Fractal Design's Arc case is a cool customer

Fractal Design's Arc case is a cool customer

By p0is(+)n
03:08 Oct 2, 2011

Cheap
Cable Management
Anti-Vibration
Tool-Less Access
Great Ventilation
Included Fan Controller

Somewhat Heavy
Not the Best Dust Filters
Only 2 External 5.25" Bays

I picked up this case today for a new build I am doing, and I was so impressed with it that I decided to write a review. I don’t normally review things, and I’m not much of a wordsmith but here goes.

Fractal Design are relatively new players in the highly contended PC case market, however many people will have heard of them by now as their products are becoming increasingly popular amongst gamers and PC enthusiasts. The case I will be reviewing, the Arc Midi Tower, falls into the lower mid range market, costing approximately $A139 it presents excellent value for money.

The case came well packaged in thick polystyrene and comes with a good range of accessories, including 3x quiet 140mm fans, a fan controller for said fans and a convenient location to mount the fan controller. The case also comes with heaps of screws, for the fussy amongst us; they have provided black screws for everything which looks great in this all black case. Almost everything within the case is secured with black thumbscrews for tool-less access to your parts.

The first thing I noticed is that the overall build quality of the case is very high, there were no rough edges to be found which means no chance of cut fingers. The case feels very sturdy, although it is a somewhat heavy even when empty, being made from steel and not aluminium. The side panels slide on and off very easily, they are held in place by black thumbscrews and are snug enough not to rattle. The top cover has a thin foam dust filter to keep nasties out, and is easily removable to clean, held on by black thumbscrews again. There is room for 3x 120/140mm or 1x 180mm and 1x 120/140mm fans to be screwed into the top of the case, or there is also room for a 2x120mm radiator to be mounted to the top of the case for those so inclined.

The front cover clips on and off very smoothly, with just the right amount of force and the front panel USB/audio etc. is not connected to the cover so it can be removed easily. There are 2 mounts allowing 2x 140mm fans, these clip into place on the front cover with no screws required and so must be disconnected before removal. There is also a thin foam dust filter on the front of the case. The power button has a nice firm click to it, and the inclusion of a USB 3.0 connection should be a big plus for most.

The case comes with 4 metal case feet, with rubber bottoms to absorb vibration and stop the case from slipping. There are also rubber pads around the power supply mounting and in each of the hard drive bays. There is room to mount a 120/140mm fan in the bottom of the case and again there is a removable dust filter under the case to keep dust out. The side panel has room for a 140/180mm fan to bring some fresh air for the video cards and the rear will also take a 120/140mm fan.

There is a very generous hole to allow access to the rear of the motherboard which should accommodate even the largest cooler back plates, which means no need to remove the motherboard to remove the CPU cooler. There is also plenty of room behind the motherboard tray to route cables and sufficient cable management (5 rubber covered holes) provided that you can achieve very neat results with a little effort. There are also some rubber grommets to allow tubing out of the back of the case for an external radiator.

There are two external 5.25” drive bays, and included is an adapter and cover to convert one of those into an external 3.5” bay. There are an additional 8 internal 3.5” bays which cater to either standard HDD or SSD. Four of these are easily removable if you don’t need them, which may increase airflow from the front.

One of the features of this case is the included fan controller, which allows you to adjust the speed of the 3 included 140mm case fans, including some long cables so that everything reaches. The fan controller occupies an expansion slot but the case also has an additional expansion slot for just such a thing.

There is very little negative I can say about this case; however there are a few small things which in my opinion could have been done better. Firstly the top fan mounts do not line up, as the mount closest to the front is much more central, which although extremely minor, may not be obvious until after purchasing. Secondly the vent design on the side panel is somewhat ugly and just screams out for a window mod. The dust filters on the front and top although adequate, are not as nice as the washable filters included in higher model cases. There are also only 2 available 5.25" bays which while sufficient for most, may not be suitable for some. Lastly the front fans could have been mounted to the front of the case, rather than the plastic front panel, so that they don't have to be unplugged or removed for cleaning.

Overall I think this is a great case for its price, it provides both performance and subtle style and would be suitable for almost any kind of build or budget. It has a great array of features and covers all of the essentials. I give it a 9 out of 10.

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