PC hardware manufacturer Corsair announced to a crowded 2012 CES audience in Las Vegas the release of its system builder-friendly Obsidian Series 550D ultra-quiet premium case and compact Carbide Series 300R gaming case.
Obsidian Series 550D
Corsair’s Obsidian Series 550D offers a combination of noise reduction and cooling options.
Its rugged steel and brushed aluminum chassis comes with two 120-mm intake fans and one 120-mm exhaust fan. Additional fan mounting points are provided for up to ten fans total, including locations for dual side-mounted fans for drawing air directly onto GPUs, and top fan mounts spaced for radiator compatibility. Unused hard drive cages can be removed to improve airflow, and Corsair’s cable routing system enables wires and cables to be tucked behind the motherboard and out of the airflow path.
The front panel and side panels are fully lined with noise damping material as well as the covers for the side and top intake mounts. Noise-damped covers minimize unused fan intakes causing increased audible system noise. Noise is further reduced through the use of silicone mounts on the fans and hard drive bays.
The 550D provides eight expansion slots with room for GPUs of up to 450 mm in length, a CPU backplane cutout for easy installation and upgrade of CPU heatsinks, a fully-painted matte black interior, six tool-free hard drive bays with removable caddies with integrated 2.5″ SSD support, and four tool-free optical drive bays. Other high-end features include magnetically-mounted dust filters and side panels that open with the touch of a button. The diamond-cut aluminum front control panel houses two high-speed USB 3.0 connectors and audio connectors.
“In the past, enthusiast PC builders had to make the choice between optimal noise reduction and superior cooling capabilities,” says Ruben Mookerjee, Corsair’s vice president and general manager of components. “The Obsidian Series 550D changes the game, providing outstanding noise reduction along with carefully engineered cooling capabilities for even the most powerful PC systems.”
Carbide Series 300R
The Corsair Carbide Series 300R is “a compact expression of Corsair’s gaming PC philosophy,” according to press release submitted to Channel Pro-SMB.
Featuring a compact chassis, this builder-friendly case features three tool-free optical drive bays and four tool-free hard drive bays with integrated 2.5-inch SSD compatibility. There’s room for high-end GPUs of up to 450 mm in length, and the matte black interior incorporates Corsair’s cable routing system.
The 300R comes with intake and exhaust fans, with room for five additional fans including dual side-mounted fans for direct GPU cooling.
The Obsidian Series 550D and Carbide Series 300R are backed by a two-year warranty and are expected to be available in February from Corsair’s worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors. The Obsidian Series 550D retails for $159. The Carbide Series 300R retails for $89.