Assembly

Installing the motherboard is pretty straight forward using screws and spacers. Thanks to the well-placed zip tie hooks, the IO wiring can easily be wrangled into place nicely. Adding the PSU presents no surprises either. There is a bit of space next to the PSU to bunch up any unused wiring with a large zip tie hook to pin it all down as needed.


Thanks to the dedicated GPU compartment, adding the pixel pusher is very easy. Simply unscrew the two covers and pop the unit into place, securing it with the two thumb screws. The Fractal Design Mood maxes out at 325 mm in GPU length, which is sufficient for a higher-end mainstream card. That said higher tier units will run past that limitation - even if you can find dual-slot variants. Here you can also see that the PCIe cable is meant to be routed around the exterior edge of the motherboard tray, leaving it exposed to the edges of the exterior shell.


Thanks to the removable mounting bracket, prepping a 280 mm AIO like the Fractal Design Lumens is quite easy. The manual goes into pretty specific detail on how the tubing of this type of cooling should be massaged into the chassis. While it is a bit more work to situate an AIO when compared to larger enclosures, that is to be expected.


With everything in place, the cable management results of the Fractal Design Mood are actually very good. This is due to the fact that you are easily able to manage wiring as you install each component, with none of the steps adding any significant interference. If you look closely, you can see the AIO tubing wrap around the fans in a butterfly fashion as described in the manual. The GPU section is completely clear with simple and accessible cable management for the power wiring and the PCIe slot locking mechanism. This means you could easily exchange this component in the case or make it simple to reach the motherboard CPU cooler backplate without having to disassemble much of the system.


After a few gentle closings and openings during our review process, you can see that the protective tape around the PCIe cable is already dinged a bit. While having this extra layer of protection is great, it feels like an afterthought as Fractal could have easily designed a metal plate that could be screwed to pin the cable down and ensure it stays within the confines of the case. While we had no functional issues at all, let this serve as a reminder to be gentle, slow and deliberate when you assemble or disassemble your own build.

Finished Looks

Turning the system on, there is nothing really showing to let you know that things are turned on besides the operational noise. The power LED ring around the button isn't very bright either but should be adequately visible under normal lighting conditions that are not as bright as studio lights.


As such, when viewed from all sides, the Fractal Design Mood is spotless, making it an excellent candidate for scenarios where the case is standing freely. As marketed, the Fractal Design Mood would clearly fit well into a minimalist, intentional space. This is further elevated by the color options the case is offered in. While we are reviewing the black variant, Fractal Design has opted for gray on the second SKU. Both of these hues are also available on their recently announced headset and chair, so that you could match those components perfectly.