Review System

Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means. Interestingly enough, Montech ships the X3 with the mATX spacer layout pre-installed. You will have to find your own tools to unscrew and relocate them to where they need to be for an ATX board. It would really help if Montech would include a cap to use a classic screw driver for this process. Inserting the board is quite tight underneath; the rear fan and bottom edge leave no room to the shroud. That said, it fits well all things considered. Using most long GPUs should not be an issue either as the X3 Mesh has space for up to 305 mm long units. That said, our 2080 Ti leaves enough room for a thin front-mounted radiator as well.


To add a 2.5" drive, simply pull off a plate of your choice and secure the drive with the provided screws. Lastly, put it back in place on the rear of the motherboard tray and make sure it stays there by re-applying the thumb screw. The plate gives you enough clearance between the drive and motherboard tray to connect the cables without issue.


To install a 3.5" drive, the steps are essentially the same, but require you to remove two thumb screws to pull out the cage. You may then screw the drive down inside or on top of the cage, before putting it back in place underneath the shroud.


Adding a mainstream PSU is no rocket science either, as it is also held in place by classic screws underneath the shroud. With its 160 mm depth clearance, the PSU bay should provide ample space for most units out there, including the 650 W 80 Plus Gold variant we employ in our reviews.


Adding an 240 mm AIO in the ceiling of most affordable, compact enclosures usually either limits the height of motherboard heatsinks or causes memory clearance issues. However the Montech X3 Mesh does not only provide enough space for both of those components, it also allows for a push/pull configuration without issue.


With everything installed, the interior looks pretty clean for the most part. You should even be able to squeeze a radiator into the front by pushing the ceiling-mounted setup towards the rear of the chassis a little bit. Thanks to the well-placed hooks, you are able to secure all the cables nicely as well.

Finished Looks

Once turned on, the first thing you will notice is noise. The Montech X3 Mesh with its six fans at full speed is certainly not quiet. At least the tri-color, rainbow-like illumination actually looks nice and is probably one of the more popular lighting effects for most users. If you do not like it, you may just turn it off with the press of the toggle button on top of the chassis.


Looking at the front, you can clearly see the hub-mounted LEDs illuminating the fans through the metal mesh. These six fans also help light up the interior of the chassis, which readily shows off all your cool hardware due to the clear glass side panel. In the rear, things looks pretty traditional with all the cables and connectors in their usual spots for a modern chassis.


In the top, with the push/pull configuration of the installed AIO, you also retain the rainbow glow of the two 120 mm fans, which is a nice touch.