Corsair is releasing a new case called the Obsidian 550D with some features targeting silent computing like dampened panels and their own take on the modu vent. It has very similar features to the P280/R3 and hits similar price points. Given Corsair's reputation for quality I think this is one to look out for.

I'm not 100% sold on the look but feature wise it looks pretty good.

http://www.corsair.com/obsidian-series-550d-mid-tower-quiet-case.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8eA7RR5q30

I certainly like the looks and functionality, although I'd like one in white. However I'd have to see the dampening material and drive mounts more closely inspected before being impressed. The top vent isn't so wow either since it's either quiet or really open, there's no design for opening up just one of the two fan slots. Lastly I wonder how much less a build free of aluminium parts would go for.

Certainly seems like a contender, its nice to see other manufacturers enter this niche market, hope we see SPCR review of it.

Great looking case!


Well then they couldn't really call it obsidian now could they?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian

Looks great,love it but with one issue it's really expensive around $169 USD. That price is bit hard to take over the $80-100 tag on Define R3.

It looks pretty good overall. If I was in the market for a mid tower case this would certainly be a contender. I like the clean, understated styling but what sets this case apart IMO is how they handled the unused vents.

I swapped a 650D for my current R3 and one of the things Corsair does right is build quality. My 650D was a brick shit house and every component fit just right, not to mention ample room for cable management. My R3 on the other hand has build issues with the PSU screw points and the motherboard standoffs... at the $109 I paid the R3 is def the way to go, however, if the 550D performs like my R3 does silenced (especially with those covered fan vents) I would definitely consider switching over.

It's listed at Amazon (but not in stock) at $141.

id like to see some reviews first, it looks to me like there is very little gaps at the front (if any) for airflow. there is a fan filter and then another plastic grill (with tiny slits for air) and then the front door which doesn't seem to have many air gaps to be honest.

Has anyone seen one of these first hand? Is spcr planning a review?

Dealers don't seem to expect them until march/april.

A post by a Corsair Rep at Overclock.net forums - he says late February/March for stock.

I thought Americans had them already, UK site says 550d available on 8th feb. Its even on preorder, and 8th feb is rapidly coming close, im sure if the were unable to meet that date they would have known about it and updated the site by now.

Is Corsair a German company? maybe that's the European bias there.

Nope - HQ is in California.

I really like the 550D's design, the only thing that concerns me a bit is the relatively low weight of the case.

The 550D is listed as weighing 7.5kg, compared with 9.5kg for the smaller Fractal Design Define Mini, 12.5kg for the Define R3, or 10.2kg for the Antec 280.

Since the internals of all of them seem similarly solid (the 550D is internally the same as the 500R) I assume that the difference in weight is down to the door and side panels. It makes me wonder whether they'll block noise as effectively as the heavier cases, especially considering the large removable fan covers on the side and top of the 550D.

I hope SPCR will be reviewing it when it's released.

A Corsair rep on Hard[Forum] said they are supposed to land in CA port on 3/10. Newegg will have them first about 7-10 days later (assuming HMS does hold the container for inspection).

Newegg has the case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139012

(with a $10 discount and a $20 Corsair rebate and free shipping - final cost $119.99)

I've now got the case in hand if anyone has questions.

The bottom, back, top and side panel fan positions have holes for either 120mm or 140mm fans. The two front fans are 120mm/25mm thick fans and can be replaced easily.

All front ventilation is through the side holes and bottom holes. All front ventilation is filtered through a perforated screen (as opposed to a mesh screen). The panel in front of the front filter can be removed if you want more ventilation; however, because of the filter design, I'm not sure that would make any difference.

Both HD drive racks are easily removed so that you can get to the front fans. The racks have openings where possible and the solid pieces are perforated so you should have good ventilation from the front fans even with the racks in place. Removing unused HD trays will improve the ventilation. I plan to completely remove the top HD rack.

Fans are mounted with soft gaskets in the mounting holes and long screws. These look like they will do an adequate job decoupling fans from the mounting holes. All of the fan mounting holes are oversized to accomodate the gaskets. Note that you also have the option to move the front fans into the case and mount them on the hard drive racks.

There is no fan controller which is fine by me.

The two side panels are held in place by a device with three tabs that insert into the top of each panel and those tabs are moved to release the top by pressing buttons on the back of the case. My only concern is whether the panels are held securely enough to prevent any rattle; however, that's an easy issue to deal with if it happens.

The front panel can be easily opened from either side or completely removed since it is held by two clips on each side. Two replacement clips for each side are included.

The construction quality is high as is normal for Corsair cases. The USB cable has a motherboard connector and a USB3 to USB2 adapter is included.

Do you have any impression of the effectiveness of its sound damping?

550D thread at Hardforum with pictures and comments including feedback from a Corsair rep. Page 9+ for post-delivery comments.

first reviews are coming in:
Hexus

additional reviews would be needed, but it seems this case might have the potential to be a nice case for the high-end enthousiasts who still like silence.
Some modding would be needed (other fans, possibly in combo with some kind of fan controlling; not quite sure of the air intake with the door closed) but all in all, Corsair might have hit the sweet spot there.

I might even replace my FT-02 for this one (hope to see a review on SPCR soon)

In response to the question a few messages back... I still haven't installed in the case. Have been buried with work...

I don't see how the door would have any effect on the air flow quantity at all. The side door openings exceed the side air intake area. What the front door does is to create a baffle effect for the air flow to damp the front noise. You can remove the solid panel in front of the front filter. Leaving the front door in place and removing the panel would open things up but the filter itself has a limited capacity for airflow. It's worth comparing both sound and temperature with the inner panel in place and removed.

The only real issue to getting a very quiet build in this case should be the fans. I have no idea how the fans are going to perform and will try them before making any decision about the need for replacements.

btw... The front door is easily opened by opening the top and then the bottom by pushing against the case with your thumb and pulling on the door with your fingers. I wouldn't try to open the door by grabbing it in the middle of a side and yanking.

What i would like to see is a comparison the temperatures/noise of Fractal's Define R3 and this.

Im looking into getting a new silent case and I would ike to know wheter to get the 550d (which is 50% more expensive in sweden),
or the R3 (with a bit of flaws).

More reviews!

If only silentpcreview.com could do one

btw... I finally got around to moving to the 550d. It was a very painless move.

I'm starting with the fans that came with the case. I'm running the front fans at 5v and the rear fan at 7v. The case sits on my desk to my left and is very quiet. I might play with other fans later. I also might install a 140mm fan in the top rear position and block the top front position and try that. EasyTune says my idle temperatures are CPU 21C and system 32C.

__________
i7-860,GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2, Noctua NH-U12P SE2 with one P-12 using the LNA (~1050 rpm), 8 Gb ram, EVGA GTX 560 Ti, Adata S599 128GB, Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1TB, Lite-On DVD burner, Corsair HX620W (mounted fan up), Corsair 550D case w/3 Corsair 120mmx25mm fans (about 1100 rpm at 12v) (2 front fans @ 5v, rear fan @ 7v)

Nice idle temps. What's in your system and what have you seen under full load?

I'd lean toward putting a fan in the side rather than the top. It'd probably provide better cooling and you've got the whole case between you and the fan for noise.

I added my system specs above. I could add a side fan (and the fan would be on the side of the case away from me) but have had good luck with rear top fans running at 5v and have never been bothered by any noise from them. This case lets you easily test both fan positions. The front of the case is usually where I need to damp the noise.

I use the system for gaming and will crank up Reckoning and check the temperatures. After playing Reckoning for a while, the highest that I could get was CPU 38C and system 44C.

If the center removable hard drive cage is removed on the 550D, will that help airflow or lower temps at all? The Fractal R3 cage is fixed in front of the 2 front fans, and I'm deciding between the two. I understand there is positive pressure, but it seems to me it would also help having a clear path for one of the front fans, but I'm not an expert on this.

The Fractal R3 had odor issues in the past from rubber parts, that Fractal fixed eventually. Does the 550D have any issues like this? Does the sound insulation material have an overpowering smell? Or is it fine after being aired out a bit? I'm very smell sensitive.

Thanks.