Corsair Obsidian 700D Computer Case Review

If you're aiming for something big for your next PC case, perhaps the Obsidian 800D has been attractive to your eyes. If you almost fainted when you checked prices, you might be happy to know Corsair released the little brother: Obsidian 700D. At the moment of reviewing this case the 800D costs $254.99, while the 700D costs $239.99, bringing this product to a reachable level for many PC enthusiasts. You'll notice the main differences are the non-existent side-panel window, and the removal of hot-swappable drives in the front of the chassis. While there are some other small differences which we'll check across the review, those are the reasons to shave $15 to bring a very interesting product to a mid-high price level. Additionally, let me tell you some months ago, the difference between the 700D and 800D was bigger; going from $30 to $50 giving a bigger advantage to the 700D, but times have changed and the difference has been reduced to $15 only (newegg's prices).

I'll tell you some key-features about the Obsidian series. First of all, both Obsidian cases are full-tower sized, supporting E-ATX motherboards and down to Mini-ITX motherboards. Corsair has given their Obsidian products a very simple, yet elegant design, which brings a very interesting look for those who're not aiming to "pimp" their PCs with tons of UV LEDs and LED fans. The CC700D also integrates a 3-chamber system inside of the case, which separates the motherboard/CPU/GPU space, from the PSU and internal drives. Perhaps, the most important feature is the incorporation of tons of rubber grommets to make cable management look like if it was built by a professional, and the inclusion of a completely tool-less installation (except for the expansion slots).

The Obsidian 700D comes in a plain black color, and you'll be surprised because you won't find any other color inside or outside of it. Personally, I think a black painted interior is a must-have feature nowadays, but perhaps, some users would prefer to have it mixed with platinum or any other color, especially in the exterior. Corsair didn't hesitate about doing a big case; this case is HUGE. Because of that, it must have tons of spaces to add fans and keep airflow within excellent conditions.

It's all about thermal management, and various manufacturers have stepped up with a variety of solutions. There's the "big case with a lot of fans" design, typified by the Cooler Master HAF series and the new NZXT Phantom, as well as the "isolated thermal zones" school of thought, embraced by the Corsair Obsidian 700D and taken to its ultimate expression by the Thermaltake Level 10.

Full disclosure: The product used in this review was supplied by Corsair Inc.

Obsidian 700D Features

• Six HDD/SDD drive bays compatible with both 3.5" and 2.5" drives
• Removable CPU back plate panel for easy heatsink installation
• Isolated cooling zones prevent heat buildup
• Unique cable routing holes guarantee a clean and clutter-free installation
• Three 140mm fans included, with the ability to add four more 120mm fans
• Tool-Free optical drive installation makes building a system faster than ever
• Two year warranty with Corsair's world-class customer service and technical support

CC700D Specifications

Features and specifications provided by Corsair Inc.

Let's unbox this case and see if it lives up to the claims...

Closer Look: Exterior

The box describes all the features and some specifications as it's shown in the next picture. Other than that, it just shows some images and the product's part number is shown in big letters. Keep in mind this box is pretty big, and the case is protected with lots of styrofoam in the inside.

Once you open the package, you'll notice a small box with accessories. Considering how big this case is, I expected more accessories, but after using them all I think they just fit your necessities. Included is a quick installation guide which is NOT a full manual. To make things worse, the guide gives you a link to corsair's homepage where you can't download any other than the quick installation guide again. Many users have complained about this, and Corsair's answer is always: check the Obsidian 800D manual... Anyway, if this isn't the first time you build up a PC, you'll find the installation pretty straight-forward. Corsair includes many black-painted screws which make a good combination with your new chassis, and a small bag with zip ties. Additionally, there's an 8-pin to 8-pin/4-pin 12v+ cable extension and only one rubber for fans installation. If something lacks in this package, that must be rubbers for more fans, since this case allows you to add 4 x 120mm fans and I expected at least 3 rubbers.

Aside of accessories, the Obsidian 700D comes protected with transparent plastic at the front side to avoid scratches, but the rest of the case comes un-protected. If you haven't seen a full tower case before, this case will appear HUGE, but I'll let the installation pictures prove that in the next sections.

As you can see, the whole case is painted in black. While some people love the color, it might not fit to all kind of enthusiasts. I find it rather weird when I see everything in black color, but it doesn't make me change my opinion at all. Even the three 140mm fans included are black, with black sleeving of course.

At the top of the case, there are fan grills for 3 x 120mm fans. This makes the Obsidian 700D a great case for water cooling since you can mount a 360x120mm radiator in the inside or outside without a hassle. Actually, if you don't use the first 5 1/4" drive bay, you could even fit a 480x120mm radiator. We'll talk about other Obsidian's cooling features later.

At the bottom of the case, you'll find three feet with 2 rubbers each. This raises the chassis and helps cooling the bottom side of it while improving air-flow. Those feet are 25mm tall, so you won't have problems even if you're positioning your chassis in a carpet. There's also a dust filter included which gets removed very easy by the back side of the case.

Let's check out this case in more detail in the next section.

Detailed Exterior Features

To keep the design sleek and elegant, Corsair decided to keep USB/Audio/Firewire ports behind a little door. Outside, there is a power button and a HDD activity LED. Corsair ships the Obsidian 700D with 4 x USB ports, but none of them is 3.0. I feel there should be at least a 3.0 port in this case considering the price it carries, however, I expect Corsair to update their cases in the next months, and hopefully, include USB 3.0 ports. Corsair also lacks of e-SATA ports, which nowadays are very common and useful for the masses.

Let's have a detailed look at the back of the Obsidian 700D. At the top, we have 2 push-buttons to release the side panels. That's right! Corsair needs no screws to release their panels. Just push the red black button, pull-off the door and you're good to go. There's also a little honey-comb mesh at the top to exhaust hot air.

Moving to the mid-section, there's a full 140mm black fan to exhaust CPU heat. There's a pair of rubber grommets for water cooling tubes and the I/O area. Notice those little holes at the left of the case? Those are ventilation holes for HDDs/SSDs. I'll try to explain how they work when we open the Obsidian 700D.

Moving to the lower part, there are 7 expansion slots and a little mesh for dual-slot GPUs installed in the lower PCI-E slots of our motherboard. At the bottom, there's space for an ATX PSU, but unfortunately, there are no holes to mount it upside up and upside down (if neccessary). Must PSUs using a large 120mm fan pushing air inside will fit so that the fan faces the bottom side of the case taking fresh air from the outside instead of taking hot air from the case.

Remember that dust-filter at the bottom of the Obsidian 700D? Well, here it is! Removing it is as easy as just pulling it off the case, but keep in mind it won't be that easy to take it off if your PC is very close to a wall/furniture because the filter is big enough to cover 2 x 120mm fans (at least).

Finally, if you're mounting 5 1/4" drives, you'll need to remove the front facade. Please refer to the manual to remove this as many users are reporting difficulties to do it. I didn't suffer to take the front panel out of the case, if you ask.

Now that we've analyzed the exterior of our Obsidian 700D, let's have a closer look at the interior.

Closer Look: Interior

The interior hides all the good stuff of this case. Have a look at the interior and tell me you don't like it, can you? Have I mentioned that the interior is also completely black? Remember this case supports up to E-ATX motherboards without a hassle, and you'll be able to install an ATI Radeon HD5970 and have lots of space to work with cable management still.

The back side of the interior shows lots of rubber grommets for proper cable management and cables for front panel connectors and fans. This is where you'll find yourself doing 70% of the work when installing your system as you'll really want to take some time to pass all of your cables behind the motherboard's tray.

Corsair includes 5 x 5.25" chambers for optical drives. All of them are completely tool-less as you can see in the next photo. It's a pleasure to know Corsair didn't hesitate to add tool-less options for every bay as the price obligates them to do so. However, the back side of those bays includes holes for screws if you want to add some security to your system.

Now let's have a look at the cooling system. Corsair has separated the whole case in 3 different chambers to exclude heat from one to another. The first chamber we're looking here is for hard drives or solid state drives. As you can see, there's space for 4 x 3.5"/2.5" drives in this chamber, and all of them are kept cold by a 140mm fan pushing air through all of them from below. This helps heat rise and it's completely enough even for 4 WD Raptors. There's a mistake on the design I'd like to notice here, as the original design (800D) was meant to push air through the drives back to the motherboard tray and finally to be exhausted at the rear of the chassis. Corsair added a fan and a "wall" to separate this chamber and keep air-flow as designed. In the Obsidian 700D, this isn't really working like that, since our 140mm fan is pushing air from below, and there's no wall to separate this chamber from the main (motherboard) chamber, so it's natural to think heat isn't really going to flow to the back of the chassis. Instead, heat will be dissipated through the back, but mostly by flowing to the main chamber and being exhausted from there. I'd really like to see Corsair adding a separation to keep up with the original design, and perhaps, that wall could completely hide hard drives if possible and enhance aesthetics. But don't get worried that much, as heat generated by 4 drives isn't that much, and the fan will do its job even if it's not working as it was meant to do it.

If you look close enough, you'll find cold air cooling our drives chamber comes from ... another drives chamber. Well, not exactly. Actually, this is the lower chamber meant to cool PSU and 2 additional hard drives. You should use this space if you have more than 4 drives but I'd recommend using the upper chamber first, as it receives cold air from the 140mm fan, while this one gets the heat extracted but doesn't receive any direct air-flow. It could be useful for SSDs though. About the space, I really think Corsair could have fitted another slot in there for a maximum of 7 internal drives, but this should be more than enough for many enthusiasts.

As I described before, the lower chamber also storages the PSU, and there's another 140mm fan exhausting hot/cold air from this chamber, directly to the GPUs. There's also a pair of rubber grommets to pass all of your cables, and you can remove the whole tray if you want to skip cable management in this section or if you have too many cables to pass them all by those holes.

In the next page, Benchmark Reviews does a detailed look to the internal features of the Corsair Obsidian 700D.

Detailed Interior Features

As it holds our main components, the main chamber needs to be severely revised. As you can see, there's plenty of room inside this case, and Corsair includes a whole army of rubber grommets here. Even if you want to install a Mini-ITX motherboard inside the CC700D, there will be rubber grommets specially designed for that purpose. There's a 140mm fan at the rear to exhaust hot air from the CPU, and a plastic plate can be removed to install a high-end heatsink without removing the motherboard from the chassis. There are 3 120mm fan grills at the top which allow to install a 360x120mm radiator at the inside without getting near to the motherboard, so, if you're thinking on a case for water cooling your system, the Obsidian 700D might be an interesting choice.

As it's visible, you can actually install a 4x120mm radiator inside, as the top bay is used by the front panel only, but you can't install another 120mm fan to exhaust air at the top.

There are 7 expansion slots for PCI/PCI-e cards, but they aren't tool-less designed. Corsair added a honey-comb grill below the last expansion slot thinking on you while using a 3-SLI system or similar, but they forgot to add grills on every PCI-cover, which I find more important, as not many users have a 3/4 way SLI/CF systems.

Corsair took care of almost every aspect on this case, and all cables come perfectly sleeved in black color to match with the case. Front panel cables, along with fan cables are flat sleeved, which makes them easier to manipulate and hide.

Behind the internal drives, there's a little platform to put cables on. I really don't have a lot to comment here because I don't see any useful application for this platform, but it could be useful for another person.

As you can see, there's a full-length bar at the top, with small cones on it. As you push the buttons to remove the side panel doors, this bar gets moved and so the cones release the door. It is as simply as it sounds. There's no magic behind this.

A closer look to the heatsink installation door reveals how to open it. Unluckily, this little gate is 100% plastic, and as you need some force to open it, you could end with a broken door. I've seen some sites reporting this door came broken before opening the case, but it wasn't my case.

Now that we've detailed all the internal and external features, let's build a system inside the chassis and see how it looks.

Building a System

Since Corsair doesn't ship an installation-manual, you've got to think and discover how to install everything by yourself. I found that there's no specific order needed, but I recommend starting with external drives and move to internal drives and PSU after that. Installing an optical drive was very easy, as you insert the drive until it matches with the required drive holes and from there, you only need to move the clip to the right side to lock it. I found myself fighting to install it more than 5 times to discover this lock was not long enough to keep my drive in position. In fact, I could move the drive with a single finger even with the plastic lock, so I had to remove the right panel and put a pair of screws to protect it from moving. Also, I could add a pair of screws just below the lock to make it "easier", but it shouldn't work like this. I tried with another drive but it was the same. I don't really know if this was a bad sample or every 700D is done this way, or perhaps, it could be my drives (LG, by the way), but this problem literally lefts out of the game those fancy plastic locks. I wasn't happy with this.

Fortunately, installing internal drives was a breeze and everything worked as it should. If you're installing a 3.5" drive, you just need to slide it on the plastic brackets, but if you're installing 2.5" drives (SSD for example), you'll need to screw them from below. All the brackets have 2.5" holes, so you can fit up to 6 SSDs if you want. That should be more than enough.

Just to make sure any CPU heatsink can be installed without removing the motherboard, here's a photo showing a Noctua's NH-D14 back plate. The space is more than enough for any motherboard and CPU heatsink.

Now that I've installed my whole system, this is how it looks at the end. Pretty nice, isn't it? Actually, my mighty ASUS Maximus III Formula looks minimized in this case, and the X58 E-ATX motherboard shouldn't look that different. The HD5850 also looks very small compared to the main chamber's length, so if you want to install a pair of HD5970s you still have plenty of room to do so. Overall, you'll find this case lets you build a very clean system as 90% of the cables can be hidden behind the motherboard's tray. I find this quite useful to improve aesthetics and, of course, to improve cooling. Even if you're not an expert building cases, this might be the chance to look like it.

Now take a look at the back of the motherboard's tray; you'll find all your cables here. I've done a decent job trying to keep them ordered and rubber grommets help a lot. I recommend using a semi-modular PSU since you won't be able to hide all your cables behind this tray with a non-modular PSU. How deep is this space for cable-management? Well, there are 25mm between the motherboard tray and the side panel, so, you have plenty of space to work.

Finally, this is how the rear looks with a system installed. I just wish my GPU had a black painted PCI-end to match with the case as it does with my I/O panel.

There are some installation details I still want to show you before moving to final thoughts and conclusions, so, please follow me to the next page...

Corsair Obsidian 700D Installation Details

Have a look at the internal drives chamber. Please notice all S-ATA cables are connected from behind, and so, there are no visible cables at the front of the case as many other brands. I find this very elegant, and it doesn't represent a problem since the side panels can be removed so easily without screwdrivers.

Moving to the cable-management theme, here is how it looks. Every cable can be routed behind the motherboard's tray to reach its destiny by passing across those rubber grommets near the needed connector.

Not everything is perfect, and this is no exception. Corsair added a pair of rubber grommets to pass PSU cables through them. Unluckily, the first grommet is completely blocked by the PSU, and I used the second grommet to pass all the cables, including an ATX 24-pin cable. My Antec's Signature 850 watts PSU isn't as big as 1 kilowatt PSUs, so you could end removing the whole chamber's plate to gain access and more space to work. However, that would hurt aesthetics a little bit.

The superior motherboard's section looks pretty clean. I had to use the 8-pin to 8-pin PSU extension to reach the CPU 12v+ connector, but remember Corsair already ships one with your case. I didn't have problems reaching the ATX 24-pin connector, and I don't think you'll have problems as the distance isn't that big.

Talking about being nice and elegant, the CC700D doesn't include any lights or LED fans (quite obvious, because there's no side panel window). The only lights you'll notice are the power and HDD LEDs. Nothing else will be visible.

Finally, let's have a look at our main chamber and move to the temperature tests at the next section.

Cooling Performance Tests

Let me tell you I'm not really a man of PC cases. Apart from Mini-ITX systems, I generally don't use PC cases for my high-end rigs. Why? Well, since I love to change, modify and test PC components, I normally need access to each component without having to open a case. However, I've been looking for a "perfect" case for my needs, a case where I could install everything without problems and have easy access to the components without removing everything. Here's how my tech-station normally looks like:

I'm testing CPU and GPU temperatures today, as they're what people care more. For CPU tests, I'll be using CPU OCCT Linpack test. After 20 minutes running Linpack, I let the CPU idle for 10 minutes and take idle results. The same procedure applies for GPU temps, except that we're using MSI's Kombustor for 15 minutes to achieve maximum GPU temperatures. Before going through those tests, I need to say I expect excellent CPU temps because it has got a 140mm at the rear and 3x120mm fan grills at the top (I installed a pair of Noctua NP-12 fans there). However, I expect bad GPU temperatures as the GPU has got not air flow except for the lower fan blowing up to the PCI-e PSU connectors. Remember this case doesn't include any fans at the side panel, and so, it might not be an excellent choice for multi-GPU configurations unless you're water cooling all your components.

Temperature differences aren't as big as I thought they would be. CPU runs 5 degrees higher in both Idle and Load tests. Since I'm using a high-end CPU heatsink, this isn't really a problem, but 5 degrees are always welcome and they could mean going from a stable overclock, to a not-so stable overclock. Surprisingly, GPU temps are better than expected. In idle mode, GPU remains 5 degrees higher than when installed in my tech-station, but at load conditions, the difference gets minimized to 2 degrees.

For your information, I let the GPU fan at auto-mode, but I checked GPU fan speed, and it reached 39% speed both inside and outside the case. In conclusion, this case performs very well and it's very quiet. I still have that little bug telling me it won't be that good for multi-GPU setups, but I think it does an excellent work, compared to other cases where I've seen CPUs running 10 degrees higher compared to an open-air station. Let's wrap everything and go ahead with the conclusions in the next page.

Obsidian 700D Final Thoughts

After some years testing different cases and not staying with any of them, including Antec, Thermaltake and Cooler Master, I think this will be the first time I'm keeping a case for a long time. When I'm looking for a case, I need it to be flexible, big, easy-to-install and perform well, because my main concern will always be temperatures. Adding Corsair 700D does a great job with cable management, and it fully fits a water cooling system, this case is great for enthusiasts.

Compared to the 800D, this case doesn't include a window on the side panel, and I really miss it. Also, this case lacks of hot swappable drive bays, and even if I don't miss them that much, there might be people who want to have quick access to their internal drives. There's only a pair of minor changes against the 800D which are to be mentioned: the first one is internal drives orientation has been changed because there are no hot-swappable drives, and the second one is Corsair doesn't includes a cover for internal drives chamber separation, changing the original scheme/design from the 800D.

If there was something I'd change about this case, it would be the lack of air-flow on the GPUs section. Except by the140mm fan blowing from below, there's no extra air-flow in there. Perhaps, a side panel fan would have been a great complement for multi-GPUs. Also, some people might need more than 7 expansion slots, and maybe more than 6 hard drives, and for the price you're paying for this case, they should really "fix" that. Finally, the exterior looks cool, sleek and elegant, but for some people that just don't cut it. Also, the CC700D lacks of e-SATA ports at the front panel, and it doesn't include USB 3.0 ports, which are a great feature nowadays.

Not everything is bad; I actually love the triple fan grills at the top. Even if you're not water cooling your system, adding 3 fans at the top, plus the 140mm fan at the rear, keeps the whole system really cool, specially talking about CPU temperatures. Internal drives are well-cooled thanks to another 140mm fan, and PSU is kept at its own chamber, so that heat won't mix up with other components as many other cases do. Finally, I really love a black-scheme, and I think it's safe to say this case has got one of the best cable-management systems at the market at the moment of writing this review. There's plenty of space behind the motherboard's tray (25mm deep) to hide as many cables as possible, even if your PSU isn't completely modular. Corsair was kind enough to provide an 8-pin to 8-pin extension, but they only included 1 rubber base for 120mm fans.

Corsair CC700D Conclusion

The performance of the CC700D is very good. I can't say it's perfect, but it's far from being just good. The ability to mount triple radiators at the top or add 4 x 120mm extra fans, apart from the 3 x 140mm fans included is just great. Installation was very easy and it took me about 1 hour to set it up, and just because I was being a little bit lazy and I was trying to get the best image out of it. Overall, I think performance's is very good, and if it wasn't because of those small downsides I've explained across this review, I'd have scored an "excellent" rating to this case.

Appearance is a very subjective matter. If you love a simple, yet elegant design instead of UV LEDs, fans and cathodes everywhere, this case is for you. I think many people prefer side windowed panels, and the 700D doesn't include a window, but I've been informed by Corsair that they sell accessories at their store. Unluckily, at the moment of writing this review there are no available windowed side panels, yet, they sell a non-windowed version for the 800D.

Corsair ships the 700D with the same quality they ship every memory kit in the market; that's top-notch quality. Aside from the CPU heatsink cover behind the motherboard's tray, there are no cheap-plastic parts on this case. Black painted finishes are very well done, and every component inside this case feels completely steady. Even the small feet included are very hard to scratch, so don't worry about construction's quality with this case.

Functionality is the big feature of this case. Cable management is excellent, installation is as easy as possible, 100% tool-lees internal/external drives installation, and everything needed is there for you making things easier than ever. Cooling's performance is very good also, giving you a very nice contender for your new High-End PC.

Selling for $239.99 at Newegg, this is an expensive case, but the price is in line with other large enthusiast cases from the likes of Lian Li or Silverstone. Given the features included with the product, I think you couldn't expect a lower price at the moment. When Corsair launched this case some months ago, it was priced at $250, while the 800D was priced at $299. If really want this case, you might be able to find it at $219, which is a very decent price. Don't get me wrong, this case is expensive, but you get what you pay for, and I think you won't be disappointed by the size and large amount of features included. Except for the little bugs explained across the review, I find this case very interesting, and it's a great choice to change my tech-station. If you're building a high-performance setup, this might be one of your best choices, especially if you're looking for a clean, neat installation with water cooling capabilities.

Pros:

Cons:

Ratings:

• Performance: 9.50
• Appearance: 9.00
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 8.75

Final Score: 9.15 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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