Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition review

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Verdict:

The drive caddies are useful for quickly installing graphics cards, but the V9 BlacX needs refining in other areas.<br>

Review Date: 11 Apr 2011

Price when reviewed: £76

Buy it now for: £115
(see more store prices)

Supplier: http://www.dabs.com

Reviewed By: Tom Morgan

Our Rating 3 stars out of 5

Thermaltake’s V9 Blacx Edition is ideal for anyone that frequently opens their case to change hard disks. Two roof-mounted drive caddies can accommodate a 3.5 or 2 1/2in disk each, saving time and keeping the case interior free of unwanted extra cables.

Because the drive caddies block the topmost external 5.25in drive bay, there are only three bays that can accommodate an optical drive. Five internal 3.5in drive bays use tool-free retaining brackets and face sideways, which makes it easier to add more storage. With a full-length graphics card installed, we struggled to fit anything in the two external 3.5in bays without bending power and SATA cables. The front panel USB3 port has a pass-through cable that has been routed through one of the pre-cut water cooling holes, so it will have to be relocated to use liquid cooling.

Two 120mm fans create a steady flow of air through the case, but it’s the huge roof-mounted 230mm fan that provides the best cooling performance. It can spin far slower than a 120mm fan, yet still move the same amount of air. Unfortunately, without speed controls on each fan, case noise was higher than we would expect.

Without any pre-cut holes for cable management, the V9 is difficult to keep tidy when assembling a PC. The Perspex side panel only highlights a messy interior and the large mesh cut-outs won't help with fluff and dust ingress. Noise was still an issue despite the 230mm fan, so the NZXT H2 is a better choice for a quiet computing experience.

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