The Corsair 550D is a very well designed and quality-fabricated, tool-less computer installation case with a conservative, tasteful appearance. It's big marketing appeal is in acoustic insulation, the only such, a newcomer in their lineup, and it definitely does not disappoint in that aspect. I can barely hear its running when it is in operational mode, after complete booting. There have been caveats as to whether one has to deal with the side-effect of poor ventilation related to that insulation, but my computer runs coolly, with a relatively silent system where CPU heatsink fans run at close to baseline speed maintaing low CPU and ambient temperature, but I do not overclock and have only one GPU which has 3 quiet fans. The PSU's fan is almost never on also indicative of low ambient temperature, and, of course an efficient PSU(gold ATX Corsair 850W). Reviewers have commented, from their measurements, that even in overclocked systems, the 550D with its stock fans functions surprisingly and acceptably well in maintaining adequate ventilation, but there are options, in its flexible design, to take off the push-activated covers on case windows in the side and top panels, both of which have magnetic dust covers and the options for installing additional fans.
The 550D is a moderately large mid-size case, about an inch shorter in height than the 650D which would be welcome for increased accessbility to the superior aspects of the MB, especially if you mount fans or radiators there, but clearance is accessible. Because space is a bit cramped superiorly, especially with a large heat sink installed, I would recommend attaching an 8 pin extension onto the auxiliary power header of the motherboard before you secure it to the case, and then pass it out the hole provided into the back section, making your connection there with the cord from the PSU. This will make it easier also to disconnect it if you need to remove the motherboard, or change your PSU. The standoffs for standard ATX motherboards are factory installed, but there are others included in the accompanying packets.
Conveniences missing from the 650D are the hotswappable SATA controlled HD bay, and the three speed system fan controller switch integrated into the top of its case. These are the tradeoffs for electing the model with the acoustic benefits which are solidly real, if that be important to you; however if not, consider the 650 for those extra features. The 550D's front USB3 connector is a standard USB 3 motherboard header, while the 650D, an earlier iteration, has two type A USB3 connectors, which have to be connected to the back I/O panel, since it was made before the appearance of on-board USB 3 headers on motherboards. It may be that Corsair has updated this, as I know Coolermaster has in some of their cases.
The push release side panels are a delight for ease of removal and reattachment, but, at least on my case, one of the panels is quite a tight fit(nothing bent) fit, more so than the opposite side which releases easily. It has loosened up a little with usage, and is OK. I suspect Corsair wants to err on that side to ensure no vibration.
Cable management is excellent. In this back compartment, there is not much clearance behind the motherboard, but it is adequate to accommodate the accessory power cord which has to be passed upwards to the superior aspect of the MB. There is a slight recess where most of the cables pass in from the PSU and then out again to plug into the various components and motherboard conections. The 6 lightweight trays for the HD's, also well recessed for easy connectibility, are a bit flimsy, but they do the job, and have silicone grommets to reduce vibration from mechanical hard drives which are retained without the need for screws which are necessary for mounting SSD for which appropriate holes in the caddys' bases are provided. Virtually all the intercompartmental passthroughs are grommeted, and are strategically located for a neat, and convenient appearance, as well asto maintain optimal airflow, free of clutter.
Magnetically-retained dust filters cover all gratings, including those that are covered with acoustic paneling, are a nice feature and easily removable for cleaning. The exception, format-wise, is the bottom filter which is a convenient pull-out type.
The case's panels are real dust, dirt and fingerprint catchers, but easily wiped clean with a damp cloth, if aesthetics, in that regard, be important to you. The door-style front panel, extending top to bottom, when closed, covers the optical drives, but has a cutout for the panel which includes the USB3 and power/reset buttons. The excursion of the door, which very conveniently can be set to open outwardly either to the right or left, is not hampered by attached USB cable connections or a flash drive, providing that the latter is of the standard relatively narrow format which fits within the height of the cutout on the door. This makes for a very clean look, but the releases of the door are a bit tight(best done with two hands top and bottom) and therefore slightly inconvenient, particularly if you need frequent access to your optical drives. As a workaround, you can leave the door slightly ajar, or even remove it completely, permanently, if you wish, and the case still appears "finished", but there will be a little more front fan noise, as a tradeoff, which is not a big deal.
If you decide you miss the fan controler option of the 650, there are plenty of aftermarket units you can buy which will mount into one of the 5.25 bays. You will plug your system fans into the connectors on that controller and run a power supply cable to the unit. Frankly, I do not think that is necessary, but, please keep in mind that most system fans have three pins, as is the case with most motherboard system fan headers, and are therefore not capable of power width modulation(PWM) control by the motherboard as the four pin CPU fan header is. Some of the newer, high-end motherboards do now offer 4 pin sys-fan headers, if that kind of automated control is important to you.
The width of the case(slightly less than the 650) is adequate to house the height of the large air-cooled heat sinks of Coolermaster and Noctua.
This case with all components is quite heavy. It has rubber feet designed to prevent vibration when interfacing with solid surfaces, but it makes the case quite difficult to move around for servicing, especially if it is installed on the floor within a kneewell, or on a carpet, for example. A very convenient workaround is to place the computer on a ¼ inch panel of plywood, where the weight works for you since the coefficient of friction between the rubberized feet and the plywood is substantially higher than that between the panel and the floor or carpet. This makes shifting the position of the computer a breeze while, at the same time, it will stay put on its panel. You can cut the panel to size and finish the surface, if desired, to blend into the decor. Also, if the computer is resting on a carpet, the panel mounting allows for better clearance at the base for ventilation through the bottom grate, as well as for cleaning its dust filter.
Incidentally, Newegg has made excellent Youtube video walkthroughs of the features and component installation process involved with both the 550 and 650 cases which you may wish to check out as potentially helpful.
BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended option for a computer build with a well thought-out, versatile, flexible design with quality fit and finish, a conservative, elegant appearance, and nearly silent acoustic footprint. It may not be the best choice for ultragamers with severely overclocked SLI systems that tend to generate excessive amounts of heat; however, there is plenty of headroom, in that regard, for the vast majority of users.
Update 9/24/2012: I decided to take advantage of Amazon's 30 day return window, to request a replacement for this case because the "sticky" left side panel was not seen on any of the demo videos and I thought was a defect. Amazon promptly sent me a replacement. The first thing I did was to try the panel release and it was exactly the same!!! If anything a little tighter on the right side, and no difference on the left. I really couldn't understand why you'd have to actively pull on the panels after release, when they virtually popped free on the videos. I did what I ordinarily would have done right away on the original shipment, except that I didn't want to do anything that might alter the appearance if I wanted to return it. I just sprayed some silicon lubricant liberally on the latch release pins and bar, and lo and behold, the situation was markedly improved, if not virtually corrected. Also, if you find the front door release a little tight for your taste, spray the metal catches on the door, but NOT on the pins on the case side where spillover of the solvent may corrupt the adjacent plastic!! In my situation, where you needed previously to use two hands to release the door, it now moves easily just pulling gently on the top with the fingers of one hand. I'm glad I didn't remove my original component installation, and just sent the factory new replacement back to Amazon, totally unused.
I'm quite surprised no mention has been made of this in any reviews, so unless I received two "sticky" cases, please be advised how to easily correct this problem if you encounter same on your case. This minor design flaw certainly doesn't merit a star's deduction, as I am delighted with this case which is beautifully designed.
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 2 |
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