Corsair 7000D Airflow PC Case Review

I have had the pleasure of testing and building in some of Corsair’s newest PC case editions of late and they have been absolutely superb. Corsair was starting to become a forgotten name in the world of cases, with some mediocre options that just didn’t offer the same in performance, quality, or even value as other notable brands like Phanteks consistently show us. This all changed with the release of the iCUE 4000 and 5000 series cases, making Corsair a top competitor in the mid-tower market once again.

Today, we are looking at Corsair’s latest release, the 7000D Airflow, the line’s full-tower addition, to see if it follows the smaller models in terms of quality and performance. In this review, I’ll be building in the 7000D, taking a few temperature readings, and discussing the case’s pros and cons, before giving you my recommendations.

Main Features

• Large Tempered glass side panel
• PSU Shroud
• Vertical GPU mounting support x 2
• Modular, for seamless custom-builds
• Corsairs RapidRoute cable management system
• 3 x Corsair 140mm AirGuide fans with anti-vortex vanes
• Supports up to 480mm radiators
• Supports up to 12 x 120mm fans & 7 x 140mm fans

The Outside

Just like the 7000Ds smaller siblings, this looks incredible from every angle, albeit huge. The 7000D stands 600mm tall, 550mm in length, and 248mm in depth, making it 30mm taller than the Phanteks Enthoo 719 full-tower, bigger in every way to the 5000D (520mm x 520mm x 245mm) and, as you would expect, dwarfs the 4000-series. The 5000 series felt quite large for a mid-tower and actually had ample room, even for intricate water cooling loops, however, the 7000D takes it one step further and has clearly been designed for enthusiasts looking to create something beautiful.

Starting with the front you would struggle to tell it apart from the other models if it wasn’t for its stature. The 7000D model differs from the 7000X at the front, with a perforated mesh front panel instead of tempered glass. We also have two 140mm AirGuide fans which are essentially branded airflow fans, often with a greater CFM that produces lower noise levels. While we would always love to see Corsair fill the front with fans, these are in the most optimal position and do a stellar job of keeping internal temps relatively low.

The metal mesh front layer can be pulled off and reveals a fabric mesh filter that can be easily removed and cleaned. The quality of this mesh filter runs through the entire iCUE range of Corsair’s latest PC cases and it is a feature I favor. For raw performance the Corsair 7000D is a great option, however, I’d imagine most builders who opt for this line of cases are probably looking at water cooling and the added aesthetics that comes from the 7000X variant would be my preferred choice. Still, you can easily swap out the fans for some RGB 140mm models and create a unique aesthetic at the front if you don’t want to compromise on airflow.

The Rear

The back is near-identical to the 5000 series with extra PCIe slots. You get eight horizontal expansion slots and three vertical in the standard positions. With the 7000D being a slightly bigger option, you also get a secondary vertical mount position if you use the included PCIe bracket. The bracket fits effortlessly in place of the slot covers, giving you a vertical mount closer to your motherboard and away from the tempered glass panel.

While you technically get the same amount of fans in the 7000D and 7000X, Corsair has pre-installed a 140mm fan at the rear, giving you out-of-the-box airflow, which we will discuss later on in the performance section.

Other than that, there isn’t much else to say, except about the exposed hinges. The rear hinges give you wide-swinging panels that can open around 180 degrees. The panels can lift off but they have reduced the tool-free nature we saw on the smaller cases with a screw, to ensure the large heavy doors are as secure as possible.

The Side

The side of the 7000D reminds me of the Phanteks Enthoo 719 but that is simply because the interior looks huge through the glass. The TG panel is heavy-duty and certainly weighs quite a bit, with an opaque border tidying everything up nicely. The complete uninterrupted view inside makes this case very appealing and I can easily see some superb loop designs coming out for this case in the near future.

The back panel of the 7000D is, again, near-identical to the smaller iterations, with a large ventilated section near the front to make use of a third radiator mounting spot. Behind the vent, there is a dust filter of lower quality than the one located at the front but it does its job well enough and is easy to remove and clean, so no complaints.

The only gripe with the back panel is the pointless inclusion of a secondary panel. As you swing the door open, another is revealed, which looks great but just adds unnecessary weight and nothing else. You can remove it but there would be no point, just worth highlighting the only negative I have with the design.

The Top

The top of the 7000D is fantastic, with the same aesthetics and functionality as the front panel. We have the same perforated mesh panel on top of a dust filter and a removable radiator/fan bracket beneath that. The removable bracket is a feature many will love, as you can install radiators much easier by simply loosening the thumbscrews, popping out the bracket, and installing the rad, before finally lowering it back in.

The top is also where we have the I/O, which consists of:

• Power Button
• Reset Button
• 4 x USB 3.0
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C
• Audio In/Out

This is a decent amount of connectivity for a front panel, however, the case features two USB 3.0 cables, so make sure your motherboard supports this feature.

The Inside

If you are familiar with the 5000-series, there aren’t going to be many surprises here, essentially just more space, and more rad/fan support. The spacious interior on this model is, of course, all white and it looks pristine, with a very logical layout. The case does come in an all-black aesthetic too but I have to say, the white model is my favorite. The whole case feels robust and designed/constructed with care. There are no noticeable defects or misalignments, only quality.

The front of the 7000D can accommodate four 120mm or three 140mm fans, with space for a radiator up to 480mm in length. That is substantial and with a large amount of space just behind the front panel, you can fit some really thick rads in here with enough room for a reservoir too. Like the smaller versions, you get an interchangeable bracket that allows you to switch up configurations, changing the look and functionality of your case.

At the back of the interior, we have the cable management cover and another mounting spot for fans or a radiator. After removing the cover, you can install four 120mm fans or a radiator up to 480mm, however, no 140mm options will fit here. This gives prospective builders even more options when it comes to cooling their components and I love options.

At the top of the case, we have another space for a large radiator. The top of the 7000D supports three 120mm or 140mm fans and can also accommodate a rad up to 420mm long. With the extended size of the case, there is enough room to fit another thick radiator, leaving plenty of room to connect your CPU power.

Towards the bottom of the case, we have a thick, high-quality PSU shroud, with perforation to allow a bit of extra air into the basement. The shroud features three spots for you to mount your SSD brackets onto and also features two spots for vertical mounting, however, you will need to purchase the bracket separately. The cutout holes towards the back of the shroud are large and conveniently placed for optimal cable management and Corsair has included an acrylic panel over the cutout where you may want to install an LCD or view a PSU with a display.

There isn’t much else to say on the interior other than there is space at the rear of the case for a 120/140mm radiator.

The Back Panel

One of the key features of Corsair’s latest cases is their cable management system, or as they call it, RapidRoute. It is a feature you are likely to see across a multitude of premium cases, regardless of manufacturer, and it makes it a bit easier for some builders to properly manage cables. I personally think you need a mixture of both Corsairs system and cable ties to achieve cable management bliss, as you can see from the pictures, using both looks quite clean.

The cable management system comes with loads of velcro straps and can be removed entirely if you were so inclined but I left the main part on while removing the smaller brackets to make space for my fan controller. Towards the bottom, you’ll see the three, tool-free SSD mounting brackets. These brackets can be moved to the interior of the case depending on what configuration you want or can easily be removed altogether.

In the basement, we have ample room for a PSU up to 225mm in length and that is because the two included HDD drive cages are removable. Each cage can fit a further three HDD/SSDs, giving you a decent amount of storage options.

Performance

Unsurprisingly, the design and spacious interior make this a paradise for components. With help from the AirGuide fans, there is a sufficient amount of airflow running through the 7000D. To test the case out I built a system using high TDP components. Inside we have an i9-10900K and the more recent RTX 3080 Ti GPU. Combined, these two can run quite hot but for CPU cooling I also installed the newly released Corsair iCUE H170i Elite Capellix AIO.

As you can see after around 30 minutes of stress testing both the CPU and GPU, temperatures were running at fairly reasonable numbers. More importantly, thanks to the airflow design of the case, the ambient temperature inside barely rose, increasing by around 9 or 10 degrees.

Aside from thermal performance, the 7000D is incredibly easy to build in, with its size, tool-free design, and modularity taking all the stresses away from the process. You have so much room to work with, the layout is logical, and the fact you can easily remove/add brackets just makes this a pleasure to work with.

 

 

Final Word

Both the Corsair 7000D and 7000X are beautiful, I mean the whole range is, but in terms of performance, the 7000D Airflow steals the show. This is a premium full-tower and for that reason, it comes with a rather hefty price tag. In fairness to Corsair, it is competitively priced and you cannot question the quality but it is some way off the sheer value you get from the Phanteks 719 and that could be a problem.

On aesthetics alone, I know many are going to favor this model and love creating some unique-looking builds inside but my preference for a super tower still remains with the Phanteks 719. Regardless, I can’t recommend the 7000D enough, it follows on from the 4000 and 5000 series cases giving you yet another excellent option. I’ve water-cooled in the 5000X and I’d say there is plenty of room in that case for a full loop but if you were considering something more intricate with dual reservoirs say, then the extra space in the 7000D could be ideal.