[Case] Fractal Design Define Mini C (Micro ATX) Review
Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:19 am
I believe the other Fractal Design Define cases are similar to this one, apart from the size. This review will focus on the noise factor and air flow but I will cover the basics first.
Build quality: Interior has a lot of appreciated little details. FD did not cut any corners.
Aesthetic/design: Minimalist. Classy. Metal body is kind of plain. Vents look great. Front is appealing. Window is a bonus.
Form factor: Compared to a full-sized ATX, somewhat less height but same width/length. Not very compact.
Ease of building: Medium. There is enough room, but sometimes things can get tight.
Water-cooling: Is fully supported though it won't leave you with much else free space.
Cable management: Cables mostly go behind a wall on the right side, with plenty of holes to come out of.
Spaciousness: It will fit most video cards and coolers. It has room for a few PCI(E) expansions.
Screws/mounting: Not too many screws and panels come off fairly easily (with exception to the obscured hard drive cage).
Storage: Has a small panel to protect M2 SSD's. Very small hard drive cage which is not user friendly.
The case excels at both airflow and noise reduction. The large side vents in the front allows much air to come in but the front panel also provides a wall to protect sound from leaking out The bottom, top and front all come with easy-to-remove dust filters. The back does not have a filter. With the proper ventilation, the case can afford to be enclosed by two solid side panels which have sound dampening material. If you get the windowed version, the windowed panel does not have the dampening material (and it may be slightly less quiet) in exchange for good aesthetic.
The top of the case offers the option of having a solid cover with sound dampening, removing the solid cover to have relatively large holes for maximum air flow or the top cover can be removed and replaced with a dust filter. I personally use the solid cover for more noise dampening, but if I were to run extremely heavy loads on the machine, I would consider swapping it for the dust filter. Thankfully, it can be removed with ease.
The hard drive cage (on the bottom, beneath the shroud, next to the power supply) has rubber pads for noise dampening, though if it is in the budget, not having to rely on an internal hard drive is a better idea. Thankfully, the hard drive cage can be removed (and a case fan can be mounted from the bottom instead). The hard drive cage can also be slid to the side to accomodate larger fans or a radiator.
The case comes with two stock fans which neither noisy nor quiet. The top of the case, allows for two 140mm fans if you plan on using the top as an exhaust. The front of the case supports at least 1 140mm fan, but if you want to have 2 140mm fans, you will need to move or remove the hard drive cage. The back of the case, will not support all 140mm fans because the IO ports take up room, so the back will take a smaller fan. The bottom (under the hard drive cage), allows for a 140mm fan. The power supply shroud has ventilation for the power supply fan overall.
The FD Define Mini C case can be found for $65-90 depending on where you buy and what version of it you get. For the money, it's a great value. It does well in almost every category, it has great airflow and it reduces noise very well. Rating: 9/10
Build quality: Interior has a lot of appreciated little details. FD did not cut any corners.
Aesthetic/design: Minimalist. Classy. Metal body is kind of plain. Vents look great. Front is appealing. Window is a bonus.
Form factor: Compared to a full-sized ATX, somewhat less height but same width/length. Not very compact.
Ease of building: Medium. There is enough room, but sometimes things can get tight.
Water-cooling: Is fully supported though it won't leave you with much else free space.
Cable management: Cables mostly go behind a wall on the right side, with plenty of holes to come out of.
Spaciousness: It will fit most video cards and coolers. It has room for a few PCI(E) expansions.
Screws/mounting: Not too many screws and panels come off fairly easily (with exception to the obscured hard drive cage).
Storage: Has a small panel to protect M2 SSD's. Very small hard drive cage which is not user friendly.
The case excels at both airflow and noise reduction. The large side vents in the front allows much air to come in but the front panel also provides a wall to protect sound from leaking out The bottom, top and front all come with easy-to-remove dust filters. The back does not have a filter. With the proper ventilation, the case can afford to be enclosed by two solid side panels which have sound dampening material. If you get the windowed version, the windowed panel does not have the dampening material (and it may be slightly less quiet) in exchange for good aesthetic.
The top of the case offers the option of having a solid cover with sound dampening, removing the solid cover to have relatively large holes for maximum air flow or the top cover can be removed and replaced with a dust filter. I personally use the solid cover for more noise dampening, but if I were to run extremely heavy loads on the machine, I would consider swapping it for the dust filter. Thankfully, it can be removed with ease.
The hard drive cage (on the bottom, beneath the shroud, next to the power supply) has rubber pads for noise dampening, though if it is in the budget, not having to rely on an internal hard drive is a better idea. Thankfully, the hard drive cage can be removed (and a case fan can be mounted from the bottom instead). The hard drive cage can also be slid to the side to accomodate larger fans or a radiator.
The case comes with two stock fans which neither noisy nor quiet. The top of the case, allows for two 140mm fans if you plan on using the top as an exhaust. The front of the case supports at least 1 140mm fan, but if you want to have 2 140mm fans, you will need to move or remove the hard drive cage. The back of the case, will not support all 140mm fans because the IO ports take up room, so the back will take a smaller fan. The bottom (under the hard drive cage), allows for a 140mm fan. The power supply shroud has ventilation for the power supply fan overall.
The FD Define Mini C case can be found for $65-90 depending on where you buy and what version of it you get. For the money, it's a great value. It does well in almost every category, it has great airflow and it reduces noise very well. Rating: 9/10