Fractal Design - When in the US?

Scuba Steve in VA said:
I'm right there with you..although I plan on holding off until I see a serious review or two. FD has stated that they expect to see such reviews within a month...and that the Midi should be available in the US in about two months...so I am waiting patiently. :)
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That's even better if there will be reviews prior to its actual release. The contrast of the brushed look along with the mesh in a minimalistic look is just top notch. I hope the cooling is competitive too. If R3 is anything to go by, it should be. I hope this gives corsair a wake up call for their pricing.
 
anexanhume said:
That's even better if there will be reviews prior to its actual release. The contrast of the brushed look along with the mesh in a minimalistic look is just top notch. I hope the cooling is competitive too. If R3 is anything to go by, it should be. I hope this gives corsair a wake up call for their pricing.
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I expect the cooling to be superior to the R3 given the open mesh, but I am somewhat concerned about noise.

I agree, the industrial design is excellent. The lines and curves are subtle and refined. I can't tell you how long I have looked for a case that meets all (or at least most) of the following criteria:

  • A simple refined shape without being a boring box with harsh lines (well, that drops out 98% of cases :) )
  • No side panel window
  • Sedate color (e.g., black, grey, silver, white)
  • No piano black surfaces, which are dust and fingerprint magnets
  • No LEDs (man I hate those things)
  • No faux chrome (that means you coolermaster...even on your 690 ii)
  • Subtle branding (i.e., no large ugly brand badges...that's you again coolermaster)
  • Decent stock cooling...with room to grow
  • Standard fan sizes...to facilitate replacement (that's directed at you corsair)

I am not sure why "enthusiast" equates with "flashy", but a simple review of the cases available on NewEgg seems to support that assumption. I want my case to blend into the background...not dominate the room. When someone does look at it, I would prefer if the case reflects modern industrial design with pleasing lines and curves...not a fluorescent green dragon or a square Lian Li-like cube that looks like it was teleported from 1988. Yeah, I expect to get flamed, but look at Apple's industrial design, which consistently receives industry design awards. What do you see? Subtle lines, curves, and colors.

I am an "enthusiast", but I express that "enthusiasm" by selecting my desired set of components, assembling the machine, and then using it. I am perfectly happy if someone walks into my office and doesn't even notice my PC. Yeah, I guess I am the odd man out here...but FD's Arc Midi is really hitting that one out of the park for me.




Regarding Corsair, I suppose that the price difference is less of an issue for me. I assume that they are just covering costs and charging enough to support their business. Perhaps their cases use higher-quality components and/or require more complex engineering processes. The bigger issue for me with Corsair is that I just don't see any options from them that suit my tastes...which is frustrating since the 600T is close. It falls short for me, however, because the stock air cooling capability is a tad light...and replacing the fans is a challenge given their niche size. Just try to find 200x200x20mm without LEDs. Your options are limited to say the least. Furthermore, including fans with LEDs without an off switch mystifies me...especially in such an otherwise elegant case. Personally, I also cannot stand the fan control knob...for both aesthetic and practical reasons. I don't need anyone playing with such a knob...and play they will given its size and prominent placement. "What's this do? Control the volume?"

The 650D has the same types of fans as the 600T...albeit with increased CFM. Also, I don't like its harsh lines.

I would love to see a 600T with mainstream fan sizes without LEDs and the fan control knob removed...but I seem to be one of the few who cares about such things, so I am not holding my breath. Instead, I am anxiously awaiting those Arc Midi reviews...and third-party pictures.

Your mileage may vary. :)
 
Hey Guys, I noticed someone linked to the product listing for the XL. Does anyone know when they will start carrying it or is that still up in the air. I e-mailed New egg about it and said they knew nothing about it.
 
e2g said:
Hey Guys, I noticed someone linked to the product listing for the XL. Does anyone know when they will start carrying it or is that still up in the air. I e-mailed New egg about it and said they knew nothing about it.
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Don't think anyone knows for sure. Someone emailed Fractal and they said "soon."
I emailed Fractal, twice, never got a response.
I emailed Newegg, they had no clue.
 
FrozenDevl said:
Don't think anyone knows for sure. Someone emailed Fractal and they said "soon."
I emailed Fractal, twice, never got a response.
I emailed Newegg, they had no clue.
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Strange, got an email from the US rep of Fractal Design, because of my contact with them, about my interest in the cases, it was mentioned in the email, that the XL's will be available any day now.
 
I received an email from fractal design telling me i could be one of the 'first' to own the XL from newegg. Should be out very very soon.
 
ShadeZeRO said:
I received an email from fractal design telling me i could be one of the 'first' to own the XL from newegg. Should be out very very soon.
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Hopefully. And hopefully Newegg gets a decent amount in stock, none of that 5-10 testing bs.
 
pics are up on their site for the XL, which tells me that they have something in

The shipping charge tho....
 
FrozenDevl said:
Just got the XL :D
Still a much better price then from the other site.
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Ditto

I hate to spend the money. But I have wanted one of these since I found out about Fractal..
The XL looks fantastic..:D

Can't wait to get it.
 
faugusztin said:
Wondering about what ? They are only announced, not released. Expect them somewhere in April, if they will be able to keep that date at all.
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Wondering about whether April is still in play. It's a date many of us have heard...and some of us have received via email...yet April is less than a month away and their marketing team is obviously in high-gear getting articles like the one linked above published...and doing so without mentioning their new series of cases that will supposedly be out in weeks may imply that we may have much longer to wait for the Arc series.

That is what I am wondering.
 
Scuba Steve in VA said:
Man, still nothing about the Arc series. I am starting to wonder.

I am also hoping that the quality is decent. Easily chipped paint on their pre-production models at CES this year was a bit discouraging:

http://www.techpowerup.com/live/images/CES_2011/fractal_design_011.jpg
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Not going to see the panel guide holes anyway, and these cases have probably got some miles on them. Since it's a demo case, the end product will most likely turn out better.

I'm interested in the HD case since it was mentioned in some previous replies.
 
Scuba Steve in VA said:
Wondering about whether April is still in play. It's a date many of us have heard...and some of us have received via email...yet April is less than a month away and their marketing team is obviously in high-gear getting articles like the one linked above published...and doing so without mentioning their new series of cases that will supposedly be out in weeks may imply that we may have much longer to wait for the Arc series.
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I got the date from my supplier too, and he was one of the very first ones offering Define R2 outside of Scandinavia.

@Outamyhead: True, there are some minor damages on my R3, but that are on commonly used contact areas (one rivet lost a bit of it's black color becuase it is a panel mounting area; the black hard drive cages left a bit of their color on the white hard drive cage area).
 
Decided to cancel my define XL order. Although I think its a great price (even with shipping) I don't need it right now and can wait for a deal on it if that ever happens
 
Outamyhead said:
Not going to see the panel guide holes anyway, and these cases have probably got some miles on them. Since it's a demo case, the end product will most likely turn out better.
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Yeah, although in my opinion, if you are going to paint it, then you should do it well. Those aren't just scratches. That is a picture of paint that is not well-bonded to the surface.

I'd rather have an unpainted interior than a painted interior that flakes and peels with minor abuse. Frankly, I'm not even sure why they paint it given that the cases don't have side windows. As far as I am concerned, they could leave the interior and the back silver...just as long as the exterior paint job is smooth and rugged.

Yes, I acknowledge that I am most likely in the minority on that one...at least around here. :)
 
There's always the powder coat option, if it does flake, just need to drill the rivets out, and take it apart for the powder coat shop, I can understand if it's happened within days or a couple of weeks since it was bought though (although I still think chipping around the panel guides is perfectly acceptable, as your never going to see them).

I get the impression the company isn't that old, so it will get better I'm sure, maybe powder coating will be an option in the future.
 
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Will a Fractal Design Define R3 fit a HD 6970 or 6950 comfortably? Or do I have to go full-tower?
 
The 6970/50 fit perfectly in the R3. The 6990 does fit but it´s hard to get into position.
 
I'm really thinking about getting an R3 for my new SB build.

For those of you who have already bought one, what's the best fan configuration and number of fans for decent cooling while keeping the case somewhat silent?
 
Use only the front intakes and the back outtake. Once you open the top or side covers, you can say bye bye to silence as those are direct escape routes for the silence.

I'm personally waiting now for my Air Penetrators, wondering how much extra cooling will it give me compared to Enermax Clusters i use now.
 
I added 2 yateloon d12sl for the front intakes, and moved the existing front intake to the bottom intake. The bottom intake fan is actually only <5% blocked by the PSU wires (and i have non modular). This dropped my GPU temperatures by quite a bit for during extended gaming and stress tests(~8C). I didn't really take note of CPU temps however, since my 2500k is still stock, which basically doesn't generate much heat in the first place, it basically is capped at 60C as that is what I set the fan profile to ramp up to.
 
@limitedaccess: I have Enermax Clusters as intake and outtake fans, which run ~600RPM at idle and ~1000RPM at load.

2600K is idling at 40C while at 4.6GHz load ([email protected],QPI/[email protected]) it maxes out at 72C. So overclocking will add few degrees up to that 60C, but not much.

And i have a crazy CPU fan profile (it is controlled by T-Balancer bigNG before you ask what is this), i think most boards are more aggresive in cooling than this (default on my Gigabyte P67A would put 100% fan speed at 66C) :
cpufan.png


Air Penetrators + removed hard drive bay part (if i will be able to get rid of those damn rivets) should give me more fresh air, but i'm targetting that mainly on GPU as that is the noisiest part under load.
 
I was mainly concerned about the GPU temp as well. My Zotac GTX 560 was running 76-81C (depending on game/stress test). Adding the new fans dropped the temperature to 69-73C (depending on conditions) without changing the GPU fan profile. So the new intake fans actually lowered system noise during heavy usage, as the GPU fan spins much slower, the fan no longer spins high enough to make a "whine" noise. The cooling effect is actually higher than the temperature drop, as the GPU fan is spinning slower to achieve those numbers as well.
 
Do all of the intake slots have filters on them?

Also, the Sparkle PSU I'll be using is a bit longer than my old Corsairs. It's 6.89" (175mm) long. Think I can still fit a bottom fan with that PSU?
 
Yes, all of them.

PSU: Supports PSU's with a depth of maximum circa 170mm, when using bottom 120/140mm fan location. When not using the bottom 120/140mm fan location, the case supports also longer PSU's, typically 200-220mm.
 
The 2 top and 1 side panel 140mm/120mm with the covers do not have filters. The 2 front 120mm and bottom 140mm/120mm both have fine mesh type filters, but are not removable without using undoing screws. The opening below the PSU has a fine mesh filter as well that you can easily slide out to clean without any tools or needing to remove anything else or open your case.

The filters on the 2 front intakes actually act as fan holders as well, you can install and remove a 120mmx25mm fan in them without using any tools (and using only 1 hand if you need to). The bottom filter is however sized for a 140mm fan (if these come down in price or one goes on sale, might stick on there). They have screw mounting options as well.

I will try to check the psu if I have time later. But you might be able to fit it and be limited to a 120mm fan, not 140mm.
 
limitedaccess said:
I will try to check the psu if I have time later. But you might be able to fit it and be limited to a 120mm fan, not 140mm.
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If you have the time, that would be great! If a 120mm fan would fit I'd be happy. I don't wanna go back to my 750 TX and that mess of cables. Plus if I had to do that, my GF would be getting my gold rated 1kW PSU and that's just not happening! (It's bad enough that she's already getting an i7 920 and doesn't know just what kind of system she's getting)
 
If i measured correctly, there is 178mm space for PSU before the fan holder starts. Question is if the cables from the PSU will not conflict with fan
 
patric said:
Sweet! The titanium one will be mine in 3 business days!

Thanks everyone! :D
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Just ordered one myself. I love the monolith look. ;) I should get some stars airbrushed on the side or something.
 
I built my rig in the black xl. Awesome case. So much room and plenty of room for the cables behind the kb tray. Best damn case I ever purchased.
 
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