Corsair Obsidian 550D review

Here we can see the left side panel, all the way on top it has quick release buttons for removing the side panels in an easy manner. We'll discuss these in a minute though. The backside shows eight expansion slots and interestingly many grommet holes. Next to the rear IO we spot a 120mm fan. All three fans in this chassis can be PWM fan controlled. Next to the 8 card slots we see no less than four grommet holes, these could be used for some sort of external liquid cooling, the reality is though that here you can lead out USB 3.0 front panel cables that need to be connected to the rear IO.

Have you checked out the rectangular cutouts in the picture above already? These are actually sound-insulated covers for the top and side fan mounts. The idea is that the case can be configured for minimal noise or maximum airflow -- based on your personal preference. So these are removable panels. There's one located on the top side, left side and behind the door up-front. basically you can create more airflow this way should you need it.

The mechanism is simple these are one click one-button side removable panels, all sound dampened on the inside. In fact, let me turn around the left side panel completely, as these are insulated as well.

So as you can see the front and side panels are lined with sound-proofing material. You can mount two fans on the side panel as an option.