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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

The 650D is the first mid-tower case within Corsair’s Obsidian series – the other two models available, 700D and 800D, are full-tower cases.

The 650D follows the same design concept used on the 800D and 700D, and you can clearly see that the 650D is a smaller version of these two models, using a steel body and an aluminum front panel. The side panels are removed by pushing two latches, with is a feature not available on the other members of this series and was taken from the Corsair Graphite Series 600T case. The left-side panel was a huge window.

Figure 1: Corsair Obsidian 650D case

Figure 2: Corsair Obsidian 650D case

Figure 3: The left-side panel

[nextpage title=”The Front Panel”]

The front panel of the Corsair Obsidian 650D has four external 5.25” bays, which use aluminum covers. Above the 5.25” bays there is a small compartment that hides two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, and the traditional audio jacks.

Figure 4: Front panel

Figure 5: Buttons and connectors

At the bottom of the front panel there is a huge 200 mm fan, but the manufacturer doesn’t provide its technical specifications. It uses a three-pin power connector, allowing you to install it on your motherboard and, therefore, monitor its speed. There is an air filter for this fan.

Figure 6: Front fan

[nextpage title=”The Top, Bottom, and Rear Panels”]

The top panel of the 650D is shown in Figure 7. It comes with a 200 mm fan identical to the one used on the front panel, and you can replace it with two 120 mm or two 140 mm fans. The top panel also has a hard drive docking bay supporting 3.5” and 2.5” devices. When not in use, you can leave this bay closed.

Figure 7: Top panel

Figure 8: Hard drive docking bay

The Obsidian Series 650D has a three-speed, single-channel fan controller supporting four fans. This controller is very small and somewhat hidden inside the docking bay and may be missed by most users.

Figure 9: Fan controller

The bottom panel, seen in Figure 10, has an air filter for the power supply fan.

Figure 10: Bottom panel

The rear panel and the interior of the Corsair Obsidian 650D are painted black. The power supply is installed on the bottom part of the case, and the case comes with eight expansion slots featuring vented covers. The presence of eight slots instead of seven allows you to have three or four video cards installed at the same time, depending on your motherboard model. This feature is usually found only on full-tower models.

There are two holes with rubber covers for passing hoses of liquid cooling solutions. The rectangular hole available at the top part of the rear panel is used to route the USB 3.0 cables, because you need to install them on the USB 3.0 ports located at the rear panel of your motherboard.

The case comes with a 120 mm fan on its rear panel (no technical specification was provided), using a three-pin power connector, allowing you to install it on your motherboard and, therefore, monitor its speed.

Figure 11: Rear panel

Let’s now take a look inside the Corsair Obsidian 650D.[nextpage title=”Inside the Corsair Obsidian 650D”]

As already explained, the side panels of the Obsidian 650D are removed by pushing two latches available at each panel. The motherboard tray has a huge hole for you to access the backplate of the CPU cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case, several holes protected with rubber covers for you to route cables behind it, and several metallic clips for you to fasten cables behind the motherboard tray using cable ties.

Figure 12: Overall look

Figure 13: A view behind the motherboard tray

In Figure 14, you have another overall look inside the case. Expansion cards are fastened to the case using black thumbscrews. The 650D supports
video cards up to 13” (330 mm) long or up to 17.7” (450 mm) long, if the top hard drive cage is removed.

Figure 14: Overall look

Note that the power supply can be installed with either its bottom fan facing up or facing down, so you can decide if you want the fan of your power supply pulling air from inside the case or from outside of it. As already shown, there is an air filter for the power supply fan. This case has a bracket that can be moved to match the power supply length.

Figure 15: Power supply compartment

[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]

The Corsair Obsidian 650D has four 5.25” external bays, one external 3.5”/2.5” bay with hot-swap connectors, and six 3.5”/2.5” internal bays, all using tool-less installation mechanisms. However, you must use regular screws to install 2.5” devices.

Figure 16: Disk drive bays

The six internal 3.5” bays are divided into two hard drive cages. The top one is removable (it is fastened to the case using two black thumbscrews), allowing you to install longer video cards. This cage can be completely removed from the case or moved to the bottom panel of the case. In this case, you are limited to power supplies up to 7.9” (200 mm) in length.

Figure 17: Top hard drive cage removed from the case

Figure 18: Top hard drive cage installed on the bottom panel

Each hard drive bay is actually a drawer. While 3.5” devices can be installed without the use of screws, you need to use screws when installing 2.5” devices. The pegs that hold 3.5” devices have a silicone ring around them in order to reduce the vibration, and thus noise, produced by the hard drive.

Figure 19: Drawer

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specs for the Corsair Obsidian Series 650D include:

• Style: Mid-tower
• Application: ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one
• Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC) body, aluminum front panel
• Power supply: Doesn’t come with the product
• Available colors: Black
• Side panel: Transparent window
• Dimensions: 20.5 x 9 x 21.5 inches (521 x 229 x 546 mm) (H x W x D)
• Net weight: 24 lbs (10.8 kg)
• Gross weight: 28.5 lbs (13 kg)
• Bays: Four external 5.25” bays, one external 3.5”/2.5” bay with hot-swap connectors, and six internal 3.5”/2.5” bays
• Expansion slots: Eight
• Maximum video card length: 13” (330 mm) long or up to 17.7” (450 mm) long, if the top hard drive cage is removed
• Maximum CPU cooler height: NA
• Fans: One 200 mm fan on the front panel, one 200 mm fan on the top panel, and one 120 mm fan on the rear panel
• Optional fans: Two 120 mm or 140 mm fans on the top panel, if the 200 mm fan is removed
• Additional Features: Three-step, single-channel fan controller
• More Information: https://www.corsair.com
• MSRP in the US: USD 200.00

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Corsair Obsidian 650D is a high-end mid-tower case. The main problem is its price. It is a very nice case, but we think that, for the average user, there are other options on the market with better cost/benefit ratios – including the Corsair Graphite Series 600T.

Strong Points

• All six 3.5” bays support 2.5” devices
• External 3.5”/2.5” docking bay with hot-swap connectors
• Eight expansion slots
• Vented slot covers
• Air filter for the front fan
• Air filter for the power supply fan
• Two 200 mm fans
• Three-speed fan controller
• Support for video cards up 17.7” (450 mm) in length, if the top hard drive cage is removed or installed on the bottom panel
• A huge hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
• Holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
• Top-notch finishing
• Latches to remove the side panel

Weak Points

• Very expensive
• The fan controller is hidden