A new version of something suggests that things wrong with the old one were fixed, and that other improvements have been made. Fractal Design keeps this promise with its Arc Midi R2. The exterior looks better, in our opinion, with the tinted side window. All of the components are manufactured to a high standard, and even the front and top covers fit well together thanks to their solid plastic and the brushed aluminum-style finish. On the inside, the Arc Midi R2 offer lots of space in spite of its relatively modest dimensions. This is achieved by making the case wide and providing modular hard drive cages. Extra-large CPU coolers, graphics cards, and power supplies are all easily accommodated. There’s also lots of room for cable management. Large filters in the front, top, and bottom of the case keep dust particles from entering, and are easy to access and remove for cleaning.
The Arc Midi R2’s bundled stock fans provide good cooling performance, and there are several additional spots to install more. Alternatively, the case will also take up to two 240 mm radiators. An integrated fan controller on the front panel allows you to dial in the rotational speed and noise level appropriate for the hardware inside of Fractal Design's enclosure.
Unfortunately, the stock fans produce a lot of vibrations when they're installed horizontally with the blades facing down. The one attached to the case’s top cover transfers these vibrations to the chassis, resulting in a noticeable increase in noise. We recommend either isolating the fan somehow or investing in an aftermarket cooler. The integrated fan controller has its limits though, so you need to be careful when it comes time to pick replacements.
In addition to plenty of room for storage, Fractal Design builds in room for up to two SSDs on the back of the motherboard tray. If you find yourself in the market for a couple of large solid-state drives and don't need the hard disk cages, you can pull them out entirely, creating quite a bit of room for airflow, large graphics cards, and extra-long power supplies.
Fractal Design's Arc Midi R2 is a good next step for the company. It features a number of subtle improvements over the case's popular predecessor, but maintains solid build quality, enthusiast-oriented flexibility, and some of those same features we were introduced to for the first time under $100. In fact, for a fitting $85, you get a case that does many things right. Just the top fan needs some improvement.
- 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.