Case Deconstructed – Outer Shell
The Core X9's plastic front panel is held to case's frame by several mount pins integrated into the back of the panel. To remove, you simply pull gently away from the case front along the bottom of the panel. Behind the lower portion of the panel is a removable fan filter, held in place with integrated metal clasps. The covers for the 5.25" device bays also contain filters should you choose to use an upper fan in lieu of the bays. The bay covers are held in place with rear mounted push tabs.
The included 200mm fans mounts to the bottom center of the case with the three 5.25 drive bays sitting directly above it. The fan is sandwiched in between the front panel and the case frame. The case supports using an additional 200mm fan in the upper portion, in leui of using the front device bays, as well as mounting of up to a 360mm radiator along the inside of the case. Along the upper left and upper right outside of the frame front are the mount points for the control panel assembly with rubber grommeted pass-through holes provided for the control panel wiring. The control panel assembly as well as the dummy panel mount to the case by screws directly into the case frame. The 5.25" device bay trays are held in place with four thumbscrews mounted through the front of the case frame into the device bays.
The case's default left side panel features a full size acrylic window flush fit through the back of the panel. The window is held in place with metal clamps along the outside of the window on the rear side of the panel. The panel is held in place with two thumbscrews integrated into mount points in the upper and lower rear of the panel. The panel can be used on either side of the case.
The three 5.25" device bays have tool-less locking clips accessible from the inner left side of the case. You simply press down on the front of the clip and lock the nubs into the screw holes at the back of the device. Notice the rubber grommeted pass-through hole next to the device bays, allowing for easy routing of the case control panel wiring into the case. In the lower portion of the case's left side are the two 3.5" drive bays, supporting mounting of up to three drives in each of the removable bays. The bays can be mounting in the left or right lower side of the case, but are mounted on the left side by default.
The case's default right side panel features dual vented rectangular areas with magnetic mesh filters that fit over them from the rear of the panel. Both vented areas stretch the length of the panel with the lower vent sitting over the lower portion of the right side, aiding in air intake for side mounted fans or radiator. The panel is held in place with two thumbscrews integrated into mount points in the upper and lower rear of the panel. The panel can be used on either side of the case. Thermaltake also offers an after market windowed panel where they place a window in place of the upper vent area.
There is a rubber grommeted pass-through on the right side of the case next to the 5.25" devices bays if you choose to relocate the control panel assembly to the right side of the case. The blank panel is installed by default. In the lower front portion of the side panel is a fan holder plate mounted vertically, that can be used to hang dual 120mm fans aor a single 140mm fan or a liquid cooling radiator from the side rails. The fan mount doubles as a hard drive bay mount if you mount it to the bottom of the case (or as a fan or radiator mount in the bottom orientation as well. The mounting flexibility exhibited in the brackets design begins to illustrate the true customization power that Thermaltake built into the Core x9. By default, a PSU can be mounted in the lower left side of the case with dual grommeted pass-through holes provided for easy PSU cable routing.
Similar in design to the right side panel, the case's top panel has dual vented rectangular sections that run the length of the panel. The vented areas have rear mounted magnetic mesh filters as well and act as air ventilation for top mounted fans or radiators. The panel is held in place with two thumbscrews integrated into mount points in the left and right back end of the panel. Note that the panel is shorter in width than the side panels, preventing use of the side panels on the top portion of the case.
Wtih the top panel removed, the true genius in the case's design begins to reveal itself. Thermaltake designed the Core x9 with dual removable top mount brackets supporting up to dual 200mm fans, six 140mm fans, eight 120mm fans, and radiators that fit those dimensions. Both brackets are interchangeable with one another and are mounted to the case with four thumbscrews, two each at the front and back of the brackets. The brackets stretch the full depth of the case, resting on the front and back frame of the case. Notice that the upper part of the case frame has securing points for the top brackets to further stabilize the assembly, in addition to the thumbscrews. To aid in fan mounting, the brackets have etched markings on their upper surface designating which mounting holes to use for which fan size – 12 designating 120mm fans, 14 designating 140mm fans, and 20 designating 200mm fans. For using the dual 200mm fan configuration, it is recommended to center-mount a single bracket instead of using the dual bracket configuration shown.
This is similar in concept to
This is similar in concept to my Caselabs M8…. only a whole lot cheaper. It’s nice to have coaster wheels though, especially when you watercool and have several liters of water in the loop. After all, a case that’s difficult to move, won’t get flushed.
Great overview Morry.I just
Great overview Morry.I just got the white version of this case. Love it so far. With just the stock fans my 5960X is running 10c cooler. Can’t wait for the follow up.
Got this case for my father’s
Got this case for my father’s PC. Didn’t quite realize just how large the case really was. Not complaining. It was a joy to work with. After dealing with an Antec 300 it was nice to have all the extra room for activities and a PC.
It is a very large case.
It is a very large case. Really got my feel of how large it was when I hauled it to a LAN party earlier in the year. That being said, it is a joy to work with and has more space than most of us could fill (though I've done my part in trying :))…
Huh. I’ve been going in the
Huh. I’ve been going in the opposite direction lately, towards smaller more space efficient cases. I can’t imagine lugging this case around!
think i might have found a
think i might have found a replacement for my fractal design r5. running an e-atx mobo in that and it is cramped. MSI X99A Xpower AC
I love the way this case
I love the way this case looks. I wouldn’t mind doing a build in it in the future.
Bought this case last summer.
Bought this case last summer. It’s been good, other than the flimsy side panels. I’ve filled it up.
I own this case and honestly
I own this case and honestly I moved to it from a Corsair 900D and I couldn’t be happier with it. My Corsair had so many quality control issues with things not lining up right after spending $350 for a case and this one only being $140 with tax and its quality was amazing. I wish I could get a Caselabs case but honestly I can’t justify spending a large amount on a case after my burn with Corsair’s. One complaint I do have with the case is the motherboard tray. I wish it doubled as a midplate so I could not see the rads and stuff below but I solved that with a piece of black acrylic I just cut a whole new motherboard tray and had it extended all the way to the front panel.
I was thinking about doing
I was thinking about doing something similar, not necessarily replacing the entir try, but more extending it forward with 1/4 acrylic and adding a side piece in front of the window, with some type of backlit design…
I’ve been looking for
I’ve been looking for something like this that was cheaper than Caselabs and not fugly like Mountainmods. Looks good.
OH DEAR… This is just an
OH DEAR… This is just an fugly, made in china and bad copy of the Caselabs S8 or the smaller S8S. If you don’t believe it look for some images.
They also took the very little details, incredible, pedestal concept included.Even every grill is in the same exact position. I wouldn’t be surprised if it also had the same exact dimensions. If I was between the designers that worked on this thing I would feel embarassed.
But this is not even the first.. They also copied other designs from the Caselabs lineup.
SHAME !
* Actually after looking at
* Actually after looking at it even better I noticed has tyhe same height of a S8 but it’s longer, as it supports 480 rads instead of the 360s.
I also noticed the grills have the same exact mesh design.. At least they could’ve change that.
What in the What is a 540mm
What in the What is a 540mm radiator. 140*4=560.
What in the What is a 540mm
What in the What is a 540mm radiator. 140*4=560.
A 540mm radiator is 3x180mm,
A 540mm radiator is 3x180mm, not a very well known or wide-spread size, but supported according to the Thermaltake documentation…
Morry, did you try to fit a
Morry, did you try to fit a drive in the five and a quarter inch bays?
i have the X1 and the drive does not fit flush with the front of the case, just wondering if all the Core X cases are like this
http://imgur.com/wQ7vkpi
http://imgur.com/ewTVICb
http://imgur.com/OlyaKh7
The Core X9 is similar, where
The Core X9 is similar, where a device mounted in the 5.25" bay is not flush with the front…
Thanks a lot for featuring
Thanks a lot for featuring this! I got my eye on it back when it was mentioned on “pick of the week”. Got it based on this review to replace Cooler Master Sniper case, which had issues with drive cages, cable management and cleaning. Loving horizontal motherboard mount and the ways that I can route multiple SATA cables. Was thoroughly confused, however, on how best to install case fans and direction of push/pull that would be effective for something this large. Looking forward to advanced version to get more ideas on how to play with it.