Final Words & Conclusion
Final Words & Conclusion
It’s time for the conclusion. Overall, the Seasonic ARCH Q503 is an excellent mid-tower chassis. Alongside their Connect PSUs, this seems a good step in the right direction. By running short cables from the Connect module to your motherboard, Seasonic has made a feature of the cables, and we can see this has the potential to look both interesting and appealing. This, in turn, enables beginners to achieve clean cable management, providing good airflow within the housing. The effortless design and straightforward cable management provide everything it needs for a tidy case. The new Arch Q503 is now a much more common case, but that’s precisely why it could appeal to more buyers. Compared to the CONNECT module installed in the SYNCRO Q704 housing, Seasonic has made some changes to the CONNECT module installed in the Arch Q503, ensuring a better look but improved compatibility with different housings. Due to these optimizations, Seasonic did not have to consider any significant special features for integrating the CONNECT module with the Arch Q503, apart from the necessary mounting points. The use of two safety glass panels is interesting - most likely, the manufacturer wanted to expose the back part to show the Connect module and the clean wire management it allows. Although the provided fans are not in the same range as the Nidecs supplied with the Synchro Q704, the ones provided with the Arch Q503 are good, reasonably completing the equipment package.
The internal layout is typical; this time, it’s not an inverted ATX as in the Q704. The build quality is excellent. You get three quality fans and a great PSU (available in three power variants) with custom cables, making the build look lovely. The main drawback is the price. But we’ll come back to it in the verdict.
Features
There’s enough space for up to 380 mm long GPUs, 165 mm tall CPU coolers, and 230 mm long PSUs (if you won’t use the supplied unit). It’s possible to fit even the E-ATX board (up to 277 mm). This is enough for typical builds. Storage-wise you’ll have plenty of options in the form of three dedicated mounts for SSDs and three for 3.5”/2.5” drives. The liquid cooling capacity is excellent, and you can install a 360 mm rad on the front of the case, a 280 mm one at the top, and a 120 mm one at the back. The I/O panel has a very standard set of two USB 3.0 ports, audio jacks, and power + reset buttons, but you can also find a USB 3.1 Type-C connector there – it’s a lovely feature.
Aesthetics
Looks are always a subjective matter. The design of the new ARCH Q503 is very nice. It’s a rather classic one, and you get two tempered glass panels, so the “dark side” will also be visible. It shouldn’t be a problem, though, as the Connect module makes the cabling much cleaner.
Performance
The temperatures are good thanks to the two provided fans at the front. The noise levels are pretty ok too. But if you’ll slow them down, they still should give a decent airflow and bring the temperatures (and noise) to a comfortable area. The air intake is reduced to the side grilles with a modest surface. It shouldn’t be a problem for a system incorporating Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen 5/7 processors, but for energy-hungry models, the airflow allowed by the Arch Q503 could be pretty restrictive.
The Verdict
The Seasonic ARCH Q503 is an innovative, exciting, and attractive (+average sized) chassis, as it’s a 448 x 215 x 482 mm (L x W x H) mid-tower chassis focused on delivering high quality. With that model, Seasonic presented a case with sensible functionality without overloaded features. Yes, some chassis have a more modular, RGB, or even a more unusual design. Still, regarding clean and simple cable management, the Arch Q503 outperforms the best competitors. It’s an E-ATX motherboard compatible (up to 277 mm) case, which allows the installation of a combo of 360 + 280 + 120 water cooling radiators or even a 165 mm high air-cooler. You can fit here up to six drives (three 2.5” + three 3.5”/2.5” bays). You get three fans in a bundle (two at the front, one at the back). The installation of the parts went pretty smooth, but it’s better to connect the cables to the Connect module first before securing it to the chassis. The cable management is perfect, thanks to the custom cables provided for the included PSU. The glass panels are dark but not too dark. The finished build looks intelligent and understated. Front I/O includes USB Type-C. The build quality is excellent, but you probably would expect that for the price. Speaking of it – it’s 279.99 EUR (650W)/299.99 EUR (750W), so you pay a steep price for this innovation and get a cleaner PC build. But you need to remember that the PSU has a ten years-long guarantee. We see that the sort of person who will buy the Arch Q503 is the type who cares about 80 Plus ratings and will consider a Gold-rated PSU to be the absolute minimum they would consider. From the not-so-good things, the front panel is restrictive – Core i9/Ryzen could be a bit ambitious in this case, at least with the default configuration of fans. The no tool-free assembly of expansion cards and drives and only simple dust grilles instead of dust filters, especially the dust grilles on the front, which are relatively coarse-meshed, are also the negatives. Last but not least - the case and Connect package price is (somewhat understandably) high. So, we grant the “Recommended” award, but if it were cheaper (like the Q704, which price has dropped quite visibly), it would be more than welcome. We applaud Seasonic for bringing innovation to the case and power supply market.
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