Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Tower

The Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 sheds the Define series’ iconic look and noise suppression features to focus more on airflow and cooling.

January 7, 2014 by Lawrence Lee

Fractal Design made their name on the strength of the Define series, minimalist
elegant tower cases that utilize noise limiting features to carve out a nice
niche in the market. They’ve been expanding their catalog substantially, three
more lines of cases, the Node for home theaters, the value-oriented Core series,
and the Arc which focuses more on cooling and airflow without compromising their
iconically sleek Scandinavian aesthetics.

The Arc Mini was released in 2011 along with the Define Mini, a pair of microATX towers with similar designs but differing styles. We never had the opportunity to examine the original but if the R2 can live up to the Define Mini it would be in excellent company — it’s currently SPCR’s best performing microATX case.

The Mini R2 lacks the grace and sophistication of the Define series. There
isn’t a hint of aluminum nor is there a door at all, but rather a more generic
looking plastic bezel with fine lines on the surface mimicking brushed aluminum.
This is the first Fractal case we’ve used with a side window, something added
to entice enthusiasts who love gazing into their systems’ innards to admire
their cabling or lighting, or to simply check if anything has caught fire.

At 16 inches, the Arc Mini R2 is slightly taller than the Define Mini. Both
cases are unusually tall and large for a microATX case — add an inch or
two and you’re in ATX territory. Inside you’ll find bays for six 3.5 inch drives
and two 2.5 inch drives, three stock fans of a possible seven, a three-speed
fan controller, dust filters, removable drive trays and cages, and support for
a large radiator if you’re into watercooling. What you won’t find are noise
damping mats and foam. Aside from the fan controller, the Arc Mini R2 isn’t
particularly noise-conscious.

The packaging and accessories included with the case are minimal. A black cardboard
box stuffed in one of the drive trays contains the necessary screws and standoffs,
along with a few plastic zip-ties. It’s less of an accessory box as it is a
necessity box.

EXTERIOR & PANELS

The Arc Mini R2 weighs 9 kg or 19.8 lb and measures 21.0 x 40.5 x 48.4 cm or 8.3 x 15.9 x 19.1 inches (W x H x D), giving it a total volume of 41.2 liters. It’s close in size to the Fractal Define Mini but overly large for microATX towers which are typically closer to 30 liters. The main chassis is constructed of steel while the front bezel is made of plastic.

INTERIOR

The build quality of the Arc Mini R2 interior is satisfactory. The frame is stiff and the drive area feels relatively sturdy despite not being riveted in place and having a pair of removable hard drive cages with no structural support at the sides.

ASSEMBLY

Assembly of the Arc Mini R2 is fairly straightforward and if the interior ever feels cramped during installation, relief can be had by removing the drive cages and installing any hard drives at the end of the process.

TESTING

System Configuration:

• Intel
  Core i5-750 processor – 2.66 GHz, 45nm, 95W
• Noctua NH-U12P CPU cooler – Nexus 120 mm fan at 9V
• ASUS P7H55D-M EVO
  motherboard – Intel Express H55 chipset
• ASUS Radeon EAH6850 DirectCU
  graphics card
• Corsair
  XMS3 memory – 2x2GB, DDR3-1600
• Samsung EcoGreen F3 hard drive – 2TB, 5400 RPM
• Cooler Master
  Silent Pro M700 – 700W modular ATX power supply
• Microsoft
  Windows 7 operating system – Ultimate, 64-bit
• ATI
  Catalyst 10.12 graphics driver

Measurement and Analysis Tools

• Prime95
  processor stress software.
• FurMark
  stability test to stress the integrated GPU.
• GPU-Z to
  monitor GPU temperatures and fan speed.
• SpeedFan
  to monitor system temperatures.
• Seasonic
  Power Angel AC power meter, used to measure the power consumption
  of the system.
• Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
  fan speeds during testing.
• PC-based spectrum analyzer:
  SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digital

  audio interfaces.

• Anechoic chamber
  with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower
• Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
  standard fan testing methodology.

System temperatures and noise levels were recorded with SpeedFan and GPU-Z
at idle and on load using Prime95 (large FFTs setting) and FurMark, an OpenGL
benchmarking and stability testing utility.

Baseline Noise

The Arc Mini R2 inherits the same dual rear/front 1200 RPM 120 mm fans from the Define Mini, but also sports an additional 140 mm model secured to the ceiling. The Define Mini also had a variable fan controller at the back, whereas the Arc Mini R2’s controller is located at the front as has three set speeds.

As all the fans belong to the Silent R2 series, their acoustics are similar. The top and rear fans are pleasantly smooth with a some bearing chatter audible close-up but inside the case with the side panels running interference, it’s impossible to detect. The front fan has a tendency to click, but this is a result of the intake fan mount rather than the fan itself. We encountered the same issue with the Define Mini.

Together, the overall sound quality is above average compared to most stock case fans and the controller’s preset speeds offer a decent range to suit individual needs, though obviously we would prefer more granular control. At 5V, the total SPL was a very quiet 16 dBA@1m, while at 7V, it measured 22 dBA@1m which is still fairly reasonable. If you’re running hotter, high-end hardware, 12V may provide the cooling you’re looking for but at a heavy acoustic cost.

TEST RESULTS

Sitting idle with the case fans set to 5V, our test system was relatively cool
and quiet, with the CPU hovering around the 30°C mark and the GPU below
40°C, with a total noise output of 21~22 dBA@1m. As we mentioned previously,
hard drive vibration was an issue with this case due to the loose drive trays.
In our case, if we positioned the tray just right, it would produce a moderate
amount of vibration noise audible at close proximity. If it wasn’t positioned
just so, the drive would cause an obnoxious buzzing. A screw can be inserted
through the side to brace the tray against the cage but this didn’t help in
our case. In the end we resorted to placing some foam above and below the drive
to keep it steady. You can also try adding tape to the drive trays for more
friction.

On full CPU and GPU load, our methodology dictates we balance the noise and heat by adjusting the video card fan speed manually to keep the GPU at or around 90°C as a reference point. For the Arc Mini R2, no fan speed change was required from what the card was using at idle. Increasing the case fan speed to 7V took some of the pressure off the GPU, allowing us to slow the fan by about 100 RPM. This produced a net noise gain of 1~2 dB but helped the CPU cool down by 3°C. It’s not an acceptable tradeoff in our opinion, but if the video card fan had less admirable acoustics we would consider doing it just to make the system sound a bit more pleasant.

The Arc Mini R2’s performance was similar to that of the Define Mini, with a 1 dB improvement in SPL but a 4°C deficiency in CPU temperature. These are the two best performing microATX cases we’ve tested. The larger than average size paired with a traditional layout produces superior results than the smaller Sugo SG09 and Temjin TJ08-E from SilverStone.

AUDIO RECORDINGS

These recordings were made with a high resolution, lab quality, digital recording
system inside SPCR’s own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to
LAME 128kbps encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no
audible degradation from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent
a quick snapshot of what we heard during the review.

Each recording starts with ambient noise, then 5~10 second segments of product
at various states. For the most realistic results,
set the volume so that the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then
don’t change the volume setting again while comparing all the sound files.

• Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 – Baseline
  — stock fans at 5V(16 dBA@1m)
  — stock fans at 7V (22 dBA@1m)
  — stock fans at 12V (32 dBA@1m)

• Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 – ASUS HD 6850 test system, CPU fan at 9V
  — idle/load, stock fans at 5V, GPU fan at 1660 RPM (21~22 dBA@1m)
  — load, stock fans at 7V, GPU fan at 1570 RPM (24 dBA@1m)

FINAL THOUGHTS

There’s no denying that the Arc Mini R2 is built on the same foundations
as the Define
Mini. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s a sound core, a microATX tower with
excellent acoustic performance, noise prevention features, and the familiar
elegant minimalist aesthetic that Fractal Design has been evangelizing since
its inception. However, the Arc Mini R2 takes the basic blueprints and goes
in a different direction, one that is accommodating of a larger, broader audience.
The chassis appeals more to enthusiasts, with increased ventilation at the top
to accommodate large radiators (which seem to be all the rage these days), an
additional stock 140 mm exhaust fan, including SSD mounts behind the motherboard
tray, and a vanity window on the side panel.

All these changes alone would have been fine but unfortunately they also took
away key features. The aluminum door is the most noticeable omission, removed
in favor of a more accessible front bezel with a less appealing plastic construction.
Inside, the noise absorbent sheets have vanished, and the once solid hard drive
mounting system is no more. The drive caddies use a similar design to those
of yore but they fit noticeably looser than in previous Fractal models, making
them more prone to hard drive vibration. Basically, most of the things that
we loved about Fractal and the Define series has been removed, leaving behind
a case with less cachet for a silent PC enthusiast.

As microATX cases go, the Arc Mini R2 is a fantastic performer, but it lives in the long shadow of the Define Mini which is still available and priced the same, about US$100. We prefer the former — the Arc Mini R2 adds some minor improvements which we wouldn’t mind seeing in an updated version of the Define Mini, however, what is subtracted from the equation is substantial. Fractal’s desire to expand beyond the niche they started out from is understandable — we just wish it didn’t cost them their identity. Remove the branding and change the black/white color scheme, and we probably wouldn’t recognize who built this case.

Our thanks to Fractal Design
for the Arc Mini R2 case sample.

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Articles of Related Interest
Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX Case
BitFenix Phenom Mini-ITX Case
Chenbro SR30169 Mini-ITX Server Chassis
Silverstone ML05 mini-ITX HTPC Case
SilverStone Grandia GD07 & GD08 Media Center Cases
Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Tower

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