So, How Good Is It?
Corsair has succeeded in creating an affordable, feature-rich microATX chassis that can support a wide array of enthusiast hardware, including a pair of full-length graphics cards, tower-style air coolers and high-wattage power supplies. At $90 to $110, the 350D/350DW are in direct competition with some of the finest mid-towers available, and they should have no problem holding their own in that territory.
There are many things that the 350DW does well and while its ability to house high-end parts stands out, we also really appreciate its cable management, universal black paint job, spacious design, no-fuss tool-less system and its preinstalled fans. The list of dislikes is comparatively small, though we definitely wish there was an optional extra 3.5" bay cage for those who don't intend to install an extra-long GPU.
Being able to install just two 3.5" drives is limiting, though we understand that everyone is starting to move more towards SSDs these days and the tool-less 2.5" drive cage supporting three devices works very well. Additionally, as is often the situation with these premium cases, we were disappointed in the lack of hot-swappable bays and we'd like to see this start being included on all high-end chassis.
The 350DW is an exciting addition to Corsair's Obsidian range and in my opinion is easily the company's most exciting case yet in terms of features, functionality and aesthetics – though we're admittedly biased toward small cases and sleek designs. And although there are even smaller cases that support the same amount of hardware, such as the Silverstone SG10, the 350DW is significantly easier to work with.
Pros: Stuffing many of the Obsidian series' trademark qualities into a microATX chassis, the 350DW is fairly affordable and compact yet oddly feature-rich and spacious – a rare breed to be sure.
Cons: To abuse the cliché Newegg answer, the 350DW isn't free. Really though, there isn't much to dislike.