Product ReviewsFractal Design Arc Mid Tower Computer Case
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With 19 User Reviews
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 Rating: Review Date: 08/16/12  |
Cons: None.
Pros: Nice overall build quality. Plenty of room for water cooling and cable management. |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/06/12 |
Cons: Bottom fan filter can be hard to access
Pros: Lots of Air FlowGood build qualityExtra wide for componentsIncluded Fan controllerRemovable HD bay for air flow/long video cardsCompletely tool less design Comment:
This is one of the best cases I have ever owned. All the fan intakes are filtered. The extra inch width makes it super easy to fit/move/remove components. The quality of the build is extremely good. It will fit a full size 240mm, 60mm deep Rad with push pull fans in the top of the case with no modifications and is slightly off to the side in case you have high ram. Fully tool less design all thumb screws. Lots of room behind the MB tray for cable management.Awesome case you can't go wrong with. |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/23/12 |
Cons: steel case, plastic front and top covers.
Pros: lots of cooling options, good design, handy front connectors, small but roomy Comment:
Got this case to replace my 11 year old Lian-Li full tower aluminum case as I needed something that would accommodate my H100 and larger fans. This case is short and wide, giving lots of room to maneuver and hide PSU cables and other wires. Tons of fan mounting options, also includes 3 140mm fans with the case; pretty much the only place you can't mount a fan is on the side panel behind the motherboard plate. Paired with my H100 keeps my CPU and motherboard cool at 25C idle and 38C under load with an i5 3570K O/C'ed to 4.5GHz. My only complaint is the cheap plastic top and front case panels, and the overall construction of the case being steel instead of aluminum. Also, the top panel would not fit back on after fitting the H100, had to remove the washers from the mounting screws to lower their height in order to fit the top back on correctly. |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/20/12 |
Cons: The fan controller causes some whine at low speedsCleaning the filter on the front means removing the fans that are clipped into it, not a huge issue, but a bit of a painNo filter or cover included for side panel mounted fan.
Pros: Lots of roomSweet black & white colouringFilters almost everywhere3 140mm fans includedPCI bracket fan controller Comment:
This is the first case/build I have bought and I am very pleased with the outcome. I even painted the IO shield that come with my MB to match the white/black ext. colours. Looks damn good.There are thumbscrews everywhere! Factory placed means they are hard to turn, so keep the screw driver that comes with the case handy.I do not have any 3.5" drives so I cannot comment on the sound dampening features of the drive sleds, but the 2.5" HDD are barely audible as it is.Lots of places to mount fans, filters are easy to clean. I wish that a filter or cover was included for the side panel mounted fan, this would be a big deal. |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/03/12 |
Cons: Plastic clips on top dust filter cover easily broken when removing from case (just be careful, slide backwards to disengage clips before lifting off top cover. This case is so pretty on the inside, an option for a glass side panel would be nice.
Pros: Clean simple looks. Great fan/cooling options,includes fan controller, nice, easy access dust filters on front, top and bottom. USB 3.0 front header. Excellent cable management. Cool white accents( fans and rails) Comment:
Long time corsair case user, this Fractal is a bit more than the 300R, but has more options, filters and overall, has a better quality look to it. I placed a Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 (black motherboard), and accented the interior of the system with Power Cooling white modular power supply and white corsair vengeance low profile ram, along with the stock white drive rails and the white fans, this case is really beautiful on the inside. Great cable management, and the ability to hold up to 7 fans (I used three stock fans...moving the top fan to front, for a total of 2 front intake fans, then used Corsair H-100 with 2 x 120 intake on top ( the addition of the top air filter here was perfect to keep rad clean of dust)and kept 140mm exhaust fan in rear. The 3 fans included with the case are controlled by the included 3 channel fan controller, and the two fans on the H-100 controlled by settings on the cpu block. With all five fans running, even at high settings, system is very quiet. System is overclocked from 3300 MHz to 3700Mhz and the temps do not exceed 45 degrees at 100 OCCT test loads. Currently, free shipping on entire order, which typically saves you enough to pay for the case. This case definitely hits a home run for value, looks and performance!!! |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/02/12 |
Cons: My first build ever, my cons are rather particular to my case and minor at that.#1: One of the thumb screws came almost striped. It was on the HDD tray and had me worried for a couple minutes but did come off with some surgeon like screw skills.#2: The rear case blocks the mini-HDMI port on my 560ti GPU. It looks like it might go in at an angle, but I don't want to force it.
Pros: Great Space, Great Quality, and Great Simplicity for current 2012 builds and into the future. Comment:
Overall I'm satisfied with this case and think it will last me through future upgrades and builds to come. |
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Rating: Review Date: 04/12/12 |
Cons: none
Pros: simple looks easy to orginize cables Comment:
used this case to build my first computer looks great and cable manegment was great |
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Rating: Review Date: 04/11/12 |
Cons: No sound dampening materials compared to the define R3.Side panel could of used a panel to cover it if not used like the define R3 case.
Pros: Affordable price but doesn't cheap out on features.Minimalistic design and styleTons of cooling options and thought out design for water cooling.All black paint job with white accents.Fan filters on top, front and bottom, easily removable for cleaning.Plenty of wire management options.8 drive bays that can be rotated depending on preference. Comment:
Other than the lack of sound dampening materials and panels to cover unused fan slots the Arc Midi is a great case for a even better price.One of a very few cases that have had water cooling setups in mind during design allowing for the mounting of a 240mm radiator at the top that provides adequate spacing between the radiator/fan and the motherboard.8 hard drive bays allows for plenty space for storage, the cages can be rotated depending on preference.Fan filters cover the top, front and bottom openings to keep the internal components free from large dust bunnies.Mounting of large 120mm, 140mm and even 180mm allows to use of large fans for improved airflow and low noise.Great case all around for a rock bottom price that should fit anyone's budgets. Would highly recommend to everyone. |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/14/12 |
Cons: Fan control knob must to be turn past 3/4 point in order for the attached fans to start from fresh boot, sleep/hibernation.
Pros: Got this during NCIX Black Friday In-Store Sale for $59.99! Nothing out there will beat it in terms of quality, features, etc at that price. Fast, friendly responses from Fractal Design customer service regarding questions (see cons). Comment:
My only regret is that I did not get a few more during Black Friday Sale for $59.99! |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/24/12 |
Cons: Bad fan controller.Lack of information in the booklet.Had to return a flimsey controller and was told that it could not handle all three fans provided with the case but that was not indicated on the booklet.
Pros: Amazing build.Lots of HDD racks.Customizable racks can be rotated to change airflow setup.Smart build to keep dust out of the case.Easy to clean. Comment:
Great build on this case.I love how and where the dust filters have been placed.Other than the side fan mount, all fans are covered by these dust protectors and will make it a breeze to clean.Everything seems build for ease of use, other than the con listed I had no complaint and will def buy fractal design cases again. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/22/12 |
Cons: - Kinda big for a mid tower- Front fans are pressure fit so wont work with all replacement fans.
Pros: - Rubber HDD mounts- Lots of cabling space- Good airflow- Quality build Comment:
A fantastic case for the price. Lots of space, adaptable HDD bays, great cabling options, and lots of room.Only downside is that the case is quite big for a mid tower (wide and deep) do to the extra space for cabling and the front cover.This is my second Fractal Design case, and I'd hapilly purchase one again in the future. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/07/12 |
Cons: One of the fan delivered with the case was broken, so I've RMA the fan only with the Fractal Design consumer support, the answer was quick and professional, now all works fine.
Pros: SILENT!! With the variable resistance you can adjust the speed of your fan (until they turn off completly) Many place in the case and the cooling way are open to many configuration. Comment:
If you want the best mid-tower ever, bought it! I've bought many tower in my life but never find one that correspond to my standard. I've found one. |
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Rating: Review Date: 01/28/12 |
Cons: - none.
Pros: - Solid construction- Accessible hard drive bays (side mounted)- Hidden cable routing for excellent air flow- Bottom power supply exhaust coupled with case standoffs- The case is entirely ventilated with filters Comment:
An excellent case to work with, looks great and the price at $99.99 was just right. Room for eight 3.5" hard drives with two 120mm fans blowing cool air over the, and room for two 5.25 optical drives at the top. If you properly route your cables, you'll have some excellent air flow for an overclocked system. |
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Rating: Review Date: 01/20/12 |
Cons: -fan controller has to be mounted in one of the expansion slots. This means that you have to reach around to the back of the case to adjust fan speed. Fortunately there is a space right near the edge so it's an easy reach if you have to make it. Furthermore, the fans are virtually silent even at full power, so this really is a non-issue. I just keep them cranked to maximize flow and the noise is unnoticeable. -another non-issue is the insanely tight thumb-screws. I needed a screwdriver for some of these to come loose the first time.
Pros: -looks -functionality-removable, rotatable hard drive cage. -HDD drawers are 2.5"/SSD compatible so no aftermarket adapters or contingency solutions. -very high-quality construction Comment:
I could not be happier with this case. It's a decisive winner over the Corsair 400R and CM 690 II Advanced. NCIX has it priced right to boot. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/22/11 |
Cons: not enough fans come with the unit. only two 5.25 drive bays.
Pros: Quiet, roomy and looks amazing. Comment:
This case is amazing. It has plenty of room to mount a 2x120 ran internally as well as 1x120 in the rear and 1x120 in the bottom. tons of room for water cooling and it has the room for even the biggest air coolers. The only things that would be nice is if it came with another 2 fans and had one more 5.25 drive bay. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/09/11 |
Cons: Only 2 external 5.25 baysFront is plastic, but looks aluminium
Pros: Durable All blackGreat cable management USB 3.07 140mm + 1 (140/180mm) fan compatibly Looks nice Comment:
Was deciding whether to get a CM 690 II, Corsair 400/500r or Arc and this won hands down. Great case for the price. Also comes with 3 fans and a fan controller. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/06/11 |
Cons: No side window optiontop fan configuration is nice but could even be improved to put 2x 180mm and 1x140mmCan't remove bottom HDDOnly 1 USB 3.0
Pros: Nicely builtROOM for adequate cable managementNice dust filtersquietRoom for radiator at top that doesnt affect ram slotsUSB 3.0 with internal header Comment:
Smaller than 600T. This case is comparable to many high end cases. Was debating this over corsair 400/500r though and this is a winner if you want more professional look and no LED. Fits large GPU, has nice filters, and 8 HDD baysAdded scythe fan controller to control 7 fansAdded 200mm to the sidepanel (only fits 180/140 though)i7-2600k8 gb gskill rameco coolitgigabyte 6870 windforceCorsair ax750WD blue 256 gb SSDScythe 4 fan controllerbunch of fractal/noctua fansidle 32 cpu 33 gpuLoad 49, 45 |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/12/11 |
Pros: looks, ease of build
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loving this case, looks better than the define XL my main machine uses imo, just as easy to work in as the XL, front usb3, awesome, very high build quality, price is excellentwill definitional recommend this case for all new builds |
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Rating: Review Date: 08/25/11 |
Cons: Case-modding required for installation of multiple side-by-side or forward intake 140mm modified fans (such as Scythe Slip Stream/Kazemaru 2)
Pros: Broad options for cooling, aesthetically pleasing, clean cable management, included accessories, overall features and details, well-priced Comment:
Finally available in Canada - this case is well worth the wait. A fully functional mid-tower featuring modern and simple aesthetics. Since this will be set up in my living room to funtion as a multi-media/gaming unit, it is important that my case not only allow for modern hardware and cooling options, but that it is visually appealing as well (not something out of a science fiction wet-dream). Awesome case which allows for everything I need, want, and will want later.One caution: some case modding may be required for those looking to install MODIFIED 140mm case fans (140mm fans which have been designed to be mounted in 120mm screw holes, such as the ones I'm using: Scythe Slip Stream/Kazemaru 2). Because of the close proximity of the 120mm mounting holes on the top of the case, larger MODIFIED 140mm fans will not fit when mounted side-by-side. To solve this, I've simply mounted two STANDARD (square in shape with 140mm mounting holes) 140mm fans on top with one Scythe in the upper-forward position above the 5.25In slot. Because the case comes with three of these standard fans, it isn't a big deal. Additionally, the front intake panel uses clips (rather than screws) which fit two standard 140mm fans, and so MODIFIED 140mm fans (which are round in shape) will not fasten in place without some simple case modifications.Overall however, for the price I'm convinced there isn't a better mid-case. Sexy as hell too. |
Everything fits perfectly and temp is cool inside the case: i7-3770K, P8Z77-V Deluxe, Water 2.0 Extreme, NF-F12 fans x2 for radiator, 140mm stock fans x3 for front and bottom, AF140 140mm fans x2 for side and rear, AX850 PSU, FC5V2 fan controller and Pioneer BDR-2207.