Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on April 25, 2013 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- MicroATX
Testing Methodology
For testing Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in a stock configuration as well as with add-on graphics cards to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise. As we've retired our Micro-ATX board from the testbed, Micro-ATX enclosures will be using the Mini-ITX testbed.
| Mini-ITX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i3-2120 (65W TDP) |
| Motherboard | Zotac Z68ITX-A-E |
| Graphics Card |
Intel HD 2000 IGP Zotac GeForce GTS 450 Eco ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DCII TOP |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives | Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD |
| CPU Cooler | SilverStone NT07-1156 with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Plus 1000W 80 Plus Silver |
Each case is tested with just the Core i3's integrated graphics as well as with a discrete graphics card. The system is powered on and left idle for fifteen minutes, the thermal and acoustic results recorded, and then stressed by running four threads in Prime95 (in-place large FFTs) on the CPU, and OC Scanner (maximum load) is run when the dedicated GPU is installed. At the end of fiteen minutes, thermal and acoustic results are recorded. If the enclosure has a fan controller, these tests are repeated for each setting. Ambient temperature is also measured after the fifteen idle minutes but before the stress test and used to calculate the final reported results.
We try to maintain an ambient testing temperature of between 22C and 24C. Non-thermal test results aren't going to be directly comparable to the finest decimal point, but should be roughly comparable and give a broader idea of how the enclosure performs.
Thank You!
Before moving on, we'd like to thank the following vendors for providing us with the hardware used in our testbed.
- Thank you to Puget Systems for providing us with the Intel Core i3-2120.
- Thank you to Zotac for providing us with the Z68ITX-A-E motherboard and GeForce GTS 450 Eco.
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply and NT07-1156 heatsink/fan combo.
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65 Comments
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geniekid - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link
I would've liked to see an option for a side fan. In my experience I've found that a side exhaust fan has a tremendous impact on temps when dealing with graphics cards that exhaust into the case.marc1000 - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link
I also would have liked a side fan near the GPU. I don't care much about windows, but nothing is ever perfect to everyone. This case is better than the average mATX, even if not exactly small as it could be. nice review!AssBall - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
If you are building a micro ATX board system with 400W gaming card(s), then you should probably re-evaluate your priorities.lmcd - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
FYI LAN parties and LAN cases are both still relatively popular.Death666Angel - Saturday, May 11, 2013 - link
No? If it's possible, why not? mATX doesn't mean "less powerful" it just means "smaller".EzioAs - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link
Looking at the aesthetics, performance numbers and your comments on how easy it was to assemble inside it, I kinda guess you'd be giving it some kind of award.Personally, I think at this point in time we'd be getting 4xUSB 3.0 and the connectors are compatible with 3.0 and 2.0 like the ones in the Bitfenix Raider.
Other than that, fantastic looking case. Might be what I was looking for to put the old C2Q, 775 board and GTX460.
Thanks for the review Dustin.
lmcd - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
Yeah, two USB 3 is getting low, especially with mobos now providing 2 USB 3 headers.rakunSA - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link
First thing I noticed is that there's a bowl (a rice bowl perhaps?) in the reflection. HADustin Sklavos - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link
I actually use rice bowls to hold screws. :)douglaswilliams - Thursday, April 25, 2013 - link
I first thought the bowl was inside the case, and that you were testing how long it took the case heat to cook the rice. It would certainly be a unique way to do thermal testing.