CORSAIR ICUE 5000X RGB REVIEW: AN ELEGANT AND COLORFUL CASE
Elegant, sober but with particular attention to color. Corsair has created a case that manages to meet the needs of different types of users with this iCUE 5000X RGB , the top of the range of the 5000 series just renewed with three new models. What we have tried in recent weeks is at the top of the offer and differs for the massive use of tempered glass and for a very accurate RGB lighting available as standard , to which all the electronics for fan control are added. techsupportreviews and lighting.
But forget the PCs that look like Christmas trees, because
the 5000X is a case that allows you to manage in a fine way the LEDs inside,
for a shot.
The exterior design
Corsair wanted to create a quality case with this iCUE5000X
and you immediately notice it from the materials used. In fact, we find
tempered glass on four sides of the chassis, not only in the side panels, but
also in the front and in the upper part. On the left side there is a large
sheet of darkened tempered glass, a choice that makes the interior lighting
less aggressive, lowering its brightness, while concealing many elements that
are not very pleasing to the eye: in our case, the custom power cable of the
RTX 3080 used for the test is practically hidden to the eye, a positive thing
given the difficulties in hiding this element. The right bulkhead is
characterized by a perforated polycarbonate grid, necessary to offer an
alternative in the positioning of a possible liquid AIO heatsink. We have
mounted it in the upper part, but it is also possible to install it vertically
with the air vent right through this grille.
On the front the glass hides the three 120 mm fans supplied,
protected by a first magnetic dust filter; the second instead is present in the
upper area of the case, also covered by tempered glass, while the third is in
the lower one. The use of plastic is reduced to a minimum, in terms of build
quality Corsair has done a great job. The power button, along with that for the
reset, is installed on the top edge and at his side are two USB 3.0 Type A
space and a USB 3.1 Type C .
The presence of a high-speed connection in an accessible
area of the case is a welcome and still uncommon novelty, which proves to be
convenient in everyday use, especially for those who often have to transfer
large amounts of data. Both the front glass and the one at the top are
interlocking and to remove them just apply a little pressure, in this way you
can easily access the dust filters. The two side bulkheads instead are fixed to
the case by four screws, two each. For assembly we recommended the use of
gloves, all the glass parts are covered with a protective film but once removed
it is very easy to leave fingerprints on the glass, in this way you avoid
having to clean it at the end of the work. The dimensions are 520mm x 245mm x
520mm, which is average for a mid tower case like this.
Plenty of space inside
The Corsair iCUE 5000X is a mid-tower that offers plenty of
room for the internal components, which is immediately noticeable as soon as
the side panels are removed. Full support is guaranteed to motherboards on
standard Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX and ATX, but it is also possible to mount the
largest E-ATX motherboards, up to a maximum size of 305x277 mm. The lower area,
where the power supply is installed and where the housing for the mechanical
disks is also located, is covered by a non-removable metal panel, looking up
instead you can see a metal element that serves to hide the cables coming from
the rear of the case. Right in the back Corsair has installed a second bulkhead
below the glass one, used to hide the cables from view.Also interesting is the
RapidRoute system , which allows cables to be routed in a simple and rational
way. Also in the back there are two separate controllers for managing the fans
and lighting via iCUE software.
Inside, three 120 mm fans can be mounted on the front (in
this case already included in the price) or two 140 mm fans, another three 120
mm fans can be mounted at the top (alternatively two 140 mm), while a the other
120 mm fan can be positioned in the rear area. By removing the metal cover for
the cables, you can add three more 120mm fans (or two 140mm) in extraction on
the right side. Wide options for liquid systems, with the possibility of installing
360/280 mm radiators on the front and in the upper part, while the limit of 140
mm remains on the rear. However, owners of 3.5 "mechanical disks will find
a limited availability of slots in which to install them, only two, while for
the 2.5 "SSDs there are 4 total slots. Those who want to highlight the GPU
more can also install it vertically, in this case, however, the PCIe raiser not
included in the price. Still speaking of video cards, the large internal space
allows you to install models up to 360 mm, even the largest variants have no
problem being used inside the 5000X.
Our assembly experience
Space and the possibility of hiding the cables, in addition
to the excellent RGB lighting, are certainly among the strong points of this
case, which allows the creation of PCs with an elegant and very refined
appearance, obviously based on the chosen components. In our case we have
focused on a blue tint when the configuration is completed, no effects or
flashy colors, thus obtaining a sober and elegant configuration. We encountered
no difficulties whatsoever during the installation of the components, the space
to work inside is large and Corsair worked well on cable routing, so much so
that in the component area only those of the AIO system and those of the RTX
3080 power supply can be seen. The latter, being in an area without lighting,
are however well hidden from view thanks to the visual effect given by the
darkened glass. A few more small difficulties are encountered in the
positioning of the power supply, the tunnel in the lower part is not removable
and forces you to install this component by inserting it from the right
bulkhead of the case, with consequent removal of the compartment for the 3.5
"disks . Once positioned these two elements you realize that the space for
the cables coming out of the power supply is not much, the use of a modular
power supply is recommended, but on a $ 189 case like this the choice of
quality components is practically mandatory.
We would also have preferred greater compatibility between
the RGB LED and fan management system installed in the rear of the case and the
Corsair H115i Elite AIO liquid cooler used for testing . At first we thought of
installing this AIO without the fan and lighting controller included in its package,
simply taking advantage of those already present inside the case, the problem
is that the power supply of the pump of this model takes place through a
proprietary connector. The result is that we had to remove the case controllers
to use the PSU controller, no big deal, but it's still a waste of components
that is easily remedied with greater integration between the Corsair ecosystem
products.
In any case, the final result is very satisfying, both
visually and in terms of temperatures, with the air flows that are managed well
inside the case, cooling all the components in the best possible way. An
applause must then be made to Corsair for the excellent sound insulation
offered, but in this case the credit goes above all to the fans installed as
standard and to the H115i Elite heatsink, which paired with the iCUE software
offer truly remarkable hearing comfort. the computer is inaudible during normal
use . With the game the five fans in our configuration start to be heard, but
never reach high noise levels.
Another strong point is the aforementioned iCUE software.,
both in terms of color and performance, with the possibility of finely managing
the fans through the creation of customized profiles. Very important is the
ability of this software to control third-party devices, for example in our
case iCUE correctly detected the ROG Maximus Hero VIII WI-Fi motherboard used
for the test and allowed us to directly control its RGB lighting, same thing
for the RTX 3080 Founder Edition. Too bad for the incompatibility with the
lighting system of the G.Skill Trident Z Royal RAMs, which we instead had to
set from the Asus Aura software.
