Product ReviewsFractal Design Arc MIDI R2 Tower Computer Case 2X5.25 8X3.5INT No PS Fan Controller & Front USB3.0
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With 15 User Reviews
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 Rating: Review Date: 09/08/13  |
Cons: pricematch may be available
Pros: great case-Love it |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/16/13 |
Cons: -Panel gap like a 1980s American car-Motherboard tray flexes a lot (previous case was an HAF932, so maybe I'm spoiled in terms of build quality)-Extraordinarily poor SSD mounting in the drive cage. The connectors lie almost flush with the metal drive tray, making it impossible to connect power and data cables. If you look at SSD mounting kits, there is always a raised bump surrounding the screw holes, which allows for sufficient clearance to securely connect your SSD. I ended up just taping the SSD farther back on the tray so that the connection point was unobstructed. Serious oversight here imo.-Have to remove motherboard to use back panel SSD mounts...-HD Audio/front panel audio quality is really, really bad.-USB 3 cable so thick that it pulled itself free of my board-Front panel wiring protrudes into top ODD bay-Entire front facade is plastic, not brushed aluminum, as pictures may lead you to believe-Top dust filter can't be fully secured on both sides if you have a radiator installed in the top bay, as there is insufficient clearance to accommodate screws-All fans were installed with the power connector angled in such a way as to block something (i/o shield, another fan, etc.). Had to reorient them all. Front panel fan holder is just cheap plastic...-Rubber feet make it very difficult to push on carpet-No option to mount the 5 drive cage on the bottom of the case. This would be very nice in the event that your video card is too long with the top cage installed, but you want more than 3 3.5" drives installed.-Bottom-most drive can't use an angled connector. Keep this in mind if you're buying cables-PCI-e slot screw holes don't line up with PCI-e card screw holes. Never seen this in a case before...I'm talking an entire screw width off.basically, a lot of minor, unpolished stuff that makes the case feel cheap
Pros: -Fits dual radiators-Dust filters-Minimalistic styling-Excellent HDD mounting mechanism-Three 140 mm fans, and in white! sleeved cables too-Huge amount of clearance between the top radiator and motherboard. H100 fits no problem, and I guarantee you push/pull would have zero clearance issues with 99.9% of boards.-Fits 292 mm gtx 770 with lots of room to spare WITH both drive cages installed. Not sure if Gigabyte's wrong on the card length, or fractal design is wrong on how long a gfx card you can fit in this. Either way, very pleased.-Tons of room behind motherboard tray. Comment:
Overall, I like this case. It looks good and has excellent cooling support. My biggest complaint is that everything feels unpolished and a bit cheap. There are so many minor issues with this case. Read full review for a list of my nitpicks I encountered while building. |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/28/13 |
Cons: - maybe put more fan input on the controller- The top cover doesn't help with cooling. It'd be great if they made an alternate top cover for airflow as the case does not look great without it.- no 3.5" front bay mount.
Pros: - good of cable management room and lots of gromets- modular hard drive cages for airflow- 3 5v/7v/12v fan controller- smoked good sized window- dust filter on bottom and front and top I guess- 3x 140mm silent seires r2 fans Comment:
This is probably the best case for the money. Got it on sale for $69. Also comes with 3 silent 140mm fans. Be careful of shipping from Canada Post. Mine came with a giant hole on the side and the window punched in. Luckily I was able to push it back in with only a few minor scratches. |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/18/13 |
Cons: To install another front fan is quite a hassle, but no worries.
Pros: Removable Hard Drive CagesRoom for 240mm radiator on the front and topNice dust filteringMany fan spots Comment:
If you are looking for a Mid-Sized case, this is what you need to buy! |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/18/13 |
Cons: one of the usb port is broken, not responding.looks
Pros: Lots of room, dust filters, fan controls, quiet.looks Comment:
I like this case, it's got tons of room for cable management and other upgrade option, absolutely love the 3 dust filter for easy dust off, fan controller is a plus, best case I have own, only down side is one of the usb port is broken, I didn't bother return it, don't want to rebuild the desktop:D |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/14/13 |
Cons: I did have an issue with the Fractal 5/7/12v fan controller such that when you moved the slider it shorted my PSU thus nuking my discrete PCIe Video Card and the USB ports but Fractal sent me a new controller for free.Hum: $108.71 - $69.99 = $38.72 - Isn't that Horrific. Almost $40 that is 2/3rds of the purchase price by issue of TAX, Handling and Shipping. CANADA should be ASHAMED. Americans had the same sale at $64.99 and Shipping was FREE. What the H*%l is Free Trade all about.
Pros: Just a FANTASTIC Case in my opinion. I mounted a Corsair H110 in the top with minor modification running 2 x's 140mm fans in the front and reversed the back fan to blow in. The H110 fans push through the 280x30x140 rad out the top and still can mount an optical drive in the top bay. There is tons of space between the main board and rad where I can easily mount 4 fans on the rad for push pull. Actually you can mount a 360x60x140 rad in the top without modification but you will loose the top optical bay.I run an i7 2700K on an ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 at .969v/1600Mhz to 1.376v/4600Mhz with temp variance of 36C at idle to a max of 67C running Prime95.You can mount up to a 280x60x140 rad in push pull in the front with out modification - Would be ideal for another loop to cool GPUs.Great Ventilation and Dust Filtering plus it's Quiet with then big 140mm fans.I got it on SALE from NCIX for $69.99 costing me a Total of $108.71 by the time it was delivered and it was a very fast delivery like under 48Hrs. I received the case before PayPal with drew the purchase from my Bank Account. Comment:
Highly recommended case by my standards. |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/28/13 |
Cons: Riveted 5,25 bays.
Pros: Good price, quality case, good enough airflow, beautiful, smoked window, spacious for its size (watercooling) Comment:
I decided to do watercooling not long ago and I was tired of my Antec Eleven Hundred (which was not WCing friendly). After some research, I found that case... perfect!There's nothing "ugly" in this case (compared to the original Arc Midi engraved logo) and it screams quality even if it uses plastic for the front cover. My favorite feature would be the hdd bay which you can move further left to install a thicker (say EX240) radiator in the front! My only complaint would be the riveted optical bays which would be better to get off because of my odd radiator :)That being said, for the price, you can't go wrong! This is a 2013 case and it has all the features (and more) from a modern case. My first Fractal case but surely not my last. |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/21/13 |
Cons: Side window reflects some noise
Pros: Very good airflow optionsNice fan controller if your mobo doesn't support many fansUSB 3.0Lots of removable parts for further customization Comment:
Very nice case for first time builders and experts |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/19/13 |
Cons: Power button is a little flimsy, zero sound-dampening material. Would rather have had a 90-degree USB3 plug.
Pros: Cheap, well-engineered and built. Looks pretty good. Comment:
Excellent for cable management, highly configurable case that's a breeze to work on. They include everything you need (even a little MB-standoff adapter for your Phillips #2 screwdriver!) Anything that makes any noise in the case can be heard from outside. The quiet version of this case is the R4. |
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Rating: Review Date: 04/25/13 |
Cons: nothing that i can think of
Pros: great valueplenty of mounting options for fans and or radiators for water cooling Comment:
would recommend to anyone looking for a first case and can't wait to start my own |
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Rating: Review Date: 04/11/13 |
Cons: none
Pros: Excellent case by Fractal Comment:
excellent case by Fractal, I would recommend to anyone |
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Rating: Review Date: 04/11/13 |
Cons: Fan controller uses molexSSD mount behind mob useless. Must remove mobo first before install of SSD
Pros: PriceQualitySizeRoom to watercoolModularSmoke side windowFantastic airflowGreat simple design Comment:
Where do i start on this case.I will say this, the Fractal Arc Midi R2 is the only case on the market that fully support dual rads for $100 or less.There is no case like it on the market. Forget about buying Antec, Coolermaster, Corsair or any other. Pointless to spend your money on those others.1) The smoke window plays nicely with any lighting, while it adds a somewhat darkness to it.2) Fan controller for 3 fans is not bad, uses molex which is bad. Good to control CPU fans.3) Modular HDD racks, makes it easier to find the best spot and room.4) Great airflow with 140mm fans. Replaced stock fans with 6x 140mm fans. That is plenty for cooling.5) Size, small to house the best components you got. Do not take up room, but plenty of inside.6) Proper dust filters. It is a foam mesh type (does very little to restrict airflow), not like the mesh you see on other cases which really does nothing and they do not work to lower your dust.7) Easy to clean dust filters on front and top. Removal of panels are easy to do.All right best part here it is. Watercooling for dual rads.Top supports 240x60mm rad with push/pull.Can use 280mm rad on top (Check clearance and measure before anything)Front supports 240x60mm or 280x60mm up front in Push/Pull. (Always check measurements and clearance before you buy watercooling)Conclusion... Fractal Arc Midi R2 is the best case right now and will be so for a very long time. Some small issues, which is not a problem.Other companies needs to take note on what Fractal Design is doing in the market and properly listen to consumers. This review was modfied by poster @ 04-11-13 02:21 AM |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/16/13 |
Cons: Allure générale anonyme.Le câble HD audio pourrait être un peu plus long.Le filtre à air sur le dessus du boitier n'est pas vraiment utile puisqu'habituellement les ventilateurs du dessus du boitier sortent l'air du boitier. Donc celui-ci garde la poussière à l’intérieur du boitier.
Pros: Le prix lorsqu'en solde à 89.99$.8 emplacements de disques 2.5"/3.5".Beaucoup d'espace à l'arrière du panneau de montage pour la gestion des câbles.Trois bons ventilateurs silencieux lorsque monté verticalement.7 emplacements pour installer des ventilateurs 120/140MM.2 baies et montage de disques durs amovibles et configurables.Trois bons filtres à air facile à démonter pour le nettoyage.Contrôleur de vitesse de ventilateur à trois tensions fixes (5V, 7V et 12V) non limité en courant (commutation des tensions du power supply).Panneau de tôles en acier épais.Grosses pattes sous le boitier pour bien laisser circuler l'air.Deux prises USB3.0 et leur câble est compatible avec un connecteur USB3.0 de carte-mère et aussi retro-compatible avec pin-header USB2.0 de carte-mère. Comment:
Pour un budget sous les 100$ ce boitier est probablement le meilleur choix actuel si le look n'est pas une grande priorité. J'ai acheté ce boitier pour remplace mon Antec 900 qui m'a bien servi pendant plusieurs années. J'ai installé sept disques durs dans ce boiter avec beaucoup d'aisance ce qui n'était pas vraiment possible avec mon Antec 900. Aussi les filtres à air de mon nouvel Arc MIDI R2 vont éloigner les fréquents nettoyages de la poussière que je devais faire régulièrement avec mon Antec 900. Les trois ventilateurs 140MM 1000RPM inclus sont très silencieux sans bruit de roulement ni de vibration lorsqu'ils sont montés verticalement. Horizontalement ont entend et on sent quelque peu virer les ventilateurs mais ce n'est pas énervant. Le commutateur de contrôle des ventilateurs à trois positions raccorde directement ses trois sorties à connecteurs standard de fan à 3 pins sur les rails de 0, 5 et 12 volts pour alimenter les ventilateurs soit à 5 ou 7 (12V – 5V) ou 12 volts. Donc ce contrôleur n’est pas limité en courant comme s’il générait lui-même les tensions à partir d’un régulateur dédié. Je suis très satisfait de mon nouveau boitier et je le recommande sans hésitation. |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/04/13 |
Cons: Don't know still not in hand
Pros: I don't know still haven't received case Comment:
Order feb 26th, said it was in stock, but still hasn't shipped. I would call and verify stock before ordering.Im sure ncix wont allow this review to be posted but I thought I'd try just to share the info |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/23/13 |
Cons: Which there was a 2.1Amp dedicated charging portIf there was sound dampening material in the case and panels
Pros: Very clean designGreat air filters fans included are quietLots of water cooling options Comment:
Overall a great case, I would recommend it to anybody.Wish I waited a few days before buying the case because it's on sale for $99.99. Would NCIX give me a $10 credit? |
good heavy steel construction, plastic front panel. Great design for dual 240mm rad support