Fractal Design Gallery

My WIP, hopefully I finish it this week. Need to make one more order through FrozenCPU
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(sorry about the cell phone pic)
 
Hey guys, I'm a long time lurker on the [H] forums, since I really love this case I figured I'd add another pic of a Define Mini build.
My only issues with this case is the front fan dust filter removal setup, that could have been done in a smarter way. Gonna be a pain to get that off when they get clogged.
Wanted a machine that was quiet in daily use but that can still push a good amount of pixels when needed. Specs in signature.
The ROG features really make basic OCing a joy, something I havent messed with since the PII days managed to get the i5 stable at 4.7GHz @ stock voltage. The EVGA Classified is running at 950MHz core, 1.9GHz shaders and 2GHz RAM at a measly 1.07V. Amazed at the component quality and how easy and fast it was to OC these newfangled components compared to last gen stuff.

 
Is there way to remove the slanted top 180mm exhaust on the R3 XL and put in two 120/140mm at the top without any hardware modding? Are there any pre-made top fan cover mounts for it?

I don't know why they would implement that design on the R3, but not it's bigger brother. Seems pretty retarded and inefficient, imo.
 
Mortis360 said:
It is, should i rather move the fan in front of the radiator? I got recommended to have the fan as exhaust.
I'm trying now as a push-fan, instad of pull.
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The real benefit for the AP fan is to channel air more efficiently as a column therefore it's best for concentrating air towards one location which is great for things like graphics cards. It's best used as an intake fan if anything, the "penetrating" effect is no use for exhaust and the fan doesn't move enough air to justify over infinitely more effective and cheaper fans such as the Scythe Gentle Typhoon or 38MM Delta fans. Honestly, the AP fans really aren't good for anything if you consider what else is out there. Especially considering their exorbitant price. :eek:

Sorry for muddling up you fine gentlemen's Fractal Design thread with fan talk.
 
TeeJayHoward said:
Fractal Design Define Mini with the front drive bays removed. For anyone interested, the bottom drive bay is riveted in. Dremelling out the rivet results in a nice clean hole for you to screw it back in (if you have self-tapping screws). Or, you can do what I did, and screw a SSD in there instead. If you're the kind that cares about cables and appearances, be certain to get a modular PSU - There is NOT a lot of room behind the motherboard, just enough to hide the 24-pin cable. Certainly not enough to hide a molex connector (unless it's flattened). Oh, and mine has a black USB3.0 motherboard header, not the blue one that earlier editions had. Looks like Fractal Design listens to the reviewers!
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/2430/68657668.png[img]
[img]http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3919/95775102.png[img]
[img]http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3896/14518602.png[img]
[img]http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7240/43470546.png[img][/QUOTE]

i got an arc mini too...had i known it was roughly 3 inches shorter than an arc midi i'd of gone with the midi :( oh well live and learn
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fochkoph said:
cheaper fans such as the Scythe Gentle Typhoon or 38MM Delta fans.
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It depends on defintion of cheap. AP121 is 14,47 € over here, Gentle Typhoons are 12,96 €. Insane 1.51€ difference :D. And who knows, maybe his supplier had AP121's on stock, but no Gentle Typhoons.
 
nOrVow said:
Is there way to remove the slanted top 180mm exhaust on the R3 XL and put in two 120/140mm at the top without any hardware modding? Are there any pre-made top fan cover mounts for it?

I don't know why they would implement that design on the R3, but not it's bigger brother. Seems pretty retarded and inefficient, imo.
Click to expand...

There's room, but you'd need to cut out an opening.

The XL is designed for noise moreso than cooling potential, and with a 140mm and a 180mm fan right next to the CPU, there's already enough cooling. They say the tilt of the 180mm fan helps with noise. Especially since having two top fans is a pointless endeavor anyway without watercooling, as the front fan is only competing with the CPU heatsink fan for air.
 
I really wish Performance PCS would start selling Fractal Design cases...
I know newegg does which is great BUT performance pcs will mod them in house!
I even emailed fractal to notify them of a possible sales increase if they sold their
products at Performance PCS
Anyway I LOVE the gallery and will be upgrading... or downgrading depending on how you look at it to a Fractal Midi or 3000.
 
Picked up the boys today from NewEgg. Arc Mini for myself, Define Mini for the wife:
01FDPair.jpg


Wife's computer, currently the HTPC but upgrading some parts (CPU, HSF, HBA, more HD's) to be the fileserver and transcoding:
02FDDefineMini1.jpg


Temp position until I wall mount the TV:
02FDDefineMini2.jpg


My computer, upgrading the video card from the 5770 to a 78xx when they come out:
03FDArcMini1.jpg


Where it is currently:
03FDArcMini2.jpg


Overall, my first (and second) pair of cases from Fractal Design, and I must say I am impressed. The cases are packaged extremely well, overall build quality is good, paint was excellent, and the cable management was very placed. At roughly $100 for each case, I think it was well worth it.
 
My Arc Mini, also posted it in the "rate my cables" thread. All of the nasty unsleeved wires are part of the stock fan controller.

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Hey guys and gals, long time lurker but I thought I would share my new build. Coming from a 700D and I couldn't be happier with this case :D
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Great thread so far and it was nice to see this post http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1037332665&postcount=42 as I'm planning on filling up all the hdd slots in the R3 I just ordered :) Will also be picking up http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5097/cab-89/Customizable_4_Pin_to_SATA_Power_Adapter_Cable.html to help cable management.

nalc said:
For fellow R3 owners, bit-tech did a nice fan comparison review last week using the R3 and the stock fractal fans to figure out what the optimal configuration is

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1
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That was a helpful test they did. I want to ask you guys for recommendation on good case fans. I will be removing the fans and would like to replace them with something quieter as the stock ones aren't that great apparently. Especially if the fans that comes with the R3 have red/blue LED on them.

I'll join in with a pic next week.
 
adi158, nice rig!

just a quick question, do any of the fractal design cases actually come with a window?

I would jump for one, but im a total sucker for windows.
 
unfortunately no. I'd have liked one as well. Can make a custom plexi tho. Someone over at OCN did a pretty damn good job on his Core 3000.

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Has anyone else thought about removing their fan filters? I have noticed that my case exhausts a lot better when I remove the top fan filter. I am thinking about removing the front one also, I have the Arc Mini BTW.
 
Yeah, I pulled mine too, feels like a lot more air (and dust :( ) moves into the case now.
 
This is somewhat off topic, but a Fractal Designs CSR let me know that they are working on windowed side panels for a range of their cases and they will hopefully be released (for separate purchase) this Spring.
 
Gazoo said:
This is somewhat off topic, but a Fractal Designs CSR let me know that they are working on windowed side panels for a range of their cases and they will hopefully be released (for separate purchase) this Spring.
Click to expand...

Interesting...
 
anyone with a core 3000, how much room is there between the right side of teh board and the start of the optical bays / hdd bays? I'd like to stick an SSI MEB board in one and its only an inch or so wider
 
Since folks have asked before, just a heads up...I just listed the OEM fans and fan controller that came with my Arc Mini in the {H] "For Sale / Trade" forum.
 
I suspended the hard disks in my R3, which made a noticeable difference in noise. It's almost like the drive cage in the R3 was designed to be laced with bungee, all the holes were in perfect places for it...

I'll post pics in a bit, have to set up an RMA with Corsair first (discovered the fan on my TX 750 is ticking / rattling)
 
I've already built a lot of systems with Fractal Design cases, here are just two of them:



Components:

  • CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 450 (3x 3,2GHz, 1,225V)
    CPU cooler: Xigmatek Loki SD963 @ Enermax T.B. Silence UCTB9
    Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H
    RAM: 2x 2GB Crucial Value DDR3-1333 CL9 1,5V
    Graphics: onboard HD4250
    PSU: Cougar A 300
    HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB
    Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 w/ Enermax T.B. Silence UCTB12 (front) & Enermax T.B. Silence UCTB9 (rear)

  • CPU: Intel Core i3-2120
    CPU cooler: Xigmatek Loki SD963
    Mainboard: ASRock H61M-U3S3
    RAM: 2x 4GB ADATA Value DDR3-1333 CL9 1,5V
    Graphics: Club3D GeForce GTX560Ti Green
    PSU: Cougar A 450
    HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB
    Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 w/ standart fan (front) & Fractal Design Silent 92mm (rear)
 
Some really nice setups in this thread. Just a few questions for anyone with an Arc Mid Tower; is it possible to soft remove the lower hard drive bracket or would I have to drill the rivets out to remove it?

Also I have also noticed the circular dust patterns on the front fan intakes on a few of the Arc Mids that seem to appear after a while, is there a way to stop this from happening? i.e. creating positive air pressure inside the case without affecting the cooling or do you just have to clean the front filters regularly?
 
thesquid said:
Some really nice setups in this thread. Just a few questions for anyone with an Arc Mid Tower; is it possible to soft remove the lower hard drive bracket or would I have to drill the rivets out to remove it?
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I took mine out. Had to remove 6 rivets to get it out. Four on the bottom and two on the cross member between the two front intakes.
 
Here's my drive suspension technique. The drive cage in the R3 is wide because it's meant to accommodate sliding drive rails, which means there's ample room to string a "double X" pattern of bungee cord and wedge your drives in the middle.

SERIOUSLY reduced vibration and noise. I recommend this mod to all R3 owners:

FcrMc.jpg
 
FrostBite,

Can you measure the metal top panels of the Arc Mini and Define Mini? I am wondering if the parts are interchangeable after popping the rivets. Looking at getting both cases and want to swap some parts around.
 
nice setups everyone, however just curious as to what people are doing with the front dust filters on both the 120mm intakes?

I have a R2 and they get clogged up so easily and cleaning them is such a pain as i have to take out the entire assembly and unplug the fans etc. My R2 sits on my desk and it is hardly dusty in my room at all.

Any suggestions for improving this, or do people just cut out the mesh material?

thanks
 
nismohks said:
Any suggestions for improving this, or do people just cut out the mesh material?
Click to expand...

Best solution I've found so far for the R3:
1. Cut out the mesh on the plastic fan brackets.
2. Clip in your 120mm fan (don't use the two large screw-holes, just the clips).
3. Screw the mesh-less plastic bracket + fan into the front of the case in its normal spot.
4. Screw a 120mm Lian Li Fan Filter Assembly into the front of the plastic bracket using the two large screw holes.

That's it! You can now clean your filters by simply sliding them up and out of the brackets.
 
Since I haven't seen one pictured in the gallery at all, I thought I would picture my Fractal Design Core 3000 which is what my main desktop is housed in. I also have two Define R2's ...but you all know what they look like.

You'll have to pardon the cables, it's inordinately difficult to really make them all that presentable, since my power supply is not fully modular (Antec Signature 650) ..and I never really got into obsessive cable management anyway.

The odd second fan on the Noctua is only temporary, the case I have had since about last summer, but the board and cpu are brand new, Gigabyte Z77x-D3H and an I5 3570K ...which as I am sure you all know by now, runs a little warm, hence I added a second fan to my trusty old NH-U12F. The Noctua fan on there has been in use since I bought the U12F in 2006 to cool my E6600, I will probably replace both the fans on it for some nice new ones at some point in the near future.

I don't think it's really worth colour coding all my cables and what not, not with that birds nest in there anyway.

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Here's my setup. I know it's horrible because of that huge cable mess, but I didn't really have time to do it well when I built it. Maybe I'll fix it when I have more time..

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