Since the bundled Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-140 fans run at almost exactly 1000, 700, and 500 RPM when they're attached to the integrated controller, we also ran the Thermalright TY-145 fan on our CPU cooler at these same speeds, manually dropping the voltage to get it down to 500 RPM.
The following table shows the measured temperatures of the components we benchmarked at the different fan RPM levels.
| Temperatures at Full Load | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 RPM | 700 RPM | 500 RPM | |
| Ambient Temperature | 19.8 °C | 19.8 °C | 19.9 °C |
| Core i5-2500K (TCase) | 48 °C | 56 °C | 65 °C |
| Core i5-2500K (Average Core Temperature) | 56.9 °C | 63.3 °C | 72.4 °C |
| Nvidia GTX 470 | 76 °C | 76 °C | 78 °C |
| 3038 RPM (58 %) | 3457 RPM (64 %) | 4122 RPM (77 %) | |
| Hard Drive | 25 °C | 27 °C | 30 °C |
| SSD | 34 °C | 36 °C | 38 °C |
At 1000 RPM, the temperatures of each installed component indicate effective airflow in Fractal Design's Arc Midi R2. The stock fans are very much audible at this RPM level, to the point that we had to give noise level its own dedicated page. Considering that the thermal limit of Intel’s Core i5-2500K is 72.6 degrees Celsius (Tcase), the numbers we see are very good.
The temperature rises by 8 degrees to 56 degrees Celsius when the fans drop to 700 RPM, which is still very much acceptable. Stepping down to 500 RPM, the temperature rises to 65 degrees, which is starting to cut it close. Remember, though, that we were setting the CPU fan to match the case coolers. If we hooked it up to a motherboard fan header instead, the CPU's thermals would have been a lot better. Again, this was done to try balancing noise.
Fractal Design's Arc Midi R2 features a side window, which certainly looks better than a lot of mesh. But it does affect graphics card cooling in a negative way. Then again, sharp, clean looks are one of this case's main features. The temperatures are still acceptable for a GPU in the 200 W range. The GeForce GTX 470 can’t really be heard over the noise of the other fans spinning at 1000 or 700 RPM. It does spin up when the other blowers drop to 500 RPM, though, hitting speeds as high as 4122 RPM.
Our storage devices maintain reasonable temperatures throughout testing. Even though the SSD is positioned in such a way that we thought we were punishing it, our readings suggest it's fine. Fractal Design does point out that those same temperatures wouldn't be good for a 2.5" mechanical drive, and we'd concur. Stick to SSDs around back on the motherboard tray.
There is plenty of room to install additional fans in the Arc Midi R2, which would be good for its thermals (particularly at lower rotational speeds). We purposely limited ourselves to the fans supported by the integrated controller, though.
| Noise Levels at Full Load | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 RPM | 700 RPM | 500 RPM | |
| Noise Level from Front, 50 cm | 41.9 dB(A) | 41.2 dB(A) | 44.5 dB(A) |
| Noise Level from Top Left Diagonal, 50 cm | 42.6 dB(A) | 41.8 dB(A) | 44.7 dB(A) |
| Noise Level from Top Right Diagonal, 50 cm | 42.3 dB(A) | 41.7 dB(A) | 44 dB(A) |
The graphics card is the main variable affecting the Arc Midi R2’s noise level under load. It gets enough fresh air at 1000 and 700 RPM and doesn't really stand out in any jarring way. At 500 RPM, however, the GeForce GTX 470 has to rev its fan up so high that the overall noise level is worse than the measurements at the other settings.
- Fractal Design's Arc Midi R2 ATX Case Review
- The Arc Midi R2's Technical Specifications
- The Arc Midi R2's Exterior
- Air Cooling, Dusty Protection, And Liquid Cooling
- Power Supply Installation And Cable Management
- Installing Optical Drives
- Installing Storage: Hard Drives And SSDs
- Motherboard And Add-In Card Installation
- Test Setup And Hardware Configuration
- Results: Fan Speeds, Temperatures, And Noise
- Addressing An Issue With Vibration
- Sizing Up Fractal Design's Arc Midi R2
Some Notes and Recommendations about Replacing the Fans
Let's say everything else about the Arc Midi R2 is ideal for you, and you simply want to replace its fans.
-Bruce
As for keeping the GPU cool, I don't that is an issue with 2 the fans in the front creating perfectly adequate airflow to keep the GPU cool unless you are using multiple GPUs. Although in time I would probably mod the window and inserting an extra fan there as that isn't a hard job to do.
Heat Sources: i5-3570K @ 4.4 GHz, Hyper 212 EVO, EVGA GTX 560Ti @ 900 MHz, 3 WD Cavier Black HD
With Define R4's often available for roughly $85 (on sale) and Arc Midi 2's typically about $65 online, I find the $20 additional cost for the sound-proofing included in the Define R4 models a very worthwhile investment.
Does your GPU have its fan at one end of the card and exhaust directly outside through the rear bracket? If it does, the reason you see lower GPU temps is likely that the slightly more positive (or slightly less negative) pressure in the case from going solid makes the GPU's HSF a little more efficient at shoving warm air out of the case. Cards with "mid-mount" fans may also benefit from this due to slightly increased vertical airflow between the GPU's top edge and case panel carrying warm air up through the case faster.
That is what I like to call structured airflow. Placing fans in the most effective places and shutting off meshed areas that allow air to escape without contributing to net cooling can achieve superior results with much less meshed area and fewer fans.
-Bruce
Side fans don't always help GPU temps, they can even hurt temps in some cases by interfering with the airflow from the GPU fan. It really depends on the case and GPU (and whether or not the front intakes do anything for the GPU), but saying categorically that having an intake there will improve GPU temps is certainly not true.
As for keeping the GPU cool, I don't that is an issue with 2 the fans in the front creating perfectly adequate airflow to keep the GPU cool unless you are using multiple GPUs. Although in time I would probably mod the window and inserting an extra fan there as that isn't a hard job to do.
in an idealist situation, the top panel fans should indeed be exhaust, but there are people in the rare occasion who want to focus on CPU cooling rather than the rest of the build, this generally calls for Watercooling with top intakes instead of top exhales. There's a moderately large temperature change when alternating the fans directions, the negative impact would be directly adding dust into your system, which can be cured by a decent air filter and regular maintenance.
Otherwise I very much like the case.
-Bruce
I did have a defective release clip for the front fan filter and an email to Fractal Designs support was answered right away and they sent me a replacement free of charge.
Very happy to see the thumbscrews on the 5.25 bays. Most snap locks now still have some give when you hit the eject button on a DVD drive. I don't like that so you still have to use screws anyway. Easy thumbscrews gets major points from me.
I did have a defective release clip for the front fan filter and an email to Fractal Designs support was answered right away and they sent me a replacement free of charge.
Yes, except the define cases still have a fan grill on the side walls. I mean a completely solid side wall, no mesh, no grill, for extra quiet.
Windowed models have no side-fan opening, and they are almost just as quiet as their standard brethren.