These are the Corsair 6500X and 6500D. The styling feels acquainted to the Lian Li O11D sequence, the Hyte Y60 and Y70 circumstances, the Antec C8, and dozens of variations in between. However regardless of becoming in with this pattern, Corsair isn’t purely a follower. It truly got here earlier than all of those.
That was with the Carbide Air 540, which we wrote about in 2013.
Let’s get began on the 6500 sequence.
About 10-12 years in the past, Corsair was combating fiercely within the case market.
The Corsair C70 and its edgy army theming had some highlights, like a flip-up button cowl and heavy-duty panel latches. Corsair had the bulbous 600T and the favored 780T. Currently, the corporate has moved away from styling and have improvement in circumstances. Lately, Corsair’s technique is to make “protected” kinds that comply with traits within the business.
The Corsair 4000D will get large credit score for conserving the extra inexpensive market alive. The 5000D stays accessible and was Corsair’s final mid-range case, launched in 2021.
The corporate tries to make circumstances which might be timeless for at the very least some time, permitting it to unfold tooling price and R&D over extra years. That’s an enormous enterprise transfer. It additionally offers Corsair extra room for value drops.
The Corsair 6500X and 6500D Airflow are additionally calculated massive enterprise strikes designed for longevity, which suggests much less danger and extra customary design. However massive enterprise strikes can work.
The 6500X and 6500D Airflow are each $200 circumstances with out followers. This appears like a religious successor to the Corsair 680, which got here out years in the past now.
Options to this case embody the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO sequence, HYTE Y60 (and Y70 non-Contact), King 95 Pro, and Antec C8 ARGB. They’re all in the identical common kind and value class, and we have recent knowledge for these circumstances from our latest HYTE Y70 review to match.
Trying massive image first, this case is tremendous heavy.
Numerous that comes from swappable panels, that are metal presently and tremendous thick. That’s cheaper for supplies. We discovered that swapping them for the aluminum panels meaningfully decreased the load.
Specs
6500X | 6500D Airflow | |
Dimensions (mm) | 481 x 328 x 496 mm | 481 x 328 x 496 mm |
Materials: | Metal, Tempered Glass | Metal, Tempered Glass |
Included Followers: | None | None |
Included Controllers: | None | None |
Cooling Format: | Entrance: N/ATop: 3x 120mm; 3x 140mmSide: 3x 120mmBottom: 3x 120mm; 3x 140mmRear: 1x 120mm; 1x 140mm | Entrance: 3x 120mm; 2x 140mmTop: 3x 120mm; 3x 140mmSide: 3x 120mmBottom: 3x 120mm; 3x 140mmRear: 1x 120mm; 1x 140mm |
Radiator Compatibility: | Entrance: N/ATop: 360mm, 280mm, 240mmSide: 360mm, 240mmBottom: 360mm, 280mm, 240mmRear: 120mm, 140mm | Entrance: 360mm, 280mm, 240mmTop: 360mm, 280mm, 240mmSide: 360mm, 240mmBottom: 360mm, 280mm, 240mmRear: 120mm, 140mm |
Enlargement Slots (Important): | 8 Horizontal (Vert. GPU Mount Bought Individually) | 8 Horizontal (Vert. GPU Mount Bought Individually) |
Motherboard (Important): | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX (305mm x 277mm) | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX (305mm x 277mm) |
Storage: | 2x 2.5″ SSDs2x 3.5″ HDDs | 2x 2.5″ SSDs2x 3.5″ HDDs |
Clearances: | PSU: 225mmCPU Cooler: 190mmGPU: 400mm (370mm with entrance radiator) | PSU: 225mmCPU Cooler: 190mmGPU: 400mm (370mm with entrance radiator) |
Mud Filters: | Backside, Aspect | Entrance, Backside, Aspect |
Entrance I/O: | USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A (x4)USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C (x1)Headphone/Microphone (x1)PowerReset | USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A (x4)USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C (x1)Headphone/Microphone (x1)PowerReset |
Energy Provide: | ATX (Not Included) | ATX (Not Included) |
Guarantee: | 2 Yr | 2 Yr |
The Construct
The 6500s have some irritating design compromises and messy documentation, however are additionally in-built a means that feels sturdy and of high quality supplies.
Let’s begin with a number of the weirder, small oversights.
Let’s get into element on the opening complaints, then we’ll get into the positives.
The primary bizarre one is compatibility with back-connect motherboards. Corsair is attempting to fulfill this demand, however the entire thing appears like an after-thought that began half means by design.
Corsair included a full set of cutouts for regular ATX boards and again join Mini-ITX, microATX, and ATX motherboards from each ASUS and MSI. Corsair is pretty confident in its skills on this regard.
The issue with all of this unfolds on this awkward hole under the facility provide and the arduous drive cage overlaps the back-connect EPS12V cutouts.
This is the reason Corsair punched what in any other case looks like a very random gap within the arduous drive cage, which isn’t mentioned within the guide in any respect. They’ve 2x 2.5/3.5” sleds within the drive and 2x 2.5” mounts on the facet, which Corsair calls “expansive storage choices.” BUT if you happen to use one among Corsair’s rotated SHIFT PSUs, which has been specifically shown with 6500 sequence, the HDD cage must be removed completely, eliminating ALL (official) drive assist from the case. ALL of it. No drives besides NVMe or no matter you lay on the ground of the case.
If you happen to simply route CPU energy cables by the cage however with no Shift PSU, one of many sleds is unusable. There’s one other spot within the backside of the case the place you may drive one of many 2.5″ mounts with some bending, however it’s not formally supported. We suggest utilizing the sleds contained in the drive cage first, since cabling for the mounts on the facet can press in opposition to the facet panel. The three.5″ mounting is toolless, however lacks vibration damping.
They designed for drives and so they designed for back-connect cables, however they didn’t design for each. It’s a strategy to tick all of the advertising and marketing checkboxes with none cohesion.
For open loops, there look like pump or reservoir mounting holes subsequent to the growth slots and a drain gap on the backside of the case. We are saying “look like” as a result of Corsair would not point out these options in the online manual (there is no such thing as a bodily guide), or the reviewer information, or the jumble of tagged posts on their web site. This can be a premium case with “showcase glass panels” made by an organization that has its personal line of open-loop {hardware}, however Corsair’s solely acknowledgment of open-loop {hardware} in a 6500 is in this video and the article that accompanies it. Corsair wants to prepare its supplies: there are genuinely useful weblog posts, however discovering particular data is a chore.
There are two filters within the 6500X, plus an extra entrance panel filter within the 6500D Airflow. It is easy to tug the material layer away from the body, and getting it flat once more can require taking the entire panel aside. It is worse on the facet panel. Corsair appears to concentrate on this downside, since there’s an extra magnetic plastic body that clips over the mesh layer to maintain it from sagging into followers. If you happen to aren’t utilizing the facet fan mount, the clip could be shifted to the rear of the case the place it would assist defend the PSU fan (additionally not within the guide).
We like airflow, and we like Corsair’s triangular-vent-hole motif, however the mesh panels are unpleasantly fragile. It is a unusual distinction with the entire overkill armor plating in different areas. Since the entire panels snap into place, eradicating them requires prying them up from one facet, which unavoidably curls them.
Apparently, there are quite a few add ons accessible for the 6500 sequence and we truly don’t hate all of them. There’s some fascinating concepts right here. There’s a RapidRoute equipment of cable channels and velcro ties that prices $15, a glass equipment to transform the 6500D Airflow to a 6500X, which prices $35, a vertical GPU mount equipment (together with riser cable) that prices $75, as does a wood Elite Panel equipment, whereas the black or silver aluminum Elite Panel kits price $100. Of these, we might wish to see the RapidRoute equipment included with the case.
The Elite Panel kits exchange 4 plates on the 6500D Airflow (three on the 6500X). The inventory plates are extraordinarily heavy 3.2mm thick metal. The one plate that the I/O attaches to weighs 1.3kg, whereas its aluminum equal weighs 0.4kg. Recent out of the field, the 6500X weighs 14.5kg and the 6500D Airflow weighs 14.8kg, with the non-structural plates making up a big share of these numbers. This case is heavy.
Putting in an Elite Panel equipment is not sophisticated, though it is arduous to entry the screws on the entrance plate. The tolerances on our samples had been tight with minimal gaps between plates and across the I/O ports.
The facet fan and radiator mount is held in with a single screw, and the tray could be screwed down with out being hooked into place correctly, which stood out because the one instance the place Corsair’s manufacturing (relatively than its design) allow us to down.
This mount pictured above is 120mm-only, however there would have been house to suit a 140mm mount with out increasing the case.
On to much less damaging options.
The facet and backside mounts within the 6500 sequence each assist 360mm radiators at max, and there is not any impediment to utilizing each mounts concurrently.
Putting in followers and a radiator within the backside mount will scale back entry to the underside of ATX motherboards, however Corsair has oriented the cable cutouts on this location in order that they cannot be blocked. The entrance mount within the 6500D Airflow does have some overlap with the underside mount, so we suggest specializing in the underside and facet for liquid cooling.
We’re pleased with the glass facet panel. We might like the choice to screw it down, however there’s a screw on the hinge to maintain it from sliding off. The facet of our 6500X is impressively flush with the entrance, and there are metallic guides alongside the highest and backside edges in order that even when the hinges get misaligned, the panel ought to stay flush.
There are not any followers included with the 2 cheaper 6500 SKUs that we’re masking right here, however Corsair has included fan screws. And so they’re trademarked. They’re the bizarre “one-twist Quikturn®” selection, however we’re mentioning them as a result of Corsair went to the difficulty of portray the screw heads. The constructive is that these are a lot quicker to make use of.
The accent equipment additionally features a color-matched splitter for entrance panel connections in case your motherboard would not have the same old structure.
The rubber grommets are double-shot molded, with the inside portion comprised of a extra versatile materials whereas the outer ring is inflexible sufficient to maintain the grommet from coming out. This works, and it is glorious consideration to element, however it additionally signifies that the white grommets are a barely totally different shade across the edges. We total like this aspect of element.
Lastly, the bar between the PSU chamber and the facet fan mount is extraordinarily straightforward to take away and is nicely designed.
Your complete entrance panel comes off with out far more effort, though that is one other factor you will must dig through the Corsair blogs for.
Thermals
Now for thermal testing. We’re masking each the 6500X and the 6500D Airflow right here, neither of which include case followers, so we used the standardized set of Noctua followers for many testing. The exception is that the facet mount solely suits 120mm followers, so for facet consumption assessments we modified out the same old two Noctua 140mm followers for 2 Arctic P12 Max followers.
CPU Full Load Thermals – Noise-Normalized
We’ll begin with noise-normalized thermal outcomes, that are gathered by reducing case fan speeds collectively till the full noise degree hits 27dBA, measured in our hemi-anechoic chamber from one meter immediately in entrance of the case. We depart the CPU and the GPU fan speeds undisturbed for all circumstances. We noise normalize configurations individually, however there was solely a tiny distinction in noise ranges between the 6500X facet consumption and 6500D Airflow with facet consumption, so these two configurations used the identical fan velocity.
For CPU thermals amongst the Corsair circumstances, the simple front-intake configuration within the 6500D Airflow got here out on high at 48 levels Celsius above ambient for the typical all-core CPU temperature and 52 levels for the P-cores alone. The 2 circumstances had been hotter with facet consumption, with each averaging about 49 levels all-core and 53 for the P-cores. Backside consumption within the 6500X was the worst, since incoming air was blocked by the GPU. In whole, although, the bottom-to-top vary between all configurations for the all-core CPU common was lower than 3 levels inside the 6500 sequence. The underside consumption configuration directed much less noise in direction of our mic, which meant the fan speeds did not should be decreased as a lot to hit the noise normalized threshold, which helped to degree out efficiency right here. This can be a degree of precision our older methodology didn’t have, as now our chamber can determine sub-1 dB variations.
Each of those 6500 SKUs are $200, which places them near the $220 HYTE Y70. For CPU thermals, the 6500X with backside consumption tied the Y70 with backside consumption, and each 6500s with facet consumption practically tied the Y70 with facet consumption. The Y70 is not able to entrance consumption, so the 6500D Airflow has a bonus in having the ability to extra immediately goal the cooler. Amongst our different dual-chamber case outcomes, the Lian Li O11D EVO XL did greatest at 43 levels all-core and 47 P-core, and each it and the Montech King 95 Pro beat the entire 6500-series outcomes. The Antec C8 ARGB with its inventory backside consumption configuration carried out practically the identical because the Y70 and 6500X with backside consumption.
Ignoring twin chambers, the Fractal Torrent stays the GOAT.
GPU Full Load Thermals (Full Pace)
This chart is for GPU load thermals with the inventory case followers (or these we’ve added to empty circumstances) at full velocity.
The 6500X averaged 45 levels Celsius above ambient on the GPU with backside consumption, whereas the 6500D Airflow with entrance consumption averaged 49 levels. Each of those outcomes had been gathered with the usual Noctua followers; there aren’t P12 Max outcomes on this chart. The underside consumption configuration advantages GPU thermals in addition to noise ranges from the entrance, with the 6500X working each cooler and quieter at 35.6dBA versus the 6500D Airflow at 40.8dBA. Keep in mind the final chart, although: CPU cooling was higher with entrance consumption.
Entrance consumption within the 6500D Airflow made it louder than the remainder of the twin chamber circumstances on the chart, all of which had been examined with facet or backside consumption, however did not put it on the identical degree of GPU thermal efficiency because the equally loud 42.3dBA Torrent. The Torrent stays unbelievably spectacular, conserving in thoughts that is with included followers and it has a bonus there — however even from a noise effectivity standpoint, it’s doing nicely.
From the attitude of GPU thermals, the 6500D Airflow was each scorching and loud on this take a look at. The O11D EVO XL was about 1dBA quieter and 1 diploma cooler, whereas the C8 ARGB and Y70 with facet consumption had been each at the very least 1dBA louder and at the very least 4 levels cooler.
CPU Full Load Thermals – Standardized Followers
This chart covers our standardized fan take a look at, the place all circumstances use the identical set of Noctua followers at full velocity. These usually are not noise-normalized however do use the identical fan speeds all through the case.
Backside consumption within the 6500X was nonetheless worse for CPU thermals than entrance consumption within the 6500D at 47 levels all-core versus 41. That’s an enormous distinction and it is smart.
Eradicating the entrance panel from the 6500D confirmed what a distinction unobstructed airflow path could make, with an all-core common of 37 levels and P-core common of 41 levels, cooler than another logged outcomes for each metrics. That is noteworthy as a result of we’ve eliminated all that double filtering, so an enchancment of 4 levels is comparatively massive from the impedance of these filters and mesh double stacked.
Sorted by CPU thermals, one of the best outcomes for Corsair are with entrance consumption, then facet consumption, then backside consumption, with nearly no deviation from that order.
Competing circumstances with out eradicating panels would have the Lian Li O11D Evo advantaged, as with the EVO XL, and the Torrent additionally advantaged even with out its large 180mm followers.
GPU Full Load Thermals – Noise-Normalized
Again to the unique noise normalized outcomes however specializing in GPU thermals relatively than CPU, the underside consumption configuration for the 6500X was the clear winner at 44 levels above ambient on common, with the 2 facet consumption outcomes once more inside variance of one another round 45 levels, and entrance consumption in final place at 47 levels. The C8 ARGB was the clear winner amongst dual-chamber circumstances at 42 levels common, a powerful end result and attributable to Antec’s selections on its fan placement and kind. The underside consumption Y70 configuration got here near the 6500X at 45 levels.
GPU Full Load Thermals – Standardized Followers
Again to the standardized fan chart, the 6500 sequence’ GPU thermals did not examine as nicely with all followers matched and working at full velocity. The 6500X backside consumption end result at 45 levels above ambient was one of the best among the many 6500 sequence, which is crushed by the O11D EVO XL and Y70 backside consumption at 44 levels, and the the King 95 Professional and Antec C8 at 43 levels. The Y70 with facet consumption additionally did unusually nicely right here with a 41 diploma common.
VRM & RAM Full Load Thermals – Noise-Normalized
VRM thermals for the 6500X fell inside a good 33-35 diploma vary above ambient for essentially the most half, with the underside consumption 6500X on the cool finish and the 2 facet consumption outcomes tied on the excessive finish. The SPD hub thermals for the reminiscence had been additionally tied with the 2 facet consumption configurations, and entrance and backside consumption outcomes had been inside variance of one another.
The Antec C8 stays a powerful competitor right here with its default configuration when noise-normalized, doing nicely for each the RAM and VRM thermals. Forward of that, Montech’s King 95 Professional advantages from fan depend blanketing the board with air, regardless of that not working as nicely for common CPU and GPU thermals (however nonetheless superb).
Conclusion
General, the 6500D Airflow would not have a big benefit over the 6500X in air cooling, particularly when noise normalized. Its principal benefit is that it provides an extra fan or radiator mounting location with 140mm assist, however in any other case the selection comes down to private style. Once more, the 2 circumstances are similar apart from the entrance panel.
If you happen to want an ATX BTF or Challenge Zero or MG-RC appropriate case, the listing is extraordinarily quick. Most likely. The competing requirements and complicated naming make it arduous to get an actual depend, however the Corsair 6500 sequence, Jonsbo TK-3, and the InWin F5 are essentially the most seen choices made by third events. The 6500 sequence has some promising touches, however it’d be improved if it was appropriate with both regular motherboards or again join motherboards, not each.
If you happen to do not want compatibility with again join motherboards, there are cheaper twin chamber circumstances. The King 95 prices as little as $90 with out followers (we have seen reductions even decrease) and it contains an elective mesh entrance panel, and the Antec C8 ARGB ought to be accessible quickly for lower than $200. For that matter, the entire different dual-chamber circumstances that we have examined lately are near falling inside a $200 finances, even the Lian Li O11D EVO XL and the Hyte Y70 (non-Contact).