Packaging & Accessories: 13 out of 15
To be perfectly blunt the Corsair 5000D gets so much right that it is almost picking nits to point out the minor missteps Corsair made in the accessories department. You get an excellent instruction pamphlet. You get a veritable ton of tie-down straps, you get a nifty 90-degree USB adapter, and even a low-profile adapter that makes the front and side mounting options useable with extra big rads. In a mid-tower case that is fantastic. The same is true of the shipping container which we would change nothing about. There are however two nits we have to pick. First is that excellent low profile cowl/covering means little air is going to reach the 2-bay drive… and a couple ventilation slits in it would have gone a long way to making it perfect. The same is true of not including rear 140mm fan abilities. Once again, a small over-looked detail that can make a large impact.
Functionality & Aesthetics: 30 out of 35
When working with this case it is really, really easy to forget that it is a mid-tower and not a full-tower case. We say that as there is a ton of included options that smoke 99.44 percent of the competition. The aesthetics are also outstanding and while it is a big mid-tower case it will fit into a wide variety of environments; with everything from PC Gaming enthusiasts to workstation users able to make it ‘just work’ with their setup. With that said it is not perfect. The whole ‘pick any two’ deal when it comes to front or side 3-fan radiators vs. long PSUs vs. decent storage temperatures means that while it is eons better than most, and arguably including Lian-Li, there is still room for improvement.
Build Quality & Warranty: 25 out of 30
Once again Corsair got so many things right with this case that the few things they do not… have a tendency to stick out like a sore thumb. We love the fact that nearly anything that could be metal is metal. We love the uber-secure tempered glass panel mounting configuration. We love that handy dandy internal door configuration. We love that they made a mid-tower case with actually three useable 3-bay radiator mounting locations. We just donna like the fact that the side panel is a bit flimsy, the filter mounting setup is mediocre, it can only accept 120mm rear exhaust fans, they only include two and not three fans, and that the front IO option is still merely adequate. Once again, overall, well above average… but still room for improvement.
Value: 18 out of 20
This really is a case we can see ourselves opting for over the competition. It offers a ton of useable features for its class. It is one of the few tempered glass door cases we have zero concerns in the accidental breakage department. Its conservative good looks will allow it to fit into a lot differing environments with nary a ripple. Mix in an extremely easy to use build process and it easily justifies its asking price and makes a lot – including the 011 Dynamic look overpriced in comparison. With that said the compromises that were made may not make it right for everyone. Especially those who use hard disk drive and large AIO cooling solutions. So, your mileage may vary a bit more than we would want to see, but for most it is an excellent case at a good price. In other words, it is a good value that should be on a most buyers short list.
Final Score: 86%
The Corsair 5000D just underscores exactly how much time and effort Corsair put into first listening to their 4000D owner’s concerns and then fixing those (sometimes) perceived issues. The result is not only is the Corsair 5000D a great upgrade from the 4000D it is a great case in its own right. So much so that if there was ever a case to woo people away from the like of Fractal Design and their Define 7, or Lian-Li and their O11 Dynamic it is this bad boy. No matter what your final decision ends up being, this case demands to be on your short list for further consideration before you make it.
