Following the success of Fractal Design, wood accent north case (what we awarded 2022 Case of the Year), the component workhorse Corsair has begun selling existing wood panels 4000 (opens in new tab)– and 5000 (opens in new tab)– Series PC cases starting at $55.
Panels come in two packs, one for the front and one for the top of the case. It also appears to be laser cut to match the Airflow variant of both cases in order to maintain similar thermal properties of the metal panel that ships with these cases. In fact, the product page states that Corsair has “rigorously tested” the panels to “ensure the same high airflow as the 4000D AIRFLOW and 5000D AIRFLOW panels.”
This should mean no temperature concerns, but I do wonder about the vulnerability of the narrowest part of those cuts. (which is common), keep this panel out of the way of swinging legs and disturbing small children.
Choose from 3 different wood shades to suit your taste and décor. Bamboo is the lightest, sapele sits in the middle, a light bronze-brown shade, and teak is the darkest shade. Note that both teak and sapele panels are explicitly referred to as veneer (which at least means not solid wood of their type). solid bamboo. The 4000 series panel (pictured above) retails for $55 and the larger 5000 series panel costs $75.
The case looks unique and attractive, at least to my eyes, with those wood panels. I could see him picking them up. But $75 seems a lot, especially for a 5000 series panel.In particular, the entire Fractal North case Now on sale for $130 (opens in new tab)However, in all fairness to Corsairs, these panels definitely have more wood than the North’s slatted front panel.
Regardless of the price, Fractal North’s cases have been arguably the best-selling cases of the last few years, making annual best-of-the-year lists on several prominent sites. And given its relatively affordable price, it’s likely to sell well (although both color variants are currently stuck at 86 and 90). List of Amazon’s best-selling cases (opens in new tab)). So it’s no surprise that Corsair adopted its own wooden accessories fairly quickly.
Expect to see more wood-accented chassis, perhaps by this year’s Computex trade show. After several years of RGB and glass everything, wood is a fresh alternative case option. It will be interesting to see how companies do it when designing around materials from scratch and how long it takes before the market is so saturated that people cringe. No, but I’m excited to see where this trend will go.
