Misc

ThunderX3 CORE Gaming Chair Review

vortez
November 30, 2023 11 Min Read
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Sporting 6 distinct ways of tuning your comfort, several different styles and colours, a footrest and advanced neck cushion and a whole lot more, the CORE gaming chair certainly seems to talk the talk, but can it walk the walk? Let’s see.


Product on Review: ThunderX3 CORE Loft
Manufacturer: ThunderX3
Street Price:
UK – £339.95
AUS – $679

Your health is important, we all know this, and a big part of your health relates to your posture and comfort. If you spend extended periods sitting at a computer, a large contributing factor to your posture and comfort is a well-designed, ergonomic chair, but with the market being, almost literally, flooded with options, how are you possibly supposed to pick one? Well, hopefully we can help with that.

Today we’re looking at the ThunderX3 CORE, a high end gaming chair that has been developed to offer the best comfort possible without making your wallet cry too much. The CORE is available in three different styles, the Modern, Racer and Loft; the chair doesn’t fundamentally change at all, they’re just cosmetic changes. Across the three styles there are seven different colour options so you’re bound to find something that will match your style.


The CORE range offers a system called SYNC6, essentially a combined term for the 6-way adjustability that the CORE is capable of. An accessory pack is also included which contains the ergonomic neck cushion and multipurpose footrest.

Priced at £339.95 in the UK, the CORE is slap-bang in the firing line for a lot of well-established gaming chair brands out there, but with several features that we haven’t seen before, and a stylish appeal, let’s see what it offers and if it’s worth that price tag.

ThunderX3 on the CORE:
Featuring CORE.RDY tech, a one-of-a-kind lumbar support that self-adjusts to your posture in all directions, CORE delivers the most ergonomic sitting experience possible. Built with SYNC6 multi-functional mechanism for 6-way adjustability to fit your body and sitting position.


Technical Specifications

Model: CORE RACER
Recommended weight: 150kg / 331lbs
Frame type: Steel
Surface material: Leatherette / Weave Fabric
Inner Material: Moulding Foam / Latex Foam
Surface material: Moulding Foam / Latex Foam
Base Size & Type: Aluminium, 350mm
Caster Size & Material: 75mm / PU Scratch-resistant
Gas lift class & traveling: BIFMA tested class level 4, max. 80/100mm
Lumbar support: CORE.RDY 360 TECH
Mechanism Type: SYNC6, Multi-adjustable
Tilt Type: Synchronous Tilt / Forward Tilt
Lock: Multi-angle
Adjustable Armrests: 4D With Cushion, Lockable
Adjustable Seat: 2-in-1 Up & Down, Front & Back
Footrest: 3-in-1 Multipurpose Footrest
Headrest: Memory Foam / Up & Down Adjustable / 2-in-1 Neck & Side Support


Packaging & Included Parts

Typically with gaming chairs like this, the entire unit is packaged into one large box, usually weighing around 35kg, which makes it almost unmanageable for a lot of people. ThunderX3 have split this chair into two smaller, yet still large, boxes that are easier to handle and move around, particularly if you have to get this chair upstairs or to the top of a block of flats. We’re sure the delivery driver appreciates the reduction in weight and size as well.


An accessory kit box is included within the package, containing your wheels, the Class-4 gas piston, all of the fixings (with one spare of each) and an Allen Key. Obviously there are the instructions too, which not only show how to construct the chair but how to adjust it to fit the user.


The wheelbase measures 350mm across and is constructed from one solid piece of cast aluminium, so it’s strong but light. The powder coated paint finish is of a high quality and should be robust to the abuse it’ll undoubtedly receive from your shoes. The wheels aren’t pre-applied, we stuck them in before taking the photo and couldn’t get them back out. They measure in at 75mm and are made from a scratch-resistant PU plastic.


Allowing the chair to be adjusted, providing the hinge mechanism, and being the main mounting point for all pieces, this is where the magic happens. The two big levers each have two functions and the smaller one just a single function.


Unlike other chairs within this price category, at least the ones we’ve tested anyway (and we’ve had a bit of a look around on the internet) the backrest connects to the base with a solid steel curved bracket instead of a hinge at each side. This is one of the major differences that sets the ThunderX3 apart, and we’ll cover more on it later.

Included Parts (Continued)

The armrests feature 4 different adjustments, or 5 if you count the elongated fixing holes which give you a small amount of extra width if you need it. The tops are surfaced with a very reasonable level of cushioning and the same fabric as the chair.


As we mentioned in the introduction, the chair comes with a footrest and neck cushion. The neck cushion is constructed from a soft memory foam with a fine weave to the covering to avoid any friction or abrasion to the back of your head or neck. The footrest is built up from two detachable pieces, to allow the height to be adjusted, the underside is covered in hundreds of small sticky dots to prevent the cushion sliding around. Additionally, the footrest can be placed on your lap and used to rest your wrists while playing with a controller.


The backrest is made up of two distinct pieces, the entire back section is cloth-covered cushioning with the large ThunderX3 logo at the top. Then there’s the suspended lumbar support, a thin piece of plywood (we think) covered in a thick layer of memory foam, this is supported by a thick spring in the centre that allows the whole piece to flex and constantly adjust to your specific shape and demands in the given moment.


Finally, to complete the puzzle, there’s the seatbase. This isn’t anything particularly exciting on its own, but once assembled it plays the most important role of all.

Finished Look

Once assembled, the CORE looks absolutely brilliant finished in the LOFT Grey configuration, make sure to check out their website to see what other styles and colours are available.


With the neck cushion and footrest in position, the ergonomics of the chair really do stand out, tell me that doesn’t look comfortable.


Spinning the chair around will reveal the very handy pocket, you could keep your laptop in here, a controller, a bag of sweets, spare cans of gamer juice, whatever you fancy.


The 75mm wheels look great close up, they’re clearly designed to look like some exotic sports car’s alloy wheels. They’re made from PU plastic and should last plenty of time.


The arm rests are very typical of any gaming chair within this budget, at least in terms of adjustability, but the exceptionally thick layer of foam on top certainly aids comfort.

Performance & Comfort Testing

Setting your backside down in the chair for the first time is something else entirely, we’ve tested at least a dozen of these chairs up to this point but nothing else compares to the CORE in this price bracket.

First off, instead of having the back piece hinged at the corners of the base, it connects to the base mechanism and works asynchronously of the seatbase. The way it usually works is you set your backrest angle, let’s say with a slight recline of 80’, and the seat will stay fixed at that angle regardless of how much you recline yourself; the ThunderX3 allows the seatbase and backrest to move together at the optimal angle, enormously improving comfort, this is a true game-changer compared to other brands we’ve tested and is something we’re sure other manufacturers will be desperate to copy.

The seat base can also be tilted independently of everything else, so if you prefer to lean into your work and sit closer to your screen, the CORE can accommodate that for you without a problem. Further to that, you can move the seat base forwards and backwards, allowing users of different sizes to find their sweet spot with ease instead of needing to try out several different chairs to find one that suits you.

The footrest can be used in a variety of ways, and can be height adjusted by removing the flat section from the bottom, if you like to sit closer to the floor. The footrest can also be brought up and placed upon your lap and used as a wrist rest, perfect if you like to play your games with a gamepad, no more resting your wrists on a hard desk. The footrest does also help to bridge the gap between the floor and your feet, if you’re on the shorter side; my partner found this useful as she’s only 5’3” (160cm) tall but the gas cylinder can’t be dropped far enough for her feet to sit flat.


Arm rests are often a point of contention with office chairs, typically fixed in place and only useful for a person of a specific height and size, that’s absolutely not the case here. The arm rests can be moved in 4 different directions, forwards/backwards, inwards/outwards, up/down and angled inwards/outwards, the granularity offered is plenty good enough to allow almost anyone to find the correct setting for your posture.

And now for our favourite bit, the neck cushion. This might seem like a small thing to get excited about but it’s simply fantastic, the strap allows you to adjust the height of the cushion up the back of the chair so it suits every user, but the soft memory foam and formed shape with “wings” at the sides holds your head in place perfectly. If you’ve ever bought yourself an expensive pillow for your bed and thought “this is how all pillows should be”, the same applies here. Now, while it is our favourite bit, it’s not without a flaw, and quite a large one at that; while wearing a headset you can’t really turn your head at all without the wings of the cushion knocking the headset around, there’s no way around it other than purchasing a flat cushion off the internet, or not using the cushion at all if you often wear a headset.

Finally, build quality, we tested the chair for a couple of weeks, at least 40 or so hours, and found absolutely no problems during that time. Obviously, you don’t need to tell us that isn’t a proper test of build quality, but we have zero concerns to pass on, everything went together well, bolts and fixings are all good quality, there’s no unnecessary flexibility from any components, it’s just well-made.

Conclusion

Some conclusions can be difficult to write, you’ve got to be tactful and respectful of the time, effort and money that people have invested into developing the product you’re testing, even if it’s not very good; but then there are reviews like this, where the conclusion almost writes itself, this chair is phenomenal.

Comfort is off the scale, at least for any gaming chair within touching distance of this price point. The footrest cushion, neck pillow, constantly adjustable lumbar support, endless tweaking possibilities, it all combines into a chair that blows everything else out of the water.

Appearance-wise it holds its own as well, we think it looks great in the office, and if you’re not a fan of the one we tested, they have two different styles and six other colours to pick from, so you’re not short of choices.

Things seemed to have stagnated a bit in the gaming chair scene, they burst out of nowhere around 6 years ago it seemed, where they were all the rage, everyone is interested in having one, all the Twitch streamers have them, but there was no innovation or big changes at all really. This ThunderX3 CORE feels like a big refresh and an opportunity for other manufacturers to take note of what can be done with the same fundamental design. The adjustability on this chair is world’s ahead of anything we’ve tested so far, the asynchronous back tilt is a game-changer, the ability to adjust the rake and length of the seat base is excellent, an endlessly adjusting lumbar support is exactly what I’ve been needing for a good while and the neck cushion is simply lovely.


Would we recommend the ThunderX3 CORE? Without shadow of a doubt. It’s the best chair in its category at the moment. An absolute cracker!

Pros
+ Endless adjustability
+ Genuinely comfortable for long periods
+ Looks excellent in the office
+ Supremely comfortable neck pillow and footrest
+ Wide range of styles and colours
+ Solid build quality

Cons
– The neck cushion interacts with your headset and can move it off your head


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