INTRODUCTION

   Between design, interior space, features and needless to say build quality what do you put first when out to get a brand new PC tower/case? It all comes down to needs really and even though i too would like to have a good looking PC tower next to my desk due to my job which requires swapping hardware components on a daily basis, interior space is far more important. Most people however are usually after PC towers/cases which combine a good chunk of all of the above and that's a lot harder to find, especially when cost is also an issue. Aerocool has always been one of those manufacturers who tend to the needs of consumers on a budget and their latest Cronus ARGB Mid-Tower released under their ThunderX3 brand promises to deliver on looks, interior space, features and build quality at a lower price point than its competition.

   Designs and creates gaming peripherals including gaming chairs and is a division of Aerocool Advanced Technologies Corporation based in Taipei. We aim to deliver new products for the gaming community that break new market standards and complement the eSports scene. Quality, design and technological excellence are the pillars sustaining our philosophy.

   At first glance the ThunderX3 Cronus ARGB Mid-Tower clearly focuses on two areas, design thanks to its front RGB panel (X-shaped), single rear 140mm ARGB fan and left side panel made out of premium tempered glass and interior space. To be more precise the Cronus ARGB features a dual chamber design and sports enough room for either three 3.5" and/or five 2.5" drives, six 120mm or five 140mm fans and/or two 240mm radiators, 180mm tall CPU coolers, 387mm long graphics cards and up to 223mm long power supply units (roughly 380mm with the drive cage removed). ThunderX3 also equipped the Cronus ARGB with a total of 10 PCI expansion slots (7 horizontal and 3 vertical), 6-port RGB fan hub (compatible with ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light and Gigabyte RGB Fusion) and a vertical GPU bracket. So, the time has finally come for me to get close and personal with the latest Cronus ARGB Mid-Tower by ThunderX3.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Cronus ARGB arrived inside a plain cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front along with the company logo and a few words about its main features.

Warning drawings are placed on the left side while on the right you can see the color selection (this case doesn't come with PSU or with anything but a tempered glass panel).

At the rear of the box, we find the product specifications and features right next to a 2nd product picture.

As usual the case is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two thick styrofoam spacers.

In a cardboard box located inside the case you will find the user manual, 5 cable straps, 2 cable routing brackets, vertical GPU bracket and a plastic bag filled with screws.

THE CRONUS ARGB EXTERIOR

Measuring 502mm in height, 468mm in depth and 230mm in width the Cronus ARGB should be a very spacious mid-tower.

The left side panel is entirely made out of tempered glass and can be removed by pulling backwards.

For the Cronus ARGB ThunderX3 used a fascia with an illuminated X design (no matter how much i tried to remove the fascia it wouldn't move so fearing I’d break it i decided to skip that part).

The I/O is located at the top of the fascia and includes the power on/off button, power and HDD activity LEDs, reset button, LED mode change button, headphones and microphone 3.5mm ports and two USB 3.0 ports.

Most of the top area is covered by a magnetic air-filter beneath which the Cronus ARGB clearly has enough room for either two 120/140mm fans or a single 240/280mm radiator.

Moving at the rear of the case we find the 140mm ARGB fan, 7 horizontal PCI expansion slots, 3 vertical PCI expansion slots and the PSU area.

At the base of the tower, we find a removable air-filter (not a magnetic one) right under the PSU area.

THE CRONUS ARGB INTERIOR

In terms of interior space, the Cronus ARGB is clearly doing extremely well.

Even though at the front you can mount either 2x120/140mm fans on an 240mm radiator (if my calculations are correct even an 360mm fits here) worth pointing out is that the PSU shroud will only allow you to use an 30mm thick radiator (also notice the 2 vertical SSD mounts on the motherboard tray).

The PSU cover ensures that hot air coming from the PSU doesn't enter the top half of the case (at least not in the same degree as it would without it) and that cables are not visible from the outside.

A total of 6 rubber grommets should also help with cable routing and management.

Turning the Cronus ARGB around we see the 6-port RGB fan hub, two 2.5" vertical drive trays, bottom drive cage with three 3.5" or two 3.5" and a single 2.5" drive mounts and the PSU area.

The drive cage can be removed to allow installation of longer power supply units.

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

As always, the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Without removing the drive cage, you still have room for PSU's up to 1KW in output.

Since the Cronus ARGB is compatible with up to E-ATX sized mainboards there's plenty of room inside after mounting our own.

According to ThunderX3 you can mount 240mm radiators at the front (30mm in thickness) but according to my measurements you should be able to mount an 360mm one as well. Also, at the top you can mount either an 240mm or an 280mm radiator without obvious clearance issues (if the radiator is up to 30mm in thickness as well).

With enough room for up to 180mm tall CPU coolers you should be able to use most models currently in the market.

Even if you do place a radiator at the front (as in the picture) there should still be more than enough room for 350mm long graphics cards.

NOISE LEVEL TEST

After giving it much thought, we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically on top of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one, we use our own).

CONCLUSION

   Thanks to its X-shaped LED RGB illuminated fascia and its rear 140mm ARGB fan the Cronus ARGB Mid-Tower by ThunderX3 is one of the most unique towers I’ve seen in a while. It also has plenty of room for most things you’d ever want to squeeze inside it and that too is very important when looking for a new PC case. Build quality is also very good although the fascia is quite the same as with 90% of what we see with PC cases today. Unfortunately, not all is perfect and of course I’m talking about airflow levels. Sure, by using a single rear fan ThunderX3 allows end users to use their very own at the front or even a radiator (and noise levels are almost non-existent) but what about people who have neither? So yes, even a single front fan would be a huge improvement compared to now so I truly hope ThunderX3 looks into this.

   At the time of this review (and just a few days away from August) the Cronus ARGB Mid-Tower may not be available on the other side of the Atlantic but it’s available in the EU for 86.98Euros (Amazon.de) a price tag which is balanced for such a tower. Still unless you use a radiator you will need to equip the Cronus ARGB with at least a front intake fan to actually create airflow inside so that’s something which will increase its total cost. With that out of the way the Cronus ARGB offers looks, interior space and a good set of features at a good price point and all of those are more than enough for the Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Looks (Fascia X RGB Illumination / Rear 140mm ARGB Fan / Tempered Glass Side Panel)
- Radiator Mounts (240/280mm)
- Space For 180mm Tall CPU Coolers and 387mm Long Graphics Cards
- Vertical GPU Bracket
- Top / Bottom Removable Air Filters
- 6 Port RGB Fan Hub
- 10 PCI Expansion Slots (7 Horizontal / 3 Vertical)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Radiator Thickness (30mm)
- Single Fan (For Some)
- USA Availability (Currently)