Obsidian 650D Internal Design
Like the Obsidian 800D, the 650D's internal workings are masterful. In our opinion, this is about as close to perfection as you are going to get out of a mid-tower case. The fan cables are black, the I/O cables are black, the fans are black and the internal paint job is – go figure – matte black. Corsair didn't cut many corners as nearly every component has been customized for this case.
Using an intelligent tool-less design, the 5.25" drive bays offer an ultra-quick and reliable way to install and remove devices. While majority of the tool-less designs we've used are clumsy and impractical, this design actually works very well. In fact, we think Corsair's implementation is about equal with Cooler Master's, though the latter has an edge in our book.
The two 3.5" drive cages are removable and each houses three drives. The quick release cradles support both 3.5" and 2.5" drives, while they help to make installation a breeze. Given the price tag, we hoped these bays were hot-swappable, but this isn't the case, sadly.
There is a massive 7.6" by 5.6" rectangular hole in the motherboard tray located where the CPU would be positioned, offering easy heatsink installations and removals. As we've said in previous reviews, this is becoming somewhat of a mainstay for all enthusiast-grade chassis, so it's no shock to see it here.
Perhaps the Obsidian 650D's biggest advantage is its first class cable management. Folks with a meticulous penchant for cleanliness will love Corsair's Obsidian series as it's virtually unrivaled in this department.
Surrounding the motherboard tray is a large number of rectangular holes with rubber grommets that improve cable management by allowing all the excess cables to be tucked away safely behind the motherboard tray.
There are ten holes in the motherboard tray for cable management, eight of which feature rubber grommets. Some are even under the motherboard (Standard ATX), meaning it is possible to run certain thinner cables from under the motherboard, making them almost unseen.
The Obsidian 650D offers a great deal of support for expansion with room for six 3.5"/2.5" drives, four 5.25" devices, and eight PCI expansion slots. Amazingly, the 650D actually has more expansion slots than the 800D, while supporting the same amount of 3.5" drives and just one less 5.25" drive.
The Obsidian 650D also out does the 800D in terms of stock cooling with a pair of 200mm fans and a single 120mm fan. The configuration sees one of the 200mm fans mounted in the front of the case as an intake, while the other is located in the top and works as an exhaust fan. There is also a rear 120mm exhaust fan.
The Obsidian 650D has been designed with the intention of installing the power supply at the bottom of the case. Corsair has provided more than enough room to install power supplies upwards of 1000w.