Corsair Obsidian 550d?

I've had my Corsair 550D for a few days. Some quick thoughts:

My case shipped with a few issues:

1) Front USB ports do not work, not even with the provided USB 3 to USB 2 converter/header. Tried all motherboard USB connection areas (don't know the technical term) and none work. It has worked fine for 3 1/2 years with my previous case's front USB ports with no issues.

I believe both the converter and the ports are defective.

2) Likewise the audio jacks on the front don't work. My head set works fine on my motherboard's audio jack ports, yet when I plug any headset into the front of the case they will not work... Windows keeps detecting it, and then it keeps disappearing Sound/playback menu.

3) Side panel was slightly bent when it arrived; where it fold around the back panel. Visually I do not mind, though this makes removing the panel very difficult. Had there been a latch, handle, or something to grab onto this might not have been much of an issue. At least the other "rear" side panel works fine; press the button and lightly pull the panel off.

4) The side panel fan cover requires a lot of force to pop off. Very difficult to remove. The top and front fan cover come off with no effort.

Things I do not like about the case:

1) Opening the front panel impedes the use of a wired USB or audio device such as a headset or controller.

2) No locking function for the side panels. It would have been nice if it featured the push button release but had the option for a thumbscrew to tighten it and/or a key to lock the case.

3) Could have been an inch longer to better accommodate large video cards and the extra 3 HDD/SSD drive cages.

4) Side panel material is thin and flimsy.

Things I like; a lot. I'll get to this in a later post and update this one later. :)
 
Finally built my new IB system last night. Overall I am very happy with it, so much easier to work in than my P182! Awesome build quality and pretty quiet, although my NH-D14 fans at 1200rpm are louder than I'd like, will probably put the 800rpm resistors on them. First thoughts:

1) Had to take my NH-D14 heatsink on/off 3 times because I first forgot to connect the CPU fan headers, and then forgot to connect the EPS12V aux power. It's hard to reach the top of the motherboard with a large heatsink installed, but not sure I would fault the case design for that.

2) Only other real complaint I have is that it was hard to attach right angle SATA connector (or even a straight one) to an SSD in the lowest drive bay in the lower cage, because of how close it is to the bottom of the case. My plan was to have SSD in the bottom one then two HDD's above it (hot air rises), but I had to move the SSD up. Also, the drives themselves sit too far back in the caddy in my opinion. I'm going to have to fiddle with my SATA power/data cables to make enough room to even put the side panel on. If the drives sat more forward in the sleds, the cables/connectors would be farther from the side panel... or maybe I'm doing it wrong?

One question for 550D owners:

How do the fan screws work for the bottom fan mount? The included fan screws (according to the included diagram) do not recess far enough into the chasis to allow me to fit the dust filter over the screws. Going to have to potentially scavenge some other screws to get a fan in there.
 
grambo said:
1) Had to take my NH-D14 heatsink on/off 3 times because I first forgot to connect the CPU fan headers, and then forgot to connect the EPS12V aux power. It's hard to reach the top of the motherboard with a large heatsink installed, but not sure I would fault the case design for that.
Click to expand...

What CPU temperatures do you have under a stress test? Thanks.
 
Guys, I need to be absolutely sure: will a Noctua NF-P14 FLX (140mm fan) fit as a bottom intake next to a Corsair AX750 PSU (160mm in length)?

If no-one knows for sure, I might have to go with a 120mm instead :(
 
buy both, use the 140mm as the rear exhaust in lieu of the stock one, or vise versa if the 140mm fits down below.

The rear is a 140mm right? oops! ;)
 
I just finished moving my system to the 550D from a Lian Li PC-9F. I find it to be a little bit quieter, but the temperatures are also a bit higher.

I am using AP-14(top) and AP-13(bottom) for intakes with the top hdd cage removed, AP-13 for rear exhaust and AP-14 for the CPU with a Megahalems.

I need to use it a bit more and collect more data to be certain that this case provides a true upgrade from the Lian Li.

BTW, what's up with the chemical smell? I hope this goes away... :confused:
 
I need to get some new fans for this case, the filters are killing the stock fans. I'd prefer to keep the filters as my PC-A05 got way too dusty. I was considering the NF-F12s, but would I be better off with GTs, Akasa Apache, something else? I'd also like a nice 140mm with high static pressure to combat the bottom fan filter to avoid using the side panel to cool my GTX680.

Suggestions?
 
Dephcon said:
I need to get some new fans for this case, the filters are killing the stock fans. I'd prefer to keep the filters as my PC-A05 got way too dusty. I was considering the NF-F12s, but would I be better off with GTs, Akasa Apache, something else? I'd also like a nice 140mm with high static pressure to combat the bottom fan filter to avoid using the side panel to cool my GTX680.

Suggestions?
Click to expand...

With the filter and the closed front you need something with good static pressure to power through all these impediments.

I have Noctuas but never liked them, they are not silent and they don't move that much air. I would recommend GT or Kama Flow 2 fans, they are both good overall performers if you care about noise first. For straight out performance GT AP-15s will probably give you the best proven results.
 
Momo said:
buy both, use the 140mm as the rear exhaust in lieu of the stock one, or vise versa if the 140mm fits down below.

The rear is a 140mm right? oops! ;)
Click to expand...

I'm already planning to have one 140mm as rear exhaust. If I can't place the second 140mm as the bottom intake, I'll sit there with one useless 140mm fan and one unused bottom intake slot :/
 
Exploder87 said:
Guys, I need to be absolutely sure: will a Noctua NF-P14 FLX (140mm fan) fit as a bottom intake next to a Corsair AX750 PSU (160mm in length)?

If no-one knows for sure, I might have to go with a 120mm instead :(
Click to expand...

yes... I have one AX850 and it fits fine
 
Exploder87 said:
Guys, I need to be absolutely sure: will a Noctua NF-P14 FLX (140mm fan) fit as a bottom intake next to a Corsair AX750 PSU (160mm in length)?

If no-one knows for sure, I might have to go with a 120mm instead :(
Click to expand...

Yes, the Noctua NF-P14 will fit next to a Corsair AX750 PSU! See this!

In the pictures you can see a Seasonic X PSU (either a 560W, 660W, 750W or a 850W) and next to it you have a Noctua NF-P14 FLX! The Seasonic X Series PSUs (check the Product Information section) have the exact same length of 160mm as the Corsair AX750. Smooth as silk... :)
 
grambo said:
How do the fan screws work for the bottom fan mount? The included fan screws (according to the included diagram) do not recess far enough into the chasis to allow me to fit the dust filter over the screws. Going to have to potentially scavenge some other screws to get a fan in there.
Click to expand...

I had to use the ones that came with my AP-15s
 
Good lord. I just got done rebuilding my file server into a Fractal Define R3. I wish I had bought a second Corsair 550D instead, even though my R3 was $80. The R3 build took a good hour longer than it should have because of a whole bunch of issues. Seems pretty obvious to me Fractal's designers didn't actually try to build a rig in a prototype before signing off on the final design. The server build has 6 hard drives, no PCIe devices, and the only power wires that have to be routed are the ATX 24pin, ATX 4pin CPU, and the SATA ports for the hard drives. Thank goodness I didn't buy another R3 instead of the 550D for my main rig back when I had a choice.

R3 = flimsy motherboard tray, grommets that don't stay put, grommets that are not well placed or partially blocked by standard size components like the PSU, side panels that bend with not nearly enough space behind the tray, way more screws that necessary for hard drive trays, difficult to access front fan mounts, better door

550D = sturdy construction, grommets well placed, grommets that stay put, way fewer screws and more intelligent design, wider channel for wire management, easier fan mounts, worse door

Redbeard, you have a kick ass case that simply kicks your competitors to the curb. Next time I'm not even going to question the value-add of a Corsair case compared to Fractal or Antec. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very bright blue LED that I have to go murder...
 
I'm sure this has been asked before but is there any way to jam a dual rad in the front?

Not anything too think to fancy something slim like an EX240?

Thanks.
 
JimmyHoffa said:
What CPU temperatures do you have under a stress test? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Haven't had much time to play with it yet, haven't run a proper stress test. CPU idles at 30c and peaks at 50c playing BF3 is all I can report so far, will post more later.
 
night_2004 said:
Good lord. I just got done rebuilding my file server into a Fractal Define R3. I wish I had bought a second Corsair 550D instead, even though my R3 was $80. The R3 build took a good hour longer than it should have because of a whole bunch of issues. Seems pretty obvious to me Fractal's designers didn't actually try to build a rig in a prototype before signing off on the final design. The server build has 6 hard drives, no PCIe devices, and the only power wires that have to be routed are the ATX 24pin, ATX 4pin CPU, and the SATA ports for the hard drives. Thank goodness I didn't buy another R3 instead of the 550D for my main rig back when I had a choice.

R3 = flimsy motherboard tray, grommets that don't stay put, grommets that are not well placed or partially blocked by standard size components like the PSU, side panels that bend with not nearly enough space behind the tray, way more screws that necessary for hard drive trays, difficult to access front fan mounts, better door

550D = sturdy construction, grommets well placed, grommets that stay put, way fewer screws and more intelligent design, wider channel for wire management, easier fan mounts, worse door

Redbeard, you have a kick ass case that simply kicks your competitors to the curb. Next time I'm not even going to question the value-add of a Corsair case compared to Fractal or Antec. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very bright blue LED that I have to go murder...
Click to expand...



Hello there,
I liked your comment, i'm planning to buy the same case cause i want a tottally silent pc without oc it.
I haven't decide yet about the cpu cooler (ivy i7-3770), as i saw you are using the H60 in push and pull mode, are you satisfied with your selection, i live in Greece and the climate here is hot, especially in summer, do you recomend this cpu cooler for this case i m not planning to add more extra fans for taking out the air of the case and i think watercooling is efective when you have a good airflow into your case..
i m thinking also the NOCTUA NH-U12P EDITION SE2, what 's your opinion
i have read that the H60 and general H80 and H100 they have noisy pump, something that i want to avoid..
thanks
 
My recommendation to keep this case perfectly quiet is to keep all the vents closed except the one in the front behind the door. Don't get an H100 since it requires the top vents to be opened. I'd get an H80 or a good air cooler for your CPU.

The H80/H100 have noisy pumps which is annoying. I got around the problem by getting a diode based voltage dropper (ask if you want details). You may get lucky and get a problem free pump though.

Bottom line: H80 with 2 Noctua NF-F12 fans in push pull on the radiator venting out of the back of the case.
 
haelio said:
My recommendation to keep this case perfectly quiet is to keep all the vents closed except the one in the front behind the door. Don't get an H100 since it requires the top vents to be opened. I'd get an H80 or a good air cooler for your CPU.

The H80/H100 have noisy pumps which is annoying. I got around the problem by getting a diode based voltage dropper (ask if you want details). You may get lucky and get a problem free pump though.

Bottom line: H80 with 2 Noctua NF-F12 fans in push pull on the radiator venting out of the back of the case.
Click to expand...

thanks for the answer, i think its better to go to an aircooler like the NOCTUA NH-U12P EDITION SE2 which is more silent. If anyone has more suggestions let me know, thanks
 
rem451 said:
thanks for the answer, i think its better to go to an aircooler like the NOCTUA NH-U12P EDITION SE2 which is more silent. If anyone has more suggestions let me know, thanks
Click to expand...

If you're planning in buying the i7 3770K and overclock it and you prefer a tower cooler, I would get the NH-D14 instead of the NH-U12P. You will get lower noise with the NH-D14 because the fans will spin at lower RPMs. The heatsink of the NH-D14 is bigger, the heat dissipation will be better and that's why the heatsink will cool more easily.

My opinion is that at the moment, I don't really trust a water cooling complete kit (either Corsair, Antec, Asetek, etc.) for a silent pc because of the noise of the pump. A silent water cooling solution is a lot more expensive than air cooling and the parts should be custom bought according to their performance, not a complete kit. Just an example: the waterblock from XSPC, the pump from Koolance, the radiator from EK, etc.
 
JimmyHoffa said:
If you're planning in buying the i7 3770K and overclock it and you prefer a tower cooler, I would get the NH-D14 instead of the NH-U12P. You will get lower noise with the NH-D14 because the fans will spin at lower RPMs. The heatsink of the NH-D14 is bigger, the heat dissipation will be better and that's why the heatsink will cool more easily.

My opinion is that at the moment, I don't really trust a water cooling complete kit (either Corsair, Antec, Asetek, etc.) for a silent pc because of the noise of the pump. A silent water cooling solution is a lot more expensive than air cooling and the parts should be custom bought according to their performance, not a complete kit. Just an example: the waterblock from XSPC, the pump from Koolance, the radiator from EK, etc.
Click to expand...
i see, so air cooling for such a silent pc is the best, i m not planning to oc thats why i ll buy the i7-3770 or i7-3770s instead of i7-3770k, i adore the nh-d14 but the only thing that scares me is the size of it, thats why i m looking at the NH-U12P , its smaller and very good cooler too.
 
rem451 said:
i see, so air cooling for such a silent pc is the best, i m not planning to oc thats why i ll buy the i7-3770 or i7-3770s instead of i7-3770k, i adore the nh-d14 but the only thing that scares me is the size of it, thats why i m looking at the NH-U12P , its smaller and very good cooler too.
Click to expand...

VERY GOOD air cooling is just a hell of a lot more cheaper than a VERY GOOD water cooling solution. That's obvious. A water cooling solution implies air cooling also (fan+radiator to cool the water) so I don't see a benefit in using a mainstream water cooling kit for a silent PC, when you're using your CPU at stock speeds or with a moderate OC.

If you want extreme OC-ing, then yes, custom water cooling is the way. Mainstream water cooling kits (Corsair's, Asetek's, Antec's) are based on too much compromise between low cost and performance (efficiency+silence).

My humble opinion. :)
 
JimmyHoffa said:
VERY GOOD air cooling is just a hell of a lot more cheaper than a VERY GOOD water cooling solution. That's obvious. A water cooling solution implies air cooling also (fan+radiator to cool the water) so I don't see a benefit in using a mainstream water cooling kit for a silent PC, when you're using your CPU at stock speeds or with a moderate OC.

If you want extreme OC-ing, then yes, custom water cooling is the way. Mainstream water cooling kits (Corsair's, Asetek's, Antec's) are based on too much compromise between low cost and performance (efficiency+silence).

My humble opinion. :)
Click to expand...

yes i agree, thats why an air cooling solution will be the best choice.
my only doubt is the size and the airflow inside the case, cause 550d is a midi silent but warm case..as the climate in my country :) and i dont plan to add more fans for example top or side of it, i ll just replace the stock fans of the case with two nf-p12 pwm front and one nf-12f pwm rear
 
Bit of an update after a few more days use. I snagged a 670 yesterday, so while installing that I also added a GELID Silent 12 (300-1500rpm 120mm PWM, hydraulic bearing) case fan to the bottom position beside the PSU as intake (rest of case fans are stock setup). Also cleaned up my cabling slightly, but it's still ugly, my main problem is I can't disconnect the 24pin CPU power from the mobo easily and would have to remove the PSU to disconnect it there, and that cable is the one causing issues.

Anyway, with both panels on now and the new GB 670, even gaming at load is very quiet. GPU maxed out at 59c, case temp 30c (this seems really low, need to do more testing, CPU 50c). I'm going to play around with CPU OC'ing a bit but might end up putting the 800rpm adapters on my NH-D14 as I can hear those fans over the case ones. Also need to setup Asus Fax Xpert 2 to voltage/PWM control all my case fans so I can have silent idle operation and only spin-up for gaming. Eventually I might add PWM fans on the NH-D14 when Noctua releases them, just not excited about dropping $40+ on CPU heatsink fans, and my mobo cannot control the CPU fans via voltage unfortunately.
 
rem451 said:
yes i agree, thats why an air cooling solution will be the best choice.
my only doubt is the size and the airflow inside the case, cause 550d is a midi silent but warm case..as the climate in my country :) and i dont plan to add more fans for example top or side of it, i ll just replace the stock fans of the case with two nf-p12 pwm front and one nf-12f pwm rear
Click to expand...

Oki. So what's the question?

1. NH-U12P or NH-D14?
2. Corsair 550D or other silent case?

If you choose the Corsair 550D, I think that the best pick as a CPU cooler would be the NH-D14. You will get better temps for the CPU with it.
The close competitor for the Corsair 550D is the Antec P280, but I think that Corsair's case beats the Antec! :p
 
JimmyHoffa said:
Oki. So what's the question?

1. NH-U12P or NH-D14?
2. Corsair 550D or other silent case?

If you choose the Corsair 550D, I think that the best pick as a CPU cooler would be the NH-D14. You will get better temps for the CPU with it.
The close competitor for the Corsair 550D is the Antec P280, but I think that Corsair's case beats the Antec! :p
Click to expand...

the question is , first water cooling or air cooling, ok i got the answer..air ;), and second, which noctua D14 or u12P, of course i ll get better temps with D14 but its so large and i can do the same job with U12P which is very silent cooler i think.
 
rem451 said:
the question is , first water cooling or air cooling, ok i got the answer..air ;), and second, which noctua D14 or u12P, of course i ll get better temps with D14 but its so large and i can do the same job with U12P which is very silent cooler i think.
Click to expand...

I think that the Noctua NH-D14 will be more silent than the U12P version. The large heatsink of the NH-D14 will have an advantage because it will cool better and more rapidly and thus the fans will run at lower speeds giving you less noise. Isn't that what you're looking for?

I'm pretty sure that the performance of the U12P will be very close to that of the D14, but it's impossible for me to test this out and tell you the difference in temperatures and decibels. :)

I found this very interesting article. It's in french but the graphical representation is a world wide "language". :) Strangely, it seems that the U12P SE2 is quieter than the D-14. Very strange.
 
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JimmyHoffa said:
I think that the Noctua NH-D14 will be more silent than the U12P version. The large heatsink of the NH-D14 will have an advantage because it will cool better and more rapidly and thus the fans will run at lower speeds giving you less noise. Isn't that what you're looking for?

I'm pretty sure that the performance of the U12P will be very close to that of the D14, but it's impossible for me to test this out and tell you the difference in temperatures and decibels. :)

I found this very interesting article. It's in french but the graphical representation is a world wide "language". :) Strangely, it seems that the U12P SE2 is quieter than the D-14. Very strange.
Click to expand...
:) so its quiter and smaller than the d-14 that means better airflow inside the case
 
not particularly.

To put it basically, the NH12p-SE2 is smaller, and a single tower design. Less metal to dissipate heat than the NHD14 or whatever it's called.

I honestly do not know if the nhu12p-se2 will be enough to cool a stock / auto overclocked processor these days. I'd imagine so. ... i dont understand how a D14 wouldnt offer the same or better cooling at lower noise levels. If you're going for silence, you want large fans spinning slower moving the same as smaller fans spinning faster.
 
Exploder87 said:
Aha, thank you so much!

l'll most likely settle for this cooling setup according to your recommendations:

2x120mm front intake (Noctua NF-P12 PWM),
1x140mm bottom intake (Noctua NF-P14 FLX),
1x140mm rear exhaust (Noctua NF-P14 FLX).

CPU cooler: Noctua NH-C14.
Click to expand...

i like this ..mod, i m thinking to doing the same with the difference that i m going to use the NH-U12P SE2 instead of NH-C14, Can you give us the temps that are you getting and how quiet is your system with these fans?
thanks
i would like everyone who has make something similiar to jut post the temps of his cpu and general mobo and case, thanks
 
night_2004 said:
Probably a lot. My side fan made a very big difference in cooling (but then again I've 5 drives).
Click to expand...

re side fan - intake or exhaust ?

I'm trying to improve cooling in my 550d (love the case just could do with better temps)

atm I have

Front Bottom : Stock fan
Front Top: Gentle Typhoon 1850
Rear: Enermax 140mm
Side : Closed
Top: Closed
Bottom: Gentle Typhoon 1150

IMO if anything case needs more air to go OUT (especially as I have a hot GTX480 which exhausts most of heat in case - its a non-stock cooler design)

so I was thinking a side exhaust ?

also anyone know the specs of the stock Corsair fans ? thinking of replacing the front bottom with a spare 1200 S-Flex I have - but I don't know how they compare - the bottom one is a bit more faff to replace as the drive bays are populated.

any ideas greatfully received.

BTW do people notice much different front fan shield on/off ?
 
Anyone figured out a way to decouple the bottom mount fan? I have a GELID Silent 12 PWM fan there that comes with rubber mounting grommets, but if I use them I cannot fit the bottom fan filter in place (which is a must for me, as we have a cat). The only way I can see to mount the bottom fan is with traditional short screws, the included 550D fan screws + rubber grommets are way too thick and will again interfere with the dust filter.

My case vibrates very slightly (not audible, but I can feel it if I put my hand on), I'm guessing it's from that GELID as it's spinning at 1200ish RPM (haven't tuned my fans yet), or possibly my hard drives.

Super happy with this case after a week of use. I booted up my old Q6700 in a P180B to wipe the hard drives and prep it for sale, wow it's so much louder than my 550D! The P180B has 3x Yate Loon 120rpm + 1x Antec ~1000rpm + True 120 w/ 1200rpm Yate Loon and the thing is significantly louder than my 550D, I believe it's all due to the open top vent, if I pop the top open on my 550D the noise level increases dramatically. Luckily I can keep it closed thanks to this cool 670.
 
Just ordered one of these to replace my 800D.

I was going to wait a while longer to see what new cases come out, but I'm going to need my rig to be a little more manageable sooner than I thought and I can't be bothered to lug around the 800D again like I did last October.
 
Would 3 GT AP-15's get the job done if you were to replace the stock fans? Two front intake and one rear. This is for a stock computer build, BTW.

Maybe I should add another one for bottom as well?

I don't mind a little noise as long it provides ample airflow.
 
I got the chance to finally get some hands on time with this case at NCIX's Tech Fair this past weekend. I was pretty impressed with everything I saw, except two minor details:

1. The door has to "snap" into place, on the top and bottom, because of the clasp design. It felt like I was pushing in some snap buttons or something on a shirt, in order to close it. Had to put pressure on the top and bottom of the door to make sure it closed all the way and snapped into the clasps. Is this normal on all 550D's?

2. The motherboard's side panel was very flimsy. I was able to simply push one finger on this side panel and it bowed inwards, like a cheap piece of super thin metal. I thought it would be a lot more solid with the dampening foam on other side of the panel, but it doesn't seem to be this way. The only thing I can compare this to is my old NZXT Apollo case (mid tower), which doesn't have a flexible side panel at all. Does anyone else have this problem?
 
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Mysticode said:
I got the chance to finally get some hands on time with this case at NCIX's Tech Fair this past weekend. I was pretty impressed with everything I saw, except two minor details:

1. The door has to "snap" into place, on the top and bottom, because of the clasp design. It felt like I was pushing in some snap buttons or something on a shirt, in order to close it. Had to put pressure on the top and bottom of the door to make sure it closed all the way and snapped into the clasps. Is this normal on all 550D's?

2. The motherboard's side panel was very flimsy. I was able to simply push one finger on this side panel and it bowed inwards, like a cheap piece of super thin metal. I thought it would be a lot more solid with the dampening foam on other side of the panel, but it doesn't seem to be this way. The only thing I can compare this to is my old NZXT Apollo case (mid tower), which doesn't have a flexible side panel at all. Does anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...

That's just the way this case is designed. I don't consider them to be major issues.

Only problem I have is the smell, that is still there after 1 week.
 
Nah, as I said, minor, but the little things really stick out to me! I hope they improve the side panel though, thin metal blows. :)
 
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