Corsair released its first case some two years ago with the $299 Obsidian 800D, which garnered a massive following among enthusiasts. With its boxy, yet elegant design and a clean matte black finish, it’s seems likely that Corsair was at least somewhat inspired by Lian-Li’s minimalist approach. In fact, it’s fair to say that Corsair even improved the formula, as many rated the 800D ahead of similarly priced Lian-Li cases. Shortly after its initial success, the company launched a diluted version of the 800D, known as the 700D, which removed the hot-swap drive bays and side panel window in an effort to make the case more affordable. Despite shaving roughly $50 off the 800D, the 700D was still a bit too pricey for the average system builder, especially when you consider the boatload of attractive solutions found in the sub-$200 territory. Hoping to reach a broader market, Corsair has since announced two more product lines: Graphite and Carbide – the former is available now via Corsair.com and the latter has yet to ship. Both series are more geared toward the mainstream enthusiast domain with prices starting at about $100. Additionally, the company has introduced a new mid-tower to its Obsidian series, the above-mentioned 650D, of course. In many ways, the Obsidian 650D is a miniature version of the 800D, so we can understand why it has many of you swooning. Though at $190 you will have a difficult time justifying its price as it’s one of the more expensive mid-towers around. Beyond this price point, the market is largely dominated by Lian-Li and we suspect most users looking to spend north of $200 on a chassis will want to spring for a full-tower model. Although we’re sure it’s no pushover, the 650D definitely has a lot to prove, let’s move on to see what Corsair’s new mid-tower brings to the table…
