INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   A few months back a friend of mine came over to visit and after taking a good look at our test rigs he asked if we knew of any PC cases that featured lots of interior space like the 900D used to house our primary system but just not as tall since he has space constraints (obviously only in height). Had he asked that question three or four years ago the answer would unfortunately be no but lately some manufacturers have released cube-like cases some of which can actually rival the interior space of very large full towers like the 900D by Corsair or the Cosmos II by Cooler Master but with a much lower height. Without doubt the most popular amongst those PC cases is the brand new Core X9 by Thermaltake not only because of its interior space and features but also because of its snow white version and today we're going to be taking a very close and thorough look at it.

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

   It may not be a full tower like the Obsidian 900D or the Cosmos II but the Core X9 is shaped like a large crate so it actually has enough room for even more components inside. To be more precise the Core X9 supports up to E-ATX large mainboards with a total of 8 PCI expansion slots, has room for up to seven 3.5" or eight 2.5" drives, features three 5.25" optical drive bays, can be outfitted with up to 20 fans (120/140/200mm) and/or 7 radiators (120/140/240/280360/420/480mm) and has enough space for CPU coolers up to 250mm in height, graphics cards up to 590mm in length (400mm with the 5.25" drive bay) and 220mm long power supply units (with a bottom fan installed). The entire case also features a modular design (interchangeable side panels, removable drive cages, mainboard tray and fan mounts) and there's not even a single fan spot where the Core X9 doesn't have air-filters in place. To see is to believe however so let's move forward with our review of the latest Core X9 E-ATX Cube Case by Thermaltake.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thermaltake ships the Core X9 inside a standard brown cardboard box that has a large product drawing at the front, the product name and the company logo.

 

 

The specifications list is placed on the right side of the box while on the left we see a few words about the product in 12 languages.

 

 

At the rear of the box there's a drawing that showcases the modular aspect/feature of the Core X9.

 

 

Typically the case is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two thick foam spacers.

 

 

Inside the box you will also find the User's manual, warranty information paper, 10 cable ties, mainboard speaker, radiator bracket and two plastic bags with all the necessary screws and standoffs to install your system.

 

 

THE CORE X9 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As mentioned earlier the Core X9 looks a lot like a crate and because of the SPCC steel its 502mm tall, 380mm wide and 640mm long body weighs a total of 17kg.

 

 

Most of the left side panel is taken by a clear window (you can mount the panel on the right side if you wish).

 

 

The I/O is located on the left side as well and includes the on/off power and reset buttons, power and HDD activity LEDs, four USB 3.0 ports and the usual microphone and headphone ports.

 

 

The fascia features three 5.25" optical drive bay covers and a black steel mesh.

 

 

If you remove the fascia you will see that all three 5.25" covers feature dust-filters and so does the mesh area beneath them.

 

 

You will also see the preinstalled 200mm fan (can be removed to place a 240/280mm radiator or a 360mm if you remove the 5.25" bays) and the thumbscrews which hold the 5.25" bays in place.

 

 

The top panel also features a steel mesh and air-filters beneath it.

 

 

Thanks to the two removable mounts placed beneath it you can install up to eight 120mm fans, six 140mm fans, four 200mm fans or two 280/360/420/480mm radiators.

 

 

Moving at the rear we see a 120mm exhaust fan (can be replaced with a 140mm fan and/or a 120/140mm radiator), the 8 PCI expansion slots and the PSU areas (you can choose between left and right) one of which has a 120/140mm fan mount installed.

 

 

The right side panel is virtually identical with the top panel while at the bottom we see 4 tall removable feet and two long removable dust-filters.

 

 

THE CORE X9 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior of the Core X9 is so spacious that even the 900D would have a hard time competing.

 

 

All three removable 5.25" drive bays feature tool-free lock mechanisms.

 

 

The mainboard tray has three rubber grommets for cable management and a large opening beneath the CPU care (it's taken however by another plate).

 

 

Right beneath the mainboard tray we see two drive cages each with three drive trays.

 

 

These drive trays are quite sturdy and can open on both sides to make it easier to mount the drive (support both 3.5/2.5" drives).

 

 

Both drive cages are removable and so are the fan/radiator mounts placed right beneath them (you can mount these on the sides of the case).

 

 

This is what the interior of the Core X9 looks from the right side (do notice the two rubber grommets next to the PSU area - that piece is also removable).

 

 

Once again both the right side and the top panels feature removable air-filters (magnetic ones).

 

 

Depending on the size of the PSU you choose to mount the base has room for 120/140mm fans and up to 480mm radiators.

 

 

There's also a metal stand at the rear end which you will need to adjust according to the length of the PSU.

 

 

Remember the mainboard cut-out beneath the CPU area?

 

 

Well after removing the mainboard tray and turning it over we see that it's actually yet another 3.5" drive mount (you can also use it with two 2.5" drives).

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Once again we used a full size ATX mainboard and as you can see the only "problem" with using an E-ATX model would be that it would also cover the three rubber grommets.

 

 

Taking a look from the side makes us all wonder as to the why Thermaltake didn't use a slightly longer mainboard tray.

 

 

Next we placed a 360mm radiator at the top with 3 120mm fans which as you can all see felt right at home without any changes.

 

 

Of course you can also place longer 420/480mm radiators at the top as long as you remove the first 5.25" drive bay as seen above.

 

 

Even the longest graphics card in the office (Gainward GeForce GTX590) is no match for the Core X9 as you can all see from the above picture.

 

 

The same goes for the power supply unit we used and the good news is that you can still mount at least one 120mm fan right next to it.

 

 

Even with all the components we installed (not really many but quite large) the Core X9 still has room for anything you could ever hope to install inside a PC case.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Swapping hardware components all the time is not easy when using a small PC case so I always choose the largest ones possible for our test rigs like the Obsidian 900D and the Cubitek HPTX-Tank. Now regularly cube cases have a single drawback since you need access from both sides to swap some of the hardware components (with towers you only need that when swapping CPU coolers or mainboards) but since the Core X9 by Thermaltake offers lots of interior space that shouldn’t really be a problem. On top of that the design of the case clearly gives it some advantages over regular towers since it has space for two 480mm radiators at the top but just in case this is not enough for your build (I don’t know why it wouldn’t however) it even has room for a single 480mm radiator on either side, 360mm radiator at the front and up to a single 480mm radiator at the bottom (providing of course you remove both drive cages). With enough room for seven 3.5” or eight 2.5” drives and literally the tallest CPU Coolers, longest graphics cards and power supply units even the most demanding users will have no problems building their dream systems.

   As I type these lines the Core X9 E-ATX Cube Case by Thermaltake retails for USD182.57 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 162Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is actually quite balanced considering what It is that you’re getting (the Frozen White version retails for even less in some stores). Long story short if you have enough space on your desk or floor and you’re looking for a PC case with enough interior space for anything you may ever want to place in it then the Core X9 is a safe bet and since it delivers on everything Thermaltake says it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Interior Space (Can Fit The Tallest CPU Coolers And Longest Graphics Cards And Power Supply Units)
- Room For Up To 20 Fans
- Room For Up To 8 Radiators
- Space For Up To Eight 2.5"/3.5" and Three 5.25" Drives
- Dual PSU Area
- Tool-Free Design
- Air-Filters For All Fan Spots
- Removable Drive Cages And Mainboard Tray
- 2 Pre-Installed Fans (120/200mm)
- Stackable Design (You Can Place Another Core X9 Ontop)

 

CONS

- Price (For Some)