XPG Starker Mid-Tower PC Case Review

XPG is one of the best gaming brands out there, and while its roots may be firmly planted in the world of high-end storage and memory products, ADATA’s premium gaming brand, XPG has certainly built a solid reputation of its own. They’ve created some truly stunning PC cases too, such as the XPG Defender Pro, the XPG Battlecruiser, and the XPG Invader. They’re all high-end PC gaming-focused cases, brimming with the latest features, and I’m hoping the new Starker can keep up the same pace as its predecessors, as well as all these other awesome XPG products we’ve seen in the last couple of years.

XPG Starker

It certainly seems well equipped, with a range of features that are sure to appeal to high-end gaming PC builders. It features a large tempered glass window, allowing you to show off your hardware, as well as some integrated RGB options. There are removable dust filters, and tool-free panels, allowing for easy maintenance. It includes plenty of fan mounts, 6 in total, as well as a range of options for radiators of up to 360mm in the front and 280mm in the top, as well as a good range of storage options too.

Features

• SOLID and SLEEK FRONT PANEL DESIGN – XPG STARKER Series is a very compact chassis to make the most of the ATX format. Powered by XPG :Exoskeleton Design Language, it sports a functional and sleek front panel design featuring two front ARGB lighting strips to mark its gaming DNA and it is offered in both Black and White color variants.
• INNOVATIVE Removable-on-Rail DUST FILTER – The innovative Removable dust filter on-Rail design is easy to clean and intuitive as well as very efficient in protecting your chassis to build up dust on your components.
• SUPPORT VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL VGA INSTALLATIONS – A replaceable VGA Bracket design makes it easy to exhibit your graphic card with lighting effects vertically or horizontally even within the extremely compact size.
• EFFICIENT AIRFLOW LAYOUT – Support up to 6 fans in total, and up to 360mm radiator at front, 280mm at top, and a 120mm at rear.
• STORAGE OPTIONS – XPG STARKER chassis supports up to x2 3.5” HDD and x2 2.5” HDD/SSD storages, and a Combo Drive available for both 2.5” and 3.5” storage sizes.
• STARKER’s I/O PORTS – A complete set of I/O ports for users to quick-access USB accessories, audio or to switch between pre-programmed lighting effect modes.

For in-depth features and specifications, please visit the official XPG Starker product page here.

Exterior

They say first impressions are important, and honestly, the XPG Starker makes a pretty great one. It’s not a particularly outlandish design, but I like that. I don’t want my case to look like a Transformer (well, not all the time). I want something smart, clean and stylish and the Starker delivers on that. There’s a tempered glass window down the side, with a bit of black trim around the edges to smarten things up.

The front panel looks great, with a couple of large cutaways at the sides, but otherwise, the ventilation takes up the full height on each side, so the airflow is going to be great while still maintaining a clean front panel design.

There’s a decent I/O panel on the top too, offering a pair of USB 3.0 ports, and the usual power controls. However, there’s also a small button for controlling the built-in RGB hardware.

The top panel is covered with a large magnetic dust filter, which will keep dust and debris out of your case.

Of course, just lift it off, and you’ll find room to mount 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fans; that also includes radiators up to 280mm, obviously.

The right side panel is just a solid steel panel; clean and simple.

Around the back, there’s a fairly standard ATX layout, with the motherboard I/O, seven expansion slots, and the PSU mount in the bottom of the case.

What’s nice to see is that there’s additional ventilation near the top.

Further ventilation to the right of the expansion slots, and all of those covers are reusable metal ones too.

The fan is pre-installed, but there are elongated screw holes, allowing a good range of height adjustment.

On the underside of the case, there’s even more ventilation! Plus, a full-length clip-in dust filter here too. However, you will have to tip the case to clean this one, but that’s fine with me, it’s still a nice feature to have.

A Closer Look – Interior

Opening up the Starker, and you’re treated to a stunning interior design. You can see there’s a large cut-out behind the motherboard, allowing for easy installation/changes to your CPU cooler mount.

Cable routing options are interesting too, with three large grommets running along the top of the case.

Plus, a further two large grommets along the right side of the motherboard.

The PSU shroud also offers up three cut-outs along the bottom edge of the motherboard. As well as a single cut-out to pass GPU power cables up vertically; I love this one, all cases should have this cut-out!

The PSU shroud its self is pretty cool looking too, with loads of ventilation, which is certainly a bit of a theme with this case. However, as you can see, it has a huge cut-out to view the PSU its self.

Plus, that cool offset XPG logo design.

The shroud can have two 120mm fans mounted directly to it, that’ll pull air in from the bottom ventilation on the case. There are also some holes here to mount a vertical GPU bracket.

In the rear, you’ll find a single ARGB 120mm fan is pre-installed.

And a single 120mm fan is pre-installed in the front.

Behind the motherboard, you’ll find a decent amount of cable routing space, and there are cable tie loops dotted around to help keep things neat and tidy.

Of course, the PSU shroud will hide some cables too, so getting a clean looking build shouldn’t be too difficult.

There are two drive mounts located directly behind the motherboard, with a tray that can be removed for easy installation.

Plus, there’s another drive cage below the shroud.

The built-in RGB features of the case need power, so make sure you’ve got a spare SATA header for those. Other than that, it’s not time to get on with the build!

Removing the front panel, which is held on by magnets, you’ll find a full-height dust filter is integrated into the case, giving us three filters in total.

However, this one uses a unique vertical slide-out mount, ensuring it fits snug into the case.

Complete System

Honestly, this case is pretty straightforward and really didn’t have any crazy features or surprises to deal with. That’s not a bad thing though, it means the build was so standard that I could have done it with my eyes closed! There’s a great amount of space on the interior, and the motherboard dropped into place with each, and all mounts were simple to access.

Cable routing options are great, and while it’s strange to see more cable routing holes above the motherboard than at the side of it, the configuration did work just fine.

It’s nice having a large grommet for the 4+4 pin cable, as many cases restrict this to a cut-out that’s barely big enough!

The motherboard 24-pin fit through with ease, those larger grommets making short work of the larger cables.

The same goes for the GPU, which can leverage that vertical pass-through on the PSU shroud. This just looks infinitely better than dragging a cable over or under the GPU!

The Starker isn’t quite as long as some, which is nice for me, as it reduces the footprint in the office. However, it can still handle some pretty huge graphics cards, just be sure to measure up before you order.

Overall though, it’s a really simple yet effective build. All the drives are hidden around the back, cable routing is great, and there’s lots of airflow.

Of course, it also has some ARGB lighting, with that rear fan syncing up with whatever is going on with the front panel.

It’s not too “in your face” either, adding a highlight of colour to the build, rather than being the dominant feature, which I like.

Plus, with the RGB button on the front panel, you’re a tap away from finding a new theme to suit your taste.

How Much Does it Cost?

The XPG Starker Mid-Tower Tempered Glass RGB PC Case is available now on Amazon for £76 for the black version, and £82 for the white version. Of course, which one you like the best is really up to you, but I think they both have their merits. Overall though, they are the same case, it’s just the colour they’ve switched up. The price is fair for this case too, it’s not a bargain and it’s not overpriced either.

Overview

XPG make many of my favourite cases, and while I admit this is one of the less adventurous designs, I can’t argue with what you get for this price. Firstly, it’s a great looking case, it’s got a design that’s flashy enough to appeal to the gaming market while staying fairly understated too, so it wouldn’t look painfully out of place in your living room or even the office.

I like that it looks like it’s a clean front panel design, but really it’s got a huge amount of airflow. There are vents down the full height of the case, as well as those deep cut-outs, allowing for plenty of airflow. Sure, there’s only a 120mm fan in the front and one in the back, but the case will take up to three fans in the front, two in the top, and one in the rear. Of course, you can also have up to a 360mm radiator in the front and 280mm in the back should you need them. Airflow is great, but also clean thanks to the huge dust filter that covers the bottom of the case, the full-height filter in the front panel, and another large dust filter on the top of the case.

The RGB isn’t overdone on this case either, which some cool integrated ARGB effects on the front panel adding a highlight to the case. Of course, the ARGB fan in the rear syncs up with it, creating a nice unified effect. With the cables hooked up to your motherboard, you could sync it with other hardware too.

The build process was super easy too, thanks to loads of space under the PSU shroud, plenty more behind the motherboard, and large grommets and cut-outs throughout the case to ensure everything gets where it needs to be easily and cleanly.

Should I Buy One?

The XPG Starker is a very competitive case, offering plenty of room for high-end hardware, and providing options to deliver the level of airflow and cooling your system will need. I really love the subtle ARGB lighting, excellent cable routing options, and extensive implementation of dust filters. Overall, the Starker is an easy case to build in, but it’s also going to be an easy case to live with day to day.