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9000D RGB AIRLOW Build Log by Harmless Potato

INTRODUCTION

We asked one of our Insiders, Harmless Potato, to write up a build log to chronicle his experience with the CORSAIR 9000D RGB AIRFLOW Super Full-Tower Case. The following build log is entirely his own words. Enjoy.

My name is Harmless Potato, but I mostly go by just Potato. I have been building custom computers for about five years. I have also been a CORSAIR Insider for almost a year, which has allowed me to do what I love: building computers.

When asked to build in the 9000D, I was excited to do so in such a massive case. I have always loved seeing Obsidian Series 1000D builds, so I was excited to see what changes were made with the 9000D Airflow. This case has truly massive capability, quite literally. It can basically fit anything you desire. Below, I will describe my build and the changes made with the 9000D RGB Airflow in a little detail.

COMPONENTS

From a white PCB motherboard to a custom-painted white CORSAIR XG7 GPU block, I wanted to do a full white-out build with the white 9000D, which wasn’t a color available for the Obsidian Series 1000D. Here are the parts I used for my build.

CORE COMPONENTS

- Case: CORSAIR 9000D RGB AIRFLOW Super Full-Tower PC Case
- Fans: 10x CORSAIR iCUE LINK QX120 RGB 120mm PWM PC Fans Starter Kit with iCUE LINK System Hub - White
- Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus X670E Pro X
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
- RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR® TITANIUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 6000MT/s CL30 Intel XMP Memory Kit — White, CORSAIR DOMINATOR TITANIUM DDR5 Lighting Enhancement Kit — White
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4090 Founders Edition
- Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB, CORSAIR MP600 ELITE 1TB, MP600 ELITE 2TB
- PSU: CORSAIR RM1200x SHIFT 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply - White
- Lighting: CORSAIR LS430 Aurora RGB Light Strips - 430mm
- USB Hub: CORSAIR Internal 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub

HYDRO X CUSTOM COOLING COMPONENTS:

BUILD PROCESS

Motherboard Installation

In this case, this ATX motherboard looks tiny, almost like an ITX. However, the 9000D can fit on an EATX motherboard.

Fan mounting

Mounting the fans within the case. This is one of the new changes with the 9000D introduction of InfiniRail. With the older 1000D you were constrained to the pre-mounted fan positions, with the 9000D you are not. The 9000D offers an infinite fan adjustment across these pegs that slide on sets of rails. Because of this, you can center your radiators and fans as I did. You are also able to adjust the rails to accommodate 120mm, 140mm, and 200mm mounting positions. Below is the new InfiniRail system.

All 30 QX120 fans are installed in a push/pull configuration on 4 radiators. Yes, FOUR radiators with push/pull on them. This case can do it!

GPU mounting peg

This is another change in the case. GPUs seem to grow heavier with each generation. The back of the case has a peg with 2 different sliding positions for securing it. This is a really nice touch for those who want to keep their GPUs air-cooled.

Hydro X Custom Cooling

Here are some photos of the process of making the Hydro X loop. My build features two separate loops, one for the CPU and another for the GPU.

CPU loop.

Second loop for the GPU

How I bridged the radiator together. 90-degree rotary fittings with a short Softline run.

Completed dual loops.

Cabling

Another new feature of the 9000D is the front I/O cables. Instead of individual USB cables for each of the case's 1-2 USB ports, you plug in a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C cable. This looks cleaner and makes cable management a little easier. I hope all future cases from CORSAIR adopt this. It's a nice feature!

Here's a look at the back of the case. Thanks to iCUE LINK's single cable system, cables were super easy to manage even with 30x QX120 fans, 2x XD5 pumps/reservoirs, blocks, ARGB PSU Strips, and an Aurora RGB strip. The case also utilizes iCUE LINK for the front CORSAIR Sails logo and front IO lighting, with a single 3-pin cable connecting to a LINK Adapter.

Thanks to iCUE LINK, cabling is cut down significantly. As you can see here, I have the front and backside fans connected to each radiator. The fans are in "banks," which is what I have called them for this build. The left and right radiators for the top and front are in pairs and routed to the back with only 4 LINK cables. I am so thankful for iCUE LINK. I can’t imagine doing a build with 2 cables per fan. It’s truly amazing how 16 front fans and 12 rear fans only require 4 cables routed to the back of the case!

French doors to hide the cabling.

FINAL BUILD

Two XD5s are shown for both loops.

Inside look.

Front/side view of the build.

SUMMARY

This case was extremely fun to work with. There is ample room to accommodate any of your custom water-cooled PC setups. It takes what made the Obsidian 1000D special and modernizes it. Everything, in this case, has a purpose and is carefully thought out. There is plenty of room to do basically anything you want within it. Whether you want to do a single loop, dual loop, four radiators, or even an AIO, the 9000D has you covered with all your wants and needs!