Corsair 5000D Airflow – S.1 – User Article

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Housings with high-quality materials and very good workmanship also have to give way if the ventilation is not sufficient for modern hardware. The Corsair 5000D Airflow promises improvement.

About four years ago I wrote about the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX here in the same place. The case had been with me until recently and I was always impressed with its thoughtfulness and material appearance, especially when installing new hardware. But the latest hardware upgrades have pushed it to the limits of its design.

Where once the beautiful aluminum front with small gaps on the side was optically impressive, there were now problems because the case could neither suck in enough air at the front nor press enough waste heat through the small slots on the top. The remedy was to remove the front, which, for example, cooled the CPU by 7 Kelvin and the GPU by 6 Kelvin. The manufacturer Phanteks had recognized this problem itself and in a new variant, the “Evolv X”, started exactly at these points. So I was left with the choice of modifying the case or replacing it.

The Evolv ATX was very spacious, even if it was very tight with the Noctua NH-D15S on the top left. The problem was the airflow through the front of the case and the lid.

So a replacement was needed, and good advice was expensive. Like four years ago, the selection is overwhelmingly large and after an intensive search, one or more KO criteria were found on every case. They were either too big for the space available at home, too expensive, or too much plastic and not enough metal was used. In addition to optical reasons, real obstacles also got in the way. For example, the existing CPU cooler just barely fit into the case or not at all and there was not enough space for the existing hard drives.

In the end, the choice fell on the Corsair 5000D Airflow in black. On the following pages I describe my practical experiences and can perhaps make the decision-making process easier for one or the other. This could be interesting for some of you, especially with regard to the next generation of graphics cards, for which the rumor mill already suggests higher power consumption and thus more waste heat.

The front of the case consists of a metallic grille with air slots on the side. There is a removable dust filter behind the grille.

Basic characteristics of the Corsair 5000D Airflow

Let’s get to the key data of the case:

As on the front, the metal grille can be removed, underneath there is a dust filter with a magnetic frame inserted in the housing.

The scope of delivery includes a number of screws for many fans, the mainboard and the HDD and SSD assembly. A few additional mainboard screws to the pre-assembled ones as well as a few washers and Velcro strips are also included. An additional plastic part for the power supply slot and a USB 3.0 angle adapter for installing the connection cable for the front panel are also included in the scope of delivery.

Corsair 5000D Airflow: exterior features

The case is made of plastic and steel. It is black inside and out. The left side is made of tempered and tinted glass, the right side is made of a thin sheet of steel. The sheet metal has a vertical strip with grid-shaped cutouts and a dust filter directly behind it. This is not easy to remove, so the side panel has to be removed for cleaning. This cut-out is intended for the optional installation of three 120mm fans or a 360mm radiator. The grille on the front and top is made of steel and can be easily removed, it simply but firmly snaps into place.

The power and reset button, the USB ports and the 3.5mm combo jack are on the top of the case.

A dust filter is inserted on the top, which is held in place by a magnetic strip. At the front, the filter is clamped with a plastic frame. The power supply is located at the bottom at the back and also has a dust filter on the underside.

The external connections as well as the power and reset button are on the top at the front. The housing has two USB-A 3.0 and one USB-C 3.1 socket. Right next to it is a 3.5mm combo jack for a headset and microphone. Unfortunately, an adapter for two separate 3.5 mm jacks is not included and must be purchased for a few euros if required. The power button is also the power LED display via LED lighting. On the other hand, there is no HDD LED.

The PSU is located at the bottom rear and can draw in air through intakes on the bottom. The air intake is protected with a dust filter. It can only be removed to the rear and, depending on the installation location, is rather inconvenient to reach.