Corsair One i500 Review

Corsair One i500 Review: The SFF King Reimagined

For years, the Corsair One has been the undisputed champion of the high-end, small form-factor (SFF) PC. Its iconic cylindrical design packed immense power into a footprint barely larger than a game console, becoming a status symbol for those who demanded performance without the monolithic tower. Now, Corsair has retired the cylinder. The new Corsair One i500 is a complete redesign, a rectangular evolution that asks a bold question: can you perfect a masterpiece by starting over? The answer is a resounding, if slightly complicated, yes.

A New Face for a Modern Era

The first thing you’ll notice about the i500 is its dramatic departure from the familiar column. It’s now a compact, rectangular mini-tower, clad in beautifully machined aluminum with a striking front panel that blends fabric and certified genuine wood accents. This isn’t just another metal box; it feels like a piece of high-end furniture. The build quality is, as expected from Corsair, impeccable. Every panel aligns perfectly, and the materials feel substantial and premium.

However, this redesign comes with a physical cost. The i500 is larger than its predecessors, expanding from a 12-liter volume to a more substantial 21.6 liters. While still far smaller than a traditional mid-tower, it loses some of the “how did they do that?” magic of the original. The trade-off, however, is a significant leap in user-friendliness. Where the old Corsair One was a nightmare to upgrade, the i500 features tool-less side panels that pop off to reveal a surprisingly accessible interior, making RAM and storage swaps a breeze.

Uncompromising Power, Intelligently Cooled

Our review unit, armed with an Intel Core i9-14900K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, is an absolute performance monster. This is a machine built for no-compromise 4K gaming. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2 run flawlessly with ray tracing and DLSS enabled, delivering breathtaking visuals at silky-smooth frame rates. For content creators, the i500 chews through video renders and complex creative workloads without breaking a sweat.

The real engineering marvel is Corsair’s custom liquid cooling. Both the CPU and GPU are outfitted with their own dedicated all-in-one liquid coolers, a system that effectively expels heat from the top of the case. Even under intense, sustained load, the system remains remarkably quiet. You’ll hear a gentle hum of fans, but the distracting high-pitched whine common in other compact builds is completely absent. Corsair has managed to tame two of the hottest components on the market within a constrained space, and the result is both cool and quiet.

The Price of Perfection

There’s no gentle way to say it: the Corsair One i500 is exceptionally expensive. You are paying a significant premium for the custom engineering, the meticulous assembly, the unique cooling solution, and the compact, elegant design. A savvy DIY builder could assemble a machine with similar raw specs for considerably less money.

But that comparison misses the point. The i500 isn’t for the DIY builder. It’s for the professional, the creative, or the deep-pocketed enthusiast who wants maximum power in a beautifully crafted, desk-friendly package without the time, hassle, and research of building it themselves. You’re buying a pre-configured, expertly tuned, and fully warrantied system that works perfectly out of the box.

The Final Verdict

The Corsair One i500 successfully reinvents a beloved icon. It trades some of its predecessor’s extreme compactness for vastly improved serviceability, more conventional airflow, and a sophisticated new aesthetic. While the larger size and staggering price tag will be deal-breakers for some, it remains a triumph of SFF engineering. For those who demand the absolute best performance in a system that looks as good as it runs, and who are willing to pay the associated premium, the i500 is the new king. It’s an elegant powerhouse that proves evolution is sometimes better than revolution.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon