XPG BattleCruiser Super Mid-Tower Review

ADATA is a company synonymous with creativity and innovation. Founded in 2001, the company started out with a singular focus on becoming an industry leader in offering memory solutions. Fast forward to 2020 and their XPG brand carries with it the same creativity and innovation philosophies that have made the company such a success. This formula is quickly recognizable in their line of PC Mid-Tower cases, the Invader and BattleCruiser. 

Having reviewed and been blown away by the Invader earlier this year, I’ve been itching for the chance to test drive the BattleCruiser. Taking a different approach to design over its counterpart, the Battlecruiser boasts a more flexible design to accommodate a wider range of components. So after a week of swapping parts, lights and layouts I’m ready to give you my thoughts on XPG’s BattleCrusier Super Mid-Tower Chassis. So grab that coffee, kick back and enjoy our review of the BattleCrusier from XPG. 

Specifications

• Price: $140.91
• Dimension (H*W*D): 485*225*506mm (19.09*8.85*19.92 inch)
• Color: Exterior & Interior - Black/White
• Material: SPCC Metal
• Side Panels: 4mm tempered glass
• Form Factor: Mini-ITX, Micro ATX, E-ATX
• 3.5” HDD/HDD Tray: 2+1
• 2.5” HDD/SDD Tray: 5+1
• I/O Port: Type C Gen 1 *1, USB 3.0 *2, HD Audio (Mic &SW) *1, LED Control *1
• Fan Included:
  • Front: 3 x 120mm ARGB Fans (1200 rpm)
  • Rear: 1 x 120mm ARGB Fans (1200 rpm)
• Fan Support
  • Front: 3 *120mm, 2 *140mm
  • Top: 3 *120mm, 2 *140mm
  • Rear: 1 *120mm
  • Bottom: 1 *120mm
• Radiator Support: 
  • Front: 360/280/240mm
  • Top: 360/240mm
  • Rear: 120mm
• Clearance:
  • CPU Cooler Height Limitation: 170mm
  • Graphic Card Length Limitation: 400mm
  • PSU Length Limitation: 225mm

Fashion...

When I had reviewed the Invader earlier this year, I noted that it was designed as “a chassis that allows for easy building and one that complements the components...within it without becoming a light show”. The BattleCrusier takes that concept of complementing the components and throws in the light show, and what a beautiful light show it is. Sporting three ARGB intake fans and one ARGB exhaust fan the Cruiser offers a lot of illumination to everything happening inside. The fans themselves are 120mm ARGB with white blades framed in a black case and centerpiece. They look sleek even without any illumination.

With 4mm tempered glass on both side walls as well as the front panel, the Crusier stands out no matter which angle you view it from. The all-black chassis (also available in white) features a brushed metal front frame that secures the glass in place. The side frames feature matte-finished metal rails with triangular holes punched out to allow light accents to pour through. 

The only branding on the case is a sharp-looking XPG logo on the front frame and the signature XPG logo on the power supply enclosure. Speaking of the PSU enclosure this model separates the PSU and 3.5’ HDD shelves with a hard break line between the two. It helps create a distinction between the two areas and looks sharp at the bottom of the case. 

The backplane features a host of interesting mounting points and offers a unique rubberized cable passthrough system. It helps keep cables clean as they wrap around to the backside of the case. The whole chassis has a distinctly industrial feel and feels rugged and large compared to the Invader. The design is distinct and aims to set itself apart from its counterpart as well as other towers in its weight class. 

... and Function

Speaking of design I want to highlight just how solid this case feels. The chassis, like the Invader, is built from SPCC metal. This coupled with the 4mm tempered glass on the front and sides makes the BattleCrusier feel solid. It commands attention when looking at or picking it up. I appreciate the level of quality that when into the construction.

In regards to construction, the chassis is designed for quick access to any part of the system. Both side panels and the front panel can be removed without the use of tools. The front panel even has magnetic points so that it can stay clipped in even if the thumbscrews are removed. Its an intelligent system and one I wish more chassis would adopt.

One of my favorite aspects of the Cruiser is that even the fashionable elements of the case serve a functional purpose. The aforementioned cable passthrough system not only looks interesting but it’s one of the best cable cleanup systems I’ve seen. It offers much more freedom to route cables while maintaining the appearance of the backplane. 

The BattleCrusier also boasts a storage capacity of up to 9 HDD/SSD. Interestingly, even if you were to pack out this PC with storage only two would actually be visible from the feature side. This is because XPG has done an incredible job of utilizing the backside of the chassis to store drives. Additionally the PSU cover doubles as additional 3.5” HDD storage. Everything is tucked away leaving you with a clean PC install. 

Speaking of the PSU cover it also doubles a cable hideaway allowing you to tuck all the extra cable length away. The whole ‘out of sight out of mind’ saying is taken to the next level with the BattleCrusier. Unlike the Invader which fully encloses the PSU, this chassis opts for a small cutout to allow RGB that might be present on your PSU to shine through. This adds to the already flashy array of lighting in the case.  

I’ve mentioned that the BattleCrusier is designed with all gamers in mind. This becomes clear when you begin to see just how much room there is inside the chassis. The mounting points for the motherboard alone support everything from a mini ATX to an E-ATX accommodating for whichever you may have. 

Additionally, the backplane supports two GPUs (installed vertically) which means gamers no longer need to move to a full-size tower to get that extra GPU (brings new meaning to having your cake and eating it too). Additionally, the chassis has Rad support in front, top and rear allowing gamers to customize their cooling to best fit their needs. 

The top-front panel of the Cruiser offers some onboard USB 3.0 ports and a single USB C port as well s a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack for quick access. All of the cables for this panel are tucked away and easily accessible. It’s clean and allows for that additional functionality which is impressive considering how much of the chassis is made of tempered glass. 

Additionally, the chassis comes with an XPG PRIME ARGB Combo Controller for the ARGB system. You can simply connect any ARGB component to the provided cabling system and it syncs up with the case settings. Pushing the button allows you to cycle through a series of color presets and, while there are no advanced control options on the stock chassis, the presets provided do allow you to create some beautifully colorful themes for your ARGB.

One concern I did have while working with the ARGB cabling was that the cables didn’t stay connected to one another well. On the Invader the connection points felt solid (I went back and checked just to confirm). On the BattleCruiser, however, I actually had to open the side panel up a couple of times to reseat connections. It was a bit odd considering how well every other part of the chassis performed. 

Final Thoughts

The XPG BattleCrusier is an almost perfect chassis in every way. From functional design to aesthetic innovation the Crusier aims to offer something for every type of gamer. Aside from some weak ARGB connections, everything about this chassis communicates quality. The fact that it comes with so many flexible options for gamers, offers an aesthetically eye-catching design and is priced at such a reasonable $140 USD is amazing. 

While other cases of this caliber tend to add at least another $100 to the price tag, XPG paves the way to allow pros and more budget-conscious PC builders alike the opportunity to build a beautiful system. If you’re in the market for a new PC case you would remiss if you didn’t consider the XPG BattleCruiser.

The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of review.