Assembly

As the Corsair 9000D RGB Airflow now provides all the cutouts to support BTF motherboards, we went ahead with that form factor. There were no issues with this, with each opening providing ample space and clearance for the connectors with complete access as well. The redesigned grommets take up less width so that the GPU support bar has space as well.


If you want to install an ITX system alongside your primary one, you have to adjust the usual order in which to install your parts. Ideally, you start out with the PSU, then put its cover back, add your ITX board and all the components on it, pre-wire it if you can and then move on to the ATX board. In our case, it was a bit of trial and error, so we just went with the PSU as a second step. The case can hold a unit of up to 225 mm in size under the cover, which is more than enough for even the most powerful units. Adding a GPU is straightforward as well, with the GPU support actually holding up pretty well even though it is plastic.


Thanks to the slide out feature in combination with the InfiniRail system, installing a 360 mm radiator is straightforward. On top of that, even once it is installed, you can slide it along the rails to find the sweetspot without having to loosen any screws. The case is so large that we were barely able to reach the CPU with the tubing of our AIO. This is food for thought, so that you don't run into the same issues. As you can see, there is so much height above the board that you can absolutely combine thick radiators with a push/pull fan configuration and still be clear of your motherboard.


Installing an ITX board on the shroud is easily done once you remove the plate on the back of the case. That plate is a bit annoying, as the primary PSU is mounted through it, meaning you will have to remove two PSU mounting screws to remove the plate and then put those screws back. Corsair could have easily redesigned this, so this would not be an issue - even though it is just an edge case and not detrimental to any functionality of the chassis. The ITX PSU easily fits as well. We installed our fan facing outward, assuming the cases side panel to have a vent to allow for fresh air access. As you will see at the end, this is not actually the case.


For the ITX system, the only viable spot for an AIO was the 240 mm placement possibility in the back of the chassis, as all other areas were simply too far away. This position worked well and there is ample room for the CPU block to fit—even if your AIO has the pump built on top of that block instead of into the radiator—as long as you don't fully load your primary ATX board with expansion cards.


Lastly, the GPU, in our case a dual-slot GeForce 4060 Ti, fits just fine. You should have no length limitations as long as you stick to true dual-slot cards. That said, if your primary GPU is unusually wide, things could get a bit tricky in terms of power cable routing. The two GPUs do form a little bit of a pocket so thermals just above the ITX board may not be the best, NVMe drives, memory or the chipsets will run a bit warmer in such setups.


The trays for the 3.5" drives are made of plastic, but come with metal pins for a solid tool-less experience. They are very flexible, so snapping a drive into place is easily done. 2.5" drives however, will need to be secured using classic screws. Oddly enough, Corsair only supplies enough screws for three 2.5" drives, even though the case can hold up to 11 of them. Naturally, we would expect there to be the right amount. Once these trays are filled, simply slide them into place until the plastic latches them into place securely.


Adding an SSD into one of the trays requires screws and a screwdriver to mount them. These are designed in a way to keep the connectors fully accessible, which is a small but important detail. Once filled, simply put the frame back unto one of the hinged door panels.


With everything installed, the backside of the Corsair 9000D RGB Airflow still looks so bare, even though we have wiring for two full systems inside. The sheer size of this chassis means that you should be perfectly fine even if you fill it up with a lot of hardware. Velcro straps would have been a welcome sight, especially as the hooks for zip ties are tiny, but you should still be able to get a good result with a bit of effort and your own supply of additional zip ties to complement the ones Corsair provides you with. Closing the two interior doors, you can see that there is a vent in the bottom right corner, exactly where the SFX PSU is. While this is a tad small, it is still a welcome detail. However, as soon as you put the side panel in place, this area is blocked off. You can also see that damage in the top right corner of the panel. We tried flattening it ourselves, but that thick steel doesn't want to budge. That speaks to the amount of force that pierced the box during transport - the blame is clearly on UPS.


Turning the system over to its main side, the two systems seem miniscule inside the case. The BTF board means that almost all wiring is invisible, while the upright GPU of the secondary system hides the cable mess of the ITX board, which is likely the one aspect you won't be able to route nicely in comparison within the Corsair 1000D RGB Airflow. In general, besides the GPU power cables, the only other wires we can see are the cables from the ceiling AIO coming straight down. The only way to potentially hide this would be to use fans with interconnects or run extension wires so that you can take the long route horizontally to the back and then straight down vertically. As a last step, the heavy-duty glass panel can be placed on the hinges of the case to finish the build.

Finished Looks

With the panels in place, it completes the overall look of the case, thanks to the elements at the front edge of both panels. Turning the system on, the Corsair logo in the center and the IO panel all are lit up through the iCUE LINK hub, so you have the same level of control over this illumination as all the other iCUE enabled parts within your setup. Having the USB ports and buttons lit up will also make it super easy to find them in the dark.


Looking at the front, you can see the Corsair logo at the center, but it is a bit obstructed by the steel front panel. One could argue that Corsair could have designed the front panel with a little opening or glass insert so that you could still see the brand in all its glory. Looking through the glass panel, you can clearly see all the components inside the chassis, even though there are no fans illuminating them, thanks to the clear surface lacking any tint. In the rear, both the power sources are on the bottom, with both motherboards easily accessible as well. It would have been a nice touch to have external cable management, but I can see users routing zip ties through the vents on the left of the motherboard to pin down any wires if it is really an issue.


Lastly, the power button for the ITX system in the back of the Corsair 9000D RGB Airflow also lights up, but in a simple, clean white instead of the full-blown, iCUE controlled color range.