Corsair has done an excellent job, designing a beautiful chassis in the 5000D Airflow. The solid metal panels in the front and top are sturdy enough to essentially "hang" in place freely without any support, with their uniquely shaped air vents, and there are dust filters on all intake areas, which are easily accessed as well. Even taking a closer look, the Corsair 5000D Airflow retains the same small but valuable design choices Corsair had initially introduced with the 4000 series.

Speaking of which, the 5000D Airflow looks and feels very much like a bigger version of the 4000D Airflow. If you compare the rear of both cases, you will quickly realize that the 5000 series is essentially a taller, deeper version. That means you still find the same metal shroud inside, along with the cable cover for clean cable routing. The Corsair 5000D makes good use of the additional space, allowing for liquid cooling in the ceiling while offering a side intake for up to three 120 mm fans with the option to place a radiator there as long as you do not place one in the front of the chassis as well. In terms of storage, that trend continues. You get slightly more with the 5000D compared to its smaller sibling, and Corsair includes a mounting plate behind the CPU cooler area to which you may mount additional controllers or even another SSD.

So the Corsair 5000D Airflow is a beautiful case overall, which should have retailed for US$149.99 before the currently placed tariffs. With the current economic situation in the US, the reality means you have to fork over US$164.99 instead. For that price, you do get a useful PWM-based fan hub, which helps those wanting to stuff the chassis full of active cooling, and a uniquely extensive accessory kit. That said, even at the pre-tariff MSRP of US$149.99, it is nearly twice as expensive as the 4000D Airflow without quite offering twice as much functional value. I would have loved to see two 140 mm fans in the front to bring the total number of fans up to three, for example.

However, even as such—at the higher-end spectrum of the pricing segment—the Corsair 5000D Airflow does not make you feel like you overpaid for a modern full-tower case, so we can recommend it. But do take a long, hard look at the 4000D and ask yourself if it is not enough for you. I suspect it is for most it, which would result in spending the considerable savings on more potent components.