Custom PC - UK (2021-05)

LABS TEST / PREMIUM CASES

C

ase manufacturers are often
releasing several variants based on
one design at the moment, and the
new Corsair 5000D Airflow is, as its name
suggests, the high-airflow version of its latest
mid-tower premium case. Other versions
include the iCUE 5000X RGB, which includes
a trio of RGB fans, while the more basic 5000D
has a closed front panel instead of the
attractive vented panel here.
At £135, it’s reasonably priced, although
you only get two fans included, which is fewer
than you get with the Fractal Design Meshify
2 and be quiet! Silent Base 802. For such a
big chassis, we’d prefer to see more fans
included, but we can appreciate that Corsair
likely assumes customers would want to add
their own. The case certainly looks good, with
its precise, clean lines making it look smart. It
lacks the visual flair of the NZXT H510 Elite, but
the 5000D Airflow also has a lower price and
a vastly superior feature set in its favour.
For some reason Corsair has opted for both
pop-on and thumbscrew side panel securing
mechanisms, but we suggest leaving the

CORSAIR 5000D

AIRFLOW /£135 inc VAT

SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

screws loose and just using the

pop-on pins to make life easier.

The front and roof panels are

easily removable, and reveal large

dust filters beneath. In terms of

maintenance, no other case here

gets close in terms of ease of use.

The front panel lacks any lighting

or fan control, but it does include a

full-fat Type-C USB port as well as

two USB 3 ports, plus a single-pole

audio jack.

Inside, Corsair has also made some

interesting additions to the case’s feature set,

including a large cable cover, cable-routing

channels and large Velcro anchors, making it

easy to keep the case spaghetti-free. It also

has a 6-channel PWM fan hub, with both the

included fans already wired up to it.

Next to the motherboard tray is one of three

possible locations for a 360mm radiator, with

the fans here exhausting out the side panel.

You can also mount one in the roof and front

section, so there’s plenty of scope for handling

some seriously high-end hardware. The only

exception is storage, with only a measly pair of

3.5in hard disk mounts is included.

With its two fans, the Corsair’s CPU delta

T of 48°C was generally warmer than the

competition, but only by a couple of degrees.

The same was true for the GPU delta T, but

again this was only 1°C behind the top spot

thanks to the lone front fan pointing directly

at our graphics card. Adding another fan to

the front saw the CPU delta T drop 1°C and a

further 2°C with an additional fan in the roof

of the case. The GPU delta T failed to budge

though. Noise increased steadily as we added

more fans, though, with the Corsair being a

sizeable 5dBA louder than the be quiet! Silent

Base 802. However, it was still significantly

quieter than the NZXT 510 Elite when the

latter was at full fan speed.

Conclusion

While the Fractal Design Meshify 2 has a

better overall balance of features for the price,

the Corsair 5000D Airflow still ticks a lot of

boxes. If you prefer its clean, elegant design

to the rather bland offerings from Fractal

Design, be quiet! and Phanteks this month,

you certainly won’t be disappointed.

SPEC

Dimensions (mm) 245 x 520 x 520 (W x D x H)

Material Steel, plastic, glass

Available colours Black, white

Weight 13.8kg

Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3, 1 x

USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x stereo/mic jack

Drive bays 2 x 2.5/3.5in, 4 x 2.5in

Form factor(s) ATX, micro-ATX

Cooling 3 x 120mm/2 x 140mm front fan

mounts (1 x 120mm fan included), 1 x 120mm

rear fan mount (fan included), 3 x 120mm/2 x

140mm roof fan mounts (fans not included)

CPU cooler clearance 170mm

Maximum graphics card length 420mm

VERDICT

A well thought-out, modern case with a

clean, attractive design.

GO PRO

+ Good cooling

+ Great water-cooling

support

+ Easy maintenance

G O AWAY

• Only two hard
  disk bays


• Lacks visual flair


• Side panels not as
  elegant as the
  competition

COOLING

28 / 30

DESIGN

28 / 30

FEATURES

15 / 20

VALUE

18 / 20

OVERALL SCORE

89 %

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