
 
Redbeard said:
You're not being ignored. We're working on it as an accessory for both 350D and 750D for people who want the extra airflow.
Click to expand...

Good to hear, form reading around all I've seen is silence on the issue :)
 
Chris_B said:
Good review, Corsair really need to get their thumb out of their asses and give people an option for a meshed front panel like that for the 750d, been asked for a load of times and seems to get ignored =/ Why offer it on smaller cases and not larger ones? The difference in airflow is quite significant going from the blank face plate to taking it of with just the dust filter in place.
Click to expand...

I was one of the customers that had been inquiring about it for months and getting no response from anyone at corsair. It looks like they might have finally started to listen to everyone. Too little too late for me my Caselabs Merlin SM8 case should be here next week :eek:
 
Looks like a great case.

I just picked up an Air 540 a few weeks back, love it!!!
 
octet-stream said:
Page 3 states "In the front of the case, just above the two external drive bays, you will find two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, power and reset buttons." but there is only the two 3.0 ports. ;)
Click to expand...

Also he states that the case only has 3 HDD bays, for both 3.5 and 2.5 inch drives, yet they quite clearly show two more 2.5" bays behind the motherboard tray... was he reviewing the same case as the one in the pictures?
 
This looks to be the case I will choose for my Haswell E upgrade this fall.

I can't fit a 280 rad in my CM 690 II advanced and plan to pickup the H110 plus this case.
 
Judd Sandage said:
Also he states that the case only has 3 HDD bays, for both 3.5 and 2.5 inch drives, yet they quite clearly show two more 2.5" bays behind the motherboard tray... was he reviewing the same case as the one in the pictures?
Click to expand...

The hard drive rack only has three bays. You missed this a few paragraphs earlier:

There are two 5.25" tool-less internal drive bays, three tool-less 3.5" drive bays with removable HDD caddies that have mounting locations for both 3.5" hard drives and 2.5" SSDs and two dedicated 2.5" SSD mounting locations that are also tool-less, located behind the motherboard tray.
Click to expand...
 
Can speedfan be used to lower the noise of the case fans? The case is a little louder than my old NZXT Phantom 410. If I could lower the fan speed without installing a fan controller that would be great.
 
I just finished my build on the 450D. I'd say she's a beauty!

_ZHU4583_pp.jpg
 
aZhu, that looks incredible. So clean. Do you have any links to more pictures of it? I'd love to see some other shots of it.
 
Very nice looking setup. Really wanted to go with this case but the CD drive bay is killing it for me.. Does it look hard to take out if I wanted to ? Thanks
 
Makeroflostsouls said:
Very nice looking setup. Really wanted to go with this case but the CD drive bay is killing it for me.. Does it look hard to take out if I wanted to ? Thanks
Click to expand...

It's really easy to install and remove the drive. It's tool-less so installing takes 10 seconds. If you don't like the look of it, you can always purchase an external usb dvd drive. I personally don't like the look as well but I need an optical drive so that's why it's on there.
 
I love this case too and the look of the drive does bother me also.

Its too bad corsair doesn't make any drive covers for it.

Beautiful pics btw !!
 
I wish they made it 5.25 bay less like the Nzxt h440. I would be sold on it. Come on Corsair you know you want to :)
 
Redbeard said:
You're not being ignored. We're working on it as an accessory for both 350D and 750D for people who want the extra airflow.
Click to expand...

Hi, will there be a nice brushed aluminium cover for people who want a optical drive too, or to those who want water temps there or something?
 
How much of a cooling difference does adding one or two exhaust fans to the top add? I planned to add one or two 140mm fans there.
 
I just got this case for the upgrade to my gaming box. My motherboard died on me, and I took the opportunity to move up from SandyBridge to Haswell. Or Devil's Canyon, I guess, got the i7-4970K with a Corsair H100i. I swear, after installing the H100i and the Noctua NH-U12S on my other machine, I'm never going back to the standard Intel HSF again, both the Corsair & Noctua mountain setups are SO much nicer :) Anyway, I got the 450D to replace my Graphite 600T, mostly because it's better equipped to hold a cooler like the H100i and I like the clearer airflow from the front to the video card. I wish it came in a version without the windowed side panel, that thing just feels cheap(not a knock on the 450D specifically, I just don't like how the panel feels with a big piece of plastic/acrylic in it), but other than that I love this case. It could use a tad more room behind the motherboard tray for cabling, but other than that it was quite easy to work in, as Corsair's cases have all been for me. Noise-wise it's been alright so far. I can hear a soft whooshing on occasion, whether that's from the case fans, H100i fans, or my R9-290X I'm not sure. But the file server sitting in my bedroom generates a fair bit of white noise already, so the 450D doesn't really have to be dead silent. And the noise level is nothing I'd notice while gaming or watching a movie.

Overall, I think this is a great case, easy to build in, very flexible for cooling setups, and I like that they passed on extra 3.5" drive bays in favor of better airflow. It's not *totally* silent, but it's definitely "quiet enough".
 
Maybe the Corsair Rep can answer this one. Will I be able to put the Asus maximus VII formula motherboard with a H100i in this case? I am worried about the fit since the maximus has ROG armor.
 
Took the risk and bought all the components and built my system last night. Screams everything fit perfect. The 450D is a very nice case.
 
So guys, I've had this case for a bit over a month now, and I love it. Why?

1) Looks fantastic

2) Dust filters work great. After one month no dust has accumulated in my case, and the dust filters only take a couple of minutes to clean with a vacuum.

3) Removable hard drive cage. Took it out, strapped my HDD to my PSU, and replaced the spot with a Noctua fan. The airflow is killer in my case now.
 
I'd like to point out an error in the review btw. In the intro it says the bottom only supports 120mm fans, but it actually supports 140mm too :\
 
Any chance I could remove the 5.25 bay? I think that would give me better room for my WC setup.
 
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