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Corsair 5000X Case Review: a Majestic Tower of Glass Opulence

More glass? Yes, more glass.

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Corsair 5000X
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

We are using the following system for our case test bed:

CPUIntel Core i9-9900K
MotherboardAsus Maximus XI Hero WiFi
MemoryCorsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16
GraphicsNvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition
CPU CoolingNoctua NH-U9S chromax.Black
Thermal PasteNoctua NT-H1 10g
StorageCorsair Force Series MP510 480GB NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 SSD
Power SupplyCorsair HX750i

Installing a system in the Corsair 5000X RGB is a breeze. Because it’s big, there’s tons of space to work with and all parts dropped in without a hitch.

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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The motherboard slotted into place with a sturdy, central anchoring standoff, and the GPU dropped in just as easily. Our large Corsair HX750i power supply didn’t drop in quite as easily, but after bumping the HDD tray over a few sleds, it went in without a hitch.

Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Also note that that the GPU comes up just over the side intake shroud, meaning long GPUs won’t have any issues here.

Cable Management

Cable management is a strong point of the 5000X, mainly due to the vast amount of space behind the motherboard tray. In order to ensure the side intake doesn’t protrude too far into the chassis, a little space had to be made here, but that’s only a good thing.

The three images below show what the system looks like before and after cable management, and with the side door shut.

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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Corsair also goes a long way to make your life easier throughout ownership. Many companies include five or so zip ties and call it a day, but Corsair includes a whole pile of Velcro straps. These are great because anyone in the DIY space knows that a PC is never ‘finished’, but rather always in a state of change.

Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The only gripe we had with the cable management was that the USB 3.0 header didn’t fit smoothly with the cutout on the PSU shroud. But in all fairness, that’s just a matter of picking a board that does have the cutout in the right place. Corsair does include a 90-degree angled adapter for tight spots.

Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Build Complete

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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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Corsair 5000X

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Isn’t she pretty?

As you can see, the tint is so dark, only lit components shine through, and unfortunately our test bench doesn’t have many of those.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware news on all components and peripherals.
6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • NightHawkRMX
    I like the looks, but $200 for a case is far more than I'm willing to pay. I thought the 011 Dynamic was expensive, but this is on a whole 'nother level.
    Reply
  • Friesiansam
    Is it really too difficult to design the bottom of the case so the bottom filter slides out from the front of the case? Fractal Design have been doing it that way for years.
    Reply
  • Makaveli
    NightHawkRMX said:
    I like the looks, but $200 for a case is far more than I'm willing to pay. I thought the 011 Dynamic was expensive, but this is on a whole 'nother level.

    I keep cases that cover mutiple builds over the years so $200 is the sweet spot for me. Build quality will be higher than a $100-$150 case.
    Reply
  • Phronetic
    This review acknowledges that this case is meant to be used with an AIO on top and all fan slots populated but doesn't show thermals for that configuration... given that this case is unique (at least to my knowledge) in that it's tempered glass with fans in front and side, I was really looking to see thermal performance in its intended use case
    Reply
  • Unolocogringo
    Phronetic said:
    This review acknowledges that this case is meant to be used with an AIO on top and all fan slots populated but doesn't show thermals for that configuration... given that this case is unique (at least to my knowledge) in that it's tempered glass with fans in front and side, I was really looking to see thermal performance in its intended use case
    Reviews are done as the case is shipped. not added fans or change the fan configuration for better performance.
    That way readers know that if they buy this case they will need to purchase additional fans if they want good thermals.
    Adding fans can almost double the price of this case if you fill all slots with matching RGB fans to get good cooling results.
    So now we are looking at a $400 case price with added fans.
    Reply
  • Phronetic
    Unolocogringo said:
    Reviews are done as the case is shipped. not added fans or change the fan configuration for better performance.
    That way readers know that if they buy this case they will need to purchase additional fans if they want good thermals.
    Adding fans can almost double the price of this case if you fill all slots with matching RGB fans to get good cooling results.
    So now we are looking at a $400 case price with added fans.

    Yes, I'm aware. I never said not to do that, just that it would have been helpful to see the thermals of the case with max cooling in addition to the review in its present state. The info provided is very important but, because of the focus taken in the review, the full thermal potential of the case is not shown. I have fans from my previous build and I would imagine many other people do too, so it's not like it is guaranteed that adding extra fans would cost money. I don't really see this as a reason not to also present the results with more fans - other than encouraging the manufacturers to shoot for better thermals out of the box
    Reply