A Closer Look - Outside

Right out of the box, you may notice that the Fractal Define S2 is quite a bit longer than it is high. The overall design is clearly based on what we have come to expect from the Define family, with clean, straight edges and a plated, brushed aluminium front door. The use of materials is a step up as previous Define cases used plastic instead.


As with all Define cases, the front is completely solid and comes with a little notch at the very top to allow you to see the power LED. You may remove the front panel to reveal two 140 mm fans set to pull air into the Define S2. In the rear, things are arranged in a traditional fashion with the PSU bay at the very bottom.


Looking at the main glass side panel, you may think it is not there at all. Unlike most other brands, Fractal Design has chosen to keep the glass untinted, which has it provide an unobstructed view into the interior of the S2. Due to this, the window becomes invisible with a perfectly clean surface. Another interesting aspect is the fact that the glass panel has been placed on a metal frame so that it is secured just like a classic solid side panel. This allows Fractal Design to offer the chassis both as a windowed and solid variant without having to worry about different tooling elements. The other side of our sample is completely solid as this is where you will route all your cables.


Looking at the rear, the PSU bay is equipped with a mounting frame, as you will have to slide the power supply in through the back of the chassis during assembly. Above that are the seven vertical and two horizontal expansion slots. With the optional Flex VRC-25 PCIe ribbon cable and slot, the two horizontal openings allow you to present your high-end GPU perfectly behind the glass window, for example. In the very top, you will find another retail-grade fan—also a 140 mm unit set to blow air out the back of the chassis. This brings the total count of cooling units to a very respectable three. A big round button will release the ceiling panel once pressed firmly.


This cover consists of two parts: a solid metal panel with sound dampening material on it and a plastic grille with a dust filter. This allows you to either go for maximum sound encapsulation while keeping with the metal material or airflow, should you have cooling units or a radiator in the ceiling of the Define S2.


The I/O panel is separate from the front cover, which means you may pull the latter off without having to worry about any wires. Here, you will find two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 plugs on one and a pair of audio connectors on the other side. In the middle is a small reset button and a much larger power switch. You will also find a fully fledged USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port here, which was only available as an upgrade in the original R6, but is included by default in the R6C as well.


Just like the previous generation of the series, the Fractal Design Define S2 comes with a big dust filter on its underside, which may be pulled out through the front for easy cleaning.