XPG Valor Air Plus Chassis Review

The Valor Air Plus brings a breath of fresh air to the mid size market with great cooling support and an affordable price tag? It this everything enthusiasts are looking for? Stay tuned to see for your self!

As the name implies, the new Plus version of the Valor Air model is literally all about more air. XPG sells two models: one with four pre-installed fans and another with a single rear exhaust fan. We’re looking at a mid-sized chassis that claims to balance modern cooling prowess with support for a front-mounted 360mm AIO against its surprisingly narrow frame and aging tooling constraints.

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Unboxing and First Impressions

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The Air Plus arrives in a cardboard box, ensuring the contents are secure and intact. The presentation is clean and straightforward upon unboxing, with all components carefully packaged to prevent damage. The case comes with an easy-to-follow user manual, essential screws, and cable ties, making the setup process straightforward. The first impression is one of a thoughtfully designed product aimed at both novice and experienced PC builders.

Design and Build Quality

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The modern, minimalist design seamlessly blends aesthetics with functionality. The case features a durable steel frame and a tempered glass side panel, allowing users to showcase their build. The mesh front panel enhances airflow while adding a stylish touch. All components feel solid and well-engineered, with no sharp edges or flimsy parts. Cable management options, such as Velcro straps and ample routing holes, further reflect the attention to detail in its construction.

The I/O is on the top of the chassis, and besides the Power Button and Reset Button, you also find two USB 3.2 Type-A ports and an Audio/Mic Combo Jack

Compatibility and Space Utilization

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Despite its compact size, the XPG Valor Air Plus efficiently uses its interior, ensuring a clean and spacious build. This case supports a variety of motherboard sizes, including ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX, catering to a wide range of build requirements. We even fit our extended ATX board, which we use for noise measurements, along with the chromax.black NH-D15, which barely fit, almost touching the glass. The theoretical max cooler height of the chassis is 160mm, while Noctua’s height is 165mm with the fans installed. This is typical as cooler manufacturers usually display a higher number than the actual cooler height to compensate for any minor clearance issues and be on the safe side.

Compared to other models built on this chassis, PSU compatibility officially supports units up to 170mm long. Still, if you remove the storage bracket, you can accommodate longer units.

Cable management is possible, but space is a luxury on the back of the motherboard. The reuse of older tooling and its narrow design leaves little room to play with. Regardless, if you take your time, you can make all the necessary cables fit, but imagine having all your drive bays populated! (Please don’t judge!)

Cooling and Airflow

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The chassis accommodates up to eight 120mm fan, four of which come in the box of the “VALORAIRPLUSMTA”, three on the front and one at the rear. Besides those, you may install up to two more fans on top of the PSU shroud to direct airflow to your GPU and two more as top exhaust. The top panel can also accommodate a 240mm long radiator. Longer 360mm radiators must be placed at the front of the chassis.

Pre-installed magnetic dust filters behind the magnetic front cover and at the top of the chassis provide excellent dust protection and are easy to clean. An additional non-magnetic dust filter sits on the bottom to keep dust out of your PSU.

Storage Options

The case offers flexible storage configurations, similar to the Invader X Mini. Officially, you can have two 3.5″ drives on the bottom and two 2.5″ drives behind the motherboard or one 3.5″ drive and three 2.5″ drives.

ARGB Lighting and Aesthetics

The four XPG Vento fans have ARGB headers, allowing you to control their color through your motherboard. A good-quality glass side panel also improves the appearance of your components.

The ARGB lighting on the XPG Valor Air Plus is a highlight. It features vibrant, customizable effects on the front panel and included fans. The lighting syncs seamlessly with major motherboard software, allowing users to personalize their builds. The tempered glass side panel provides a clear view of the internal components, making it an excellent choice for showcasing high-end builds with RGB accents. The overall design balances subtlety and flair, appealing to a broad audience.

The technical specifications refer to the VALORAIRPLUSMTA model we tested. XPG sells another variant (VALORAIRPLUSMTN) with just one rear exhaust fan.