We’ve seen some Gertie gear released into the wild over the past few months.with Component size continues to grow, PC enthusiasts and DIY builders had to consider yet another consideration when upgrading parts. Will they fit in my existing case? Taking that question a step further, if the components fit, can the case’s cooling solution handle that much heat in such a small space?
Not without answers, NZXT has released new size tiers in its H-series redesign: the H9 Flow and the H9 Elite. Will it fit your needs? We’re trying to find it!
specification
- Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: USD 239.99 (H5 flow available for USD 154.99)
- Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
- Front Panel I/O: 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x Headset Audio Jack
- Mounting support:
- Top Case: Supports 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm fans, max 360mm radiator
- Case back: 1x 120mm fan
- Side: 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm fans, supports up to 360mm radiator
- Bottom: 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm fans
- Fan included:
- H9 Elite: 3x F120 RGB DUO 120mm fans (side mount), 1x F120Q 120mm (rear mount)
- H9 Flow: 4x F120Q 120mm fans (3x side mount, 1x rear mount)
- Rear cable Velcro strap
- NZXT RGB with fan controller (H9 Elite only)
- Dimensions: Width: 290mm, Height: 495mm, Depth: 466mm
- Available colors: matt white, matt black
- Warranty: 2 years
- PCIe 4.0 Vertical GPU Mounting Kit Available for $89.99
If you’ve been following their releases for the past year, NZXT has been vying for more real estate on your desktop.from monitor To microphone, mouseand motherboards, this year was the year of the NZXT desktop takeover, but that’s a story for another time!
In the midst of all these releases, NZXT is in the process of redesigning their H-series case lineup. While the redesign doesn’t deviate much from the iconic minimalist design, we did notice an overall increase in the case’s footprint. am. NZXT has listened beyond just improving the overall airflow of the H-series. in some really creative waysIt’s in this line-up redesign that we find the H9.
The H9 is classified as a mid-tower case, but the H9 H7 Thanks to the dual chamber design. This design allows key components to be the star of the show, and the extra space in the back promotes clean cable management. Within this extra space, the H9 has a mounting wall for up to four SSDs. and a vertical power mount that shares the wall with the motherboard tray. This extra space provides valuable space at the bottom of the case for fans.
Speaking of space for fans, the H9 doesn’t lack fan mounting options. At the bottom of the H9 is room for up to three 120mm fans, two 140mm fans, or similarly sized radiators. On top of the case, the H9 Elite uses a transparent mounting bracket tray for fan mounting. The case comes with two of these trays, one supporting up to three 120mm fans and the other supporting up to two 140mm fans. More on that in the build section.The back has room for just one 120 mm fan, similar to the H5. Both the H9 Flow and H9 Elite cases have his F120Q fan from NZXT installed here.
Moving on to the front of the case, the H9 has room for a 360mm radiator or three 120mm fans. This is where the 3 fans included in the H9 are mounted for intake out of the box. I received the H9 Elite for review, so these fans were his F120RGB DUO fans from NZXT, with addressable RGB on both sides of the fan. The H9 Elite is also equipped with NZXT’s RGB and fan controller V2 modules.
We are at the forefront of the case, so let’s talk about connectivity. The H9’s front panel I/O gives users access to two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A connections, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connection, and a headphone jack. The front I/O cable ships neatly secured in one of the H9’s cable trays for easy connection once the motherboard is installed.
Like the redesigned H-series, the H9’s PCI access is designed to accommodate NZXT’s vertical GPU mounting kit. This mount doesn’t come with the H9 Elite, but the mount fits nicely into the socket if that’s the aesthetic you’re looking for.
The H9 Elite is available in matte white or matte black finish for US$239.99. Like the H5 and H7 series, the tempered glass panel matches your favorite color theme. The black case is tinted glass and the white case is clear glass.
Building the NZXT H9 ELITE
Over the years, we’ve built PCs in many different cases. Personally, a lot of my builds have been NZXT cases – I have a particular type! taught me.
Historically, the NZXT case has been a tool-less design to access the case. The H9 is a bit far from that, but not in a crushing way. After all, you need tools to build your PC. The tempered glass side and top panels can be removed without tools, but the front panel appears to be screwed on, so I didn’t try to remove it. Like the rest of the H series, the back panel was attached with thumbscrews, but in the wall of the SSD he had two small screws that had to be removed. This was a necessary step to access the cable and cableway. A nifty feature of this piece is that the area near the screw is magnetic and keeps it in place in case you need to switch the orientation of the case.
Once the panel was removed, I started looking at fan mounting options. NZXT was kind enough to send us enough fans for our case, so we started looking at our options. I wanted to keep the existing fan as is, Kraken Z73radiator into its slot. Thanks to the removable mounting bracket, that was hardly an issue.
With the radiator in place, I considered the fan orientation above and below the case. I needed to use two 140mm fans and three 120mm fans, so I decided to place the 120mm fans at the bottom of the case using the removable brackets for the two 140mm fans on the top of the case. . A decision was made, so I mounted the fan to the top bracket, but decided to save the final mounting until I could insert the motherboard into place.
To provide an Elite Experience, NZXT gives us N7 Z790 MotherboardUnsurprisingly, the H9 Elite was stunningly beautiful to look at. Once that was in place, I started running the cables for the Kraken AiO and started thinking about cable routing. And the options were plentiful!
I noticed that the H9 uses a variety of Velcro cable straps, including screw-on straps similar to those we’ve seen on the H5 Elite. Personally, it’s not my favorite strap, but it looked a little more voluminous than the H5. They’re safe, but I’m a little concerned that these could become a point of failure if you put the wrong amount of tension on the straps.
One of the benefits of having more space in the back of the case is additional cable routing options. The H9 Elite hid his two vertical tie-down channels behind the SSD mounting wall and a horizontal one that runs along the top of the case. This made routing the fans, power supplies, and RGB cables pretty simple and minimized most of the confusion.
Unfortunately, much of the cable clutter comes from the PSU being mounted in the middle of the cavity. The wall of SSDs and the channel directly behind them provide some coverage, but the routing power was more visually cluttered than we would have liked. Routing blocked. It wasn’t terribly messy, but I had to get creative. What was annoying though was that I realized I had forgotten to install his CPU mounting bracket on the Kraken before I started running the cables to the PSU. I had to completely remove the PSU because of its location. Fortunately, NZXT’s C-series PSUs are modular power supplies, so it didn’t take long.
Once everything else was in place, I reinstalled the top fan bracket. And I have to squirt a little bit about this bracket. Many cases have removable brackets, but I’ve never built one into a PC case. I have big hands and don’t want to be without this option in the future. Open access to the CPU cable plug was a dream come true. I didn’t know what I was missing until this moment.
After installing the brackets, I started sorting out the RGB and fan cables, returning to the NZXT fan and RGB controller V2. After this module disappeared from the H5 Elite, it was a welcome sight to see it return to the H Series Elite case. The H9 Elite went one step further and included several fan splitter cables in the module.
I had to get a little more creative with the fan’s RGB connections. The included module (when paired with a cable splitter) was sufficient for the fans, but it didn’t have enough connections to support all RGB connections on its own. Luckily, NZXT includes his RGB controller module with a fan multipack, and Kraken supports radiator fans as well. Even with these extra devices, I had to install an internal USB hub.
With the cables managed and everything in place, I took advantage of NZXT’s PCIe 4.0 Vertical GPU Mounting Kit to mount the GPU. For such a beautiful build, I decided to use an equally beautiful GPU. NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3090 Founders EditionOf course it doesn’t RTX4090But it’s a gorgeous and powerful GPU worthy of a showcase build like the one offered by the H9 Elite.
final thoughts
Since the H9 series cases are boutique cases, I wanted to install some high end AMD X670E and Intel Z790 motherboards to see how they would look on the H9 Elite. Unfortunately, those components have creeped into larger form factors, making the H9 a better fit for his ATX or smaller motherboards. A larger motherboard can be fitted, but you’ll need to remove parts such as cableway shrouds, special cables, or modify the case itself. This felt like a missed opportunity as it would limit the builder from utilizing components that would really benefit from a beautiful case like his H9.While I haven’t given up on options yet I’m a little disappointed bottom.
Beyond that, NZXT’s H9 Elite has a lot to offer. The wide-open design, versatility of fan mounting options, and airways make this case airflow-friendly. The dual-chamber case is a new design for his NZXT, but the brand’s iconic design philosophy is evident throughout the build. From the seamless tempered glass panel and removable clear top plate to the wide open component cavities, the H9 is super clean and ready for a spectacular build.
With the H9 Flow at US$159.99 and the H9 Elite at US$239.99, NZXT offers a premium case at a premium price. But if you like aesthetics and are looking to build the ultimate his NZXT-themed PC, the H9 and H9 Elite are the new zenith for the company and what matching monolithic monolithic builds look like Update the blueprint of what it will be.
