The Case Exterior

This Fractal chassis sports clean lines down the sides and the front of the case. Rather than being fancy to the point of gaudy (like a lot of other cases) this chassis was a wonder to behold indeed; due to it’s less is more approach. Other cases (especially such as Airocool) will aim to dazzle you with lights and fancy fan controllers.  Fractal has chosen to ignore  these solutions and aim for a more simple approach.

Fractal Case front angle

Fractal Front Angle Two

The rear of the case has four holes that are designed for the inlet and outlet water cooling tubes to pass through. In addition we also have a rear120mm exhaust fan included with this case.  Although the fan is of an unknown quality at this point; Fractal has chosen to braid the three pin wire! This is always a good sign of things to come.

The Rear of the Chassis

Rear Fan

Rear Fan Closeup

Moving onto the power supply mounting area; it is of interest to note that the PSU can be mounted in both orientations; which allows the consumer to have that little bit of extra freedom while planning the layout of their system build.  This reviewer is finding the PCI plates in addition to the fan, a stark contrast to the overall scheme, and is appreciative of this aspect.

Power Supply Bay

Moving to the base of the case, we can see a 140mm fan mounting hole and where the power supply unit would be place underneath. It is of interest to note that they have included a removeable filter for this area to trap any potential dust particles. Having this filter aids in prolonging the life of a power supply or the units fan!

Power Supply Filter on the Base of the Chassis

The top panel of the chassis sports a rather interesting design as the grills at the top can accommodate both a 120 and a 140mm fan! This again will allow any air cooling enthusiast the ability to choose a solution that best suits their needs. The grill will flex a little when touched as the aluminium panel is only 1mm thick. Having said this, the grill panels need to be as thin as possible in order to cut down the amount of noise made by passing air.

The Top Panel and Fan Grills

Even viewed from the exterior the fan holes have been covered by a plate. Could this be the much  vaunted ‘moduvent  as displayed upon the fractal website? Well we shall move on and see in due course.

At the side of the case near the front door is a series of notches, one is unsure if they perform any function, but it does add a certain amount of ambience to the chassis.

Front Notches

Next we come to the front of the case. Normally this reviewer does not like doors on a case; as they are more of a hindrence than a help!  This case has not changed the aforementioned statement; however it does help to give the chassis a clean and smooth look.

Chassis Door

This then leads us to the front or rather the top panel, where the input ports are located.  In addition to the power switch, there are two USB 2.0 ports,  one E-Sata port, and audio  I/O jacks. What is apparent is that this section simply blends in with the overall case and does not stick out like Simon Cowell in a heavy-metal concert. Almost straight away one will notice the absence of a reset switch! However this is not needed, as borne out in the past with the rather excellent Lian LI V2000 case.

Power On Switch

There is also a lack of a Hard Drive LED feature again this could be overlooked. However there is one issue that does concern this reviewer. There is no rubber covers placed upon the External SATA and USB ports.  Dust covers would be a good feature here as they would prevent the possibility of dust build up inside the aforementioned ports.  This would be more of a crucial issue should the case be placed on the floor. If the ports where mounted at the front of the chassis then this would not be an issue.

Opening the front door we discover that the inside has received a foam-backing plate. This is in order to ensure that sound leakage is minimized from the fans. Whilst the front door is made from a polymer substance (at Overclockerstech we shy away from the word plastic, as that is a property not a material!).  The door, with its magnets, does open and shut with a smooth and solid feel.  Once the door is opened we come to the front of the case.

Door Open and the Front Face Plate

The door hinges do feel solid, however the door does not open at a wide enough angle for this reviewers liking.  The door’s swing limit is shown on the image above.  While it does allow access to all aspects of the front of the chassis,  it does not open as wide as one would have liked.

The  case only features two 5.25 bays, the reason for this is now apparent as the front of the case houses two 120mm fans (one included). These fans have their own access doors and the consumer can simply press these doors inward until an audible click  is heard, at which time fans are uncovered.

Inner Doors, Housing the Fans!

What is apparent are the dust filters, which are screwed down to the housings. One simply requires a screwdriver to remove the filters for washing and replacing.