Seasonality Review ARCH Q503+ Connect

Review: Seasonic ARCH Q503+ Connect

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This time I will work on housing. Seasonic ARCH Q503 + Connect 650. This is a housing that includes a proprietary power supply, available in 650W and 750W. The only problem is that the Seasonic ARCH Q503+ Connect (650 or 750) is rarely available anywhere. That doesn’t stop me from having any expectations, in part because we already have a Seasonic desk dwelling, the Seasonic Syncro Q704 + Syncro DPC-850 Platinum, which according to fellow editor Jonah, I had the pleasure of installing. When I saw the Seasonic ARCH Q503+ Connect, I was immediately interested.

The idea is that the search for housing for your next PC can finally be over. Hopefully the Connect Power Supply can actually make the design look cleaner and the ease of installation is the same as with the bigger brother.

For around €280, the current retail price, this is a housing that includes the power supply. Of which Seasonic ARCH Q503 + Connect 750 costs about 300 euros. Is this price worth it with what the case brings to the table? We’re going to answer that!

Below we find the specifications:

The Seasonic ARCH Q503 + Connect 650 is a housing with an added feature; It is a 650 watt PSU. The included PSU is part of a kit also available in 750W. In addition to the PSU, you get a Connect unit that you can place in the back of your housing. The necessary cables run from that unit to the components. This unit is instantly integrated with Seasonic ARCH Q503+ Connect. This is because it is made specifically for housing. In addition to the case and PSU, the fans are pre-installed. This concerns three 120mm fans, two on the front and one on the back. These are fans without RGB lighting.

To take a more specific look at the specification itself, I noticed that there are also unnecessary things. This mainly concerns missing items, such as cloth gloves or soft cloth. In my opinion, this does not need to be included in the specification, as it provides a slightly less stringent overview. Aside from the above issue, the specifications are clear enough to give a good idea of ​​what to expect from this housing. It is also an advantage that you can easily see in advance what will or will not fit into the housing, due to the detailed dimensions and stated boundaries.

Seasonic ARCH Q503+ Connect comes in a standard housing box. This immediately shows how to connect the communication module to the PSU. Once you open the box, you can see that everything is securely packed. The foam fits well to the structure and ensures almost flawless removal from the packaging through the surrounding cardboard.

With the Seasonic ARCH Q503+ Connect out of the box, this box can be set aside. The PSU is also secure in a box and packed in a foam sleeve. This foam filled the interior so well that we pulled a piece of rubber off two of the pre-installed fans, which was easy to glue back on.

Once removed from the box, we look at the packaging of the included 650W PSU. This is for Seasonic Connect’s 650W Gold Rated PSU. There is also a 750 watt version. The box contains the PSU, power cable, PSU case, and more. What’s striking is that the included cables are much smaller than the power supplies you’re usually used to. This is of course due to the Connect system, which means you need less cable length.

At the bottom of the Seasonic ARCH 503 housing there is a box with the necessary screws and some tie-downs. This box was in the drive bay, which unfortunately slid through the chassis. This was the result of not bending the drive slot, but tapping it.

Once we got back to the residence, we wanted to start removing the skin from the logo. Unfortunately we have removed the logo from the housing. This happened from the right side, but with the seasonal name remaining the same. Unfortunately, it was already too late and I decided to take everything off and make a (successful) attempt at cleaning.

Then we continue with the rest of the housing (although it’s now completely black on the front and very stylish, it’s still a shame about the botched peeling). At first glance, the interior of the Seasonic ARCH Q503 doesn’t appear to have a lot of space, but I’ll go over this in more detail during installation. There’s not much to see at the back of the residence until we get to the other side. Here you can see the connection module and see all the cables running from the I/O. Thus, this I/O consists of two USB-A ports, a USB-C port and a Hi-Res Audio input, just like the Hi-Res Audio output.

Back inside the chassis we see the two 120mm fans mounted on the front. The third 120mm fan can be seen at the back. There is also a dust filter on top of the Seasonic ARCH Q503, which is magnetic. This makes it easy to remove and clean. There’s also a dust filter at the bottom, but it’s located between the metal clips, which makes removing it more complicated.

To install the Seasonic ARCH Q503 + Connect, we used the following: an ASRock B650E Taichi Lite motherboard, a Noctua NH-D15 (same as the D15S with only the middle fan) and an MSI RTX 3080 Gaming Although this is not the largest residence, almost everything can fit in it easily. Focus on haste. The Noctua NH-D15’s external fan is too high, preventing the chassis from closing. This problem can be solved by removing the fan.

The Connect module helped tremendously with the installation of the Seasonic Arch Q503. There was plenty of room to move and no cables in the way. Thanks to the Connect module, there was also relatively little cable management, as the cables are shorter and work smoothly straight away. There was also enough space at the back of the chassis and there seemed to be no issues with longer cables.

If we look more deeply into cable management and space in general, I should mention a few things specifically. Because this is of course a special power supply unit, it plays a key role. There’s only one cable going to the Connect module, leaving a large open space at the bottom of the chassis, below the PSU shroud. This is of course a nice feature, but it also has its drawbacks. You’re stuck with a 650 or 750 watt PSU. This limits the scope of upgrades somewhat.

Then to the introduction of the issue; There we see what the limits are. As indicated in the specifications, there is the option of installing an E-ATX motherboard, or a nice mini-ITX motherboard. Given the capabilities in terms of GPUs, the placement of the fans on the front should be taken into consideration. The specifications indicate a maximum GPU length of 380mm, but without the fans.

When we talk about coolants, we must also take this into account. As shown, the Noctua NH-D15, i.e. fan-less, had to be converted to the Noctua NH-D15S. The fan above the RAM was slightly high, which prevented the side panel from closing. With AIOs, it’s a different story. There’s plenty of room at the top of the chassis for an AIO with a 280mm radiator. This cooler can also be placed in the front due to the recess in the PSU cover, but then you have to check if the GPU still fits. The provided fans certainly provide adequate airflow, although I can recommend an additional fan.

There is also another special feature to mention. I think this is a missed opportunity and an opportunity to do some DIY. There is also a recess next to the Connect 650 PSU. This would be a perfect opportunity for a display where you can read the wattage. Unfortunately, this leaves an empty space with no options to do anything with it.

As can be seen from the pictures, the end result is a clean build. With little to no cables (very long), everything can be terminated very well and you get an almost cable-free enclosure (which is also good for airflow). All this thanks to the seasonal communication module.

Although I didn’t expect much from the Seasonic Arch Q503 + Connect 650, this housing still made me think. With the issues it has, like less space for GPUs with fans on the front or the Noctua NH-D15 not fitting both fans, it has a good solution to the well-known “cable clutter”. Another advantage is that you immediately have a PSU included, with the option of 650 or 750 watts, although this also presents problems for the real power user, as the Seasonic does not (yet) offer the higher wattage of the Connect.

Considering the ease we experienced with the Seasonic Arch Q503+ Connect and installation, this is truly a home for people who like cleanliness without a lot of work. Although I’m disappointed that the Seasonic logo can easily tear off the veneer, I’m still happy with the final look of the fascia. A minor setback also affected fans, who had three of their rubber feet come off. Fortunately, it was easy to put it back in place.

Above all, I can definitely recommend this accommodation, especially to people who don’t want it to be too big and don’t want it to be too difficult. I definitely thought this was a good place to install and will be using it for my computer. In short, for the money, you get a nice combination with a dial unit, and a clean result that speaks for itself.