Fractal Design Torrent Compact RGB TG Light Tint

[Darksaber]

With the Torrent Compact, Fractal shrinks the design and layout of the original, but massive Torrent down to a classic mid-tower size. You still get the same dual 180 mm intake fans, RGB strip in the PSU bay, cool looks, and clean glass panels, all while advertising full ATX motherboard and massive air-cooling support.

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[Chaitanya]

Fractal are long overdue to release a mAtx case and would have liked to see mATX torrent case.

 

[MrDweezil]

Seems like a bit of an own goal to send you a 360 cooler along with a case that doesn't really accommodate one.

 

[THU31]

1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C
2x USB 3.0

This is misleading. It should say 2x USB 3.2 Gen1.

 

[amarthar]

So... two ATX cases and one MiniITX case. Looks like even Fractal forgot about MicroATX...

 

[trsttte]

So... two ATX cases and one MiniITX case. Looks like even Fractal forgot about MicroATX...

Unfortunately MicroATX is dieing a slow death. I also like the format but given the low adoption it's better to just use a full atx case that will be both cheaper (because higher volume) and won't strand you with an incompatible case if you can't find an mATX board next time you upgrade.

It can be a bit annoying because of the front panel usb and power headers (speaking from experience, matx b450 on atx meshify c almost didn't "fit") but the difference in size is just 3 pcie slots so going back I'd still go full atx case.

 

[Garrus]

I really don't understand the point of this case design, everything except the nice fan on the front. Why would anyone want this over a Corsair 4000D? I just want Corsair to release a micro ATX and mini ATX version of the 4000D. Also the Torrent pricing is obscene.

 

[bonehead123]

Meh, yet anutha box is da box is da box, yada yada yada.......

 

[deu]

I kinda dig the look!

 

[KrazedOmega]

They should have made it about 20mm wider so there was more room for cable management and so you could use a 140mm fan in the rear.

 

[The Quim Reaper]

I thought AIOs didn't like being put at the bottom of a case or is that just an urban myth...

 

[amarthar]

Unfortunately MicroATX is dieing a slow death. I also like the format but given the low adoption it's better to just use a full atx case that will be both cheaper (because higher volume) and won't strand you with an incompatible case if you can't find an mATX board next time you upgrade.

Not that I don't believe you, but I would really would like to know how is mATX dying? Because in my experience, it's still one of the most popular form factors in mid-range consumer PCs. Not trying to be a d*ck though. Genuinely curious.

 

[trsttte]

it's still one of the most popular form factors in mid-range consumer PCs

How can it be when every generation there's only a handfull of options among the majority of ATX? I mean, the cheap boards always sell a lot more units than mid to higher end ones so maybe you're right, but that only reinforces the idea that it's a cheap option and alternative to "proper" atx, so no reason to design premium cases for a "cheap" platform

 

[piloponth]

They should have made it about 20mm wider so there was more room for cable management and so you could use a 140mm fan in the rear.

Yes. And also longer (front to back) and higher, so you could install propper water cooling solution in the front.

Some had problems installing even Fractal’s own 360mm AIO into Torrent Compact, which is total faux pas:
https://storage.googleapis.com/pctuning-cz/media/images/yejgagomxgk61es62013b0e3d5b5710687650.webp

 

[sprach]

I thought AIOs didn't like being put at the bottom of a case or is that just an urban myth...

AIOs generally don't like being put at the bottom of a PC case, especially when the AIO pump is above the rad and has to struggle with pumping the coolant through the entire system, such as with any AIO based on Asektek's design.
Seeing this particular AIO model that has the pump attached to the rad, mounting it at the PC case bottom might just work without damaging the pump (too much), but it's still less than ideal.

 

[The Quim Reaper]

AIOs generally don't like being put at the bottom of a PC case, especially when the AIO pump is above the rad and has to struggle with pumping the coolant through the entire system, such as with any AIO based on Asektek's design.
Seeing this particular AIO model that has the pump attached to the rad, mounting it at the PC case bottom might just work without damaging the pump (too much), but it's still less than ideal.

So it won't affect cooling temperatures but will put more strain on the pump and therefore shorten its lifespan?

 

[sprach]

I didn't see any significant temperature difference. I tested this with an older AIO (Liquid Freezer I 240) and just the pump became noisier than usual, not by much, but enough to become noticeable. I suspect this was also due to coolant getting less over time even though the CLC was factory sealed, probably due to permeation.
In case of the AIO in this review, permeation shouldn't be an issue, since you can top it up through the fill port with distilled / demineralized water.

 

[80-watt Hamster]

They should have made it about 20mm wider so there was more room for cable management and so you could use a 140mm fan in the rear.

They did, in the original Torrent. There are plenty of 240mm+ wide cases out there; we don't need another (IMO). I'm continually on the lookout for something decent in ATX that's 200 or less. It's a pretty fruitless search.

 

[lemoncarbonate]

I thought I found a new perfect case to upgrade from Evolv ATX TG. I'm not using AIO so I don't think the bottom AIO placement will be a problem, but only 1x 3.5 HDD slot is a huge deal breaker for me, at least 2x would be perfect.

I'm really digging the exterior and interior design though.

 

[amarthar]

How can it be when every generation there's only a handfull of options among the majority of ATX? I mean, the cheap boards always sell a lot more units than mid to higher end ones so maybe you're right, but that only reinforces the idea that it's a cheap option and alternative to "proper" atx, so no reason to design premium cases for a "cheap" platform

The thing is that mATX covers the entire price spectrum. You've got an mATX board for every price range while ATX is mostly mid- to high-end only. While it's true that it's a cheaper alternative to ATX, it's not that much cheaper. Heck, major motherboard manufacturers usually have an mATX option in their top line and it's being marketed as a premium product.

Also Fractal may be on the higher end of the mid-range but they're not strictly a "premium" brand. If they were, they wouldn't release cases such as the Core series or the Focus G series or make budget versions of their higher end cases.

 

[SkullFox]

Radiator bellow the pump... exactly what you should not do.

 

[claes]

The pump is in the radiator

 

[trsttte]

The thing is that mATX covers the entire price spectrum. You've got an mATX board for every price range while ATX is mostly mid- to high-end only. While it's true that it's a cheaper alternative to ATX, it's not that much cheaper. Heck, major motherboard manufacturers usually have an mATX option in their top line and it's being marketed as a premium product.

I'd like to know where are these higher end mATX boards in every price range. Other than Asus with their Rog Strix Z series everything I find is usually on the cheaper end and only the lower end cheapset (b550, b450, h610, h510, b660, b560). For Z/Hx70/X chipsets there's usually less than an handfull of options.

Also Fractal may be on the higher end of the mid-range but they're not strictly a "premium" brand. If they were, they wouldn't release cases such as the Core series or the Focus G series or make budget versions of their higher end cases.

This case is clearly in the higher end of the spectrum (and bellow 200$+ silliness)

 

[Deeveo]

How easy are the dust filters to remove for cleaning on this one?