The NZXT H9 Flow RGB is a rare design: an angled-front PC case that also supports backward-facing motherboard connectors. This peak-transparency chassis is high-quality and striking; we had just a few quibbles around its fans.
Make a good thing bigger, why not? NZXT’s H9 Flow RGB scales up the stunning design of last year’s H6 Flow into a full tower PC case. Outfitted with three front ARGB-compatible fans and built from rigid steel, the $209.99 H9 Flow RGB adds support for motherboards with backward-facing connectors and delivers that same design excitement, with an angled front face and a dual-chamber interior. Our main quibbles were with the fans—fan buzz and a lack of more fan filtration are two things to contend with—but experienced PC builders will find workarounds. For less out-of-the-box hassle, users with MSI Project Zero or Asus BTF motherboards might opt for the practicality of more traditional, and budget-friendlier, cases like the Asus TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB or the even-cheaper Corsair Frame 4000D RS ARGB. But this chassis could be the ultimate mainstream case for cable-hiding showoffs.Design: Angling for Airflow and Cable Concealment
NZXT offers the H9 Flow in three versions. The first is a $169.99 base model (no “RGB”) with three ordinary fans up front and one in the rear. Our $209.99 RGB test model comes with three RGB-equipped fans up front, but uniquely encased in one combined fan “unit” (more about which later) that NZXT calls its RGB Core Single Frame design; the rear fan is a single RGB spinner. Last, a top-end RGB Plus model ($289.99) includes a second RGB Core Single Frame triple-fan unit on the case bottom.
Traditional front-fan cases have the advantage of blowing air directly onto the components that those fans are intended to keep cool, but side-radiator cases (like Lian Li’s O11 Vision Compact) offer better views of internal components for showcase-PC builders. Seen previously on models like NZXT’s own H6 Flow and the more recent APNX V1, angled fan mounts like those on the H9 Flow RGB offer the best of both worlds. All three cases also share a dual-chamber design, in which the case is wide enough to fit the power supply mounting area behind the motherboard tray. That, in turn, moves the angled fan mount far enough to the right to give onlookers a straight view from the case’s front window to the front edge of the motherboard. The H9 Flow RGB is merely the first such case we know of to support the rear-facing connectors of MSI’s Project Zero and Asus’ BTF -style motherboards.
NZXT seems to think that you’ll want the H9 Flow RGB on your desk, as its headset (headphone/microphone combo) jack, USB 3.x Type-C and dual Type-A ports and power button are all lined up along the bottom, too far down for floor-tower users to reach.
