The Fractal Meshify 2 impresses just as much as the Define 7, which is no surprise as it utilizes the same frame under the hood. That said, there are a few subtle differences simply because the Meshify 2 is meant to favor airflow over silence with its mesh front. With the same structure at the core, the Meshify 2 is just as uncompromisingly solid and heavy as the more expensive Define 7—you get the same compatibility, unboxing experience, and core feature set.

It can hold anything up to an E-ATX board, a huge air cooler, plenty of radiators, long GPUs with even a thick radiator in the front, and a potent PSU because of that extra depth. On top of that, it offers the ability to switch to the storage layout for up to seven 3.5" units out of the box and the ability to go as high as 12 or even 14 units with the right set of separately available accessories. If you include the 2.5" trays, you reach even higher storage numbers. On top of that, you will get excellent and well thought out cable management and a beautifully designed exterior and interior, with five case variants to pick from. Clocking in at US$139, the Meshify 2 is also noticeably cheaper than the Define 7, which makes it more accessible to a wider range of users.

While Fractal Design has made a deliberate choice to use the larger Define 7 frame, I do wonder if the Meshify 2 could have benefited from the use of the compact Define 7 body instead, just to set it apart a bit more with the possibility for an even lower price point. Simply geared towards a different target audience, the Meshify 2 is still just as great of a case as the Define 7, however.