What Does X and D Mean for CORSAIR Cases?

We make a lot of stuff here at CORSAIR. Power supplies, AIOs, RAM, gaming chairs, SSDs, and, of course, cases. With so many different products, we have to find ways to differentiate not only between product lines but also between versions within a single line. Sometimes, these distinctions carry over across multiple products, as is the case with the “X” and “D” case variations. In this instance, the explanation is quite simple.

That’s about it, folks. Cases with the “X” suffix have a glass front panel (and sometimes top panel) for that shiny gleam and more visibility for the inevitably RGB-equipped fans that are going to live behind it. Of course, glass will hinder front panel airflow. Not enough to significantly affect the overall thermals of your system in most cases, but those who want the coolest PC around, should go for the alternative with a perforated front panel. Speaking of which:

By an admittedly short process of elimination, you’ve probably already figured this out, but yes, the “D” suffix is reserved for the airflow variants. This means that instead of a glass front panel, it has a metal one with a nice design of cutouts that allow for better airflow. Additionally, there is a fan filter behind this, so your PC ingests less dust. However, this comes with the drawback that the fans are more obscured, so you’re trading improved airflow for less-prominent RGB lighting.

Whether the trade-off is worth it depends on the individual, which is why we offer both variants for many of our cases. That being said, there are some exceptions to be aware of.

We mentioned that we make a lot of stuff, and we’ve been making cases for a long time, since 2009 with the 800D, in fact. This means that X for glass and D for airflow has not always been the identifier for airflow or glass cases. So, if you’re looking through old, discontinued cases, you’ll find that X and D might not be present or may mean something else.

Another thing to remember is that even for the modern CORSAIR cases, X for glass and D isn’t always applicable. For example, there is no glass X variant of the 3000D, nor is there an airflow D version of the 3500X. We also have outlier cases like the 5000T, which is not beholden to either of the aforementioned naming schemes.