A Closer Look - Inside

For access to the interior, simply pull the tab of each panel off the chassis. Fractal includes a metal shroud on the bottom which may also be used to place two SSD trays here if you like to show off your solid-state drives. Two plastic covers allow for any kind of liquid cooling setup, even those that require the full height of the chassis. Thanks to the elongated frame, this will have very little real-world impact on the maximum length of GPUs.


On the opposite side, you will notice several unique elements, starting with the bottom cover. This flexible plastic shield may easily be removed to reveal the elements hidden underneath the shroud, and will certainly help with cable management as well.


Towards the front, you will find a plate with rows of mounting holes for 3.5" HDD cages. While Fractal includes four, you may buy additional ones as this plate will fit up to nine such units if you opt to remove the 5.25" bay. Here, you will also find a universal mounting plate that allows you to install either hard drives or things like reservoir or pumps. Both the additional storage as well as this plate can be utilized in the "storage layout" of the chassis by moving the plate to the other side of the case for a nicely hidden way of having all these drive bays or liquid cooling. You may even buy additional plates to go beyond the maximum storage capabilities by placing them on 120 mm fan-mounting locations, for example.


Several plastic mounts come with Velcro strips for easy, clean cable channeling and management. This should result in a really clean look once your system is fully assembled, while allowing you to change your hardware configuration with ease down the line.


On top of the larger bays are two dedicated, metal 2.5" trays underneath the large opening for the CPU cooler bracket. These are held in place by individual thumb screws for easy removal. Fractal has also included a fan PCB they call the Nexus+ 2 fan hub. It utilizes a SATA power connector to provide current to three PWM and six 3-pin fans. A PWM cable allows for such a signal to be passed from the motherboard to the three fans.


In the front, you will find two more hard-drive trays in a removable cage underneath the shroud. This brings the possible total of 3.5" drives inside the Define 7 to seven out of the box. Add the two 2.5" trays and you have an excellent nine storage drives. Above that is the area dedicated to air intake or liquid cooling, with the ability to place up to a 360 mm radiator here if you opt to sacrifice the 5.25" slot in the process.


The PSU bay in the rear is quite spacious, so you can take your pick when it comes to your unit of choice. However, you may also install two 140 mm fans or a 280 mm radiator here by removing the HDD cage and keeping your choice of PSU reasonably compact.


In the ceiling is where any fans or a radiator would be placed within the chassis, with plenty of space to work around it.


Last but not least, all the cables within the Fractal Define 7 are of the default variety and with black sleeving.