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moddersinc · 4 years ago

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[section_title title=Introduction and Specifications]

Cases with rotated motherboards are still a bit of a rarity, despite not really being a new design anymore. Because of that, we were intrigued when darkFlash reached out to us about their V22 ATX mid tower case, their take on the rotated motherboard layout. darkFlash has been developing a new design language for their cases, moving away from the glass and RGB formula of their earlier products to a more refined styling more in line with the likes of Fractal Design and NZXT. The V22 is their first ATX case to feature this new styling, alongside the MATX DLM21 and DLM22. darkFlash offers the V22 in white, black, mint green, and pink. Offering two pastel colors is a bold move from darkFlash, and it sets their cases apart from the vast numbers of black cases on the market. Is the combination of a new style and an uncommon layout a winner, or has darkFlash missed the mark? Let’s dive in and find out.

[sc name=”sponsor” sponsor=”darkFlash” product_link=”https://darkflashtech.com/collections/gaming-case/products/darkflash-case-v22-white” product_name=”darkFlash V22 Mid Tower ATX Case” ]

Specifications

Material Steel, tempered glass Front Panel Steel with plastic venting Left Side Panel Steel Right Side Panel Hinged tempered glass, lightly tinted Top Panel Steel with plastic dust filter Front Ports 2x USB 3.0

2x Front Audio

Weight 15.67 lbs / 7.11 kg Dimensions 17.3″ (H) x 8.4″ x 17.5″ (D)

440 mm (H) x 215 mm x 443 mm (D)

Compatibility

Motherboard Compatibility ATX, MATX, DTX, ITX CPU Cooler Clearance 6.5″ / 165 mm Maximum GPU length 12.5″ / 318 mm

11.5″ / 293 mm above drive cage

Power Supply Type ATX Maximum Power Supply Length 7.9″ / 200 mm Storage Drive Bays 2x 2.5″ behind motherboard tray

1x 3.5″ in drive cage

1x 2.5″ or 3.5″ on top of drive cage

Expansion Slots 7 Fans Supported Up to 5x 120 mm

Up to 2x 140 mm

Front Fans 3x 120 mm

2x 140 mm

Rear Fans 2x 120 mm Radiator Support 2x 120 mm (rear) Dust Filters Front, top, power supply

Included Accessories

Cleaning Microfiber cloth Dust Protection Front I/O dust covers

[section_title title=Unboxing and a First Look]

Unboxing

The V22 comes in a printed brown cardboard box, which is pretty typical of modern cases. The front and rear of the box both feature a picture of the V22, along with some small images depicting various features of the case. The front of the box also has a few lines of text which were likely translated for English speaking markets.

The side of the V22’s box has a basic specifications sheet printed on it. Interestingly, the numbers on this sheet do not quite match up with the numbers listed on the case’s official Amazon page. Unfortunately, it seems that darkFlash doesn’t really have their English language documentation fully sorted out yet since not only do their spec sheets not fully match up, their official product page for the case is still full of sample text months after the case launched. This isn’t a particularly encouraging sign, but it isn’t the worst I’ve seen. If you look in enough places you can find all of the relevant information.

Inside the box is where things really start to get exciting. The V22 is protected by large blocks of soft closed cell foam, including a block that protects the glass side panel from damage and prevents it from opening in transit. The case itself comes wrapped in a plastic bag, the glass panel is covered in plastic film on both sides, and the panel is taped shut to add an extra layer of protection. darkFlash did an excellent job here. Also in the box is a small, but well thought out manual that explains all of the case’s features at a good level of detail.

A Closer Look at the darkFlash V22

Our review sample is the white version of the V22, a refreshing break from the monotony of all black cases. Both the metal and plastic panels have a satin feel to them and don’t pick up fingerprints. Color and texture matching between panels is excellent. The front edges of the case have a thick black stripe that covers the front vents and a bit of the panel underneath them. The feet of the case, the expansion slot covers, and the hinges are also black.

On the right side of the case, we can see that the glass side panel does not extend all the way to the bottom of the case. Instead, there’s a steel panel that covers the part of the case where the power supply and hard drives go.

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The left side of the case is a simple one-piece steel side panel with captured thumb screws.

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Because the V22 has a rotated motherboard, the back of the case is very different from the back panels of most ATX cases. Much of the panel is taken up by the two 120 mm fan mounts. The remaining panel houses a power supply cutout, a large cable grommet, and a pair of cable management loops for securing any cables that run down the back of the case.

The top of the case contains all of the case’s I/O ports. The front I/O is mounted at the leading edge of the case and consists of power and reset buttons, two USB 3.0 ports, and a pair of audio ports. Behind the front I/O is a large plastic dust filter that covers the expansion slots and rear I/O panel.

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The bottom of the case is largely featureless aside from a set of rubber soled plastic feet and a sturdy plastic dust filter for the power supply.

[section_title title=An Inside Look at the V22]

An Inside Look at the V22

Opening up the V22 immediately presents you with all kinds of delightful features. To start with, the right side panel is magnetic and opens with a simple fabric pull tab. It’s a clever solution, and much more elegant than the fastening methods used on most cases with glass panels. The magnets run down the entire left side of the panel and hold it firmly in place, preventing it from accidentally swinging open under most circumstances. The other side of the panel is mounted on a pair of hinges that can be disassembled so the panel can be removed. The glass is on the thinner side and quite light, so the risk of accidentally dropping it is low.

The motherboard area is spacious and has large access holes at both the top and bottom of the board, a promising sign for the case’s usability. The bottom edge of the motherboard tray is several inches above the bottom of the case and there is no conventional power supply shroud, so access to the right edge of the board is completely unfettered.

The V22’s hard drive cage is mounted directly to the bottom of the case with enough space on both sides for the front fans and the power supply to fit in uncontested. There are holes to mount one drive inside the cage and one on top, and the top face of the cage is marked with a little arrow to show which way the connectors on the drives should face, since the cage can be removed to make installing drives easier. Little touches like this go a long way towards a good user experience.

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The left side panel of the case is a traditional steel panel held in place by two captured thumb screws.

Taking off the panel, you’re greeted by two 2.5″ drive trays, a CPU socket cutout, and an abundance of cable management hard points. The drive cages feature the same directional arrows as the drive cage and are elevated away from the back of the motherboard tray to give clearance for daisy-chained SATA power connectors which require extra space for their wires. The large CPU socket cutout should give excellent access to the socket area of most motherboards, for those who want to install or swap coolers after their motherboard is mounted in the case. Each cable routing hole in the motherboard has a corresponding cable management hard point, and there are four hard points below the two drive trays and one directly above the power supply. The placement of these hard points seems well thought out and there are no areas that are significantly lacking in cable management options.

The front panel of the case is mounted with traditional plastic clips and is a little difficult to remove. A more modern mounting system would have been better, since the panel has to be removed in order to clean the front dust filter, but it is functional enough. Underneath the front panel, the dust filter is mounted to the case with a pair of tabs and two magnets. To remove the filter, you simply swing the filter away from the body of the case and pull the tabs out of their slots. This is yet another clever use of magnets on the V22, and one of the better dust filter mounting systems currently on the market.

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The top of the case houses the expansion slots and motherboard I/O in a chamber that is covered by a sturdy plastic dust filter. While the filter feels sturdy and is relatively easy to remove and replace, it is held on with plastic clips instead of magnets which feels like a missed opportunity given how well the mounting system for the front dust filter works. Under the dust filter you’ll find ample space for cables, along with a locking cable clamp to assist in routing cables out the back of the case. The I/O chamber is not entirely closed, and includes a cutout that can be used to access the top corner screws on a rear mounted radiator if necessary. This cutout is also useful for the handful of devices that require passing a cable from an expansion slot into the case.

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[section_title title=Building in the V22]

Building in the V22

To test the build experience of the V22 I used my standard ATX test bench, which consists of the following parts:

Motherboard MSI X370 Gaming M7 Processor AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Cooler Silverstone PF120 AIO Graphics Card 1 Nvidia GTX 1070 FE Graphics Card 2 EVGA GTX 980 K|NGP|N Storage 2x XPG SX950U Power Supply Corsair CX750M

Building in the V22 is about as simple as it gets. The glass side panel comes off by simply lifting it off its hinges and the captured thumb screws on the other side panel reduce the number of loose screws you have to keep track of. The motherboard tray is incredibly spacious considering the size of the case, so mounting the board and plugging in the front I/O cables are very easy. The power supply can be mounted through either side of the case, thanks to the unusual skirt style shroud design. Many mid tower cases suffer from poor cable management around the top edge of the motherboard due to its close proximity to the top case fans. The V22’s rotated layout basically nullifies that problem. The large cutouts around the motherboard tray give ample room for power cables and accessory cables. The 24 pin power cable simply tucks away at the bottom of the case.

I did run into a minor issue when trying to mount my CPU cooler. I had initially planned to use a 480 mm AIO, but the front of the case only has space for fans, and not a full radiator. This is actually mentioned in the documentation for the case, so this issue was all on me. Sometimes you just have to read the manual. I decided to go with the PF120 120 mm AIO instead, which fit just fine in the back of the case. I installed two 140 mm fans in the front for the case’s intake and a 120 mm fan below the AIO as an exhaust.

Mounting graphics cards in the V22 is about as simple as it gets. The rear I/O covers are far away from the edges of the case, which makes them very easy to remove. My two cards fit in the case easily despite their large size and their cables tucked away neatly at the bottom of the case.

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The raised drive sleds made mounting and plugging in the drives a breeze. Because I also use the test bench as a VR system when I am not reviewing cases, I also added a USB card in the bottom expansion slot of the motherboard. The routing holes around the motherboard are easily large enough to pass a SATA power cable through to power the card.

Tidying up cables in the V22 is surprisingly easy considering the lack of a fully enclosed power supply shroud. The skirt panel at the bottom of the case does a good job of hiding the power supply and cables without getting in the way while building. You can still see the cables if you look down into the case at an angle, but they don’t look particularly messy. On the back of the case, the cable management hard points offer plenty of places to tie off loose cables. I had no issues fitting the rear panel back on the case and securing it in place. At the top of the case, there’s plenty of room for routing cables, though you may have some issues routing out the back of the case if you’re using a huge number of cables. My full complement of VR headset and peripheral cables fit just fine, so for most people, this shouldn’t be an issue. Cables as large as DVI can pass through the rear cable grommet.

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[section_title title=Final Thoughts and Conclusion]

Final Thoughts

It was clear right from the moment that I opened the box that darkFlash was doing things right. The packing job was impeccable, the case looked clean and elegant, and all of the panels were properly matched in both color and texture. While darkFlash still needs to work on their online documentation, but their design work is top notch. I found myself frequently marveling at design touches like the hinge and magnets panel and dust filter mounting and wondering why they aren’t used in more cases. The magnets eliminate the stiffness of plastic clips, while the hinges eliminate the common issue with magnetic filters sliding around. It’s an elegant solution to a common problem. And the thoughtful design details don’t stop there. All throughout the case I found little details that showed that darkFlash’s designers had taken the time to think through and test every little piece of the case. Even things that you normally wouldn’t think about, like external cable management, are carefully considered and implemented on the V22. The case even comes with a cleaning cloth and I/O dust covers. To come back to that text on the front of the box, darkFlash calls the V22 a “Luxury Middle Tower”. After working with this case, it’s clear that the V22 is going for luxury the old fashioned way. Not by packing in gimmicks, and not by trying to do everything at once. The V22 is luxurious in that it is elegant, refined, and intuitive. Sometimes, that’s the best kind of luxury.

Pros Cons Rotated layout makes building in the V22 easy Not designed for custom water cooling Clever tool-less side panel and front dust filter Online documentation needs improvement Excellent cable management Front panel is a little tricky to remove Split side panel hides cables and power supply without compromising ease of building No internal cable grommets Classy exterior design Top dust filter could have been magnetic External cable management Space for 80mm fan at top of case, but no mounting holes Metal and plastic elements have excellent color matching Drive cage and trays are designed with right angle SATA power connectors in mind Packaging is superb

So who is this case for? If you are looking for a dedicated water cooling case, the V22 might not be what you need. While the V22 can comfortably support up to a 240mm radiator and even a full pump/reservoir combo if you are creative, custom water cooling isn’t really its forte. However, if you don’t plan to go all out on water cooling, the V22 is definitely worth taking a good look at. darkFlash has done an excellent job designing this case, and I highly recommend considering it for your next build. It’s an all around well designed case that offers an exceptional build experience and manages to be classy without being boring. It looks like darkFlash is serious about competing with the best of the best, and I expect that we’ll be hearing a lot more about them in the near future.

[sc name=”editors_choice_award” ]

darkFlash V22 White Mid Tower ATX Case Review Cases with rotated motherboards are still a bit of a rarity, despite not really being a new design anymore.

#Mid Tower #pc case #Rotated Layout #Temper #Water Cooling #white

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moddersinc · 4 years ago

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[section_title title=Introduction and Specifications]

Fractal Design’s Define series has been in continuous production for over a decade, with its seventh generation of Define cases launching in early 2020. The series has historically been known for its clean aesthetic and excellent build quality. The Define 7 Compact is the third member of the seventh generation lineup, following the Define 7 and Define 7 XL. It features many of the same design elements as its larger siblings but takes up significantly less volume, which should make it a strong competitor in the ATX mid-tower market. So does it live up to its heritage? Let’s find out.

[sc name=”sponsor” ponsor=”Fractal Design” product_link=”https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/define/define-7-compact-dark-tempered-glass/black/” product_name=”Define 7 Compact” ]

Specifications

Material Steel, Aluminum, Tempered Glass Front Panel Brushed Aluminum w/ Sound Dampening Foam Left Panel Dark Tempered Glass Right Panel Steel w/ Sound Dampening Foam Top Panel Steel

Steel w/ Sound Dampening Foam

Front I/O Ports 2x USB 2.0 Type A

2x USB 3.0 Type A

Power Button

2x Front Audio

USB 3.1 Type C

Reset Button

Dimensions (L x W x H) 427 mm x 210 mm x 474 mm

16.81″ x 8.27″ x 18.66″

Weight 8.76 kg

19.31 lbs

Compatibility

Motherboard Compatibility ATX, MATX, ITX, DTX Max Cooler Height 169 Max GPU Length 360 mm

341 mm w/ front case fan

Max PSU Length 165 mm w/ front-drive cage Power Supply Type ATX Storage Drive Bays 2x 2.5″ (Motherboard tray)

2x 2.5″ 0r 3.5″ (Drive cage)

Expansion Slots 7 Total Fans Supported 7x 120 mm

4x 140 mm

Top Fans / Radiators 2x 120 mm

2x 140 mm

Front Fans / Radiators 3x 120 mm

2x 140 mm

Bottom Fan / Radiator 1x 120 mm Rear Fan / Radiator 1x 120 mm

Included Accessories

Top Panel Optional vented top panel Accessories Box Screws and a microfiber cleaning cloth

[section_title title=Packaging and Unboxing]

Packaging

The Define 7 Compact comes in a simple brown box that features a picture of the case on the front, and exploded view of the case on the back, and two Fractal logos on the sides.

Unboxing

Inside the box, the Define 7 Compact is protected by two pieces of expanded polystyrene foam, which is pretty standard for an ATX mid-tower. Filling in the space between the foam and the glass side of the case is a large accessories box.

The outside of the accessories box features the name of the case, a fractal logo, and a small sticker indicating the “color” of the case. The sample we were sent is the dark tempered glass version. Light tempered glass and solid panel versions are also available. In terms of actual colors, the options are much more limited. Like with Ford’s Model T, you can have the case in any color you want, as long as that color is black.

Inside the accessory box, you’ll find the manual for the case, an alternate vented top panel, and a small box containing various screws and a cleaning cloth. The top panel features a geometric motif that carries throughout much of the case.

The case itself comes with plastic film protecting both the glass side panel and the aluminum front panel.

[section_title title=A First Look]

A First Look at the Define 7 Compact

At 427 mm (16.81″) long and 474 mm (18.66″) tall, the Define 7 Compact is not actually very compact, falling more in line with modern small mid-tower cases than with true compact ATX cases like the Sliger Cerberus or the Thermaltake G3. The “Compact” moniker seems to exist primarily to differentiate the case from the original Define 7, which is 30 mm (1.18″) wider and 131 mm (5.16″) longer. For comparison with other small mid-towers, the Define 7 Compact is almost the same size as the NZXT H510, and is slightly larger than both the Phanteks P300 and Fractal’s own Meshify C. This is a popular and very competitive market since these cases are generally just large enough to fit the average gaming computer without significant empty space left over.

The case is outwardly very similar to previous Define cases, with plain black panels broken only by the front I/O and two sets of louvered vents at the front of the case. The case’s overall look is classy and reserved but feels dated. The left side of the case features either a tempered glass window or a solid steel panel depending on which version of the case you choose. The right side panel is a plain steel panel on all versions of the case. The vents at the front of the case separate the front panel from the sides of the case and provide air to the front intake of the case. There are two small dust filters tucked just inside the vents.

The front panel of the case is a single sheet of brushed aluminum with the Fractal logo cut into the bottom left corner and a small notch at the top edge for the power LED. Unfortunately, the front panel’s brushed finish doesn’t carry over to any other part of the case, making it feel a little out of place. Expanding the brushed finish to the top panel would go a long way towards making the case feel more like a complete unit, but I can’t see this changing any time soon since the Define series has historically only had a brushed finish on the front panel.

The rear panel of the case is fairly standard but still has a few notable features. The ventilation in the panel features the same geometric motif as the alternate top panel, as do the expansion slot covers. Unlike most cases, there are no crossbars between the expansion slots. This was done to allow users to install aftermarket vertical GPU mounts without having to modify the case. The rear panel also features a removable power supply bracket, a feature that is still rare, even among higher-end cases. At the top of the case, we can also see two plastic tabs that are used to open the side panels.

The bottom of the case is covered by a full-length plastic dust filter that uses an ‘X’ shaped bracing pattern for added visual interest. Under the filter is a large area of ventilation that uses the same geometric motif as the top and rear panels. Also exposed by removing the filter is the pull handle for the front panel of the case and a set of rails for mounting either a 120 mm fan or a front-drive cage. The case stands on a set of tall feet that extend over the dust filter and raise the case significantly to provide the power supply with adequate ventilation.

There are two options for the top panel of the case, both of which are included with all versions of the Define 7 Compact. The first option is a solid steel panel lined with a noise-dampening foam. This panel is recommended only for users who want to cut down on the noise emitted by their system, as the panel completely blocks all airflow through the top of the case. The second option is a vented panel featuring the case’s signature geometric motif. Both panels have cutouts for the front I/O, which consists of power and reset buttons, 1/8″ headphone and microphone jacks, two USB 2.0 type-A ports, two USB 3.0 type-A ports, and a USB 3.1 type C port.

The top panel is held in place by six ball and clip latches around the perimeter of the case. Removing it is as simple as pulling up on the section of the panel that overhangs the front vents. Underneath the top panel is the front I/O block and a large dust filter in a thick plastic frame. The dust filter uses a hook style mounting mechanism similar to traditional side panels and is prevented from sliding around by a rudimentary clip system. It isn’t an elegant or compact solution, but it does work. The bracing pattern on the dust filter is the same as on the bottom dust filter. Here though, that pattern clashes with the pattern of the vented top panel, resulting in the top of the case looking rather chaotic and unrefined.

[section_title title=Inside The Case]

Inside the Define 7 Compact

Opening the Define 7 Compact basically requires that you read the manual. There is basically no outwards indication of how the panels are supposed to open, and there are no visible latches or screws whatsoever. The trick to the side panels is the little black plastic tab at the back of the case is supposed to pop the top of the panel outwards, allowing it to be removed from the case. Of course, even reading the manual doesn’t actually guarantee that you will be able to open the case. The glass panel on our sample does not open at all unless the top of the case is opened and the panel is pushed outwards from inside the case. There was no visible damage to the case or its packaging, so the problem is likely tied to a rare manufacturing defect where one of the ball and clip latches is slightly tighter than normal. That alone would not be enough to prevent the panel from opening, however. The stiff latch is exacerbated by the fact that force can only be applied to one corner of the panel instead of across the whole top edge. This causes the panel to attempt to flex instead of unlatching the panel. While this is fine for a steel panel, flexing a glass panel is a recipe for disaster. The lack of a second pull tab on the glass panel is a fairly serious design flaw and makes opening our review sample a much more tedious process than it needed to be. It also means that putting a radiator in the top of the case is not an option for us, as it would prevent us from opening the side panel.

Once you are inside the case, you are greeted by a fairly generic interior, with an ATX sized motherboard tray, a power supply shroud, and a raised section that gives more space in the back for cable management. Most of the pass-through holes in the motherboard tray and power supply shroud have rubber grommets, which is a nice touch. Two sections of the power supply shroud can be removed to accommodate larger radiators or to allow a bottom-mounted fan to feed air into the case. Two basic black fans are included with the case, a 120 mm in the rear, and a 140 mm in the front.

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Removing the back panel reveals a pair of 2.5″ drive trays, a drive cage for a pair of 3.5″ drives, and six velcro cable ties, all of which are movable to some degree. The 2.5″ trays can be removed individually by unfastening their thumb screws, while the 3.5″ cage can only be moved or removed as a single unit. Three of the cable ties are mounted by default along the path of the 8 pin EPS cable. It is still fairly uncommon to see any cable management for the EPS cable at all, so this is definitely a mark in the case’s favor.

Unlike basically every other panel on the case, the front panel does not use ball and clip latches. Instead, Fractal opted for the large cylindrical plastic clips that are common on older budget cases. Removing the front panel of the case gives us access to the front fan mounts for the case.

Under the top panel and dust filter is another set of fan mounting rails for adding top fans or a radiator to the case. Unlike other small mid-towers, there is sufficient clearance below the Define 7 Compact’s top panel to comfortably fit a 240 mm or 280 mm radiator with minimal clearance issues. This is probably the biggest selling point of the Define 7 Compact, though there are competing cases like the be quiet! Pure Base 100 also supports a top-mounted dual-fan radiator.

[section_title title=Compatibility and Clearances]

Compatibility and Clearances

The Define 7 Compact supports CPU coolers up to 169 mm (6.65″) tall and graphics cards up to 360 mm (14.17″), or 341 mm (13.42″) with a front fan.

The case can fit up to seven 120 mm fans, or up to four 140 mm fans. The bottom 120 mm fan position is only available if the drive cage is removed, and requires the removal of the two front segments of the power supply shroud to be useful.

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In the back of the case, you can fit two 2.5″ drives behind the motherboard tray and two 2.5″ or 3.5″ drives in the drive cage. With the drive cage installed, Fractal recommends that your power supply not exceed 165 mm (6.50″).

[section_title title=Full System Build]

Full System Build

Here are the parts I used to build a test system in the Define 7 Compact:

CPU AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Motherboard MSI X370 Gaming M7 Cooler Fractal Celsius+ S28 Prisma GPU 1 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU 2 EVGA GTX 980 K|NGP|N Power Supply Corsair CX750M Storage 2x XPG SX950U

Once I had gotten the left side panel open, installing a motherboard in the Define 7 Compact was quite easy. The case comes with a centering pin standoff that’s installed in the center ATX mounting hole position. This makes lining up the board significantly easier, but Fractal also included a spare standoff in case you don’t want to use the centering pin. The Celcius+ cooler mounted in the front with relatively little difficulty, though there was no space to route the fan cables behind the cooler, and I had to remove one of the panels from the power supply shroud to fit the radiator in the pull configuration I decided to use. The panel had to be removed by brute force because it lacks any sort of proper latching method.

That’s about where the easy part ended for me though as plugging in the case’s front panel cables proved to be unusually difficult and I only had more issues from there. To start things off, the plug of the USB 3.o cable was too long to plug into right angle USB headers on the right edge of the board. The plug collided with the edge of the cable routing hole, which prevented me from using the USB 3.0 port on the right edge of my board.

Moving down to the bottom of the board, things didn’t get much better. The routing holes in the power supply shroud are very close to the edge of the motherboard, meaning that the thick USB 3.0 and 3.1 cables had to make sharp 180 degree bends in a very limited amount of space. To make matters worse, the power supply shroud was so close to the top of the power supply that one of the routing holes was completely blocked off and the other was halfway blocked by the end of my power supply. If you have a short power supply, this isn’t as much of an issue, but many power supplies are long enough to render the bottom cable routing holes mostly useless. Overall, the cable routing around the bottom of the Define 7 Compact’s motherboard area is the worst I have seen from a case in its class.

Installing the power supply was also a hassle, despite the inclusion of a power supply bracket that allows the unit to be slid in from the back instead of from the right side. The power supply snagged on everything in its path, including the front I/O cables and the grommet of the forward-most routing hole. I had to reroute my front audio cable because the power supply was getting caught on it due to a lack of space, and the USB cables had to be shoved towards the front of the case to get the power supply in at all. To top it all off, the captured thumbscrews on the power supply bracket did not want to thread into their holes, though I did eventually manage to secure them. To follow that up, I then had to route the main power cables. Most modern cases are fairly forgiving when it comes to cable management, as cables are generally fairly compressible and traditional side panels lock in place firmly enough that they can’t be pushed open by cables routed through narrower sections of the case. This was not the case for our sample of the Define 7 Compact, and fact that the case has less cable management space than its predecessor does not help matters. The case has a cable management choke point in front of the hard drive cages due to how they are oriented. Despite my best efforts to tie my cables flat, I was unable to close the case with my 24 pin and two GPU cables routed past the hard drive tray. The small amount of pressure exerted by the cables combined with the weight of the side panel was enough to overwhelm the top latching system and pop the side panel open when the case was standing upright. Rotating the drive trays towards the front of the case like in the Phanteks P300 would likely prevent this issue from occurring, but the cages face the right side of the case by default. I opted to remove the cage entirely, but doing so required removing the power supply from the system because the cage cannot be removed through the side of the case.

I encountered one final cable management issue in the process of completing the build. The top routing holes are partly covered by the top edge of the chassis and the resulting openings are not large enough to comfortably fit a standard 8 pin EPS connector unless the grommets are removed. This wasn’t a huge issue, but it made passing the EPS cable through the opening far more difficult than it needed to be.

Once all the big cables were routed, installing the graphics cards and SSDs was pretty straight forward. Even the large GTX 980 K|NGP|N fit comfortably in the case without issue, and wiring up the drives was a breeze. The drive trays all feature captured thumb screws, a small detail that makes the build just a little easier.

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Despite how frustrating the build process was, the end result is an elegant build that mostly stays true to the clean and refined aesthetic that the Define series is known for. The dark tempered glass lets the system’s lighting really shine through while keeping with the dark look of the rest of the case.

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[section_title title=Final Thoughts and Conclusion]

Final Thoughts

Fractal’s Define 7 Compact is not the case I thought it would be. While the outward design is very subdued and traditional, the internal design of the case seems to feature every novel design idea from the last few years. To be quite honest, I think it’s too much. Fractal has leaned so hard into being cutting edge that it feels like they just started throwing features at the case without considering what makes those features work in the first place. The side panels are the most egregious offenders because their design is both poorly executed and unnecessary, but the issues extend throughout the case. These problems aren’t common on competing cases, and they detract from the things Fractal did right when designing the case. Unfortunately, the result is that the Define 7 Compact just doesn’t feel like the next evolution in a line of great cases. It feels like an unfinished experiment that could have been a great case but gave up three-quarters of the way there.

Pros Cons Well written documentation Poor side panel design Classy exterior design Poor cable management around PSU shroud and drive cages Excellent water cooling support Drive cage cannot be removed while the power supply is installed Support for aftermarket vertical GPU risers Removing power supply shroud segments is very difficult Good clearance around air intakes The front panel uses an outdated mounting mechanism USB 3.1 Type C front panel port USB 3.0 cable cannot be plugged into right-angle headers Modestly sized No place to route front radiator fan cables Classy geometric vents Filter bracing panel clashes with the top panel vent design An extensive array of quality of life features

Conclusion

So who is this case for? If you’re an experienced builder looking for a water cooling oriented small ATX mid-tower, the Define 7 Compact is a fairly nice case. It has a fair number of quirks, but as long as you don’t get a defective unit there isn’t anything an experienced builder can’t handle. If you’re looking for a case that looks older but is full of new features, the Define 7 Compact is a decent contender. However, new builders should be a bit more cautious about buying the Define 7 Compact. There are plenty of offerings from other companies that are equally well equipped, but have more modern styling, are less expensive, and are far easier to build in. For me personally? I won’t be buying another one. It is a decent case, but it is not interesting enough to make up for its strange shortcomings.

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Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Fractal Design's Define series has been in continuous production for over a decade, with its seventh generation of Define cases launching in early 2020.

#ATX #Case #Fractal #mATX #Mid Tower #pc case

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