Assembly

Installing an ATX board within the case is a snug fit, but thanks to the well-placed cable management openings. The GPU is installed using the usual methods as well and easily clears the two intake fans on the side of the chassis.


Adding an SSD to the mix using the mounting plate requires you to utilize the provided screws. Once filled, simply put it in place and secure it with the thumb screw.


Similarly, the HDD cage can be removed once removing two thumb screws. The downside is that these are located on the underside of the case, so you will end up having to tip your system over to get to these. Your 3.5" drive can either be fitted on top or inside the cage using screws once again. Interestingly enough, there are two possible positions for the HDD cage, but there is no need to leave any room towards the front of the case, as there is nothing you could use it for anyway. As such, we placed the drive in that spot to give us as much room as possible for the PSU. In other words, Montech could do away with that placement choice without compromising the functionality of the case at all.


Adding a PSU to the system is just as straightforward and even big units will fit easily within the Montech XR. Once positioned, one has to use four screws in the back of the chassis to pin it down.


Even though the Montech XR is fairly compact, that 360 mm radiator will fit nicely with room to breathe at the back and front. This means that it can co-exist with the rear fan without issue. As expected, it just barely clears the motherboard, and you will not have access to the connectors at the top edge of the board. As such, make sure to pre-connect everything before installing the cooling unit. If Montech ever makes a BTF capable version of this case, this could be a really beneficial feature to eliminate that blocking aspect.


With everything installed, the interior of the Montech XR looks pretty clean for the most part. The fact that the AIO covers the top certainly helps and the same goes for the thick GPU. As there are no grommets on the cutouts on the shroud, you can see some of the wiring there, which may be a bit more apparent with the white chassis. With the black variant, it will all blend into the background. We had to play a little bit with the fan cable management, but the result in the back of the case is a nice clean wiring setup with a useful spread of wires. This is possible thanks to the numerous zip tie hooks and the fact that the I/O wiring is at the bottom, which minimizes the planning you have to do with those leads.

Finished Looks

With everything assembled and the system turned on, you are immediately greeted by the fluid ARGB elements inside the three fans, which perfectly match the rest of the illuminated components. Montech has also opted to skip the generic blue power LED, instead providing a clean white variant in the front of the chassis. This is by no means a given - even for more expensive cases out there.


Looking at the Montech XR through the front, you can clearly see the GPU lit up by the glow of the side fans through the gently tinted glass. In the rear, everything is where you would expect to see it as well. Once small detail worth mentioning is the fact that the ports on our GPU were quite close to the bridges between the expansion slots. That said, they all remained accessible. It may be useful for Montech to review making these bridges skinnier or even going bridge-less.


Viewing the case from the main side, you can see the PSU branding shine through the mesh panel, so you could buy yourself an ARGB equipped unit and get some illumination out of that as well. On the other side, the two fans can be seen as well thanks to their indirect illumination.