Moving our GPU testing to AMD Ryzen

Case Selection – Corsair’s Obsidian 500D RGB SE

There are a lot of things to consider when selecting a case for a graphics card testbed. We want an enclosure that looks good in photographs/videos, is large enough to accommodate every graphics card that hits the market, and easy enough to use to make graphics card replacement less of a chore. 

For most PC builders, you build a PC once and occasionally upgrade it. This is not our use case. We will be continually changing the graphics cards within this system, making a hinged case door a must for us. 

We opted for Corsair’s Obsidian 500D RGB SE for many reasons. Ease of use was a primary concern, especially with regards to graphics card changes. Opening the side panel of this case is a one-step process, making graphics card replacements as simple as possible. No latches, no screws, and no unnecessary downtime. If you need to replace graphics cards hundreds of times a year, this level of simplicity is a godsend. 

While some will argue that the tempered glass front of this case will inhibit airflow, it is worth remembering that a lot of PC enclosures on the market place tempered glass in front of fans. In this regard, the Obsidian 500D RGB isn’t by any means the worst contender. There is plenty of space around this case’s tempered glass front panel to enable airflow. Our test setup will offer ample airflow for testing. When it comes to airflow, we feel that this setup is representative of a lot of modern gaming systems. 

Another perk of Corsair’s Obsidian 500D RGB is that it allows us to control all of the system’s fans using its integrated Commander Pro controller. Using this, we have set all of this system’s fans to 1200 RPM to offer us quiet operation and ample airflow. With this setup, we should be able the hear when GPU fans speeds crank themselves up, allowing us to judge the acoustic performance of the hardware within.