PRESS RELEASE
- Groundbreaking Obsidian Series 550D and Carbide Series 300R bring much-needed feature sets to market -
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - January 10th, 2012 - Corsair®, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the builder-friendly Obsidian Series® 550D ultra-quiet premium case and the compact Carbide SeriesTM 300R gaming case.
The Corsair Obsidian Series 550D: Cool and quiet
The Obsidian Series 550D offers a revolutionary combination of noise reduction and a wide array of choices for customizing cooling. The rugged steel and brushed aluminum chassis comes with two 120mm intake fans and one 120mm exhaust fan. Additional fan mounting points are provided for up to ten fans total, including locations for dual side-mounted fans for drawing air directly onto GPUs, and top fan mounts spaced for radiator compatibility. Unused hard drive cages can be removed to improve airflow, and Corsair's cable routing system allows wires and cables to be tucked behind the motherboard and out of the airflow path.
The front panel and side panels are fully lined with noise damping material, as well as the covers for the side and top intake mounts. The innovative use of noise-damped covers minimizes unused fan intakes causing increased audible system noise. Noise is further reduced through the use of silicone mounts on the fans and hard drive bays. Even the front air intakes are angled for improved noise reduction.
The 550D provides eight expansion slots with room for GPUs of up to 450mm in length, a CPU backplane cutout for easy installation and upgrade of CPU heatsinks, a fully-painted matte black interior, six tool-free hard drive bays with removable caddies with integrated 2.5" SSD support, and four tool-free optical drive bays. Other high-end features include magnetically-mounted dust filters and side panels that open with the touch of a button. The diamond-cut aluminum front control panel houses two high-speed USB 3.0 connectors and audio connectors.
"In the past, enthusiast PC builders had to make the choice between optimal noise reduction and superior cooling capabilities," said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager for Components at Corsair. "The Obsidian Series 550D changes the game, providing outstanding noise reduction along with carefully engineered cooling capabilities for even the most powerful PC systems."
The Corsair Carbide Series 300R: a compact expression of Corsair's gaming PC philosophy
Great gaming systems begin with a great case, and the Carbide Series 300R provides a remarkable number of in-demand features in an attractive, compact chassis. Builder-friendly features include three tool-free optical drive bays and four tool-free hard drive bays with integrated 2.5" SSD compatibility. There's room for high-end GPUs of up to 450mm in length, and the matte black interior incorporates Corsair's innovative cable routing system that helps keep wires and cables out of sight for a clean look and improved airflow. The 300R comes with intake and exhaust fans, with room for five additional fans including dual side-mounted fans for direct GPU cooling.
"Inexpensive, compact cases often fall short in builder-friendly features, airflow, or the cosmetic features that make great gaming PCs really stand out," continued Mr. Mookerjee. "The Carbide Series 300R hits the mark for an affordable, enthusiast-quality compact PC case. Its innovative features will be appreciated by both seasoned system builders and PC gamers who are taking the leap and building their first system from scratch."
For more information on Corsair's complete line of ultra-premium and PC gaming cases, please visit:
http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases.html
Pricing and Availability
The Obsidian Series 550D and Carbide Series 300R are backed by a two-year warranty and are expected to be available in February from Corsair's worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors at a US suggested retail price of $159 USD for the Obsidian Series 550D, and $89 USD for the Carbide Series 300R.
Corsair at 2012 International CES
The Obsidian Series 550D, Carbide Series 300R, and the complete line of Corsair products are on display at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 10th to 13th. The Corsair Booth is at Veronese Hall #2405 at the Venetian Congress Center and is open to all registered 2012 CES attendees. Analysts and members of the press are strongly encouraged to contact Corsair in advance to set up a private meeting and product demonstration.
About Corsair
Founded in 1994, Corsair supplies high performance products purchased primarily by PC gaming enthusiasts who build their own PCs or buy pre-assembled customized systems. The company's award-winning products include DDR3 memory upgrades, USB flash drives, power supply units, solid-state drives, PC speakers, gaming headsets, gaming keyboards, laser gaming mice, CPU cooling products, and computer cases.
