Performance Analysis

The dual SP120 fans deliver acceptable cooling results, but they’re far from chart-topping. On the CPU side, cases with 140mm exhausts tend to fare better, and we suspect that the roof ventilation could be improved a little. Meanwhile, the intake fan is positioned quite far away from the GPU just because of the sheer depth of the case, which will make its airflow less effective. Even so, there’s nothing to suggest that your hardware will be at risk of overheating assuming you use sensible coolers.

Conclusion

The 500D is a welcome return for Corsair to more premium cases, and it feels like a worthy addition to the much-loved Obsidian Series. The combination of brushed aluminium and tempered glass is hardly revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work very well, and we like what Corsair has done with the curves and especially the handles on the side panels. The build quality is definitely one the 500D’s strongest points, and perhaps more so in the wake of less appealing Carbide Series cases of late.

Inside, Corsair has adopted a number of currently popular trends and merged them into a largely successful design. The PSU shroud, potential for vertical GPU mounting, and full-length motherboard tray are again nothing new, but the execution is still great for the most part. Add to that nifty touches like USB Type-C (finally), integrated pump/reservoir mounts, and removable fan/radiator brackets, and you have a very well-rounded premium mid-tower chassis. If we had to level some criticisms at it, we’d say that a few extra fans would be appreciated, that a modular hard drive system might be beneficial to some users, and that the cable management system could do with a few minor tweaks to be even better, but all of that is deliberate nitpicking. You might also accurately say that there’s not a lot of innovation here, but the 500D is not a copycat case and still stands out for good reasons.

US pricing is currently more favourable than UK pricing, but even so this is a chassis that’s well deserving of our top award.