Corsair 5000D Airflow review

Manufacturer: Corsair

UK price (as reviewed): £140 (inc. VAT)

US price (as reviewed): $149.99 (exc. tax)

During September last year we looked at the 4000D series of cases released by component juggernaut Corsair. The series was aimed towards the lower end of Corsair’s pricing range. Now, however,  the 5000D series aims to build on that foundation with higher-priced variants touting larger sizes and more features.

Three versions of the case are released today, available in either black and white, so six in total. The first is the standard 5000D case which is identical to the Airflow edition we have with us today apart from having a solid front panel instead of the perforated steel on the Airflow. The iCUE 5000X RGB edition, meanwhile, arrives with a tempered glass all around as well as three pre-installed SP120 RGB fans rather than two standard 120mm for the other two models. Regarding pricing,  the standard 5000D and Airflow edition both cost $149.99 (£140) and the 5000X RGB comes in at $189.99 (£170).

The 5000D Airflow case allows for a variety of fan and radiator layouts depending on the level of cooling required. Going down the watercooling route permits a 360mm radiator in the top and front of the case,  or one can use the motherboard tray mount if you really want to show off your fans. Corsair does note that the motherboard tray and front 360mm locations cannot be used at the same time when installing radiators. The PSU, front, motherboard and top fans all come with dust filters. Being designated Airflow, what’s noticeably missing from the case is throughflow from beneath the GPU section, and we’ll see how this impacts the benchmark results.

Two 120mm Corsair AirGuide fans are provided, preinstalled as customary exhaust and midway up the perforated steel front panel. Though not the quietest, they only produce a gentle hum when ramping up under load. Overall build quality is good, with a consistent paint finish and no sharp edges.

Part of the extra money for the 5000D (Airflow) goes into these chassis integrating a six-channel hub for easy control of multiple fans from a single header.

The top panel features two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a USB 3.1 Type-C connector and a combined 3.5 mm audio jack. There’s also an illuminated power button and a small reset button. We aren’t generally fans of the dual-purpose 3.5mm jacks, but with adaptors going for a few pounds at popular retailers, this isn’t too much of an inconvenience.

Being larger than the 4000D has obvious benefits for component installation. GPU clearance is expanded to 420mm for those extra-long partner cards, there is now double the number of integrated SSD mounts – 4 vs. 2  – and Corsair increases the fan-mount locations from six to 10. All sensible moves for enthusiasts who desire a full-on system.