A Closer Look - Outside

The first thing that will cross your mind is the fact, that Fractal has managed to truly shrink the Define R3 while keeping the look and feel perfectly aligned with the series. Unlike the bigger ones, the Define Mini is only available in black at the moment. Additional protection has been placed on the front to make sure you get a flawless chassis.


As is the case with all the other Define enclosures, the Mini has a door which covers the entire front. It also swings open to the left to reveal the drive bays and fan bays. In the rear the white accents are still present, along with the extra vertical expansion slot which is intended for the fan controller.


The main side panel has a spot for a fan, which has been covered to keep any noise within the chassis if it remains unused. Besides that, there are no further openings or vents on either side of the chassis.


Even though the Define Mini is intended for a mATX chassis, Fractal Design has still managed to allow the installation of up to two 120 mm fans in the front of the chassis. One wide bladed one comes pre-installed and sits behind the dust filter. Above that you have the standard two drive bays found on each Define chassis. This constellation means that Fractal Design has managed to give the chassis the exact same front layout in terms of cooling and bays as the bigger Define R3, while keeping the Mini much smaller.


In the rear you will find the PSU bay on the bottom, with four horizontal mainboard expansion slots above that. These along with the fifth vertical one are protected by the signature white metal covers. A 120 mm, white bladed fan pulls hot air out of the rear of the chassis.


You will find the I/O in the top edge of the chassis. I mentioned in the past, that Fractal Design needs to start including USB 3.0 in their cases and the Defini Mini has a single such connector, along with two standard USB 2.0 ones. you will also get a pair of audio connectivity. Some may miss the eSATA connector found on the other Define cases, as it has simply been omitted in the Mini. While I do not consider this a great loss in light of USB 3.0 gaining steam, it would still have been good to keep the general I/O set constant across the entire line. Another covered air vent can be found in the ceiling of the chassis. In proper Fractal Design fashion all unused fan locations are covered properly.


A dust filter on the underside of the chassis keeps unwanted dust out and can easily be removed for cleaning. Simply pull it out the back, rinse it clean and replace it.