XPG Valor Air Plus Mid-Tower PC Case Review

I’m a fan of the XPG cases, having reviewed a bunch of them over the years, they’ve always ticked all the right boxes for enthusiast PC gamers and often had really competitive prices too. XPG may not be the biggest name in PC cases, but honestly, they’re more than worthy of your attention, so stick around! The XPG Valor Air Plus is a mid-tower PC case that aims to deliver a balance of performance, aesthetics, and affordability. With its focus on high airflow, it caters to gamers and enthusiasts who demand efficient cooling for their powerful components, so basically, all of us.

XPG Valor Air Plus

The Valor Air Plus offers ample space for high-end hardware, including support for large graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and a variety of cooling solutions with room for up to six 120mm fans and multiple radiator configurations. There are dust filters throughout, and even a magnetic front panel for quick and easy maintenance. Supporting Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX motherboards, this case can accommodate a wide range of builds. Storage options are plentiful as well, with space for both 2.5″ SSDs and 3.5″ HDDs, so for gaming PCs to a tidy new workstation, the Valor Air Plus has you covered.

For those who appreciate a touch of flair, the XPG Valor Air Plus offers ARGB lighting. Alternative models are available in black/white and some are equipped with four pre-installed 120mm ARGB fans, allowing you to customise your build’s aesthetics with vibrant colours and effects controllable through compatible motherboard software or XPG PRIME.

Key Features

• High-Airflow Magnetic Front Panel: Ensures efficient air intake and easy cleaning.
• Versatile Cooling Options: Supports up to 6x 120mm fans and various radiator configurations (360mm front, 240mm top, 120mm rear).
• Spacious Interior: Accommodates graphics cards up to 340mm long (like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition) and CPU coolers up to 160mm tall.
• Multiple Configurations: Supports Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX motherboards.
• Ample Storage: Fits up to 3x 2.5″ SSDs or 2x 3.5″ HDDs with a removable HDD tray.
• ARGB Lighting: Some models come with 4x pre-installed 120mm ARGB fans controllable via motherboard software or XPG PRIME.

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W x D): 482 x 200 x 400mm
• Colour: Black or White
• Material: SPCC
• Side Panels: 3mm Tempered Glass
• Form Factor: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX

A Closer Look – Exterior

The XPG Valor Air Plus doesn’t tinker much with the current PC case meta, it’s pretty much what you would expect in 2024, really. What I do like is that it has a relatively compact footprint, it’s not too long, but they claim it’ll still hold an RTX 4090, although I’d measure twice if you’re getting some of the custom ones like the larger ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI models, etc.

Down the left side, there’s a full-height tempered glass window, so whatever you put in here, you’ll be able to show it off in all its glory. There’s even a cut-away in the PSU shroud so you can see the PSU through the window too.

Around the right side, it’s just a solid black panel, nothing crazy, just a durable panel and quick-release thumbscrews holding it in place.

The front panel has plenty going on, with a full-height section of ventilation, ensuring your build gets plenty of airflow. There are two versions of the case, one without stock fans, or one with three fans in the front and one in the rear, but of course, it’s up to you which is best suited to your needs. There’s a cut-away on the sides too, giving it even more airflow, but don’t worry about dust getting through, as there’s a filter built into the front panel too. The cover is magnetically mounted, so just pull it away, and you can get to the filter, and fans, and just generally clean and maintain it more easily.

Around the back, it’s business as usual, with a 120mm fan mount at the top, with elongated screw holes to allow a small amount of height adjustment.

Below that, you’ll find seven expansion slots, each fitted with ventilated metal covers. Weirdly, they’re snap-off covers, yuck! …but fear not, there’s seven reusable covers included in the box, so like… yeah, it’s not a problem, but still a very odd way to do it.

Finally, below that, there’s an ATX PSU mount, with ventilation on the bottom of the case, and a dust filter, ensuring it gets all the airflow that it needs.

A Closer Look – Interior

It’s a very nice interior, with nothing really sticking out anywhere, it’s very tidy and that’s a good thing, as it’s going to be on show through that large tempered glass window.

XPG has kept things very basic here, with just simple rounded cut-outs behind the motherboard and for the cable routing holes. Honestly, I’m fine with that, grommets and a few brackets may have their benefits, but clean and simple has its own good qualities too.

There’s a good amount of space in here, but nothing too crazy, it’ll hold up to an ATX motherboard with plenty of room for the cables around it.

There is room for a large graphics card, unless you put a radiator up front, as that will certainly cut into the available space quite drastically, as the case isn’t overly long from front to back.

However, it can support a slim radiator up on the top too, so you at least have some options on how you configure it.

The PSU shroud is built in, keeping all the boring cables and storage stuff hidden out of sight. However, there is a small cut-away here, allowing you to see the PSU design, which is pretty neat; unless you happen to have a particularly ugly power supply, of course.

Behind the motherboard tray, there’s a modest amount of space for cable routing, but of course, there’s the PSU shroud too, so you can stuff any excess cables under there anyway.

There’s a space to mount a pair of 2.5″ SSDs behind the motherboard, with a removable plate to ease the installation process.

There’s also a removable tray at the bottom of the case, which supports a 3.5″ and 2.5″ drive too.

Complete System

XPG has really kept things predictable here, and I’m totally OK with that too. It’s fair to say the PC case market has become a lot less adventurous in the last couple of years, it’s like we hit a formula that works and case interiors have largely been the same ever since. I could have built this one with my eyes shut.

The cable management is in all the right places, and while there are no grommets, the holes have rounded corners and edges so nothing snags up, and they’re not too big, so it helps to keep things neat and tidy with ease.

There are two routing holes above the motherboard, covering both possible CPU PSU connector configurations.

And plenty more along the bottom for all your I/O connectors, such as USB, Audio, etc.

I like that while there is a PSU shroud to hide all of the cables and boring bits, there’s a little cut-away so you can actually see the power supply. There’s a trend in PC building to hide more, and I’m OK with that too, but sometimes it’s nice to actually see more stuff too.

Cooler support is excellent, with room for a 360mm radiator up in the front, or a 240mm in the top. Personally, I can’t see anyone buying this case using more than a single AIO cooler, but keep in mind that a front-mounted radiator will eat into the available GPU space.

There’s a maximum of 340mm of clearance here, so a Founders Edition RTX 4090 will fit, but some aftermarket ones most likely will not. Furthermore, I’ll say it twice, using radiators in the front will shorten the available space, so be sure to measure twice.

Overall though, it’s a nice-looking build, nothing too crazy, just clean and relatively simple, but I like that, it’s very beginner-friendly, but has enough features here to satisfy more established PC building enthusiasts too.

The inclusion of a full-height tempered glass window is welcome too, allowing you to see all the hardware, from the motherboard down to the power supply, while maintaining clean cable management, and plentiful airflow throughout.

The front air intake is massive, and you can either make this your own with the fan-less version of this case or get the model that comes with a bunch of fans pre-installed if you want to make it even easier to build your next system.

How Much Does it Cost?

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, I couldn’t find this case in stock anywhere in the UK. That’s not to say it won’t be in some pre-built systems or smaller retailers, but I used the XPG where to buy page, and while they suggested Novatech, Box, LaptopsDirect, CCL, eBuyer, and Amazon, it wasn’t available at any of them, or any others that I searched. That’s a real shame too, as I rather like this case. XPG tells us that it should be priced at just $64.90.

Conclusion

The XPG Valor Air Plus is a solid contender in the mid-tower PC case market. It offers a compelling blend of features, aesthetics, and affordability, making it a great choice for both novice and experienced PC builders. It’s a budget case, but it ticks all the right boxes while being a bit smaller that a lot of other mid-towers.

Design

The Valor Air Plus boasts a modern and sleek design with a tempered glass side panel that showcases your internal components. The magnetic front panel allows for easy access to dust filters and fans, simplifying maintenance. While the overall aesthetic is understated, at least until you turn the RGB fans on, it’s a versatile look that will fit into most environments.

Ease of Use

Building in the Valor Air Plus is a breeze. The spacious interior provides ample room for component installation and cable management. The well-placed cutouts and tie-down points make it easy to keep things tidy behind the motherboard tray. Just keep in mind the length from front to back is a little more compact, so some custom RTX 4090s will not fit.

Build Quality

The case is constructed from steel and plastic, and while it has a sturdy and durable frame, the panels are a bit on the thinner side as you would expect from this price range. The tempered glass panel is also a nice touch, adding a premium feel. Overall, the build quality is on par for this price point.

Features

The Valor Air Plus comes with a decent set of features, including dust filters at the front, top, and bottom to help keep your system clean. It also has good I/O ports with two USB 3.2 ports and a 3.5mm audio/mic combo jack. For cooling, it supports up to six 120mm fans, and it has a full-view tempered glass side panel to show off your components. Of course, the version I have came with four fans pre-installed, which is certainly a nice addition.

Should I Buy One?

As mentioned earlier, the availability of the Valor Air Plus seems to be limited at the moment. Hopefully, this will change soon, as it’s a case worth considering. If you’re looking for a stylish, functional, and affordable mid-tower case, the XPG Valor Air Plus is definitely worth checking out. Its god decent cooling capabilities, it’s easy to use, and it has generally good hardware support and cable routing. Plus, it’s available with four RGB fans or without fans to suit your requirements.