Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 Review 2

Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 Review

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Value & Conclusion

  • The Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 sells for around 70-75 euros including taxes or 99 US dollars excluding taxes.
  • Solid construction
  • You may install radiators of up to 360 mm size
  • Simple but effective assembly process
  • Two 2.5" bays behind motherboard tray
  • Metal 2.5/3.5" trays
  • Top HDD cage modular
  • Bottom HDD cage may be removed for more room
  • Tool-less 5.25" bays
  • Excellent routing possibilities within the chassis
  • Functional fan controller
  • All cables are sleeved nicely - including I/O and fan cables
  • Dust filter on all intake areas
  • 4 + 1 motherboard expansion slots
  • Can hold up to 3x 120 mm fans in the ceiling
  • USB 3.0 I/O with additional USB 2.0 header
  • Not much cheaper than the Arc Midi R2
  • 20 mm of space alright - but could be more
  • No external 3.5" bay
  • Installing HDDs requires tools
  • No color choices yet
First off, there are undoubtedly cheaper mATX cases out there that will do the job just fine for most people. That is not to say that the Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 is not a great case. It, even though it clocks in at 100 USD, which is fairly hefty for a mATX chassis, offers excellent build quality, features that may be simple but work well, and a total of three fans right out of the box. It also comes with a simple but functional fan controller and the ability to install a 360 mm radiator within. Even users who want to install extra-long graphics cards or exotic liquid-cooling loops have been accommodated as you can remove both hard-drive bays and are still left with two 2.5" mounting possibilities. You are not only paying for quality but also the fact that Fractal Design has once again managed to throw in a great mix of features that go to show that simple & functional still beats hitting as many bullet points on paper as possible. Its price really makes this case one for users who want to build a compact but potent mATX system. Others may be swayed away by more room in the Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 - a case that only costs 10 US dollars more. Looking at the price in Europe, Fractal Design's home base, the Arc Mini R2 sells for around 95 US dollars including taxes there. Offering the Arc Mini R2 for 89 USD in the States would definitely create an incentive to go for the Mini instead of the Midi if you are a fan of Fractal cases.
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Nov 28th, 2024 23:39 EST change timezone

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