Corsair has released the Air 5400 PC case that features an innovative design focussing on optimal cooling performance. Unlike regular chassis, which mix-all airflows, this 470mm (L) x 340mm (W) x 467mm (H) mid-tower separates the flows of the main hot components, improving their temperatures without requiring special cooling equipment.
The idea behind the Air 5400 is simple and unique at the same time. It separates the hot GPU air from the CPU, and vice versa, giving each one fresh cold air. To do so, it adds a third chamber right behind the front grill, which guides air to be exhausted to the side without ever entering the chassis. Between this front grill and the side opening rests a liquid cooler radiator whose job is to cool the CPU using fresh air.
As a result, the CPU remains cooler compared to regular configurations, as its system doesn’t get impacted by the hot exhaust of the graphics card. Likewise, in configurations where the CPU liquid cooler is positioned in the front, blasting hot air into the GPU, the latter can have a hard time cooling itself due to the air’s heat saturation. With the Air 5400, this will no longer be an issue as the GPU gets access to its dedicated fresh air supply from the bottom intakes, sending its exhaust directly to the top to be pushed outside.
Corsair claims that its design improves GPU and CPU temperatures by up to 5°C and 10°C, respectively, which is quite impressive considering no special cooling system is being used. With modern hardware boosting higher when offered the thermal headroom, better cooling should also translate into extra performance.
As you may have guessed, the Air 5400’s main design strength is only valid if you use a liquid cooling setup to cool your CPU; otherwise, the separate compartment is wasted. Thankfully, nowadays AIOs can be found for below £80, sometimes cheaper than air coolers, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Note that while you must provide your own liquid cooler, the case does come with three pre-installed reverse-blade fans.
The Air 5400 has room for up to 10 120mm fans spread between the front, top, bottom, and rear. Understandably, you can replace these with a triple 360mm radiator if that’s your thing. That said, the idea here is to put a 360mm AIO in the front to cool the CPU, plus three fans on the bottom and top to cool the GPU and other components.
Speaking of which, you get support for up to E-ATX (305mm x 277mm) motherboards – including reverse-connector variants – 360mm graphics cards, 200mm PSUs, three drives, and a 180mm-tall CPU cooler. Once more, the latter is somewhat irrelevant since the idea is to use an AIO for CPU cooling. Lastly, for I/O, you get two USB Type-C 5Gb/s, one USB Type-C 10Gb/s, plus a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Air 5400 is offered in two main flavours: an ARGB version with three RS120-R ARGB fans and an iCUE Link version with three LX120-R iCUE Link RGB fans. Each will be available in black or white, giving you a choice to suit your build. Other than this, all models feature wraparound glass panels that open like French doors, giving the system a premium look.
The Air 5400 is available from Corsair’s webstore and authorised retailers at £239.99 / €279,90 / $229,99 for the Air 5400 RS-R ARGB and £284.99 / €329,90 / $309.99 for the Air 5400 LX-R RGB iCUE Link, backed by a two-year warranty.
