Specifications of ADATA XPG Invader X
Fan mounting locations of 120mm or 140mm: 8
Included fan size from 120mm to 200mm: 5
Dimensions (height, width, depth): 18.7 × 9.6 × 17.6 inches
Front panel ports: High definition audio
Front panel ports: USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (2)
Front panel ports: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Color of included fan lighting: RGB controllable
2.5-inch internal drives: 3
3.5-inch internal drives: 3
Color of internal chassis lighting: None
Maximum height for CPU cooler: 175mm
Maximum length for graphics card: 425mm
Supported motherboard sizes: ATX, MicroATX, Mini-ITX
Expansion slot locations: 7
Supported power supply form factor: ATX
Maximum length for power supply: 425mm
Power supply mounting location: Bottom
Side window?: Yes (tempered glass)
Weight: 19.3 kg
Design: Card Display
The amount of hardware required to install the graphics card vertically in the case ranges from simple and economical to complex and costly. The ADATA XPG Invader X includes the complete mounting kit, as shown below … (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
As you can see, it’s not just a specialized strip cable. The case mounting kit also includes a complete slot bracket and three alternative slot covers: the four-slot vertical card holder is designed to replace the standard seven-slot graphics card bracket as shown through the surrounding glass below. If you install the card vertically, you are replacing the entire PCI Express card mounting area. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
ADATA XPG Invader X starts us off with a puzzling problem, as you need those alternative PCIe slot covers since those on both the added card holder and the factory-installed card holder are the type of breakable and disposable covers, which is a cheap case feature. However, the Invader X is not a cheap case by far, as its $170 price includes the $50 graphical cable shown in the first image and the five ARGB-equipped fans shown in the second image. None of that is cheap.
Upon flipping the case, we can see the openings on the right-side steel panel that feed the three ARGB-equipped side fans, the four screws that secure the removable card holder in place, and four additional screws allowing the removal of the power supply holder from the back. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
The top is also ventilated, concealing the removable panel where another fan can be mounted. Readers who have been observing carefully up until now will notice that all the side fans are reverse models (drawing air through the frame), while the back fan is a standard model (pushing air through the frame). The bottom is also reversed, so the case is configured at a ratio of 4:1 of intake to exhaust fan. XPG expects to add three additional 120mm fans to the top panel as exhaust fans to achieve balance. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
Here we get a look at the bottom intake fan located behind the front panel ports. The gap next to the fan shows that this installation is also designed to accommodate 140mm models, although it may not make much sense to mix things up in a case equipped with four additional 120mm fans you have purchased. The front panel ports include two USB 3.x Type-A ports and one Gen 2×2 Type-C port, and the front audio jack is the type for microphone/headset. The power button includes a power LED indicator, and the reset button includes an LED indicator for disk activity. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
A second look at the bottom fan gives us a view of the other holes required for the installation of 140mm fans, but the star of this image is the pull-out dust filter. Making it slide out from the side is a clever trick that will save users a lot of time and effort in maintenance, and it is long enough to cover both the intake fan and the air intake of the power supply. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
After
removing two screws, the top part of the panel slides back and is pulled off to reveal the other dust filter, although we will treat it here as a cover rather than a pull-out filter, as the manufactured fans are configured to use the top panel as an exhaust outlet. Magnetic strips are secured around its edges to the underside of the top panel. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
The fan holder below has over 410 mm of ventilation space from side to side – enough to accommodate the end caps of most models in 360 mm format – but it sits only one inch above the motherboard. This makes taking horizontal displacement highly significant, as the cooling system with a width of 120 mm (including 240 mm and 360 mm radiators) sits about 58 mm from the surface of the motherboard: it far exceeds the height of our 44 mm RAM modules. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
The right side made of steel sheet slides back and glides precisely like the top, but things get strange with the left glass side. You first need to loosen the screws that secure it to the back panel of the XPG Invader X, and then lift it from the vertical slip marks at both the top and bottom of the frame. Since the glass is surrounded at the bottom and front, the easiest way we found to grip the panel and move it upwards is to wrap our hand around the cooler’s top panel holder with the thumb on the outside and fingers on the inside. After moving it upwards, we were able to place our free hand in the gap between the bottom of the panel and the case frame to hold it more securely. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
Surprisingly, the front panel also has only two screws. These secure it under the front edge of the right side panel, and removing these screws allows the front panel to be pulled away from four mounting cavities. By the way, this means that someone could pull the front panel halfway from the opposite side before realizing there are screws behind the right side panel. (Don’t ask how we found that out.) (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
This is how the ADATA XPG Invader looks with all those panels removed. Note the drive tray covering the area behind the CPU cooler panel. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
The tray can hold three 2.5-inch drives or three 3.5-inch drives, or any combination of those, at three mounting locations. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
After removing the tray, we get a better look at the cable access holes that run above and in front of the motherboard, as well as the much larger access opening designed to facilitate the installation of mounting plates for large CPU coolers. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
Did you notice the front panel cable cover in the other images? The bottom shows what you were seeing and why you were seeing it. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
Building with the ADATA XPG Invader X
We presented this installation kit again because it contains an expensive part that helps justify the price of the ADATA XPG Invader X, and we will summarize here that the case uses silver screws (instead of black) to blend better with the white touch of this case. The kit also includes cable ties, a quick start guide, a sticker pack, a bracket for vertical GPU mounting, and a support bracket for horizontal GPU mounting. (However, if you’re paying full price for this case and not utilizing the vertical GPU mounting, you probably chose the wrong case.)
The cables include the full set for the buttons and the indicator set (meaning: no missing wires), high-definition audio for the front panel headphone jack, and a USB 3.x Gen 1 connector with 19 pins for the Type A ports, along with a USB 3.x Gen 2 connector of 2×2 (now referred to as Type-E) to feed the Type C port on the front panel. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
When
While watching our full ATX hardware installation, you may notice that we forgot to rotate the lock nut to the body of the horizontal GPU holder, and that the front edge of the deep 9.6-inch motherboard sits 1.3 inches behind the rear edge of the side fan, and that a 240mm radiator is short enough to allow us to reach through the remaining radiator mounting hole to access the side panel, as discussed in the previous few paragraphs. These last two details mean that users of smaller EATX motherboards (i.e., enthusiast models that tend to be 10.6 to 10.8 inches deep) can install the board without interfering with the side panel cooler space. Also note: The length of the horizontal graphics card is also limited to under 11 inches (measured 10 7/8) when adding a radiator to the side fan. (XPG quotes 270 mm or 10 5/8 inches.) (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
Since our radiator is only slightly thicker—just an inch from the gap between its installation and the top edge of the motherboard—the entire edge is hidden behind our 240mm cooler. The approximate clearance of 58mm from the horizontal cooling fan extends very well downward above the top edge of our memory without interference. (Image: Thomas Soderstrom)
ADATA XPG Invader X Test
Fortunately, we finally have a large enough selection of cases with glass-covered sides and upward-facing side fans to make direct comparisons on this day. Anyone wishing to compare results from other types of cases should know that we have used the same hardware in most ATX case tests for over a year. Here, we will compare with three similar glass cases: Xigmatek Aqua Ultra, Hyte Y40, and NZXT H9 Elite.
With plenty of positive airflow exiting from the top of the case through our CPU cooler, the ADATA XPG Invader X led the competitive pack in our CPU temperature table.
Unfortunately, the ADATA XPG Invader X places the CPU cooler fan away from the heat sink barriers on the motherboard, reducing the cooler fan’s impact on cooling those components. It ranked third among four examples with the same configuration.
We hoped the bottom fan would assist in cooling our graphics card even though it wasn’t aimed directly at it, but that did not happen. The ADATA XPG Invader X came in fourth out of four.
However, the ADATA XPG Invader X is the quietest case we’ve tested in a long time, which is especially impressive considering the five installed fans from the in-house brand. With fan measurements around 1240 RPM at full speed according to tachometer output, the low noise of the fans becomes negligible behind the noise of the CPU cooler and GPU cooler.
Verdict: Silent Invasion, Half Successful
The ADATA XPG Invader X case is a mixed bag. While the sliding window panel design and overall pricing leave something to be desired, the inclusion of five quiet ARGB-enabled fans and all vertical mounting hardware brings us back, only to discover that the glass side panel is frustratingly difficult to handle. Our build and analysis session wavered between pros and cons.
In short, it depends on how much you like the case design and how insistent you are on installing your graphics card vertically. If both factors get a green light, the ADATA XPG Invader X might earn a four-star recommendation for you, especially since it provides all necessary equipment in one box. But if you are planning to leave the vertical GPU mounting cable and its supporting hardware in a drawer, you could find a better case at a lower price.
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