Corsair 5000D Review

Final Score: 86%

To be perfectly candid we can see ourselves using this case in a lot of future builds. It is drop dead gorgeous, it is extremely easy to work with (both in internal capacity, layout, and those little ‘extras’ that make a build go faster and better), well designed, well built, offers excellent water and air cooling options, and generally speaking is a rather good value.

Those last two are what really seal the deal for us. We dislike cases that are pretty looking but pretty awful at their actual job. When we buy a new case, we want one that can work with everything from a little Intel i3 all the way to an AMD ThreadRipper monster. Sadly, the latest ‘all glass, all the time’ design craze means that case designers put cooling at the back of their priorities and that is just wrong. A good PC case is not supposed to be a work of art that is never touched, let alone used, they are meant to do a job: protect and cool your valuable PC components. If they can’t do that they are a failure. So while yes, we do have some minor reservations on the mid-ranged non-AirFlow variant (which IONSHO is meant for full on custom water loops or AIOs) the potential is indeed there. Just expect to have to add some extra fans to your shopping cart if going the air CPU cooler route.

On the value front, this is not an inexpensive case… but it is not overly expensive either. In fact, with its MSRP of $165 USD it is cheaper than a Lian-Li O11 Dynamic and yet offers better flexibility in the cooling options that will ‘just work’… and arguably just as good in the overall aesthetics department. Compared to say the Fractal Design Define 7 (another of our ‘go to’ PC cases of choice) you can to get much better internal case temperatures, just as good (and arguably better) an installation process, better overall aesthetics, and get all that for noticeably less. You will just get more ‘case noise’ due the Corsair 5000D lacking Fractal Define’s iconic noise blocking foam. So yes, this price point is a very good place to be for the 5000D.

With all that said the Corsair 5000D is not perfect. We really… really wish companies would stop pushing this ‘no one uses 5.25 bays anymore so we are not going to include any’ philosophy. For the love of all that is holy include one. Include an easily removeable bracket and give people the ability to use an Optical Disk Drive, a 3.5-inch hot swap drive caddy (which is great for backups), or a secondary front I/O cluster (for those who use Thunderbolt devices). We don’t think that is asking too much. Since the 5000D lacks one, it is not and cannot be considered an optimal option for (nearly) all buyers. So keep that in mind when making your decision but understand that the 5000D is not unique in this oversight. Either way, the Corsair 5000D is not only an excellent replacement for the 4000D but is an excellent case in its own right. One that deserves your attention and further consideration.