Not long ago, we tested two popular case fans, pitting Noctua’s NF-A12x25 G2, an industry legend, against the also well-liked Arctic P12 Pro. We had some surprising results, as the Arctic fan almost kept up with the much pricier Noctua. However, Arctic also sent us some P12 Pro’s of the RGB variety, so we thought it would be fitting to put Artic’s colorful spinner up against some competitors in its own price category.

In this round of testing we’ve rounded up five 120mm RGB fans that don’t cost a whole lot, so here, you won’t be seeing Lian Li’s fancy LCD-infused, wireless, infinity-mirror fans. Instead, we’re pinning the P12 Pro up against Be Quiet’s Light Wings LX, Fractal Design’s Aspect 12 RGB, Phanteks’ M25 G2 RGB, and finally, Levelplay’s Combat Fan 120 A-RGB. This last one was sent to us as a surprise, and I thought it was fitting to include in the roundup.

Let’s dive straight into the testing.

Testing Methodology

For evaluating PC fans, there are two main terms you should be aware of: Airflow and Static Pressure.

Airflow is easy – how much air does a fan move (through a wind tunnel in our tests) when not burdened by a radiator, mesh, or any other restriction.

Static pressure can be measured by placing the fan on a wind tunnel, closing the end, and measuring the pressure generated with a sensor, which spits out a value in millimeters of water. The higher the number, the better a fan is likely to be at overcoming restrictions.

However, I find that a fan’s measure of static pressure isn’t actually all that useful – all it tells you, really, is how well a fan can push air up against a wall, which is obviously not how you want to position the back of your PC. Instead, I prefer to test for noise and airflow through a radiator and intake mesh, as well as the standard suite of unrestricted tests for a more nuanced, real-world picture.

Testing Results of 5 Budget RGB Fans

(Not) Breaking the Noise Floor

On the day of this testing, the noise floor in my office sat between 32.4 and 32.7 dBA, and I am happy to be able to write that all five fans, when run at their minimum speed, were completely inaudible and did not break the noise floor, even with the dB meter placed at just 20 cm from their hubs.

This used to be something I only saw in premium fans, where manufacturers have designed quiet hubs, so I was delighted to see this kind of performance from budget-friendly RGB fans.

Airflow is not recorded for these tests, as none offer enough air speed for the anemometer to register.

dBA VS. Airflow: Unrestricted

The first series of tests I subject the fans to is measuring their acoustics in an unrestricted environment. I target every whole dB between 34 and 44 dB(A), and record the associated RPM. Then, I put that same fan on our wind tunnel, and record the windspeed at said RPM figures. This is then calculated over to cubic meters per hour for airflow.

In this test, Arctic’s P12 Pro leads the pack by a significant margin, followed by Be Quiet’s Light Wings LX. Phanteks’ M25 G2 RGB only performs a smidge worse than Be quiet’s fan.

Note the dip in the curve of Fractal Design’s Aspect 12 RGB at 37 dB(A). This fan creates quite an annoying resonance at certain speeds, where it gets louder at a certain RPM, and then quiets down again once past this RPM. I suspect that if I were to test at even smaller increments, the graph would become quite wobbly.

Most fans exhibit this kind of behavior to some extent, where they create unwanted noises at certain RPMs – even Arctic’s fan does this, but the level to which the Aspect 12 RGB made this noise was really quite bothersome.

Similarly, for the Phanteks’ fan (while its curve looks alright), I was unable to test at 35 dBA, which is why its line starts at 36. No matter how much I fidgeted with its speed, I simply could not get the dB meter to hit 35 – it was either over, or under, but not on.

The Levelplay Combat fan had the same issue, but at 41 dB(A), where I just couldn’t hit the mark.

All of this is not to say that Arctic’s fan is without imperfections either, though. This sample exhibited a light high pitch at certain RPMs which didn’t affect the readings, but I did notice, and at speed it started wobbling – a sign that it is unbalanced.

The predicament: Whether to test with more fans

I’ve wondered throughout testing these fans whether I should test with more fans and take the average results, but I have two problems with this: firstly, testing this thoroughly already takes quite some time, and more importantly, averaging out the results would mask defects.

In a premium fan from Noctua, we expect near-perfection. However, these are RGB fans that cost no more than $15 each. There will be some variance in issues between samples, but not averaging out the results means you get to see the fan’s performance for what it really is with one specific fan. Some of these behaviors will be down to their design and consistent across samples, while other issues may differ between units.

I do request three samples for each fan to review, however. If I do run into any issue like those mentioned above, I grab the other samples and quickly run them from lowest to max RPM and judge the results. If they exhibit similar behavior, I roll with the data, but if they to suddenly sound much cleaner, then I know there’s a manufacturing defect at play.

dBA VS. Airflow: Radiator Restricted

Pin these fans on a radiator, and something very interesting happens. Four of the fans perform nearly the same as each other, with the Arctic P12 Pro standing out by a huge margin.

Note that for this test, the acoustics are measured separately from the acoustics without the radiator, and the fans follow similar noise-to-RPM patterns.

dBA VS. Airflow: Mesh + Filter Intake Restricted

When placing the fans behind a mesh intake, things again get interesting. This is the most challenging test of the three, as placing intake mesh in front of a fan fundamentally changes the way they sound – intakes punish airflow more than radiators, not because they’re more restrictive, but because placing something in front of a fan has a much more profound effect on the noise than something behind it, and this is where a fan’s blade design really starts to shine.

The Arctic P12 Pro continues to lead the race here, with Be Qquiet’s Light Wings LX following behind. The Combat fan, despite being from a lesser-known brand, does OK for itself.

However, Fractal Design’s Aspect 12 RGB and Phanteks’ M25 G2 put down appalling performances on this test, offering only 60% of the P12 Pro’s airflow at the same noise levels.

Maximum performance

Finally, the fans get a test at full blast.

This isn’t a useful test to compare noise-to-performance efficiency of the fans, but if you’re looking for a fan with low maximum speed to keep noise levels down without having to make a custom fan curve, Levelplay’s Combat Fan is your best pick. On the other hand, if you’re looking for maximum peak performance, Arctic’s P12 Pro RGB is a beast in a league of its own that can spin at well above 3000 RPM.

The dBA figure doesn’t say everything

Just because a fan performs well on the charts doesn’t necessarily mean it may be pleasant to listen to. One example of this is the Combat Fan from Levelplay. It’s not a terrible performer, but at certain speeds, something starts humming at an annoying mid-frequency. It was one of those frequencies that echoes through the room, and if I weren’t testing it but had it in my PC, it would drive me mad, wondering what the source of the noise in the room is.

The Fractal Design Aspect 12 RGB also suffers from a painfully dirty noise profile that did show up on the charts, as it limited the fan’s ability to reach the speeds it otherwise would have had it not made these noises. It sounds a bit raspy, almost like there’s grit in the motor, and it had similar resonant noises as the Combat Fan.

The M25 G2 didn’t have weird noises – it was just inefficient in its noise-to-airflow ratio.

Judging the RGB, feature set and pricing

Fractal Design Aspect 12 RGB

Fractal Design’s Aspect 12 RGB fans have the worst RGB of the lot. The blades are almost opaque, which makes the RGB on anything but the hub rather dim compared to the competition. It also does not have a zero-RPM mode – when fed a 0% PWM duty, it will still spin, and with a minimum speed of about 500 RPM; I consider this a problem. Yes, it’s quiet at its minimum speed, so that’s not an issue, but high minimum speeds combined with no Zero-RPM implementation can lead to excessive dust buildup, as the constantly whirring blades accomplish nothing but to pull small particles towards your filter and / or fan.

This fan is available for $51.47 as a 3-pack, which brings the per-unit cost to $17.16.

Combat Fan 120 A-RGB

Levelplay’s Combat Fan 120 A-RGB comes with a ring around its blades, which makes for a cool look. Despite the RGB coming from the hub, it still lights up the ring moderately. It also responds correctly to a Zero-RPM signal.

Pricing for the Levelplay Combat fan sits at $12.23 per unit.

Be Quiet! Light Wings LX

Be Quiet’s Light Wings LX fans feature good RGB and a slick blade design, but no Zero-RPM feature. That being said, the minimum RPM is extremely low, tested at just 213 RPM, so I can forgive the lack of a zero-RPM mode.

Pricing sits at $47.90 for a 3-pack, bringing the per-unit price to $15.97.

Phanteks M25 G2 RGB

Phanteks M25 G2 RGB, although not being the quietest fan, offers a properly complete feature set that makes a compelling case for forgiving its performance shortcomings. The RGB is gorgeous and it comes with an infinity-mirror hub. The fans can also clip on to each other, daisy-chaining in a not-quite-wireless fashion but certainly better than the competition. The fan even comes with plastic covers for the screw holes for a tidy appearance. It also responds correctly to a 0% PWM duty signal.

Pricing sits at $36.99 for a 3-pack, which is a surprisingly good price if you consider the amount of effort that went into their design. It may not be the quietest fan, but it sure is the prettiest and comes with most bits and pieces to complete the set.

Arctic P12 Pro RGB

Arctic’s P12 Pro lights up bright and uniform, offering a fantastic visual spectacle. It also comes with a proper Zero-RPM implementation, but that’s where its feature set ends.

This fan costs just $28.49 in a 3-pack, which is a mighty good deal that’s hard to pass up at $9.50 per fan.

Picking a winner

It would come as no surprise if I said that Arctic’s P12 Pro was the winner of this test, but I’m not sure about that. The P12 Pro RGB is clearly the best performer, but it was a tad unbalanced and had some light high-pithed whining. It also clicked a few times upon startup, but most of the fans did that. Mechanical noises.

If you’re looking for the best value offering, the Arctic P12 Pro RGB is hard to pass up with the 3-pack costing just $9.50 per fan.

The Light Wings LX, although being the second-place fan in testing for noise levels, is my favorite of the bunch. Why? It’s clean! It makes a crisp, clean sound ---just a whoosh, with no extraneous noises on top. It’s a slightly louder whoosh, but a clean whoosh. Of course, that’s not to say it may be your favorite. Personally, I’m sensitive to these kinds of noises, and I’m willing to pay a little extra for a clean-sounding PC, but that little bit extra is quite a bit if you tally it up over multiple spinners.

Costing $15.97, this puts the be quiet! Light Wings LX right on the edge between budget and mid-range RGB fans.

If, on the other hand, you’re someone who doesn’t mind noise too much, and wants to build something that you’re truly proud to show off, Phanteks’ M25 G2 fans do away with the focus on silence, and prioritize looks with bright RGB, an infinity mirror, seamless daisy-chaining, and even a mechanism that clips the spinners into one unit and covers for the screw holes.

I’m someone that works many hours a day in silence, with my open air PC on my desk near me, so I’ll prioritize silence any day of the week. But if you’re a gamer, keep the PC on the ground, or wear a headset all the time anyway, the quality of the RGB may be far more important.

If picking a winner is so difficult, should we pick a loser?

If there’s one clear conclusion I can draw from this batch of testing, it’s that Fractal Design’s Aspect 12 RGB is on my do-not-buy list. It offers no real redeeming features to make up for its shortcomings – it produces a dirty, inconsistent noise, performs disappointingly compared to the competition, has no Zero-RPM mode, and even the RGB doesn’t look all that great. It doesn’t even come with vibration-damping rubber pieces on the corners.

I honestly don’t understand what it’s doing in Fractal Design’s product portfolio at all, other than making the company’s other fans look good. And the wildest thing is, it’s also the most expensive fan tested here, at $17.16 a piece.

In this respect, fans are much like tires for cars: they come in all shapes and sizes, each with different purposes, from different manufacturers, and they all seem to do the same thing. And much like tires, in the world of fans there are a few great ones, many good ones, and some to avoid entirely.

Fractal's North PC case has spent the last few years on our Best PC cases for its combination of high airflow and mid-century modern design – wood-slatted front and all. But not everyone loves that warm wood look, and our chief complaint about the case in our review was that it was noisy. Now the company is ready to address both those issues, with a new North Momentum Edition variant with new fans that the company says are quieter and a stealth black look that, while it doesn't ditch the wood slats, makes them stand out a whole lot less.

Apart from including the company's new Momentum fans and a blacked-out aesthetic (the slats are now black oak, with the grain still visible up close), these Momentum Edition cases are largely the same as the originals. The larger XL model now supports rear-connector motherboards, like MSI's Project Zero options, for a cleaner-looking interior.

The non-XL Momentum Edition also now includes three smaller 120mm Momentum 12 fans in the front of the case, rather than the pair of larger 140mm Aspect fans in the original. If, like me, you assumed that three smaller fans would be a downgrade compared to two larger models, Fractal claims there's no need to worry.

In its internal testing, Fractal says the Momentum Edition case (below, left) with its three 120 mm fans is about 4 dBA quieter (42.4 dBA) than the original North (below, right) and its 140 mm spinners (46.1 dBA), with both at max fan speed. And the new 120mm fans can ramp up to 2,050 RPM, while the older 140 mm models maxed out at 1,650 RPM. Average temps were also 2 degrees Celsius lower, with most of the difference coming from lower GPU temperatures. This makes sense, given the new fan layout means there's more intake in the lower portion of the case front.

We didn't have the time to throw a system inside the North Momentum Edition, but we will be testing the company's Momentum fans on their own, so stay tuned. Still, we're tentatively glad to hear this new model should be quieter and cooler. That said, I've been using the original North as the case for my main system since 2023. It sits under my desk, about 15 inches from my knee as I write this, and it has handled my Ryzen 9 7950X / RTX 4090 build without giving me any major complaints on the noise front. But I might feel differently if the case were on top of my desk, rather than below it.

There's also a promise of improved cable routing, but that only applies to the North Momentum XL, not the smaller model shown above. Since the larger case now supports rear-connect motherboards, the space between the back of the case and the door has been widened from 29 to 37 mm. That's good, considering the primary complaint I've had about most back-connect cases is that they don't have enough room for all the cables behind the board.

One change I'd love to see is the addition of a second USB Type-C port on the top panel, given the proliferation of USB-C devices. But since this is a minor refresh (at least when it comes to design), I'm not surprised to see the same IO, with two USB-A and a USB-C port, alongside separate mic and headphone jacks.

Fractal says the North Momentum Edition will sell for $179, with the Momentum Edition XL selling for $209. That's a $15-$25 difference over typical prices for the original North cases, but that's not including sales. When I wrote this, the North XL was just $127 at Micro Center, and we've seen the original North as low as $109.

Hopefully, these new variants stick reasonably close to their older siblings on price as they settle into the market. Because as much as I like the black-on-black look and the idea of quieter, better-performing fans, I'm not sure I'd pay $70-$80 extra for these upgrades over what was already one of my favorite cases of the last decade.

Many of us feel the constant urge to upgrade our PC, but getting new PC parts has been increasingly challenging lately. Whether it's due to limited launch availability, scalping of components, or the current AI boom causing memory shortages, it feels like there's always a factor preventing a purchase or upgrade at a reasonable price. The positive outlook is that not all worthwhile upgrades need to focus solely on performance. You can upgrade your monitor, peripherals like gaming keyboards, gaming mouse, speakers, or gaming chair. But one of the best and affordable ways to get your upgrade fix while feeling like you've got a new PC is to put your existing system in a new PC case.

A PC case generally lasts through more than one build, so it’s critical when choosing a new chassis that you consider what parts you have and future upgrades to larger, potentially more power-hungry components as prices drop. And while you’re changing cases, it’s a great time to reapply your thermal paste (if necessary) and do any other cheap or useful maintenance, such as blowing the dust off components. You can even upgrade your cooler; our best CPU coolers list can help you do so on the cheap, while you're at it.

Good airflow aside, a primary motivator for purchasing a new PC case is aesthetics. Modern case designs offer far more variety than a simple black box, significantly enhancing the look of your entire setup. Since cases are typically kept for a long time, choosing one you enjoy looking at is important.

In recent years, we’ve seen wood accents in cases, like the popular Fractal Design North (which made our best PC cases list), and more standard designs, like ‘fish tank’ style cases, and the increasing popularity of rear-connect-compatible chassis for the spate of back-connect motherboards we’ve seen. Are you into old-school styling? There are cases like that too, including the Thermaltake Retro 260/360 TG and Silverstone’s FLP01 and FLP02 that exude 80s and 90s PC vibes.

Fractal Design North

Upgrading your PC case can also be a practical way to boost performance by significantly improving internal airflow and lowering component temperatures. Perhaps your current chassis was sufficient for a lower-power setup, but since you upgraded your system—before the recent surge in AI-related component prices—it’s now showing its limitations with more power-hungry components. Better airflow generally translates into lower temperatures for your CPU and GPU. As our case reviews demonstrate, this heat reduction is the reason for improved metrics, allowing for higher core boost clocks/speeds.

Increasing airflow isn't only about performance, either. There’s also the matter of keeping things quiet. With high-airflow cases, you may be able to run your fans slower, reducing noise while maintaining the same level of cooling. For example, the NZXT H7 Flow we reviewed has solid airflow and is also relatively quiet.

NZXT H7 Flow

Modern cases also feature updated connectivity on the front I/O panel. That case you bought just a couple of years ago may not have enough ports for your usage patterns and only have USB Type-A ports, lacking today’s now common Type-C port. Port type is one thing, and port speeds are another. Many cases from years back support only USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), whereas modern chassis front IO panels support up to USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps - Type-C) and USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps). For my work, I transfer quite a few images and other files from system to system, and time is money. Even if it isn’t for work, getting data off an external drive or USB stick to the faster internal storage is a tangible upgrade. Less waiting means more playing.

Cases like the Fractal Design North (also on our best case list), Meshify 3 XL, Terra, MSI’s MAG PANO 100R/110R, and the Asus A31 Plus, to name a few, all include a fast Type-C port and faster Type-A ports compared to older chassis. Just make sure your motherboard has an internal USB-C header to plug that front-panel port into.

MSI MAG Pano 100R PZ

A new PC case or peripherals can inject fresh excitement into your current setup, offering a cool new look while you wait for better prices on parts like storage, RAM, or a video card. It's a great option if you have some extra cash but aren't ready for a completely new system or you want to wait until the prices for RAM, storage, and GPUs gets back to some semblance of normal – whenever that might be. For our top recommendations, check out our guide to the best PC cases.

Swedish PC hardware mainstay Fractal makes some great cases – in fact, you’ll find three of them currently on our Best PC Cases list. And the company is back with its airflow-focused Meshify 3 and 3 XL chassis. The cases combine the company’s iconic triangle-pattern mesh front with three 140 mm fans and a scooped air guide behind the lowest fan that is designed to direct airflow at your GPU.

Other interesting features and design choices include robust cable routing with dual-channel removable plastic cable brackets, and RGB fans (on some models) that plug into an included magnetic hub via a single cable.

Fractal Meshify 3, 3 XL first impressions

Fractal sent us the Meshify 3 in white and the 3 XL in black. I was able to spend some time with them, but didn’t have time to do a full build because of time constraints ahead of Computex. I was, though, able to take several photos, and the cases definitely have some interesting features. Some of those choices, though, lead to the frame feeling a little flimsy.

The main difference between the two cases is depth, with the 3 XL adding room for larger motherboards, lengthier graphics cards and PSUs, and larger radiators up top. The 3 XL also has mounting points for a side-mounted radiator or three more fans (behind a cover in the image above).

From the back, you can see the extensive cable routing options, with three removable plastic cable brackets to keep a plethora of wires in check. The 3 XL also has pre-installed velcro loops along the back edge of the case for wrangling the CPU power connector and an exhaust fan cable (if you install an exhaust fan).

Also shown here is the Adjust Pro Hub, which has what looks like four USB-C ports (two occupied out of the box), along with its PWM and USB connector. It’s a PWM and RGB hub that works with Fractal’s Momentum RGB fans, which combine both PRM signals and lighting controls in a single cable that terminates in a plug that’s physically identical to USB-C (but is not actually USB-C). Combining multiple cables into one is nice for simplified building and wire hiding, but of course, this locks you into using Fractal’s newer fans if you want to use the hub.

Fractal is touting the ability to change lighting and fan speed settings through a web app, with all the settings actually stored in the hub itself. This is an interesting move similar to what we’ve seen on keyboards that support VIA or Keychron’s Launcher. I much prefer this to the bulky (and often buggy) RGB and peripheral software from Asus, Corsair, Razer, and others.

You just have to hope Fractal keeps hostingits app for as long as you keep using your case – I don’t see that as a huge concern (Fractal has been around since 2007), but some might prefer software you can download and run.

Both cases feature a scooped-out area behind the bottom intake fan that is designed to angle airflow up toward the graphics card. This is similar to designs we’ve seen from NZXT and others. But where it’s typically a flat, angled slope, Fractal has used molded plastic to round out the shape in a way that, if nothing else, feels more in line with Scandinavian design.

The cases also feature some interesting elements designed to make component installation easier. Not only can you remove the top mesh panel (which pulls off the back with the help of a strap), but the entire top portion of the frame can be removed by loosening a couple of captive thumb screws.

This lets you mount a radiator or fans to the top of the frame from outside the case, then reinstall the top portion afterward. Likewise, the entire front fan mount section (and fans, if installed) can swing out on hinges.

While these are nice enough features, making these structural parts easy to remove results in the steel frame not feeling as rigid as I’d expect from Fractal (or any company making a case in this price range). I don’t think it is a major drawback for most people. Just know this case does have some noticeable flex.

Top port selection is pretty typical, with two USB-A ports, a USB-C (20 Gbps if your board has the appropriate header), power button, and a headphone / mic combo jack.

Do you want that without RGB, with RGB, or with Ambiance Pro RGB?

Fractal will offer the Meshify 3 and 3 XL in white or black, and there doesn’t seem to be a price premium for the lighter shade. There are, though, plenty of options for both cases: You can choose a glass side or metal (again, for the same price) on the non-RGB models. Paying $20 extra gets you the model with RGB rings around the fans. But if you want the Ambience Pro RGB model, which has the RGB ring fans plus an RGB strip around the front frame and along the side of the PSU area, that will set you back an additional $60, topping out at $249 for the 3 XL Ambience Pro RGB version.

As nice as the RGB glow does look on the high-end option, I’m not sure I’d pay $80 for it over the base / no-RGB model. Still, I try to never knock a company for giving us options. And at $169 sans RGB, the Meshify 3XL in particular looks like a nice airflow-focused option for big builds. That’s as long as you can live with its SATA drive limitations. It feels like this case is big enough to handle more than two 3.5-inch hard drives.

If you're looking for a great deal on a PC case to accommodate XL-ATX and E-ATX motherboards, Newegg has 22% off Fractal's North XL PC case, bringing the regular price of $179.99 down to $139.97. Newegg mentions that this case is now priced at its lowest price, all thanks to the Black Friday deal.

We reviewed this case a few months ago, emphasizing it as an upsized, prettiest PC case made of wood, glass, and brass. We had little to complain about the PC case, but the design choice and the combination of the materials resulted in a good-looking case.

The North XL, true to its suffix, is 36% larger than its North version, allowing you to mount a pair of 180mm Fractal Torrent fans should you decide to purchase it separately. The case also has a hub to power up four 4-pin fans, while three 140mm fans are included. The clearance of the case allows the graphics card to be up to 14 inches and the CPU cooler to be up to 6.6 inches. On the top, the North XL lets you install up to 360mm radiators and 420mm towards its front. The front panel I/O has two USB 3.0 Type-A and one USB Type-C port with the headphone/ mic jack.

Regarding thermal performance, It is surprising to see the North XL performing just like the standard North PC case. One can't help but appreciate such case designs at a time when many manufacturers are engrossed in cases that are equivalent to a fish tank. Of course, everyone has preferences, but cases like the North and North XL cater to those who want something more good-looking and not glass fitted together on all three sides. Using wood at the front panel with brass case feet accentuates the PC case design.

The deal is only on the variant with a walnut front and the tinted toughened glass side panel, with other variants selling for US$179.99. Since you are saving $40 on it, it gives you that legroom to buy a good set of fans should you choose to replace the three 140mm fans included with the case.

This case was available as a deal through other retailers but has run out of stock due to the Black Friday deal. But Newegg still has the deal while stock lasts. So, if you're in the market for a case, this would fit your requirements.

We are working hard to find the best deals for you this Black Friday. If you're looking for other products, check out our Black Friday Computer Hardware Deals Live blog for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals Live blog, Monitor Deals Live, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

This morning, Fractal Design released the Fractal Design Era 2, a successor to the Fractal Design Era we reviewed in 2020.

The Era featured flexible layout options and aesthetics, but the airflow and noise levels were notably abysmal. While we don't yet have this new unit on hand to test, it seems to be built explicitly to address prior critiques of airflow and cooling performance, refining the previous design to a more performant chassis.

The Era 2 is a compact mini-ITX case with a footprint of 366 x 165 x 314 mm. It can house GPUs with a thickness between 48 and 63mm and a maximum length of 326mm. The case is ready for Nvidia's GeForce gaming graphics cards, which conform to the chipmaker's SFF guidelines. Regarding the power supply, Era 2 supports SFX and SFX-L units.

Meanwhile, CPU air coolers under 70mm will also fit inside the Era 2. If you're a fan of liquid cooling, a 280mm radiator can fit up top. Four 120mm fan mounts provide adequate cooling and airflow inside the case. The two top mounts support 120mm and 140mm fans, whereas the two bottom mounts are limited to 120mm fans.

Fractal Design Era 2 Core Specifications

Besides the above-listed specifications, it's worth noting that the Era 2 comes in one of three color configurations: Era 2 Silver, Era 2 Charcoal Gray, and Era 2 Midnight Blue. The Charcoal Gray version is highlighted in the main press release and pictured above.

It's undoubtedly a fashionable-looking chassis and seems to be a good performer for Mini ITX, but the asking price of $199.99 might be a little high for some of our readers, justifiably. Fractal Design has a good reputation as a case manufacturer. Usually, it prices these things reasonably, though $199 may still push it a little too hard for an SFF PC case, in this humble writer's opinion.

According to its official product page, the mini-ITX Fractal Design Era 2 is now available for $199 through B&H Photo and Video or Newegg.

YouTube creator Zack Freedman set out to build the most RGB PC ever, and while they used several off-the-shelf RGB parts, they also made some exciting mods to their computer. But the most fantastic part of the entire build is the mods they did to the Fractal Design North XL case — the last PC case you would think of if you're going full-blown RGB inside and out.

This RGB PC of RGB PCs is designed as the creator's workstation, so it's bound to have some choice parts as well. So, before we look at their custom mods, let's check out their spec sheet.

Zack could have chosen the more expensive MEG Z790 GODLIKE, where the only difference with the ACE is the included LCD screen to display PC metrics. However, it's not an LED screen, so he chose the latter instead and bought a 5-inch 1080p Full HD AMOLED display to replace the LCD in the GODLIKE version.

The YouTuber also chose the Core i9-13900K instead of the Core i9-13900KS or the 14th-gen Intel Core i9 chips for its stability. Hopefully, they've installed the BIOS patches that Intel released recently to prevent the elevated voltages from damaging the Core i9-13900K in the long run.

You might notice that not all the items Zack acquired have RGB, like the Toshiba X300 22 TB hard drive and the Fractal Design North XL. So, to fix that, they had to do a bit of custom modding.

First off, the Fractal Design's wooden front cover had to go. Zack attempted to disassemble it to add some RGB lights behind the wood, but it was so well-built that it was next to impossible. Instead, they built a new face with aluminum RGB channels, lined them up with RGB lights, and then covered it with ultra-thin red oak edge banding — the kind used by carpenters to hide plywood edges to make wooden furniture look like they're made from solid wood.

But what's more astounding is how Zack replaced the metal cover of their 22 TB hard drive. They replaced the metal plate protecting the hard drive with an acrylic cover and inserted RGB lights in between, allowing everyone to see the moving arm whenever the drive is reading or writing.

They also built a system monitoring display with the 5-inch AMOLED screen using a Mobro Pi dashboard on a 3D printed mount with, you guessed it, an RGB fan for cooling. They also wrapped all the cables on the motherboard that aren't the Lian Li Strimers with white split loom and rigged it with RGB lights to get the same effect.

You won't see any part of this PC build without RGB lights; even the PSU gets an RGB fan mod. Depending on your perspective, this build is a total feast for the eyes — or the ultimate headache. Zack Freedman spent a lot of time, effort, and money building this full RGB PC, and no matter what your stance is on lights in your desktop case, we salute them for this massive accomplishment of bringing light to every nook and cranny of this desktop PC.

The best PC cases are one of those components that can sometimes last multiple builds as you swap in and out bits of hardware. I still have an old Antec 900 from many moons ago that houses an ancient Minecraft server. The fans still work, but the USB ports are all Gen 1, so it's well behind the curve.

Today's deal focuses on one of our favorite PC cases - the Fractal Design North. When we had this case for review, it impressed our reviewer so much that it was awarded 5 stars and an Editor's Choice award for both its performance and its stunning looks, a combination of wood and metal with a kind of 70's aesthetic that would let this case not look out of place in the living room. 

Pick up the Fractal Design North ATX mid-tower case for $109 at Amazon - its lowest-ever recorded price on the Camelizer. Usually retailing for $139 it's a saving of $30, a great price for such a beautiful case. Mixing both looks and performance, the Fractal Design North merges a high-airflow designed case with a mesh front panel with a Walnut wood finish, that allows cool air into the PC while still keeping a unique design that makes you want to display your PC and not hide it under a desk.

For cooling your components, the Fractal Design North allows airflow not only through the front panel but also through the top panel and a fully meshed side panel. There are 2x 140mm Aspect PWM fans included with the case, but there's plenty of room to include more. So if you're looking for a PC that's great to build in and will look stylish for years to come, this could be a great deal for you.

During Computex 2024, PC case maker Fractal Design showed off a miniature North case for the Raspberry Pi, something many would buy in a heartbeat. The company doesn’t have any plans to produce the case. Please leave it to the maker community to fulfill that desire, though. The miniaturized version of the Fractal Design North case, scaled down to house a Raspberry Pi, has inspired some case designs for the SBC that you can just 3D print at home.

I wrote then that the “Fractal Design North “mini-me” presents the same sleek, modern looks as its big brother.” The Fractal Design North case was one of the best PC cases in 2024, and the miniaturized version the team brought to stream MP3s maintained that sleek look.

When Fractal Design failed to announce any plans to mass-produce the case for the Raspberry Pi community, I thought maybe that was it. I should have known better, though, because the maker community generally loves to design for themselves what the “big boys” won’t sell us.

Jeff Geerling has spotted at least two 3D-printed cases inspired by that Fractal Design North mini-me. One of the designs is already available for you to print yourself, and the other will be soon (hopefully).

You can find STL files and assembly instructions for Nagrom’s Fractal Baby North at Printables. It looks like a pretty easy build.

Depending on whether you have the Raspberry Pi 3, 4, or 5, you need to print the appropriate files in your desired colors. Nagrom included I/O panels matching all three Raspberry Pi models and separate files for the wood inserts on the front of the case.

The assembly looks pretty straightforward without any gluing required. You screw the pieces together. All the appropriate holes are there but don’t appear to be threaded. That’s fine because threading such small holes can test your 3D printer’s calibration.

If Fractal Design never brings the North Raspberry Pi case to market, at least you’ve got alternatives to make your own, as long as you have access to a 3D printer.

Fractal Design has launched its fabric-covered PC case, dubbed the Mood, to provide a more aesthetically pleasing option for living rooms. This design could easily be mistaken for a mini single tower speaker. Fractal Design showcased this compact Mini ITX chassis during Computex 2024 along with other products but we now have more technical details about the case.  

To access the internals of your Mood build, the casing slides up easily, with its fabrics wrapped on all three sides and a large dust filter behind to allow ample airflow. The top panel is vented, and the included case fan propels air through the top of the tower. Fractal Design's Mood can be had with breathable fabric in either black or light grey. The company recommends using a lint cleaner to clean the fabric part of the case in its manual. Fractal's combination of design choices and materials makes this case a lightweight at 4.6kg. 

This pillar design case is compatible with the recently introduced SFF-ready Enthusiast Nvidia GeForce GPU standard. The specs list notes that the Mood supports up to 325mm long graphics cards that are 2.75-slots thick, which comfortably exceeds the aforementioned Nvidia specifications. Graphics cards can be vertically mounted and connected with an included PCIe 4.0 riser. 

For cooling, the case design allows for up to 114mm tall CPU air coolers or 280mm radiators. The case comes with a single 180mm fan on top to blow air toward all the components. Users can install up to 2x 120/140mm fans in the front. 

There is room for up to 1x 3.5-inch drive, 2x 2.5-inch drives in the case, in addition to the M.2 storage which your motherboard provides. Two expansion slots are available, but most GPU choices will take up both spaces (up to 2.75-slots).

Either an SFX or SFX-L power supply is required to complete a Mood build. The case dimensions of just 212 x 212 x 453mm, so the SFF power supply is a must, as is the use of an ITX motherboard. 

Front panel ports include 1x USB Type-C 20 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) 2x USB Type-A 5 Gbps (USB 3.0) and 1x Combo jack. Next to this array of ports is the power button.

Using a non-conventional material for a PC case usually commands a premium, and the Fractal Design Mood seems to be no exception to this rule, coming in at US$149.99. Fabric has been used by other PC case companies previously, most notably by InWin, which made the Alice case with various printed fabric exteriors. 

We think Fractal's Mood may appeal to people looking for a more living-friendly case without RGB lighting. This is an increasingly popular niche, with many other case makers making mini ITX cases featuring minimal designs - but using fabric for the exterior offers some appealing differentiation.

Fractal Design is best-known for its aesthetically unique PC cases, but now this Swedish company is coming for the rest of your setup. Fractal announced its first gaming chair — which looks more like a task chair than the typical racing-inspired bucket seat — and its first headset at Computex 2024, along with a couple of new small-footprint PC cases. 

First up, the chair: Fractal's first chair is called "Refine," and it fuses the "ergonomic comfort of high-end office chairs with intuitive controls and an aesthetic designed to elevate the gaming station," according to the company. It will come in mesh, fabric, and Alcantara (synthetic suede) finishes and will feature a "fluid synchro-tilt mechanism," 4D armrests, and adjustable lumbar support. 

Tom's Hardware managing editor Matt Safford had a chance to check out the Refine on the Computex show floor, and he said it looked and felt pretty nice — and while Fractal is calling it a gaming chair, it looked and felt more like a decent task chair. As both Matt and I have been saying for years, the best "gaming chair" isn't a gaming chair at all, and it looks like Fractal has taken this idea and decided to run with it. 

The Fractal Refine will be available in Q3 2024 and will come in both dark and light colorways in mesh and fabric finishes for $549.99. It will also come in a dark Alcantara finish, which will cost $899.99. 

The brand's first headset is a wireless, over-ear design with a flip-down boom mic called "Scape," and while Matt didn't have a chance to really listen to it (the press conference was likely too noisy, anyway), he liked the way it looked. I agree — while it's not particularly unique-looking, it has a nice, refined design that I wouldn't mind looking at if it were sitting on my desk. Which is good, because it comes with a wireless charging stand that's designed to do just that. 

The Fractal Scape will offer both low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connectivity and multi-device Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and will feature ambient lighting and audio presets that users can customize using Fractal's Adjust Pro online configuration tool. It will come in both light and dark colorways and should arrive later this year for $199.99.

Fractal also announced a couple of cases, including a new cloth-covered "Mood" case and a revamped version of its Era in the Era 2. 

Cloth-covered cases have been done before, by InWin most recently. And yes, it does result in a case that kind of looks like an air purifier. But the ability to lift the entire cover off from the top is great for building, troubleshooting, and cleaning. We do, however, feel like the price — $149.99, in light or black colorways — is a little high for a case that’s effectively some cloth and a small metal frame. (And yeah, the name "Mood" is kind of silly.) 

The original Era was kind of a big misstep for Fractal in 2020, as it didn’t have enough airflow at a time when GPUs were getting bigger and hotter. So, four years later, the company is revisiting the idea with the Fractal Era 2. The company says the case has been refined and enhanced, with improved cooling capabilities and ventilation on five sides — including that top panel, which is solid walnut. The Fractal Era 2 will be available in Q3 2024 and will cost $199.99 in all three colorways (silver, charcoal gray, and midnight blue).

The North XL case is getting an update later this year to support rear-connector motherboards. Why not the standard North case as well, though? Are they maybe working on a more substantial update to the original North? We hope so because it’s our favorite PC case.

Among the new products Fractal Design brought to Computex 2024, the one I want most is a case the company says it has no plans to produce. One of the coolest things we’ve seen on the showroom floor this year is a mini version of the Fractal North case, built to house a Raspberry Pi.

We’ve highlighted the Fractal Design North several times, including the XL version, and as our choice for the best-looking PC case in 2024. Fractal showed off various new products at Computex 2024, including a chair, headset, and two new PC cases. But the company also had a Raspberry Pi ensconced in a case that looks almost exactly like its Fractal Design North.

The Fractal Design North “mini-me” presents the same sleek, modern looks as its big brother. It marries together wood, brass, and glass in a gorgeous design that really stands out. That’s probably why multiple photos and videos of the case have popped up on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, even though Fractal Design says it has no plans to produce the case (yet).

Of course, this is hardly the first Raspberry Pi case we’ve seen that takes on the design aesthetics of a gaming computer or other PC. Sunfounder’s Pironman 5 Raspberry Pi 5 case, for example, brings the transparent front and side as well as RGB lighting gamers love their PCs to incorporate. 

It’s a trend I hope to see continue, offering more for the Raspberry Pi than cases that just look designed more for function than form. I want to see both, like Argon offers in its ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case. Fractal Design’s tiny little prototype would scratch that itch. The sample uses the same wood supply as the actual Fractal Design North and North XL case.

The case has the same sleek metal frame, a clear acrylic side plate, and a large mesh backplate. It’s really well done for a conversation piece, even if the wood slats on the front aren’t cut exactly the same. According to Hardware Canucks, the case accommodates two 40mm fans to keep your Raspberry Pi nice and cool. 

Fractal Design was using the case to house a Raspberry Pi MP3 player for its new headset offering. Fractal reps at Computex told multiple people from the media it has no current plans to produce the case for the Raspberry Pi. My thinking is, though, why go to the trouble to make something that looks as gorgeous as the real PC case it’s modeled after and not eventually bring it to the masses? Right?

It’s a strange time for PC cases, especially if, like me, you’re not a big fan of so-called “fishbowl” chassis with glass on as many sides as possible. Sure, on the better models, airflow has improved to the point where, with some smartly placed fans, you don’t usually have to worry about cooking your high-end components. But as popular as these cases are, it’s still frustrating to see basically every PC case maker trying to do the same thing.

That’s one reason why we found the original Fractal North, with its wood front slats and a side panel made of your choice of mesh or glass, so refreshing. Now Fractal Design is back with the North XL, aimed at beefier builds, with E-ATX motherboard support, and room for larger coolers and GPUs. The latter is particularly welcome because the Colorful RTX 4090 Vulcan OC just barely fit when we used the North to update our How to Build a PC article.

Fractal was also able to keep the price of the North XL pretty reasonable. At $180, it’s not exactly budget, but it’s surprisingly affordable given its internal space and stunning external design. Available in either chalk white or charcoal black, can the North XL land Fractal another notch on our Best PC cases list? We’ll have to test it to find out, but first, let’s take a look at its specs.

Specifications of the Fractal Design North XL

Features of the Fractal Design North XL

Like its smaller, older Fractal North brother, the North XL is available in charcoal black and chalk white, with a choice of a mesh or tempered glass side panel. Because we reviewed the white mesh version the first time, it only made sense to check out the tempered glass black variant this time around.

When I took the North XL out of the box, I was taken aback by the attention to detail in this chassis. Instead of boring black or silver accents, the charcoal black version features brass-colored IO ports and feet. I don’t think I have ever been impressed by the feet on a case before, but there’s a first time for everything, I suppose. Speaking of the IO, the top panel features separate audio in and out jacks, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and one USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2 port.

The wood front slats are a darker walnut on the black model than the oak used on the chalk white variant, and I think it looks great. Once again, I’m not a carpenter, nor did I take woodshop in high school, but I love the way Fractal has done from a visual design standpoint, marrying brass metal and wood accents with more traditional steel and glass.

One of the few gripes I had with the original North was the thumb screws needed to remove the side panels, and that carries over to this larger model. We’re in 2024, so why are we still using thumbscrews on high-end chassis? I suppose it’s more secure than the pop-off pegs that have become increasingly common. But it’s also worth mentioning that the thumbscrews here are very stiff and require a screwdriver to remove.

Because we’re reviewing the tempered glass model, our North XL did not include the side bracket for additional cooling. Instead, Fractal sent over their Flex 2 vertical GPU riser kit (an $80 accessory that’s sold separately).

Overall, the North XL looks just as stunning as the original, but I would still personally still opt for the mesh side panel, as I feel like it fits the case’s aesthetic better than the tempered glass does. But if you do want to show off your internals, the vertical GPU kit certainly makes more sense with the glass panel.

Internal Layout

The Fractal Design North XL stands at 20 x 9.4 x 20 inches (HWD). According to Fractal, this is 36% larger than the original North. Because of the increase in volume, the top fan mounts can house a pair of large 180mm Fractal Torrent fans, although you won’t find these in the box.

Staying on the topic of fan support, the North XL can fit as many fans as expected from a chassis of this size. The front of the North can fit up to 3x 120 or 140mm fans and the corresponding radiator sizes. If you don’t have the gargantuan Torrent fans as mentioned above, the top of the case can fit three 140mm fans. Three PWM 140mm fans are included and housed in the front.

While the original North was fairly roomy inside, its GPU support was limited to 14 inches and its CPU cooler height to 6.6 inches (without the side fan bracket). The North XL bumps this up to support for air coolers as large as 7.2 inches(185mm) and GPUs up to 16.2 inches (413mm). Another gripe I had with the original North was its lack of E-ATX support. Fortunately, the XL is designed to fit those larger motherboards.

For storage beyond M.2, there are a pair of 2.5-inch brackets behind the motherboard plate. And you can install two more 2.5-inch or two 3.5-inch drives in trays housed under the PSU shroud. Power supply space is ample, at up to 11.4 inches, although that space lessens as you add drive trays and / or a front radiator.

Testing Hardware

Our testing hardware uses Intel’s 12 Gen “Alder Lake” platform, specifically a Core i7-12700KF, cooled by a Noctua U12s air cooler. Our graphics card is a Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC.

Acoustic Results for the Fractal Design North

Our acoustic tests consist of three scenarios: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load, and an optimized mode. The CPU full load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test, we also stress the Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC and set the fans at 75% speed, because in gaming the fans never run at 100 percent and are far too loud when they do.

For the optimized mode, we run the GPU fan speed at 30% and run the CPU and included case fans at the lowest speed that they will spin.

A complaint we had about the original Fractal Design North when we tested it was its high noise levels. We hypothesized that the tempered glass side panel would likely be quieter than the mesh variant. Fast-forward to today, the tempered glass variant of the XL model is, in-fact, quieter. Is it the most hushed case on the market? No, but if fan noise particularly bothers you, you may want to consider the glass panel even if you don’t care much about looking at the internals of your case.

Thermal Results for the Fractal Design North

For the thermal tests, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100%. The Core i7-12700K is set at a fixed 4.7GHz clock at 1.3v on all performance cores to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios. Letting the GPU run at 75% fan speed enables it to maintain its power target while sticking to one set reasonable fan speed, so that the temperature is the only variable.

Once again, I was blown away by the thermal performance of the Fractal Design North XL. Despite its wood-slatted front panel, plenty of air is able to flow into the chassis, thanks to the three 140mm Aspect 14 PWM fans. I’m tempted to buy some of these spinners to throw into my personal build.

Bottom Line

While the Fractal Design North XLsports a familiar look, I’m glad that the company brought a larger version to the market. Despite the thumbscrews and still-not-quiet acoustics, the unique look and attention to detail outweigh those fairly minor issues, especially with its sub-$200 MSRP. Is the North XL the most affordable case on the market? Heck no, but for $180, the price isn’t outlandish for a case of this size, especially when you consider the fact it comes with three 140mm PWM fans and the wood accents as standard. If you want wood panels on competing Corsair cases, you’ll have to spend $70 or more, with the recently launched dual-chamber 6500 case line selling for $199 with no wood and no included fans.

Currently, the PC case market is saturated with chassis constructed of more glass than mesh, so anything else is a breath of fresh air. While the wood front panel is gorgeous and hasn’t shown signs of decay over the last year, I would like to see Fractal Design release additional front panels. For example, I’d love to see a brass front panel on this case to compliment the accents.

MORE: Best PC Cases

MORE: Best Mini-ITX Cases

There are two color variants on offer in today's deal: a choice between an all-white case or a black case with a colored interior that includes the motherboard tray and PSU shroud. This is a smaller case that is still able to support an ATX-sized motherboard but is compact enough to fit on or under your desk.

Over at B&H Photo, you can save $30 off the $89 MSRP price of the Fractal Design Pop Air RGB Mid-Tower PC Case - meaning you only pay $59. You get a well-designed and attractive-looking case for the money, and although it's a smaller mid-tower case, you can still fit in a lot of today's modern components, but you will have to check hardware dimensions to make sure you can fit them all in - especially when it comes to cooling and graphics cards. 

The specifications for the Fractal Design Pop Air state that you can fit in a cooling radiator at the front of the case measuring no more than 280mm, at the top of the case no more than 240mm, and no greater than 120 mm at the rear. For the GPU, it should measure no longer than 15.9 inches to fit it in this case.

The Fractal Design Pop Air RGB Mid-Tower PC Case is a great budget option for a new or existing PC, with plenty of room to build, a spacious layout for a mid-tower case, and good airflow. This case should last you for years to come. Not bad for under $60.

Late last year, Fractal's mid-century-inspired North PC case won all kinds of awards (including case of the year from us here at Tom's Hardware). So it's no surprise that the company is back with another wood-accented chassis here at Computex.

But unlike the mind-tower North, Fractal Design's $179 Terra is a surprisingly small, 10.4-liter Mini-ITX case. It looks great in your choice of three colors and takes up a small amount of space, but its 8.58 x 6.02 x 13.5-inch frame means you'll have to choose your components very carefully.

More specifically, it supports SFX and SFX-L power supplies and graphics cards up to 12.68 inches long and a maximum of 2.83 inches wide. As always, check your dimensions before buying. While Founders Edition RTX 4080 and 4090 cards should fit, plenty of partner cards will either be too big or may push right up to the absolute limits of the case. And CPU cooling options are far more limited, so don't expect to install a 7950X3D or a 13900K here, unless you like paying for performance you can't actually get. More on this later.

While a 120mm radiator is technically supported in the Terra, that's only with a short (8-inch) graphics card. Most will want to go with a compact air cooler. And I do mean compact. The clearance for CPU coolers wavers between 1.89 and 3.03 inches, depending on how you adjust the "spine," or the central plate that holds the Motherboard on one side and the GPU on the other. 

And while all sides of the Terra are amply vented (albeit without any dust filters), fan support is limited to a single 120 mm spinner at the bottom rear. In my building experience with the case, detailed below, even with a modular SFX power supply, that bottom area is going to be very occupied by cable slack. Plus, if you do put a fan there, you lose one of the two mounting places available for 2.5-inch drives.

Fractal Design Terra Specs

So, about the Terra's adjustable spine: In order to make the absolute best possible use of the case's scant 6.02-inch width, a single piece of metal is where you'll mount the Mini-ITX motherboard, on one side, and your graphics card on the other (a PCIe 4 riser cable comes pre-installed). And by loosening two screws on the top and two on the bottom (easy to spot as they sit atop orange plastic spacers), you can move that spine to one of seven different evenly spaced positions to give you more room on the CPU and PSU side, or more room on the graphics card side. 

This "sandwich style" setup offers extra diversity in terms of what components you can install, but at the same time, the wiggle room is pretty limited. You can move the spine about 1.5 inches one way or the other, even with parts attached and, again, the case's total width is just over 6 inches. I have to wonder why, particularly in today's world of three-slot-plus GPUs, Fractal didn't just make the case a couple of inches wider –  and maybe one or two taller – to accommodate more fan mounting options and better CPU cooling.

Build Experience With the Fractal Design Terra

While I didn't have the time to put together a full review before heading off to Computex, Fractal did send the case ahead of the launch date and, space constraints aside, there's a lot I like about it. It's surprisingly easy to build in for such a small chassis.

As you've probably noticed in the photos, the side panels flip up gull-wing style, and the rear of the frame is spring-mounted, so if you push back on the hinges, you can remove the side doors completely. Similarly, the top panel pulls back (via a stylish and handy faux-leather tab) and lifts off, giving you full access to three sides of the case for the build process.

Mini-ITX motherboard installation is dead simple. You'll want to install your cooler, RAM and any M.2 drives on the board first, then flip the case on its side and the motherboard drops right in, to be anchored via four screws on the pre-installed standoffs. Again, CPU cooler space is extremely limited. I installed a Thermalright AXP90-X47 cooler for my Ryzen 5 5600 CPU, but the smaller AMD Wraith or Intel stock coolers should fit here just fine (again, depending on how much GPU space you need on the other side, so be sure to double-check those numbers). 

Once the motherboard is in you can wedge the connector for the pre-installed Gen 4 GPU riser cable into the slot on the motherboard, which is at the top here. Since the motherboard installs on what traditionally would be the rear side of a PC case, it's rotated 180 degrees from the typical orientation.

Next, I spun the case around and installed my GPU. For this build, I used an old Gigabyte RTX 2060 Super. I could have installed something thicker and a couple of inches longer here, but the Gigabyte card wasn't currently in another system, my Zotac GTX 1080 Ti was borderline too thick (and too old), and the Colorful RTX 4090 in my main system is too long, at over 13 inches. I'd say in most instances, you should expect to fit most 4070-class cards in this case – as long as it's not one of the crazy thick overbuild models. Higher-end Nvida FE cards should also fit, but then you're going to need a larger SFX-L power supply, and I don't feel great about all that heat-generating hardware going into a cramped case with, at best, a single intake fan. Again, Fractal could have made this case just a little bigger to accommodate more powerful cards. But as it is, it's probably good that you can't quite fit the most powerful, most overclocked cards in this case, no matter how vented all the panels are.

Actually installing the graphics card here is also pretty typical. It slots in vertically to the other end of the riser cable and gets anchored to the slot mounts at the back with screws. With that done, I turned the case back around and installed the power supply. 

The PSU mounts to a vertical bracket, which also can be adjusted. There is room for SFX PSUs (I used a 550W EVGA SFX model) or longer SFX-L models, and if you don't need the maximum space for your GPU on the other side of the spine, you can add spacers to facilitate extra airflow behind the PSU and graphics card. 

This might be a good idea if you're mounting a 120mm fan in its one available spot below the power supply. But even with my modular SFX PSU, I needed the majority of that space to sore cable slack. If you have 2.5-inch drives, you can mount one on the bottom below the PSU (but not if you install a fan there) and in the slim gap between the left side of the PSU and the front of the case. For my test build, I stuck with just a single M.2 drive on the motherboard. Internal space was cramped enough for me already, without thinking about adding SATA power and data cables.

With that done, plus some extensive cable slack tucking, it was time to put the side panels back on, clean up my cluttered workbench, and power up the system.

Looking at it in its built-out form, the Fractal Design Terra is indeed a pretty case with its wood trim up front. But in the quest for minimal Nordic design, you'll notice that connectivity is limited to a single USB-A 3.1 (5Gbps) port and a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) port, alongside the power button.

There's no audio jack here, which may bother some. But as this is a tiny case that's clearly designed to sit on your desk, the audio jacks on the motherboard aren't much more than a foot away at the back of the case. Part of me wants to see more USB ports up front, but again, those are within fairly easy reach around the back.

One other thing of note about the Fractal Terra is that I don't love the matte finish on the aluminum front and sides. It looks nice out of the box, but feels a bit rough rather than the smooth metal you might be expecting – a bit like an old chalkboard. As such, at least with the black model I tested, it has a tendency to pick up and show smudges or small bits of material or fibers from paper towels or cloths you might use to wipe it down (or even just my own fingers). This is fairly minor, but in a case that's so obviously geared toward pretty design, the fact that the front is a bit hard to keep clean feels like an oversight.

All in all, the Fractal Terra is a striking and mostly well-thought-out Mini-ITX case. I doubt it will have as wide an appeal as its larger North cousin since component and airflow options are far more limiting here. But if you don't need to pack in the absolute most powerful components (particularly on the CPU side) and you don't need more than a few storage drives, Fractal has once again delivered one of the prettiest cases available – especially if you want a respite from the RGB and aggressive designs that dominate the gaming side of the PC realm.

MORE: Best PC Cases

MORE: Best Mini-ITX Cases

Hot on the heels of Fractal Design’s well-received, wood-accented North case (which we awarded case of the year for 2022), component mainstay Corsair has started selling wood panels for its existing 4000- and 5000-series PC cases, starting at $55.

The panels come in packs of two, one for the front of the case and one for the top. And they appear to be laser-cut to match the Airflow variants of both cases, to maintain similar thermal characteristics of the metal panels that ship with these cases. In fact, the product page says that Corsair has “rigorously tested” the panels to “ensure the same high airflow as 4000D AIRFLOW and 5000D AIRFLOW panels.”

That should mean there won’t be any temperature concerns, though I do wonder about the fragility of the narrowest parts of those cuts. If you’re going to put your case on the floor (which is likely a common occurrence, especially with the larger 5000-series cases), I would be careful to put this panel out of the way of swinging feet or small children.

You can choose between three types / shades of wood to match your preference or decor, with bamboo being the lightest, sapele sitting in the middle with a lighter bronzish-brown shade, and teak being the darkest. Note that both the teak and sapele panels are expressly called out as veneer (meaning they aren’t solid wood, at least of those types) while the faster-growing / cheaper / lighter bamboo is listed as “renewably sourced,” so more likely solid bamboo. The 4000 series panels (shown above) sell for $55, and the larger 5000 series panels are priced at $75.

The cases do look distinctive and attractive, at least to my eyes, with these wood panels. And I could see owners of these popular Corsair cases picking them up as an easy way to drastically change the look of their systems. But $75 in particular for the 5000 series panels seems like a lot – especially when the whole Fractal North case is currently selling for $130. To be fair to Corsair though, there’s definitely more wood in these panels than there is in the North’s slatted front panel.

Regardless of price, the Fractal North case has arguably been the most well-received case in years, making best-of-the-year lists at multiple prominent sites. And given its relative affordability, it’s likely selling well (although both color variants are currently sitting at 86 and 90 on Amazon’s list of best-selling cases). So it’s not surprising to see Corsair follow fairly quickly with some wood-based accessories of its own. 

I’d expect to see more wood-accented chassis, likely by this year’s Computex tradeshow, if not sooner. After several years of RGB and glass everything, wood is a refreshing alternative case option. It will be interesting to see what companies do with it when designing around the material from the ground up – as well as how long it will take before it’s saturated the market enough for people to be sick of it. I’m certainly not there yet and excited to see where this trend ends up.

Swedish company Fractal Design is best known for its  computer cases, like our favorite case of 2022, the Fractal North. But the company also makes liquid coolers, case fans, and even power supplies.

We’re looking at Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma here, one of the company’s strongest all-in-one cooler offerings. The Celsius line of coolers come equipped with an integrated fan and ARGB hub, which allows users to plug the fans directly into the radiator for reduced cable clutter. It features two modes of operation: “Auto” mode which is optimized for silence, and PWM mode for maximum cooling capacity. 

With today’s CPUs raising the bar for cooling difficulty, does the Celius+ S36 Prisma have what it takes to cool Intel’s i9-13900K and earn a spot on our best coolers list? We’ll have to put it through testing to say for sure. But first, here are the cooler’s specifications, direct from Fractal. 

Cooler Specifications

Packing and Included Contents

Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma comes in a fairly large box that uses plastic coverings and cardboard for protection of the inner contents.

Included with the package are the following:

• 360 mm Radiator
• CPU block
• 3x 120 mm fans
• Mounts for all modern CPU sockets (including AM5 & LGA1700)
• Information, support and installation guides
• Two Clips
• Pre-applied thermal paste

Installation

Installing Fractal’s S36 is mostly simple, but there’s one step that’s very easy to mess up: the fans. One might think installing the fans to be the simplest part of a cooler’s installation, but if you approach the installation of the fans like any other cooler and don’t follow Fractal’s instructions, you’ll end up with one of the cable in an uncomfortable position against one of the other fans.

I’ve seen multiple pictures of people (and even a few reviewers) installing the fans incorrectly, causing the problem seen above. Fractal has designed this AIO to have minimal cable clutter, and as such the installation is a little different. 

While the video below is for the older S36 model, it shows how to properly install the fans on this cooler.

Once the fans have been secured, mount the radiator to the case. Then you’ll press the backplate to the motherboard and then slide on the standoffs to secure the backplate. Afterwards, all that’s left is to press the CPU block against the standoffs and then secure them with the included thumbscrews.

Features of Fractal’s Celsius+ S36

Silent Profile Mode

The Celsius+ has two operational modes, Auto and PWM, which can be selected by teisting the CPU block. Auto mode runs the fans silently at all times. Despite the silent profile of this mode, the Celsius+ S36 was still able to cool an impressive 267W in the Auto mode. That’s more watts cooled in silent mode than most air coolers are capable of handling at full fan speeds!

Full Copper CPU plate

The CPU contact plate on Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma is made of copper and comes with thermal paste pre-installed.

ARGB and PWM Hub for minimal cable clutter

The Celsius line of coolers come equipped with an integrated fan and ARGB hub, which lets you plug the fans directly into the radiator for reduced cable clutter. The hub is located in between the tubes to the CPU block, on the side of the radiator.

Medium thickness 360 mm radiator

The S36 Prisma features a 360 mm radiator with 30 mm thickness. This isn’t the thickest (or thinnest) radiator we’ve seen, but it should be compatible with most cases that have space for three 120 mm fans.

3x Prisma AL-12 PWM ARGB fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels. Included with the Celsius+ S36 Prisma are 3x Prisma AL-12 PWM ARGB fans. Fractal advertises the following features with these fans:

• Aerodynamic stator struts with embedded wiring reduce noise and turbulence
• Trip Wire technology introduces a micro-turbulent layer for enhanced blade efficiency
• Integrated vibration-damping corners made from high-quality synthetic rubber
• LLS (Long Life Sleeve) bearings provide silent operation with a long lifespan
• Six individually addressable hub-mounted RGB LEDs
• Specifically designed fan blades and outer ring produce a uniform glow

Testing Methodology

While it was fairly easy with previous generations of CPUs for coolers to keep the flagship i9 processor well under TJ max (the maximum temperature a CPU can sustain without throttling) in tough workloads, this is no longer realistically possible on current generation CPUs (and the 13900K especially) without extreme cooling (or enabling power limits).

While in the past a CPU hitting its peak temperature was cause for concern, enthusiasts are going to have to learn to accept high temperatures as “normal” while running demanding workloads with Raptor Lake and Ryzen 7000 CPUs. Modern AMD and Intel CPUs are designed to run fairly hot without any problems – up to 95 degrees Celsius and for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs, and up to 100 C for Intel’s Core i9-13900K. Similar behavior has been standard in laptops for years due to cooling limitations in tight spaces.

Furthermore, Intel’s Core i9-13900K supports Adaptive Boost Technology (ABT) which allows Core i9 processors to dynamically boost to higher all-core frequencies based on available thermal headroom and electrical conditions. This allows multi-core loads to operate at up to 5.5ghz if the necessary amount of thermal dissipation is there. This feature works in a way that actively seeks high temperatures: If the chip sees that it is running underneath the 100-degree C threshold, it will increase its performance and power consumption until it reaches the safe 100 C limit, thus sustaining higher clocks (and providing better performance) for longer periods.

The increased cooling challenges posed by Raptor Lake mean that we’ve had to change some of the ways we test coolers. Some coolers were able to pass Cinebench R23 multicore testing with Intel’s 12th Gen i9-12900K when power limits were removed (although only the strongest models were able to pass that test). Most liquid coolers and all air coolers I’ve tested “failed” that test because the CPU reached TJ max in this scenario. 

With Raptor Lake’s 13900K, not a single cooler tested has been able to keep the CPU under TJ max in this test – because as we pointed out, the chip is designed to dial up performance and power until it richest that thermal result. We’ll compare performance instead by looking at total benchmark scores and clock speeds maintained. 

I’ll be testing Intel’s i9-13900K CPU using Asus’ TUF Gaming Z690 Gaming Plus WIFI motherboard and Cooler Master’s HAF 700 Berserker computer case, with case fans limited to 35% speeds. The motherboard’s default fan curve is used for the CPU Cooler’s fans.

In addition to testing Cinebench without power limits enforced, we’ll also be showing results when the CPU’s power consumption is limited to a more reasonable 200W. We’ll also show results at 125W for those who prefer whisper-quiet cooling, at the cost of some performance. For both of these results, we’ll show traditional delta over ambient temperature results.

We’ll provide noise level measurements recorded using a PSPL25 Sound Meter for all three power levels tested to compare how much noise each cooler makes in different scenarios. We expect most coolers to run effectively silently at 125W.

LGA1700 Socket Bending

Note there are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

Testing Configuration

• MORE: Best CPUs for Gaming
• MORE: How to Overclock a CPU
• MORE: How to check CPU Temperature

No Power Limits Cinebench Results

With Intel's i9-13900K pushing speeds of 5.5 GHz or higher, even the strongest of coolers hit TJ Max while running Cinebench R23 and other demanding scenarios. As the 13900K is designed to aim for its top safe temperature, we’ll be comparing the overall benchmark score and the CPU’s clock speeds instead. 

The results below are for a 10-minute testing run. But to be sure that was sufficiently long to tax the cooler, we also retested both Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE and DeepCool’s LT720 with a 30-minute Cinebench test. The results didn’t change much at all with the longer test: The average clock speeds maintained dropped by 29 MHz on DeepCool’s LT720 and 31 MHz on Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE. That’s an incredibly small 0.6% difference in clock speeds maintained, a margin of error difference that tells us that the 10-minute tests are indeed long enough to properly test the coolers.

Because of the difficulty of cooling the i9-13900K in this workload, we feel the best way to compare coolers here is to record the average power consumption of the CPU. As Cinebench R23’s multi-core benchmark will push coolers to their limits, it’s also a great test for recording the worst-case scenario of fan noise levels. 

You might notice that our noise charts start at 36 decibels, which is the noise floor of our testing environment. This makes 36dB our baseline measurement, as we’re unable to measure noise levels below this threshold. Keep in mind that noise measurements are logarithmic, meaning the differences between the noise levels of the coolers will be more perceptible than these graphs would suggest. 

While set to its Auto mode, the S36 Prisma runs completely silently while still offering plenty of performance, cooling loads of up to 267W. 

Switching to PWM mode will allow the fans to ramp up speeds for better performance at the cost of noise. When it comes to total cooling capacity, Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma does extremely well here with our second best result tested thus far, cooling just over 303W on average during the course of our tests. At higher speeds the fans are certainly audible, but they run quieter than those included by many competitors.

We’re also showing the total Cinebench R23 benchmark scores to illustrate how little is lost – or gained – with different cooling solutions. Between the weakest and strongest coolers, there is a total benchmark score variance of roughly 13%.

Fractal’s Celsius S36+ Prisma has the second-highest Cinebench R23 benchmark score recorded during our testing, or 39,322 points.

200W Cinebench Results

When restricting power consumption to a more reasonable 200W, Fractal’s S36 Prisma continues to maintain the second place position, falling 3 degrees C behind DeepCool’s LT720, but ahead of all other coolers we’ve tested with Intel’s Raptor Lake so far.

Looking at acoustic levels when restricted to 200W, the S36 Prisma is especially impressive, running quieter than any other cooler we’ve tested it against, including Arctic’s Liquid Freezer II. We had to make sure that we hadn’t accidentally engaged the silent mode after seeing these results – this is exceptionally good performance, beating every other cooler we’ve tested!

This means that in common workloads, Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma runs practically silent in PWM mode. Only the most demanding workloads will actually use more than 200W, even with Intel’s i9-13900K.

125W Cinebench Results

The lowest power limit I test at is 125W, mainly because this is also the lowest level where I can reliably measure noise measurements. Lower power consumption causes the noise of the CPU cooler to fall below the noise created by the system fans (even while restricted to 35% speed).

Now in this scenario, the S36 Prisma’s performance was middle of the road, but that’s not a bad thing, especially when you consider it ran whisper quiet in this scenario.

Conclusion

The S36 Prisma offers two modes of operation: In PWM mode it is the second-strongest cooler we’ve tested and the quietest when loads are restricted to 200W or less. It also offers a silent mode which barely gives the fans a workout; in this mode the S36 Prisma is still capable of cooling an impressive 267W.

Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma offers a combination of strong and silent cooling performance that its competitors will struggle to match. Just note that you’ll have to pay a bit more than the competition for these kinds of top-teir results.

• MORE: Best CPUs for Gaming
• MORE: How to Overclock a CPU
• MORE: How to check CPU Temperature

PC cases are constantly evolving alongside other components. 5.25-inch drive bays were once a necessity for optical drives, but now are more or less gone. Following that collapse, the desire for glass (and RGB) everywhere came and is now going away as the thermal demand of high-end components went up and people began to take the need for airflow seriously. And now, because airflow is so important, too many cases are starting to look the same, which is frustrating.

Enter Fractal Design, a case manufacturer that often finds itself on our Best PC Cases, and its latest (and hopefully trend-setting) North case. The North is an ATX mid-tower chassis that features wood slats on the front panel (backed by mesh) and the option for a mesh or tempered-glass side panel. Fractal Design’s new case retails for $130 and comes in Charcoal Black or Chalk White. 

While the case is easy on the eyes and the design feels fresh in a landscape dominated by black glass boxes, the North needs to perform to earn a recommendation in these days of thermally aggressive components like the RTX 4090 and 13900K. We'll put it through our testing later to see how it does but spoiler: Unless silence is your primary concern, there's a lot to love about this striking chassis.

Specifications

Features of the Fractal Design North

Fractal's North is a mid-tower ATX case that disguises itself as a pretty piece of furniture. Obviously, the most appealing feature of this case is its wood front panel. Now, I never took woodshop in high school, but this feels and looks like bamboo. I love it – the North is just as pretty as it is unique.

Case companies often take an existing design and mostly (or sometimes only) change the front panel. This isn’t the case (no pun intended) with the North, which is available in either white or black and with a mesh or tempered glass side panel.

The top of the North features a removable panel with a leather tab and the back for easier removal. The side panels are removed via two thumb screws, which is a bit disappointing for a case of this price, and it’s almost ironic when you consider the otherwise excellent aesthetics of this chassis.

While we still like tempered glass, the mesh panel felt more at home here, as it’s almost an atypical choice for side panels over the last few years.

Another reason we chose the mesh side panel: That model comes with a side fan bracket for better cooling. The side fan bracket fits a maximum of 280mm in a radiator or fan configuration, which is generous.

And it can be mounted in three different locations (bottom, middle, or top) to best suit the needs of your build. Behind the wood are two pre-installed Fractal Design Aspect 140mm fans, which can be replaced with fans or radiators up to 360mm. The top panel can house the same amount of fans or radiators. And, finally, the rear fan mount can fit a 120mm spinner, although the case only comes with the two fans up front.

The IO on the top of the North is decent, but nothing too special. You get two USB 3.0 Type-A, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C and separate audio and headphone jacks. There's also a nice spun-metal power button here, etched with Fractal's stylized "F" logo.

Internal Layout

The Fractal Design North measures up at 18.5 x 8.5 x 17.5 inches (HWD), so I wouldn’t try to fit an E-ATX board in here. However, this case can fit GPUs up to 13.98 inches (355mm), and our Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC fits perfectly. The maximum CPU cooler height varies, depending on whether you install the fan bracket on the side. Without the bracket, the North supports coolers up to 6.7 inches (170mm), but 5.7 inches (145mm) with the bracket and fans installed.

Behind the motherboard tray, you’ll find the usual cable tie points, a dual 2.5-inch drive bracket and two 3.5 or 2.5-inch drive trays. The drive trays actually live under the PSU shroud, eacg can fit a 2.5-inch drive and a 3.5-inch drive at the same tiem, and can also be mounted upside down to make room for chunkier PSU cables – a well-thought-out feature by Fractal. Ultimately, the Fractal Design North can support four 2.5 and two 3.5-inch drives simultaneously, which is very respectable in 2022. If you need more than that you'll generally have to look to a bigger case. A PWM fan hub is also included, mounted behind the motherboard tray by default. It can be moved to a position above the rear fan mount, but we expect most will find its default location more convenient–and better for aesthetics as well, should you opt for the glass side panel.

Testing Hardware

Our testing hardware to uses Intel’s 12 Gen “Alder Lake” platform, specifically a Core i7-12700KF, which is cooled by a Noctua U12s air cooler. Our graphics card is a Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC.

Acoustic Results for the Fractal Design North

Our acoustic tests consist of three scenarios: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load, and an optimized mode. The CPU full load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test, we also stress the Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC and set the fans at 75% speed, because in gaming the fans never run at 100 percent and are far too loud when they do.

For the optimized mode, we run the GPU fan speed at 30% and run the CPU and included case fans at the lowest speed that they will spin.

Fractal Design's cases generally aren't all that quiet, and that's true here as well. During our full-speed test, we got an average of 53 decibels, which is, bluntly, quite loud. However, this can be combated by a simple fan curve adjustment, and Fractal’s Aspect fans pull enough air at lower speeds that, unless something goes wrong or you're overclocking everything to the bleeding edge, you should never hear that much noise coming from this case. Even though the case is loud, let’s not forget that the side panel is mesh. So it's likely the tempered glass version of the North is at least a little quieter.

Thermal Results for the Fractal Design North

For the thermal tests, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100%. The Core i7-12700K is set at a fixed 4.7GHz clock at 1.3v on all performance cores to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios. Letting the GPU run at 75% fan speed enables it to maintain its power target while sticking to one set reasonable fan speed, so that the temperature is the only variable.

Cases with mesh side panels are a bit controversial. You might assume the mesh improves thermals, but there's also evidence (at least in some cases) that air coming in from the side can be detrimental to the front-to-back airflow path. The only other case we've tested recently with a mesh side panel was the Azza Aero 480, and that did not perform very well. Fractal's North, though, performed exceptionally well in our testing – especially with CPU thermals.

It's unclear whether the improved temps with the Fractal are down to finer mesh in the front, the roughly 4-inch section at the front side that isn't perforated (possibly helping guide airflow), some combination of both, or just better fans on the Fractal. But there's no arguing with these pleasing numbers.

Bottom Line

2022 has been a big year for Fractal Design; the Swedish case company started off with the Torrent Compact, which was an impressive start. In the summer, we saw the Pop Silent, which was refreshing, as the case market has become saturated with mesh and RGB. Then we tested the ITX Ridge, which stood out for its console-sized frame and build quality. Finally, just as the temperatures turned frigid and the year was winding down, the company fittingly launched the North. Despite its price of $130, it stands out in a case market that’s become boring by delivering great airflow and stand-out looks.

There's no denying the North is a niche case, with its wood slats on the front panel, but many more traditional and aggressive-looking cases available (both in the wider market and within Fractal's own product stack), builders should respect Fractal for launching a case this visually different – I certainly do. As long as the performance is decent, there's nothing wrong with more traditional basic black PC case boxes or aggressive RGB-and-glass gamer chassis. But it's great to have attractive and well-performing alternatives like the North, that blend into a living room in a living room instead of standing out like an alien artifact.

MORE: Best PC Cases 2022

MORE: Best Mini-ITX Cases 2022

                                                                                                                                                There are many motives behind building a Mini-ITX PC: Do you want your PC to look like a console? Or, do you want the smallest PC possible? While it’s hard to fit powerful components into the dimensions of a PS5 or Xbox, Fractal Design lets you at least give it a go with its newest console-sized ITX chassis, the Ridge. 

The $129.99 case is available in either black (as tested) or white, with a matching cloth front face. But note that there are no fans supported up front. Air is moved by a pair of 140mm PWM fans that sit above the motherboard, next to the GPU area. And while this helps keep GPU temperatures low, the perforations on the side panels aren’t enough to keep CPU temps similarly chilled, as we’ll see later in testing.

Specifications of the Fractal Design Ridge

Features of the Fractal Design Ridge

The Fractal Design Ridge is the companies newest ITX chassis, which takes inspiration from the 2015-era Node 202. And much like that case, the Ridge is small enough to mimic a console.

When it came to designing the Ridge, Fractal Design was aware of the success of the 202 and aimed to modernize it. The newest Fractal chassis is constructed of steel and features perforations on the sides for air intake, as well as a canvas-like perforated front. And that front is an eye-catching feature, for sure.

Instead of bringing back the 90-degree support stand from the 202, the Ridge features a stand that makes the case look like it’s floating an inch or so above your desk.

If the design has thrown you off, this is a computer case, not a modern speaker. So the Ridge needs everything from cooling support, room for drives and proper IO. On that last count, what the Ridge delivers is fair, especially for an ITX case. The front IO features one USB 3.1 Gen Type-C, two USB 3.0 and a combo audio jack at the bottom front.

As expected, the Ridge has no room for 3.5-inch drives, but storage support is otherwise sublime for its size. The Ridge can fit a total of four 2.5-inch SSDs or hard drives and go toe-to-toe with some mid-towers we’ve reviewed. Two SSDs can be installed behind the motherboard tray, like 99.9% of computer cases, but the latter two are mounted behind the front panel. I don’t like this location since it feels like that space could’ve been used for 80mm fans, but if you need four 2.5-inch drives, this is where two of them will go.

Internal Layout

The Internal layout of the Fractal Design Ridge, is to be expected from an ITX case: congested. You’ll also need an SFX or SFX-L power supply, thanks to the narrowness of the case. That said, when the motherboard installation was finished, I was able to figure out the rest on my own, but Fractal includes a fantastic instruction book.

Standing at 14.5 x 14 x 3.7 inches (HDW), the Ridge is a very lanky case. Low-profile CPU coolers like Thermalright’s AXP120-X67 fit in just fine, but the maximum height allotted for CPU coolers is 2.8 inches (70mm). Because the graphics card is stowed behind the motherboard tray, you can fit cards up to 12.8 inches (325mm) long. But don’t expect to install a modern top-end here. Our EVGA RTX 3050 XC fits just fine, but anything much more than two slots thick is going to run up against the fans and the interior frame of the case.

The amount of additional fans that can be installed in the Ridge is impressive but also somewhat impractical. The side fan mounting bracket supports fans or radiators up to 280mm in diameter, but the top of the case only supports three 80mm. To be honest, I wish Fractal included three 80mm fans instead of the two 140mm Aspect 14 PWM fans. Don’t get me wrong, the Aspect fans are fantastic, but who has 80mm fans sitting around?

Testing Hardware

Our ITX case testing hardware uses an Intel 12th Gen “Alder Lake” 12600K, cooled by a Thermalright AXP120-X67 SFF. Our graphics card is an EVGA RTX 3050 XC. We don’t have comparisons with other cases in the tests below because the Ridge’s slim profile means we needed to use a different cooler than we do with larger cases.

Acoustic Results for the Fractal Design Ridge

Our acoustic test consists of three scenarios: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load, and an optimized mode. The CPU full load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test, we also stress the EVGA RTX 3050 XC and set the fans at 75% speed, because in gaming the fans never run at 100 percent and are far too loud when they do.

For the optimized mode, we run the GPU fan speed at 30% and run the CPU and included case fans at the lowest speed that they will spin.

The Ridge comes with two Aspect 14 PWM fans, designed for radiators, so don’t expect silence. I need to mention that because this case is very loud– especially when cranked to full speed. When I set the case and CPU fans to max RPM, we hit 55dB, which is pretty ear-piercing. Of course, in most situations, the fans wouldn’t spin so fast. But even in our CPU/GPU stress test with the case fans running at half speed, the Ridge was still somewhat noisy at 47dB.

Thermal Results for the Fractal Design Ridge

For the thermal tests, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100%. The Core i5-12600K is set at a 4.3GHz clock at 1.12v on all performance cores, to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios.

The thermal results from the Ridge are fascinating. The CPU thermals are pretty bad for a Core i5, but the GPU’s temps are great.

However, I’m not that surprised. The GPU we use for compact cases isn’t all that powerful, and with no case fans up above the CPU, the side panel design clearly isn’t pulling in enough cool air over the CPU to keep temperatures lower.

Bottom Line

The Fractal Design Ridge is another interesting case design by the Swedish company, and with the proper hardware, it can be a killer HTPC. However, the perforations on the side are not air-cooler friendly and the lack of included 80mm fans is unfortunate.

Would I recommend this case for a high-end AM5 or Intel 12th or 13th Gen setup? No. However, if you want to run something like a 65W Ryzen 5 5600X, this case will do just fine. If you want to pack in more powerful components, you should opt for a case that’s a bit bigger – or at least wider.

MORE: Best PC Cases

MORE: Best Mini-ITX Cases

As PC hardware becomes more power-hungry, the best PC case companies strive to balance sufficient airflow and attractive looks. And the past few years have proved all that takes is some tempered glass and mesh at the front. Add a dash of RGB and boom, you’ve got a great case like Phanteks’ recent Eclipse G360A. 

The new Fractal Design Pop Silent, however, focuses on dampening noise from your fans and components, while also keeping the price low at just $80. And if you prize silence over looking at the interior of your case every day, the Pop Silent is also available without a tempered glass side panel for even more silence at the same price.

The word pop doesn’t really apply to the design of Pop Silent, but it’s part of a new line from Fractal that includes the Pop Air, which comes in an array of colors and three RGB fans. But this review will focus on the Pop Silent, which only comes in black or white, with no RGBs–a somewhat odd decision for a case line that seems to emphasize a pop of color as part of its name.

Specifications

Features of the Fractal Pop Silent

The Fractal Pop Silent is a mid-tower ATX chassis that doesn’t bring intrepid features like its Torrent siblings. As the name implies, this is a silent chassis that feels a bit old-fashioned – it also comes with two 5.25-inch drive bays.

Because this chassis is all about silence, there isn’t any fan or radiator support at the top due to the sound-dampening foam lining. However, while we don’t recommend it, radiators up to 280 can fit up front (radiators up front are never a good idea if you can avoid it), with just 120mm in the rear. 

The model I received came with a tempered glass side panel, which adds some attractiveness to this chassis. But if you’re on a mission to truly silence your PC, there’s a solid panel option, for the same $90 price. The rear side panel is heavy, thanks to solid steel construction and the dense foam lining. While the chassis feels substantial, the paint finish isn’t great–at least on this review unit. I found multiple scratches on the edge of the PSU shroud. This didn’t ruin the case for me, but I can see this being a red flag for many.

While the chassis feels substantial, the paint finish isn’t great–at least on this review unit. I found multiple scratches on the edge of the PSU shroud. This didn’t ruin the case for me, but I can see this being a red flag for many.

The front panel of the Pop Silent isn’t your usual closed-off design. It features a compartment that can store two 5.25-inch drives at the bottom. I love 5.25-inch drive bays – there’s nothing like popping that Blu-Ray disk tray open and watching an HD without the compression artifacts than can come from streaming. Seeing the two 5.25-inch drive bays here was like seeing an old friend again. The bays are located at the bottom of the front panel, behind a small door that’s secured in by two magnets. Fractal included a little drawer in one of the bays that reminds me of the pull-out ashtrays in older cars–but is better suited to storing thumbscrews and flash drives.

The IO on the Pop Silent is a tease – even though there’s a USB Type-C port, you can’t use it unless you pay extra. Yeah, Fractal has an upgrade kit for this case that gives you just one Type-C port. This is ridiculous because almost every case these days comes with a USB-C port. Granted, the kit that makes the USB-C port functional is only $8, but then the company should have just made it standard and added that to the case’s price. Otherwise, the case’s IO sports two USB 3.0 ports, a power button and separate microphone and headphone jacks.

Internal Layout

The Pop Silent is a good size, measuring 18.6 x 8.5 x 17.9 inches (HWD). Because of its size, any motherboard beyond ATX will not fit. Don’t worry though, Fractal Design offers a $99 Pop Silent XL for those of you with larger/more hardware.

The cable management design isn’t anything to get excited over, but it does the job. There are many tie-down points behind the tray, and I never had an issue closing the case, even with the thick foam pad on the side panel. Underneath the PSU shroud, there’s room for two 2.5 and 3.5-inch drives, as both can be mounted simultaneously. So, if you add up the two drive sleds underneath the shroud and the bracket behind the motherboard tray, you can fit a total of four 2.5 and two 3.5-inch drives. While this may not sound like a lot of mechanical drive space, the 5.25-inch drive bay gives you room for adapters for even more storage.

Fractal Pop Silent Cooling

When I think of Fractal Design, the first thing that comes to mind is airflow, because of the company’s well-known Meshify and Torrent lines. However, the Pop Silent is very different. The only area for this case to draw in air is from a mesh panel on the right front edge of the case that’s a bit over an inch wide. I know this case was designed to be as silent as possible, but I would’ve liked to see more airflow.

Fractal was kind enough to include three of its 120mm Aspect 12 fans, which are 3-pin. The Aspect fans are exciting because even though they’re stock case fans, they’re quiet and efficient. The Aspect 12s max out at 1200 RPM, which is respectable. However, because the Pop Silent has so much noise-dampening material, you could probably get away with using higher RPM fans without your rig being too loud.

With such limited intake space, you’ll want to ensure that a big CPU cooler can fit, and with 170mm (6.7 inches) of clearance, your big Noctua NH-D15 will fit just fine. Graphics cards shouldn’t be an issue either, with nearly 15 inches of clearance front to back.

Testing Hardware

We’ve updated our testing hardware to use Intel’s 12 Gen “Alder Lake” platform, which has shaken up the desktop landscape (and taken prominent spots on our best CPUs for gaming list). We’re now using a Core i7-12700KF, which is being cooled by a Noctua U12s air cooler. Our graphics card is a Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC.

On top of that, going forward, we’ve switched our motherboard out for the MSI Pro Z690-A WIFI. The Aorus Z690 Elite we were using for previous reviews died sometime during the initial build of this review, so we had to swap it out.

Acoustic Results for the Fractal Pop Silent

Our acoustic test consists of three scenarios: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load, and an optimized mode. The CPU full load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test, we also stress the Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC and set the fans at 75% speed, because in gaming the fans never run at 100 percent and are far too loud when they do.

For the optimized mode, we run the GPU fan speed at 30 % and run the CPU and included case fans at the lowest speed that they will spin.

As the name strongly suggests, the Pop Silent is indeed a very quiet case. During testing, there were multiple occasions where I forgot that the system was powered on because it’s that silent. As expected, the Pop Silent took the lead on our acoustics chart, with noise levels barely surpassing 37 decibels with the CPU at full load. Oddly enough, the Pop Silent was able to illustrate how silent the NZXT H7 Flow is, because it nearly matched the Pop Silent’s noise level. Overall, the acoustic results impressed me. But as you’ll see next in the thermal results, you may want to trade higher noise levels for more RPM and/or airflow.

Thermal Results for the Fractal Pop Silent

For the thermal tests, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100%. The Core i7-12700K is set at a 4.7GHz clock at 1.3v on all performance cores to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios. Letting the GPU run at 75% fan speed enables it to maintain its power target while sticking to one set reasonable fan speed, so that the temperature is the only variable.

The thermal results for the Fractal Pop Silent made me appreciate the smaller things in a PC case, like the PCIe slot covers. Going into testing, I expected high temperatures across the chart and I was somewhat wrong. The PCIe slot covers were the saving grace for our beefy RTX 3070 Ti, as the fans were able to grab air in through the rear of the chassis. Don’t get me wrong, if this were a normal case, then these temps wouldn’t be impressive, but for a silence-first chassis, I gotta give Fractal credit.

That said, don’t expect low temperatures for your CPU in this case – we hit 85 degrees celsius during testing. Am I surprised? No. While our temps were warm, we used a single-tower cooler and an Intel i7 in Aida 64, so our hardware and the stress test isn’t too practical for a silent case. It does, though, tell us that you shouldn’t consider this case for a workstation where you’ll be maxing out your CPU for hours on end. For a mainstream gaming rig or mixed use in a room where you want to keep things quiet it should be fine–just don’t expect the kind of temperatures you’d get with a more mainstream case.

Bottom Line

Fractal has proven to be an innovative case company over the years, whether we’re talking about the simple, yet effective design of the Meshify or the epic 160mm fans and aggressive design of the Torrent. But the company has dialed back the aesthetically creative design flourishes–along with the noise level with the Pop Silent.

While they were more popular in the past, there aren’t many silent cases on the market–particularly recent ones designed for modern hardware. And with persistent rumors of next-gen hardware leaning hard on power consumption, quiet cases may be something many of us will be looking for in our next build. With that said, whether you’ll be using current or future hardware, with a high-end build you are going to want to move a lot of air through the case. And so I wish this chassis had a tad more airflow. Still, despite some battle scars on the PSU shroud of our review unit, the Pop Silent is a very high-quality and quiet case for $80. It’s certainly worth considering if you want to keep your fan noise and coil whine contained while you game or work.

Fractal Design has announced a new case in the Meshify 2 lineup, called the Meshify 2 Lite, as spotted by ComputerBase. The case comes in the same form factor as the standard Meshify 2,  but with less modularity reduce cost. As a result, the case is substantially cheaper in Europe, coming in with a price tag of 127.99 Euros instead of 179.99. US pricing in the states is unknown but we should see a very similar discount once the Lite makes it here.

According to ComputerBase, the biggest change to the Meshify 2 Lite is in its new frame, which lacks additional hard drive support. Fractal Design engineered a brand new body purposefully for the Lite that is less flexible than the standard Meshify 2, using a fully unified rear back panel. 

As a result, users cannot remove the part of the rear backplate – next to the front intake fans, as you could on the standard Meshify 2. This prevents any additional hard drives from being mounted in the front of the case. This adjustment limits the Lite’s hard drive capacity to just 6 drives – compared to the whopping 18 supported on the Meshify 2.

Another change made to the Lite version is in the top and front covers. The top is now firmly attached to the chassis and can no longer be removed to access the dust filter housed just underneath it. As a result, Fractal Design has opted to use a flappy magnetic mesh dust filter instead of the solid one used in the standard case. Similar changes have been made to the front panel as well, with the front cover now permanently holding the dust filter instead of  it serving as a removable piece. 

Thankfully, these changes do not affect the case’s cooling capabilities. Both top and front panels still have the same size dust filters, and fan support remains identical to the standard Meshify 2.

The rest of the changes made to the Mesify 2 Lite are quite small, but they do reduce the case’s capabilities in some regard. One is the removal of the built-in fan controller, forcing users to either use their own controller or only use the fan headers on the motherboard itself.

Another change is the lack of vertical GPU mounting support. The two vertical PCIe slots previously found on the Meshify 2 are no longer available on the Lite version, replaced by a ventilation grill. However, this is probably for the better. Mounting a graphics card so far forward in the standard Meshify 2 forces the GPU’s cooling fans to be positioned right against the tempered glass side panel which can cause serious cooling issues. Another change worth mentioning is the removal of the front panel Type C header for the lite version. Instead replaced by another Type-A USB 3.2 port.

The last change worth noting is the lack of a bottom rear cover to hide your PSU and PSU cables. This is purely an aesthetic change, and shouldn't affect the case’s performance.

Like the Meshify 2 with its new RGB version, the Lite model will come in both RGB and non-RGB flavors. The only changes made to each is the addition or removal of RGB chassis fans. The Lite will also come with the same amount of chassis fans as the standard model, featuring three 140 mm intake fans and a rear 140 mm fan, despite the Lite lacking a fan controller.

As far as we know, the Lite will only come with a tempered glass side panel. There's no word has on a solid steel panel version.

It appears Fractal Design has stripepd as many non-essential features out of the Meshfiy 2 Lite as possible in order to reduce its price. This should make the case very attractive to mainstream buyers and PC gamers since the case’s large form factor and cooling potential have not been changed from the regular version, while at the same time being much cheaper than the original Meshify 2.

Fractal Design today issued a fan hub replacement for the Fractal Design Torrent PC case. The news comes after user reports of a potential short circuit hazard.

The company identified that some of its Nexus 9P Slim Fan Hubs were damaged during the manufacturing process, which could lead to a short circuit. 

To avoid the defective fan hubs from getting into the hands of shoppers looking for the best PC case, Fractal Design has temporarily halted Torrent sales until the revised fan hub is finished.

"We remain committed to the quality of our products, and the Nexus 9P Slim Fan Hub included with the Torrent does not live up to the standards customers expect from us," Fractal Design said in its announcement. "Our development team is working tirelessly to design and manufacture an updated version that will address these issues as soon as possible." 

In the meantime, Fractal Design told Torrent owners to unplug the fan hub and fill out an online form to receive a replacement kit when available. The Torrent is reportedly very much functional without the fan hub. Nonetheless, Fractal Design has spoken with retail partners and said it will offer a full refund to those that don't want to wait for the replacement kit. 

Since I started reviewing cases, I've developed a bit of a weak spot for white cases. I already had a soft spot for minimalist designs, so when I heard that Fractal Design were dropping a white version of the Define 7 Compact, it had me all giddy. Now a few weeks later, it's here. And well -- just look at it. 

From the brushed aluminum front panel to the no-frills design, the Define 7 Compact in white is as simple as a case gets, and even though there's less to see, I could stare at it all day.

Brush over my opinionated self, and the case does come with everything most builds need. Included are two fans, one 140mm spinner at the front and a 120mm unit at the rear exhaust location. You can mount up to 360 mm radiators in it, and because of the non-mesh front panel, it should be good at keeping things quiet, too. Sure, you might sacrifice thermals a little, but it's unlikely to cause an actual performance hit.

The main compartment has room for ATX motherboards and GPUs up to 341 mm long, and below it you can house PSUs up to 200 mm in size, two 2.5-inch SSDs and two 3.5-inch drives.

The Define 7 compact is priced at $100 for the 'regular version', and tempered glass will run you an extra $16. We expect this white version to hit shops soon.

In the world of custom water cooling, just when you thought no new trends could be summoned, the latest craze appears to be distribution plates. Now, Fractal Design's cases are getting the distribution plate treatment, offering a welcome addition to EKWB's lineup. Meet the EK-Quantum Reflection Fractal ATX D5 PWM D-RGB.

That mouthful of a product name also offers a handful of features. Distribution plates are essentially fancy reservoirs, except with one key difference: they have all the inlets and outlets ideally placed for very easy hard-tube runs, and they look great. This particular version also has a D5 pump built-in along with addressable-RGB lighting. 

The unit is compatible with a host of Fractal Design's cases, including the Define 7, Define 7 XL, Define R6, Define S2, Vector RS, and the Meshify S2. EKWB has also tested the units with various radiators and set up a compatibility list, which you can find here.

The D5 pump in the unit is known to be one of the best-performing and most reliable pumps in the industry, operating at 12wV and consuming up to 23 W. It will push up to 1500 L/h of water, and allows a PWM duty cycle between 20 and 100%

To no surprise though, this custom part does not come cheap. EKWB's Fractal Design distribution plate costs a hefty $353.79, which is more expensive than any of the cases it fits in. If you're still interested, you can preorder it immediately from EKWB with shipping planned for the 23rd of March.

In a world where most cases with nice build materials also come with aggressive lines, lots of RGB, and huge slabs of tempered glass, it's refreshing to see Fractal Design's new case. The Swedes put their best foot forward when designing the new Era ITX chassis that takes a step in a totally different direction. The Era ITX is slim, sleek, and elegant, and while it can be specced with tempered glass, it's a relatively small piece and there as a sleek top cover that doesn't draw too much attention to itself, like a cherry on top of a cake.

Fractal Design Era ITX: Small, But Accomodates Plenty

Fractal Design is proud of the collaboration it had with Intel when it designed the chassis. "We were very excited about partnering with Intel in developing this case," said Hannes Wallin, Fractal Design's founder. "It inspired us to take on a project that challenges the convention that elegant design can't be combined with flexible functionality, and we're very happy with the result." 

This shows in the case's interior layout, which can house a vast array of different hardware configurations. With just an SFX power supply, there will be space for two hard drives or up to four 2.5" drives, but you'll be able to make do with one hard drive or two 2.5" SSDs if you opt for a full-size ATX power supply. Naturally, motherboard sizes are limited to Mini-ITX, but the Era ITX will accommodate GPUs up to 295mm long with a maximum width of 125mm and CPU coolers up to 120mm tall.

Cooling is provided by a single included 80mm fan that operates as the rear exhaust. Of course, the case's design begs for an AIO loop at the top for added airflow, which can be up to 240mm long. If you want to go for two separate loops, you can do that too with dual-120mm radiators at the top of the Era ITX.

Fractal includes dust filters for the bottom intake, side intakes, and top exhaust in case you choose to reverse the airflow. Front I/O is handled by a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, and a Headphone/Mic combo jack.

Of course, when configuring a system in this chassis, do keep a close eye on the support sheet and make sure you plan your build. Unlike in bigger cases, ITX cases often require some planning to make sure everything fits, as is the case here too. For example, with some power supplies, the radiator at the top of the chassis will be limited in width and thickness, and using tall CPU coolers will further limit the storage options.

A Color Option for Everyone

Fractal Design opted not to introduce just multiple color options, but also different top inserts to match the color of the chosen case. If you're going for a bolder look, the black chassis with its tempered glass panel at the top certainly makes a statement. The blue and rose-gold options both also come with the dark tempered glass pane, but if you want a more natural look, there is also a grey option with a walnut top insert and a white silver choice with a white oak top.

For those that don't mind a more rustic look and want more airflow, Fractal Design includes a steel mesh top with every Era ITX it ships.

Altogether, the chassis measures 325mm deep, 166mm wide, and 310mm tall, giving it a displacement of just 16 liters. There are certainly smaller Mini-ITX cases out there, but anything below this size makes assembly quite the challenge.

Pricing is set at $160 for all five versions, and all color options should be available as of today.

Formerly only available with the purchase of a complete system, the iBUYPOWER Snowblind mid-tower ATX case is now available as a stand alone product. A unique translucent side-panel LCD display that allows virtually limitless customization can also help you to avoid spending money on RGB-lit fans, stickers, etching, custom paint jobs, or color matched components by instead simulating those features on its built-in display.

Though the Snowblind isn't currently on our list of best PC cases, it is a really cool product that, both literally and figuratively, that should be on your shortlist.

Specifications

Features

Constructed of steel, plastic and tempered glass, the iBUYPOWER Snowblind is painted white inside and out apart from black accents on the tempered glass panels. Measuring 18.7 x 8.26 x 17.2 inches (475 x 203 x 437 mm) and tipping the scales at just under 15 lbs (12.3 kg), this $300 (£300) chassis comes with a two-year limited warranty.

The top panel is smooth with the exception of the power button, two 3.0, headphone and microphone jacks, and a single 140mm/120mm fan mount at the rear.

The tempered glass front is mounted to a plastic frame that sits roughly one inch from the chassis.  Three of the case’s fans are mounted behind the front panel. The rear panel is made of stamped steel and is secured in place with metal thumb screws.

The Snowblind's signature feature is a 1024 x 1280 19 inch see-through LCD side panel. This panel can be used to display images, animated GIFs, YouTube videos, music players, animated wallpapers, movies or any combination thereof. The side panel is essentially a secondary display. Anything you can do on a regular monitor, you can do on the Snowblind's translucent side panel.

Although you'd be tempted to play video games on the side panel the company does not recommend doing so due to the 60Hz refresh rate and minor input lag. The side panel has a small controller fitted in an open I/O slot. Using your secondary display output on your GPU, you must plug it into the controller. Your system will now recognize the side panel as a secondary display.

In the opening of this review we said that, although the case is expensive, it can actually save you money in the long run. How? The see-through LCD side panel allows you to customize the color scheme of your system components without buying RGB-lit fans or lighting strips. There is no need to color match components, because you can use any photo editing software (Paint / Photoshop) to change the color of all of your hardware just as you would add lighting effects.

On the subject of hardware, you can even change your computer hardware completely (even if only in look) if you are feeling a bit inadequate about that budget build you've been rocking.

Want a custom water cooled system with a pair of GeForce RTX 2080 Ti in SLI? No problem. You can even have the look of a killer custom water cooled system that would cost thousands to build. The best part? You don't have to spend a penny.

Want to add flashy lights and animations to your CPU, GPU and memory? In less than five minutes I was able to make an animated GIF in Photoshop and apply it as a background. iBuyPower recommends overlays and wallpaper programs such as Rainmeter and Wallpaper Engine but any program that can display images and videos can be used on this display. For instance, we used Windows Media Player to watch movies and MS Photos to display images and animated gifs.

 You can even add a custom logo to your side panel without using stickers or expensive etching. The point of all of this is that not everyone can afford to completely change the look of their system ever few weeks. With this chassis you can change the look daily if you like for free. 

 The rear of the chassis has a fairly standard layout; here you'll find seven standard expansion-card slots (one is occupied by the side panel controller), a motherboard I/O area, an opening for a bottom-mounted PSU, and an exhaust-fan mount fitted with a 120mm fan. You will also find a small black button that allows you to turn off the LED light strips. 

The bottom of the case is equipped with a filtered hole for power supply ventilation. The four rubber-coated feet keep the case approximately three quarters of an inch off the floor to facilitate air intake to the PSU.

A large filter covers the intake fans directly behind the front panel, and a bottom mounted filter slides out from the rear. The top fan mounting location is covered by a dual-purpose magnetic dust / light filter.

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Hardware Installation and Test Configuration

Secured in one of the two open 3.5" hard drive bays is a white box filled with accessories. The box contains various screws in individual baggies, a handful of zip ties, the top panel filter, a DVI to DisplayPort adapter, and a manual.

Test Configuration

Drivers and Settings

Interior

Sharp-eyed readers will immediately recognize the familiar NZXT design cues present in the Snowblind. This is due to the fact that this chassis is indeed manufactured by NZXT for iBUYPOWER.

As with all H series chassis, the interior of this chassis is very well laid out. There are no optical drive bays, the hard drive racks are hidden under the PSU shroud and behind the motherboard tray, and cables are hidden by a cable management bar that spans from the top to bottom of the main compartment. Altogether, this layout offers plenty of room for a variety of system builds.

 The inside of this chassis is painted white to match exterior and the cable management bar. The white color is visually appealing and a great way to showcase your system build. There are no traditional cable pass-through holes in the motherboard tray. Instead, the company has opted for a vertical slot (215mm x 45mm) behind the cable management bar. Additionally, there are three smaller holes with rolled metal edges in the top of the PSU tunnel, and a hole at the upper edge of the motherboard tray specifically designed for fan cables and the ATX12V/EPS12V power cable.  

 Thanks to the PSU cover and lack of traditional hard drive racks, the main component compartment is extremely spacious. A large trapezoid-shaped hole behind the CPU socket area facilitates heat sink changes without removing the motherboard. The Snowblind can be equipped with CPU coolers as tall as 160mm and graphics card set-ups up to 364mm in length. 

The area behind the motherboard tray features plenty of tie down points to aid in cable management.

Cooling

 Mounts for up to four fans include two 120 / 140mm fans in the front, one 120 / 140mm in the top and a single 120mm in the rear. The case ships with a total of three of the company’s proprietary lighted fans, two 120mm in the front and one 120mm in the rear. 

The rear fan mount supports radiators and all-in-one coolers up to 140mm, while the front supports 240mm or 280mm.

We test fit power supplies up to 220mm in length without any issues. The company lists support up to 250mm in length. 

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Benchmark Results and Conclusion

For comparison purposes, we brought in the NZXT H710, the Corsair iCUE 465X RGB, Gamdias Talos P1A and the Fractal Design Define S2 Vision, to give you a good idea of where the Snowblind sits compared to its competitors with similar sizes and feature sets.

There is no doubt that the two 120mm intake fans coupled with the 140mm exhaust fan provided an ample amount of airflow, more than enough to keep our test system downright chilly. CPU temperature leveled off at 59 degrees Celsius over ambient. These results put this case dead even with the cases we used for comparison purposes. This is good considering all the cases used are solid performers in the cooling category.

GPU temperatures maxed out at 49 degrees Celsius over the ambient room temperature, again, on par with the other cases used for comparison.

We took sound pressure level readings with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. With the fan speed set at 1,200 rpm, our test system registered dBA at idle. With the test system under load, sound output increased to dBA, in line with the majority of the cases tested against.

Cooling efficiency and noise levels are both ways to measure performance. Determining acoustic efficiency, also referred to as cooling-to-noise ratio, is a matter of averaging all five of our tests to determine a base value. Great thermal performance, combined with relatively low noise output, make iBUYPOWER's Snowblind a solid choice for just about any system build.

Bottom Line

Considering everything this case has to offer, we feel that, though the price may be high for some, the unlimited customization potential adds serious value to this chassis, thereby justifying the price tag. Even though the market is packed with cases with similar features and performance, this is the only case on the market featuring a transparent LCD display. The wow factor is through the roof.

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A new trend of system builders offering their signature series chassis to the general public à la carte, allowing enthusiasts to mimic the style and design of a boutique builder's box in their own build. We saw this change recently with the iBuyPower Snowblind case, and now Maingear is offering up its own flagship Vybe. 

Specifications

Unlike the Snowblind, Maingear’s sophisticated Vybe chassis for a mainstream price of $120. It also delivers most of the modern features enthusiasts are looking for: USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, a built-in fan and RGB controller, and a tempered-glass side panel. The only thing that feels a bit lacking is RGB. The case includes a controller, and the logo up front can be set to your choice of colors. But the three included fans are basic black. So if you want more glow, you'll need to bring your own lights.

Constructed of tempered glass, plastic and steel, our review model of the Vybe sports a red finish inside and out. The case measures 17.51 x 7.87 x 17 inches (445 x 221 x 432mm), weighs just under 23 pounds (10.25 kg), and comes with a one-year limited warranty. If red isn't your color, the Vybe is also available in black / black, white / black and grey / black. Personally, I love the red on red color scheme.

Directly below the magnetic dust filter on the top panel are mounts for up to three 120 / 140mm fans. The plastic-framed filter attaches to the top panel via powerful magnets and is perfectly color matched.

Three USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, headphone and microphone jacks and a power button are embedded in the lower-left edge of the smooth front panel. Vents running down the opposite edge allow airflow into the chassis. The front panel is devoid of features, except a stylish backlit Maingear logo in the upper-middle portion of the panel. Two of the case’s 120mm fans are mounted behind the front panel.

The tempered-glass side panel is bonded to a steel frame that slides into place utilizing small pegs and slots that are cut into the frame of the chassis. The rear panel is made of stamped steel, and both panels are secured to the back of the case with metal thumb screws.

The rear of the Vybe has seven standard expansion-card slots (plus two vertical slot mounts for showing off your graphics card), a motherboard I/O area, an opening for a bottom-mounted PSU, and a 120mm exhaust-fan mount with slotted screw holes that let you adjust the position of the fan to fine-tune airflow or make room for system components.

A removable plastic mesh filter covers three quarters of the length of the bottom of the case. Large rubber-coated feet keep the case approximately one inch off the floor to facilitate air intake to the power supply.

Filters that cover every intake fan mounting location are easily removed for cleaning. The large filter that covers the intake fans directly behind the front panel is magnetic. The top filter is also attached with magnets, and the bottom mounted filter slides out from the rear.

Although the visual appeal of a case is subjective and will vary from person to person, we believe most people will find the Maingear Vybe, in its various color schemes, an extremely attractive chassis.

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A small box containing a variety of screws, zip ties, and a remote for the RGB lighting hub comes secured in one of the case's open 3.5-inch drive bays. There is also a large flat box emblazoned with the Maingear logo that contains stickers, a wristband, a coaster, pen, key chain and bag. The case manual comes wedged inside the PSU tunnel.

The Vybe comes in several color combinations. Our review sample is painted red inside and out, with black accents.

The interior is spacious and laid out well. There are three large cable passage holes, with rubber grommets in the motherboard tray and an additional three holes in the top of the PSU tunnel, with rolled metal edges.

Along the top of the motherboard tray are another four cable pass-through holes, including one at the upper-left edge of the motherboard tray that is specifically designed for routing fan cables and the ATX12V/EPS12V power cable.

Getting into the internals of the Maingear Vybe, this chassis can be outfitted with coolers as tall as 200mm. Although multi-GPU setups aren't as prevalent as they used to be, those of you that do run more than one graphics card should be aware that this chassis' seven expansion slots can accommodate graphics cards up to 267mm (10.5 inches) in length. A large hole in the motherboard mounting plate facilitates heatsink changes without removing the motherboard.

The area behind the motherboard tray features plenty of tie down points to aid in cable management. Also located behind the motherboard tray is an RGB / PWM fan controller that you can change with the included remote control.

Four 2.5-inch mounts are located behind the motherboard tray, though only two 2.5-inch caddies are included. The two 3.5-inch mounts located inside the PSU compartment do not feature drive caddies, and hard drives are held in place by screws. This means that swapping a 3.5-inch drive after your system is built requires removing the drive cage from the bottom panel.

The Vybe case has seven 120mm fan mounts: three in the front, three in the top panel, and a single at the rear. Alternatively, the Vybe can be equipped with six 140mm fans--three in the front and three in the top, along with a single 120mm fan in the rear.

The case ships by default with two 120mm intake spinners and a 120mm exhaust fan. The supplied fans aren't RGB, or LED-lit at all. Not everyone with find this an issue,  and some will see it as a feature. But the lack of built-in RGBs -- aside from the Maingear logo -- is the one area where the Vybe feels a bit lacking out of the box -- especially given that the case has an RGB controller built into it.

Maingear lists support for radiators and all-in-one liquid coolers up to 240mm in the front and top of the main compartment of the chassis in a push-pull configuration, but we found it possible to install a 360mm radiator in the top mounting location as well. The exhaust fan mount can house 120mm coolers in single or sandwiched configurations.

Maingear also sells its own Apex cooling solution for an additional $150 that consists of a clear water distribution plate with a built in pump.

We tested power supplies up to 220mm in length without any issues or the need to move the hard drive racks.

Test Configuration

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For comparison purposes, we brought in the iBuyPower Snowblind, the NZXT's H710, the Corsair iCUE 465X RGB, and the Fractal Design Define S2 Vision, to give you a good idea of where the Vybe sits compared to its competitors with similar sizes and feature sets. We also tested the Vybe with the company's own APEX water cooling solution, a $149 option.

Despite the size of the intake vents lining the side of the front panel, the dual-120mm intake fans feeding the single 120mm exhaust fan provided more than enough airflow into the chassis to keep our test system temps in check. CPU temperatures leveled off at 58 degrees Celsius over ambient. These results bested the competition across the board, though just by a slim margin. GPU temperatures maxed out at 51 degrees Celsius over the ambient room temperature, putting the Vybe into a tie for second place.

As always, sound pressure level readings were taken with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. With the fan speed set at the maximum 1,200 rpm, our test system registered a just 29.7dBA at idle. With the test system under load, sound output reached a maximum of 32.1dBA, also tied for second place.

Cooling efficiency and noise levels are both ways to measure performance. Determining acoustic efficiency, also referred to as cooling-to-noise ratio, is a matter of averaging all of our tests to determine a base value. The Maingear Vybe performed better than the majority of our test group, while costing significantly less.

Bottom Line

The Maingear Vybe is a feature-packed chassis that has something for everyone. Power users will like the thermal and acoustic performance. Gamers will love the case's looks. All kinds of userswill enjoy the case's quiet operation, and everyone will no-doubt love the budget friendly $120 asking price.

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The Ion SFX Gold with 500W capacity has a reasonable price since it carries an MSRP of $89.99 (£84.99 in the UK market and 94,99€ in the EU)  it achieves high overall performance, and it's relatively quiet since its overall noise output is below 30 dB(A). This is a great product and one of the best power supplies in this category, with the most notable competitors being the similar capacity Seasonic SGX model and the Corsair SF450, which has 50W less. Still, the latter has even smaller dimensions since it is an SFX unit and not an SFX-L one. 

We have already evaluated the more-muscular Ion SFX Gold model with 650W max power, which left an excellent impression on us, although the SFX competition is strong in this Wattage range (600-650W). Besides the unit mentioned above, Fractal Design also released a lower capacity one, the Ion 500G, which, as its model number depicts, can deliver up to 500W. 

The SFX power supplies are destined for small chassis, which in the majority of cases don't host energy-hungry systems. There is no need for high Wattage, which in such small platforms skyrocket's thermal loads, so the noise output is also heavily affected. Thanks to  highly-efficient modern CPUs and GPUs, 500W are enough for a potent system equipped with an Intel Core i7 or an AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and a high-end GPU (Nvidia RTX or AMD RX), given that there is no overclocking involved. 

The Ion 500G is a fully-modular SFX-L unit, featuring highly flexible cables that will help you the most during the PSU's installation. In small chassis, it is already difficult to work because of the restricted internal space, so imagine if you also had to deal with rigid and bulky cables. Thankfully, this is not the case with this PSU since Fractal Design has vast experience in building chassis, so its engineers know well which type of cables allows for easier cable management and routing. 

The cooling fan is the largest that can be used in an SFX-L unit. Practically it fully covers the PSU's top side. Seasonic, the original manufacturer of this unit, installed such a large fan to lower the noise output since the larger the fan, the slower it has to spin to produce the required airflow. Nonetheless, a proper fan speed profile is also essential to fully exploit the fan's large (for an SFX-L unit) diameter. 

Specifications

* Not certified yet by Cybenetics. According to our measurements the PSU falls into these efficiency and noise categories. 

Power Specifications

Cables and Connectors

There is no need for a pair of EPS connectors in a 500W unit, so we are not going to complain about this. The number of available PCIe is also sufficient. Finally, it would be nice if the number of peripheral connectors was slightly increased, but again this power supply is for compact chassis which don't have space for lots of parts. For the same reason, the cables are short. The good thing is that the distance between the peripheral connectors is pretty long, so you won't fall into any compatibility problems.

Taking into account the short cables, it is weird that Fractal Design includes in the bundle an SFX to ATX adapter bracket, which allows this PSU's installation into a normal sized chassis. With such short cables you won't be able to properly route those short cables into a normal ATX case, so this adapter won't be proved useful. Fractal Design should offer this adapter separately, along with a set of longer modular cables, for users that for their own reasons want to use an SFX power supply along with a normal sized chassis. 

Component Analysis

We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.

Like its 650W sibling, this unit is based on a Seasonic design. This is a well-built platform able to offer high performance in all areas. Moreover, up so far this is the only SFX (L) platform that comes with a ten-year warranty, a good indication of its reliability through time. 

The transient filter is complete, but it doesn't do an excellent job at low frequencies since we measured several high conducted EMI spikes in this frequency range. 

The APFC converter is equipped with a small bulk cap, which, thanks to the proper design, manages to offer a longer than 17ms hold-up time.

The +12V FETs are soldered on the back side of the main PCB. A pair of heatsinks above them, help in removing the heat. The minor rails are generated through a couple of VRMs, with both of them installed on the same daughter-board. 

At the front of the modular PCB, besides power transfer bus-bars we also find a large number of polymer caps along with two electrolytic ones. 

We don't have any complaints about Seasonic's soldering quality. 

The cooling fan is made by Globe Fan and it measures 120mm across. This is the largest fan that the Ion's chassis can accommodate. It uses a fluid dynamic bearing, so if you treat it well (normal ambient temperatures), it will outlive the long warranty. 

MORE: Best Power Supplies

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To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails and 5VSB Load Regulation

The following charts show the main rails' voltage values recorded between a range of 40W up to the PSU's maximum specified load, along with the deviation (in percent). Tight regulation is an important consideration every time we review a power supply because it facilitates constant voltage levels despite varying loads. Tight load regulation also, among other factors, improves the system’s stability, especially under overclocked conditions and, at the same time, it applies less stress to the DC-DC converters that many system components utilize.

The load regulation is tight on all rails. 

Hold-Up Time

Put simply; hold-up time is the amount of time that the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption.

The hold-up time is much longer than what the ATX spec requires (17ms). Moreover, the power ok signal is accurate. 

Inrush Current

Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. A large enough inrush current can cause circuit breakers and fuses to trip. It can also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers. As a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.

The inrush current is at normal levels. 

10-110% Load Tests

These tests reveal the PSU's load regulation and efficiency levels under high ambient temperatures. They also show how the fan speed profile behaves under increased operating temperatures.

During the first two tests, the PSU's fan is inactive, while afterward, it starts spinning at low speeds till the sixth test. The unit's efficiency is satisfactory, despite the high operating temperatures. Still, the APFC converter's performance could be improved since, even at high loads, the PF readings are not as close to unity as in other, similar spec products.

20-80W Load Tests

In the following tests, we measure the PSU's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10% of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). This is important for representing when a PC is idle with power-saving features turned on.

The fan doesn't spin, at all, at light loads, even at high operating temperatures. 

2% or 10W Load Test

Intel plans on raising the ante at efficiency levels under ultra-light loads. So from July 2020, the ATX spec will require 70% and higher efficiency with 115V input. The applied load is only 10W for PSUs with 500W and lower capacities, while for stronger units we dial 2% of their max-rated-capacity.

The PSU's efficiency isn't even close to 70%, which is what the ATX spec will require, according to our sources, at least, from 2020.

Efficiency

Next, we plotted a chart showing the PSU’s efficiency at low loads, and loads from 10 to 110% of its maximum-rated capacity. The higher a PSU’s efficiency, the less energy goes wasted, leading to a reduced carbon footprint and lower electricity bills.

The efficiency with light (20-80W) loads is fine, but this doesn't look to be the case with normal loads (10-100% of the PSU's max-rated capacity).

5VSB Efficiency

The 5VSB rail's efficiency is not high enough to meet the Corsair competition. 

Power Consumption In Idle and Standby

The vampire lower is low, with both voltage inputs. 

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature and Output Noise

All results are obtained between an ambient temperature of 37 to 47 degrees Celsius (98.6 to 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The fan profile is not as aggressive as it is in the 650W Ion SFX model.

The following results were obtained at 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) ambient temperature.       

The passive operating range has a weird shape, and it is not as large as we expected. With more than 330W load the PSU's fan exceeds 30 db(A) and with more than 375W it enters the 35-40 dB(A) range. The fan profile could be more relaxed, but Seasonic's engineers also had to make sure that the PSU will outlive the extra-long warranty.

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Protection Features

Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features.

The OCP triggering point at +12V and OPP are set higher than 140% since this is a low capacity platform, so it has to have a tolerance to high power spikes that can occur if you have an energy-hungry GPU installed. There is no need, though, for a higher than 130% OCP triggering point at 5V since this rail is not heavily used for quite some time now.

DC Power Sequencing

According to Intel’s most recent Power Supply Design Guide (revision 1.4), the +12V and 5V outputs must be equal to or greater than the 3.3V rail at all times. Unfortunately, Intel doesn't mention why it is so important to always keep the 3.3V rail's voltage lower than the levels of the other two outputs.

The 3.3V rail's voltage doesn't exceed the levels of the other two rails. 

Cross Load Tests

To generate the following charts, we set our loaders to auto mode through custom-made software before trying more than 25,000 possible load combinations with the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V rails. The deviations in each of the charts below are calculated by taking the nominal values of the rails (12V, 5V, and 3.3V) as point zero. The ambient temperature during testing was between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Load Regulation Charts

Efficiency Chart

Ripple Charts

The lower the power supply's ripple, the more stable the system will be and less stress will also be applied to its components.

Infrared Images

We apply a half-load for 10 minutes with the PSU's top cover and cooling fan removed before taking photos with a modified FLIR E4 camera able to deliver an IR resolution of 320x240 (76,800 pixels).

The temperatures are low, despite the operating conditions. This proves that the fan profile could be more relaxed, but as we already stated, Seasonic probably wanted to make it sure that this platform will outlive the ten-year warranty.

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Advanced Transient Response Tests

For details about our transient response testing, please click here.

In the real world, power supplies are always working with loads that change. It's of immense importance, then, for the PSU to keep its rails within the ATX specification's defined ranges. The smaller the deviations, the more stable your PC will be with less stress applied to its components. 

We should note that the ATX spec requires capacitive loading during the transient rests, but in our methodology, we also choose to apply a worst case scenario with no additional capacitance on the rails. 

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 200ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 1ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 200ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 1ms

The transient response is good, overall. Only in the 3.3V rail, the Ion SFX model doesn't reach the top performance of Corsair's SFX offerings, but this rail is not so important anymore.

Turn-On Transient Tests

In the next set of tests, we measure the PSU's response in simpler transient load scenarios—during its power-on phase. Ideally, we don't want to see any voltage overshoots or spikes since those put a lot of stress on the DC-DC converters of installed components.

There is a small voltage overshoot at 5VSB, while the +12V rail has a less linear slope, which won't be the cause of any trouble, though.

Power Supply Timing Tests

There are several signals generated by the power supply, which need to be within specified, by the ATX spec, ranges. If they are not, there can be compatibility issues with other system parts, especially mainboards. From year 2020, the PSU's Power-on time (T1) has to be lower than 150ms and the PWR_OK delay (T3) from 100 to 150ms.

The PWR_OK delay is out of the 100-150ms region, so the PSU does not support the alternative sleep mode, which will be a requirement, according to our sources at least, by the ATX v2.52 from 2020.

Ripple Measurements

Ripple represents the AC fluctuations (periodic) and noise (random) found in the PSU's DC rails. This phenomenon significantly decreases the capacitors' lifespan because it causes them to run hotter. A 10-degree Celsius increase can cut into a cap's useful life by 50%. Ripple also plays an important role in overall system stability, especially when overclocking is involved.

The ripple limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB).

The ripple suppression is good on all voltage rails. 

Ripple At Full Load

Ripple At 110% Load

Ripple At Cross-Load 1

Ripple At Cross-Load 2

EMC Pre-Compliance Testing – Average & Peak EMI Detector Results

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is the ability of a device to operate properly in its environment without disrupting the proper operation of other close-by devices.

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) stands for the electromagnetic energy a device emits, and it can cause problems in other close-by devices if too high. For example, it can be the cause of increased static noise in your headphones or/and speakers.

We measured higher than the limits EMI spikes at 150KHz and 150KHz. In the rest frequency range the conducted EMI emissions are much lower than the corresponding limits. 

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Performance Rating

The Ion SFX 500G achieves top performance.

Noise Rating

The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The overall noise output is lower than 30 dB(A), but the fan profile could be even more relaxed especially at higher loads. 

Efficiency Rating

The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range with an ambient temperature close to 30 degrees Celsius.

The overall efficiency is close to the competition, but the PSU hits last place in the corresponding graph. 

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Fractal Design has an ace up to its sleeve, thanks to the new Ion SFX-L models that it recently released. We have evaluated both of them so far and found that they are top choices in the respective Wattage categories that they belong to. The Ion 500G achieves notably lower noise output compared to its big brother since it has lower power density. On top of that, its overall performance is even higher than Corsair's SF Gold models, which have even more compact dimensions, though, since they follow the SFX standard.

Besides a reasonable MSRP price ($89.99 in the US, £84.99 in the UK market and 94,99€ in the EU) the Ion 500G also comes with highly flexible modular cables which are a blessing during the PSU's installation and Fractal Design also threw in the bundle and SFX to ATX adapter bracket. Nevertheless, with such short cables, which are ideal for compact chassis, it will be a challenge to use the adapter mentioned above, though, to install the power supply in a standard ATX chassis. Most likely, you will face compatibility issues. It would be better if Fractal Design provided this adapter as a kit, which would also include longer cables, suitable for larger chassis. 

The major competitor of the Ion 500G is the Seasonic Focus SGX 500W, which uses the same platform. The Ion sample that we evaluated managed to deliver a little higher overall performance than its Seasonic rival and its overall noise output is about 3 dB(A) lower. Another advantage of the Ion unit is that it has more SATA connectors (four vs. three of the Seasonic model). 

It would be nice though if it kept the three 4-pin Molex connectors that the SSR-500SGX has since it has only two, and that can be a problem if you have more peripheral parts to power. If you don't have a problem spending (much) more and need a dead silent SFX-L power supply, it is worth also taking a look at SilverStone's Nightjar NJ450-SXL, which has 50W less, but it is the only one in this category, so far, that doesn't employ active cooling.

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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.

The Ion SFX 650G is an excellent SFX power supply, able to match the quality of the  Corsair SF600, which still leads the 600W SFX category with Cybenetics ETA-A and 80 PLUS Gold efficiency certifications. The added benefits of the Ion model over the similar capacity Corsair SFX model are the larger fan, which is driven by a rather aggressive speed profile though, the ten-year warranty, the highly flexible modular cables, and the ATX-to-SFX adapter bracket which is missing in the SF600 Gold unit's bundle. Besides Corsair's offering, worthy opponents of the Ion 650G are the EVGA 650 GM and the Seasonic Focus SGX 650W, which uses the same platform as the Ion unit.

Fractal Design made a strong come back with the Ion+ power supplies, and it wants to expand to the SFX market as well, given the release of two SFX Ion models. Fractal's new SFX PSUs come in two flavors, with 500W and 650W capacities, and utilize a Seasonic platform.

Like the Ion+, the Ion SFX Gold units are fully modular and are also equipped with highly flexible cables, which Fractal calls UltraFlex. According to Fractal Design, those cables consist of ultra-high stand count wires and use special insulation that can bend and twist effortlessly, making the installation and cable-rooting processes a breeze.

It is not so common to see a ten-year warranty in an SFX power supply. So far, only Seasonic was brave enough to provide it, but since those Fractal Design PSUs are based on the same platform, they are covered by the same warranty period.

Specifications

* Not certified yet by Cybenetics. According to our measurements, the PSU falls into those efficiency and noise categories. 

Power Specifications

Cables and Connectors

Since this is an SFX unit that will be installed into a compact chassis, there is no need for long cables. Long cables can create trouble in small enclosures. Despite the short overall cable length the distance between the peripheral connectors is long, to help users avoid compatibility problems during the cable routing and management processes.

There is only a single EPS connector, which usually is the case for the majority of SFX PSUs. Only the FSP Dagger Pro 650W comes with two EPS, which are on the same cable and use 18AWG gauges, so you cannot fully utilize them. If you need two proper EPS connectors from an SFX power supply, the best option right now is the Corsair SF750.

Component Analysis

We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.

As we already mentioned, this unit uses the same platform with the Seasonic Focus SGX 650W, which we reviewed a while ago. This is a new Seasonic design featuring a half-bridge topology on the primary side, which is enhanced by an LLC resonant converter for restricted switching losses. On the secondary side, a synchronous rectification scheme is utilized for the +12V rail, while a couple of DC-DC converters generates the minor rails.

The quality of the parts is top-notch. All filtering caps are provided by Japanese manufacturers  Chemi-Con, Nichicon, and FPCAP), and besides electrolytic caps, a large number of polymers is also used. Lastly, the cooling fan measures 120mm; it is provided by Globe Fan and uses a fluid dynamic bearing with a long lifetime.

Although the transient filter is complete, from components, still we measured some high EMI peaks at low frequencies.

The single bridge rectifier is bolted on a heat sink. Afterward, we meet the APFC converter, which uses two Champion FETs and a single boost diode. The bulk cap is by Nichicon and has enough capacity to provide a pretty long hold-up time. 

The main switching FETs are two Infineon IPP50R190CE.

The +12V FETs, four Nexperia PSMN1R8-40YLC, are installed on the solder-side of the PCB. 

Several polymer caps are at the front of the modular PCB, providing an extra ripple filtering layer. 

The soldering quality is good, with all joints having the proper amount of solder, and there are no long component leads. 

It is tough to install a 120mm diameter fan in such a compact chassis, but it helps the most in keeping the noise output low, while at the same time, it offers adequate airflow. Unfortunately, in this PSU, the fan profile is aggressive, so the overall noise output is quite high. 

MORE: Best Power Supplies

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MORE: All Power Supply Content

To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

The following charts show the main rails' voltage values recorded between a range of 40W up to the PSU's maximum specified load, along with the deviation (in percent). Tight regulation is an important consideration every time we review a power supply because it facilitates constant voltage levels despite varying loads. Tight load regulation also, among other factors, improves the system’s stability, especially under overclocked conditions and, at the same time, it applies less stress to the DC-DC converters that many system components utilize.

The load regulation is tight on all rails. 

Hold-Up Time

Put simply; hold-up time is the amount of time that the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption.

The hold-up time is much longer than the required (17ms), and the power ok signal is accurate. 

Inrush Current

Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. A large enough inrush current can cause circuit breakers and fuses to trip. It can also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers. As a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.

The inrush current is high, with 230V input. 

10-110% Load Tests

These tests reveal the Ion's load regulation and efficiency levels under high ambient temperatures. They also show how the fan speed profile behaves under increased operating temperatures.

Up to the 40% load test, the fan spins at average speeds, given the load and temperature conditions, but afterward, its speed skyrockets, affecting notably the noise output. 

The APFC converter needs a slight tuning since the power factor readings are not that high even under high loads. 

20-80W Load Tests

In the following tests, we measure the Ion's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10% of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). This is important for representing when a PC is idle with power-saving features turned on.

Under light loads there is no need for the PSU's fan to spin.

2% or 10W Load Test

Intel plans on raising the ante at efficiency levels under ultra-light loads. So from July 2020, the ATX spec will require 70% and higher efficiency with 115V input. The applied load is only 10W for PSUs with 500W and lower capacities, while for stronger units we dial 2% of their max-rated-capacity.

Efficiency

The efficiency with light loads exceeds 65%, so it is quite high. Nonetheless, the ATX spec will require higher than 70% in 2020. 

Next, we plotted a chart showing the Ion’s efficiency at low loads, and loads from 10 to 110% of its maximum-rated capacity. The higher a PSU’s efficiency, the less energy goes wasted, leading to a reduced carbon footprint and lower electricity bills.

The efficiency with normal loads is low, compared to the competing offerings. With light and super-light loads, the Ion model takes its revenge, though.  

5VSB Efficiency

The 5VSB rail has low efficiency. 

Power Consumption In Idle And Standby

The vampire is low, something that helps the 5VSB rail's efficiency under light load. 

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature, And Output Noise

All results are obtained between an ambient temperature of 37 to 47 degrees Celsius (98.6 to 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The fan profile gets aggressive, under high operating temperatures.

The following results were obtained at 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) ambient temperature.

Even under normal operating temperatures, the fan profile gets aggressive with higher than 340W loads. 

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Protection Features

Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features.

The overcurrent protection's triggering points are set quite high at +12V, 5V, and 5VSB. Overpower protection is also set high. Normally it should be within 130%.

DC Power Sequencing

According to Intel’s most recent Power Supply Design Guide (revision 1.4), the +12V and 5V outputs must be equal to or greater than the 3.3V rail at all times. Unfortunately, Intel doesn't mention why it is so important to always keep the 3.3V rail's voltage lower than the levels of the other two outputs.

The 3.3V rail's voltage level is always lower than the other two.

Cross Load Tests

To generate the following charts, we set our loaders to auto mode through custom-made software before trying more than 25,000 possible load combinations with the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V rails. The deviations in each of the charts below are calculated by taking the nominal values of the rails (12V, 5V, and 3.3V) as point zero. The ambient temperature during testing was between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Load Regulation Charts

Efficiency Chart

Ripple Charts

The lower the power supply's ripple, the more stable the system will be and less stress will also be applied to its components.

Infrared Images

We apply a half-load for 10 minutes with the PSU's top cover and cooling fan removed before taking photos with a modified FLIR E4 camera able to deliver an IR resolution of 320x240 (76,800 pixels).

The temperatures are low, so the fan profile could be less aggressive. 

MORE: Best Power Supplies

MORE: How We Test Power Supplies

MORE: All Power Supply Content

Advanced Transient Response Tests

For details about our transient response testing, please click here.

In the real world, power supplies are always working with loads that change. It's of immense importance, then, for the PSU to keep its rails within the ATX specification's defined ranges. The smaller the deviations, the more stable your PC will be with less stress applied to its components. 

We should note that the ATX spec requires capacitive loading during the transient rests, but in our methodology, we also choose to apply a worst case scenario with no additional capacitance on the rails. 

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 200ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 1ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 200ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 1ms

The transient response is very good, especially for the standards of the SFX category.

Turn-On Transient Tests

In the next set of tests, we measure the PSU's response in simpler transient load scenarios—during its power-on phase. Ideally, we don't want to see any voltage overshoots or spikes since those put a lot of stress on the DC-DC converters of installed components.

There are no significant spikes and/or voltage overshoots in these tests. 

Power Supply Timing Tests

There are several signals generated by the power supply, which need to be within specified, by the ATX spec, ranges. If they are not, there can be compatibility issues with other system parts, especially mainboards. From year 2020, the PSU's Power-on time (T1) has to be lower than 150ms and the PWR_OK delay (T3) from 100 to 150ms.

The Power-on time is less than 100ms, but the PWR_OK delay is our of the 100-150ms region, so the PSU does not support the alternative sleep mode, which will be a requirement by the ATX v2.52 from 2020.

Ripple Measurements

Ripple represenst the AC fluctuations (periodic) and noise (random) found in the PSU's DC rails. This phenomenon significantly decreases the capacitors' lifespan because it causes them to run hotter. A 10-degree Celsius increase can cut into a cap's useful life by 50%. Ripple also plays an important role in overall system stability, especially when overclocking is involved.

The ripple limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB).

The ripple suppression is excellent, for the standards of this category, on all voltage rails. 

Ripple At Full Load

Ripple At 110% Load

Ripple At Cross-Load 1

Ripple At Cross-Load 2

EMC Pre-Compliance Testing – Average & Peak EMI Detector Results

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is the ability of a device to operate properly in its environment without disrupting the proper operation of other close-by devices.

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) stands for the electromagnetic energy a device emits, and it can cause problems in other close-by devices if too high. For example, it can be the cause of increased static noise in your headphones or/and speakers.

There are some nasty EMI peaks at low frequencies (150, 154, and 158 kHz), which exceed the corresponding limits.

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Performance Rating

The overall performance is very high, meeting the SF600's levels. 

Noise Rating

The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The overall noise exceeds 35 dB(A), so you cannot call this PSU a silent one. 

Efficiency Rating

The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range with an ambient temperature close to 30 degrees Celsius.

The overall efficiency is notably lower compared to Corsair and EVGA's competing offerings. 

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Fractal Design managed to impress me again, this time with its new Ion SFX models. Its people selected one of the best SFX platforms available in the market today, which is provided by Seasonic, and the outcome is excellent since the overall performance of the Ion SFX 650G matches that of the Corsair SF600 Gold, which, to date, was the top SFX PSU offering with ETA-A and 80 PLUS Gold certifications. The advantages of the Ion SFX 650G over its Corsair adversary are the larger, 120mm fan that it comes with along with the highly flexible modular cables, which indeed make a difference during the cable routing and installation processes. Moreover, in its bundle, you will find an SFX-to-ATX adapter bracket, which is missing from the plain Corsair SF600 model (but is present in the more expensive SF600 Platinum).

With an MSRP of $110 (and $90 for the Ion SFX 500G), the Ion SFX 650G is slightly less expensive than the Corsair SF600, and the Seasonic Focus SGX-650, while it has the same price as the EVGA 650 GM. Along with the Seasonic SFX unit, the Ion SFX models are the only PSUs in this category that are covered by a ten-year warranty, which is a good indication of this platform's expected reliability through time. Now that the competition managed to reach the performance levels of Corsair's older SF models, I am eager to see some competition in the high-end SFX market segment where the SF750 dominates and why not, another passive unit that will be able to meet SilverStone's excellent passive Nightjar NJ450-SXL model, eye-to-eye. 

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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics, and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.

The new Vector RS chassis from Fractal Design takes a long, hard look at the company’s traditional case styling and reimagines it for the modern RGB era. Its sleek front fascia, tempered glass panels, and RGB lighting are intricately woven together with the hardware supporting capacity of the company’s now-iconic Define series, to produce the Vector RS. But does it tick all the right boxes? Can it truly match the legacy of the original industry defining R5? And does it have problems with airflow? Let’s break it down.

Specifications

Interior First Look

Remove the tempered glass side panel to take a peek into the interior and you’ll quickly spot a familiar looking internal layout. In fact, like for like this is an identical design to that found in the Fractal Design Define R6 case, first debuting in late 2017. The vast sweeping black panel at the front of the chassis hides a plethora of mounting spots for 3.5-inch hard drives (you can install a total of 11, with 6 caddies included, the remaining purchased separately). Remove that panel via the two thumb screws, and you’ll see the tower structure behind it that supports them. You can remove all this for a far cleaner look and better cooling support while still having two 3.5-inch mounting spots on the right side of the case.

There’s also of course a full-size PSU cover, reaching from the rear all the way to the front of the chassis, ample room for motherboards (E-ATX up to 285mm), seven expansion card slots, a vertical GPU mount (limited to dual-slot cards), a plethora of rubber cable grommets, and extensive cooling support too.

Front Cooling

Popping off the solid front panel from the bottom is a seamless experience. The front panel RGB is provided through the use of four metal contact points at the top of the front of the case, so there are no cables to worry about accidentally ripping out when you pop that panel off. Behind it, you’ll find support for up to the 140mm fans (two of Fractal Design’s Dynamic X2 GP-14 non-PWM 1000RPM fans are included as standard), and up to a 360mm radiator. For radiator thickness, in its stock configuration, including 3.5-inch caddies and support tower, you’ll easily be able to install a standard AIO in here, or an aftermarket rad up to 28mm thick. Any more than that and you’re going to have to remove those drive caddies.

Though the front, top and bottom of the panel are sealed, there are side vents and a 1cm gap that allows the fans to suck in cool air from underneath the chassis. 

Top-Mounted Cooling

At the top of the chassis, things get somewhat more interesting. The angular shape and design of the top glass panel prevents any immediate external airflow. But there is a small amount of ventilation running along the back side of the case. It’s more of a showcase window than somewhere you could mount fans. In combination with an additional radiator bracket Fractal includes, you could theoretically install fans or even an AIO up here -- but we’d advise against that for airflow reasons.

Speaking of those additional panels: You get a fairly hefty accessory kit that comes with a radiator bracket, a mesh dust filter and a final black steel ventilated panel that sits on top. This extends the liquid-cooling and fan support substantially, and is definitely what we’d recommend you actually use with the case.

Rear Cable Management

Turning to the rear of the case, and you’ll find some of the usual system builder creature comforts, including a bevvy of cable management loops, a “dumb” fan controller capable of supporting up to 9 fans, that plugs into the motherboard via PWM header, some very slim SSD mounting trays, and a myriad of rubber grommets. 

Optimal Configuration?

 At first glance,the best way to run the Fractal Design Vector RS is in a stripped out capacity. We recommend changing out the top panel for the filtered one, removing the included fans and replacing them with something with a lot more grunt, especially at the front of the case. And, if you can live without the 3.5-inch drives, we'd remove the entirety of the front drive caddy. If not that, then definitely move the drives to the very bottom of the case. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that there are no more 3.5-inch mounting spots if you remove the front panel. There are actually two additional places on the right side of the case.

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Test Build

With the details out of the way, it’s time to find out how well the Fractal Design Vector RS performs in our test build segment. Our ATX test “build” for mid-tower cases consists of the following:

Motherboard Installation

The first thing you should always do when building a new rig is strip the case down to its shell. The fewer panels on the thing, the less chance you have of damaging them, and the easier it is to work around. The Vector RS is no exception to that rule, and it strips down rather nicely. Installing the motherboard was simple, and we encountered no major problems. Looking at the cable grommets below the bottom of the board also gave us a good idea as to how we would route our bottom-most cables as well.

Cable Management

Next up on the checklist is installing the PSU and sorting out the back of the case. Thanks to the bracket system Fractal is using, it’s a fairly seamless procedure. Attach the bracket outside of the case to the PSU, pre-attach the cables you’ll need, thread them through the back of the case, slot the PSU into position and secure down with the thumb screws. Then you can take the time to carefully route the cables where they need to be. 

Things to note: There’s no PCIe power cutout in the PSU cover, so you'll have to run it through the bottom cable grommet, similar to the Phanteks P400A Eclipse we reviewed earlier this month. Additionally, one plus here are those Velcro straps. It’s an amazingly small design tweak compared to the likes of NZXT and Phanteks, but the fact you can place the cables in the middle, and then strap them over the top saves a lot of time. The manual says you should remove the entire strap, place your cables in, then thread the Velcro strap in and tighten it down. But this is frustrating and tedious, especially if you end up placing more cables there later.

One downside to removing that front 3.5-inch caddy is that there’s no way of hiding any of the front I/O or fan cables easily. You have to painstakingly run them along the top and the bottom of the case and hope they’re not as noticeable once the tempered-glass panel is in. It’s not a huge concern, but very frustrating if you do decide to go for a thicker front radiator, or just want a bit better airflow/internal looks.

The best compromise would be to just remove the caddies and leave the tower in place. However, if you do take that route and plan on running a custom loop, you’ll most certainly lose sight of your front radiator and any reservoirs mounted to it.

Fan Controller

Although it doesn’t plug in via a USB 2.0 header or have any fancy software, there’s a lot to be said for the inclusion of this dumb fan controller here. Simply plug in up to 9 fans, power it via a SATA header, then plug the PWM header directly into the motherboard and control it via BIOS with a single header. It’s simple, and just works. Just ensure you attach fans to it that run at the same RPM.

AiO Installation

We’ve decided to run our 240mm Corsair Hydro AIO in the roof this time around. It looks very clean, and with a quick swap to the ventilated mesh variant top panel, should provide an excellent exhaust for the internal airflow. 

The Vector’s swappable panel is definitely a boon in this regard, albeit one that’s arisen purely because of airflow issues the original case imposes. We would have loved to have seen two separate variants of this chassis, one with and one without the tempered glass top panel for sale at a lower price. That would’ve made a lot more sense, since users are going to choose one or the other.

Recommended Setup?

Once that’s all wrapped up we decided to remove the rear 140mm fan and install it in the front instead. We have worries about that front airflow just not providing enough cool air to the GPU, so throwing it in here should help alleviate that significantly.

In a perfect world we’d replace all three of those front fans with some static pressure optimized fans, and even potentially mount an additional 140mm intake in the floor as well. If you’ve got fans lying around from an old build, it’s definitely worth considering.

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Performance

Now our AIO build is out of the way, it’s time to get down to the thermal temperature testing. For this we perform two rounds of tests. 

The first set of benchmarks take advantage of an air tower (notably Noctua’s NH-U12A), equipped with 2x Corsair ML120 Pros. This allows us to keep the included case fans in their factory installed locations during testing, without running into compatibility issues, and is an ideal insight for those looking to just plug and play their kit into the case.

The second set of benchmarks utilize what we consider to be the most optimal installation setup when it comes to both the included chassis fans and a 240mm AIO liquid-cooler. The cooler again features those same two Corsair ML 120 Pros. This way we can showcase just what each chassis is capable of in a “best-case” scenario, without necessarily investing in additional fans, just purely by moving the ones provided around inside with the help of an AIO. Ambient temperature sits at 21 Celsius in our testing lab, and all fans are plugged directly onto the motherboard’s chassis fan headers, then left in the default BIOS profile.

Stock Fan Testing

From a quick glance at the results from our stock testing,  you can see this case is warm, even compared to the NZXT H710i. It tops out our test suite so far both on the CPU and the GPU. This is due to a combination of factors, the first being the lack of easy access for those fans to draw in air, secondly the fact that there’s only two front fans installed as standard, both of which are located at the top of the front panel. And finally, those fans are just so lackluster when it comes to static pressure performance that they’ll struggle to draw in cool air from those side vents. 

Optimal Fan Testing

In our “optimal” configuration, taking advantage of Corsair’s 240mm AIO instead as an exhaust, we see temperatures drop, although not by as much as we’d expect. There’s an overall decrease of 6 degrees Celsius across both the CPU and the GPU. The big difference for the GPU here is that we’ve taken the rear exhaust fan Fractal includes as standard and have instead installed it at the bottom of the chassis to draw in as much air as possible. 

We’ve also swapped out the top tempered glass panel for the radiator bracket and the ventilated panel. There’s a 3 degrees Celsius drop in CPU temp compared to the stock configuration, however with more intake air through the inclusion of some beefier SP optimized fans, this would likely drop further.

Conclusion

The Vector RS is a chassis that leaves us with more questions than answers. From a system builder’s perspective, the case performs well. There’s vast support for a multitude of storage configurations and excellent liquid-cooling support. It’s nice to see all of this included straight out of the box. We do have some reservations about the internal cable management but, on the whole, it’s not enough of a problem to cause it to be an irritable build experience.

As far as air-cooling goes, in everyday scenarios even under load, the case performs adequately. Even with those stock fans, you’re not going to hit thermal throttling unless your ambient temperature is in the low 30s. And even then, only after prolonged exposure to heavy workloads. 

Cooling is by far the Vector RS’s biggest weakness, which justified in part by Fractal’s admirable obsession with reducing noise. That said, as much as silence is golden, the biggest noise generator in any rig is going to be the graphics card and, if you can’t keep that as cool as the competition can, then all the noise dampening you throw into this thing is effectively going to be pointless.

And then there’s the price.  At $180 (£180) for the standard tempered glass version we have here, it’s currently $40 more than Fractal Design’s Define R6 ( which is based on the same interior chassis), which means that you’re paying $40 more for some angular external panels and RGB. 

This price point puts the Fractal Design Vector RS in competition with NZXT’s H710i, Phanteks’ Evolv X, the Lian Li PC011-Dynamic, the NZXT H510 Elite and many more superior cases. All of the competitors feature fresh designs that take advantage of better materials, newer internal layouts, and superior cooling. Overall, the Fractal Design Vector RS delivers a good system building experience with strong aesthetics, but competitors offer more for around the same price.

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Specifications and Part Analysis

The Fractal Design Ion+ 560P has good performance, silent operation, and high efficiency. Its price is a bit lower than the corresponding Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum model, but the latter achieves better performance. The Ion+ 560P is one of the quietest PSUs that we have evaluated so far since its overall noise output is lower than 12 dB(A)!

Fractal Design made a strong re-entry in the PSU market with the Ion+ line, which consists of four models with capacities ranging from 860W to 560W. We have already evaluated two models (860P and 660P), and so we wanted to take a look at the smallest member as well, the Ion+ 560P. Given the high efficiency that the majority of modern GPUs feature, a power supply with more than 500W max power will not have a problem supporting a potent, single-GPU system. There is no need to invest in a stronger PSU, unless you want to use a Threadripper AMD CPU or you want to overclock your CPU and GPU highly. Under overclocked conditions, you better get the strongest PSU you can afford since you cannot predict the power consumption of CPUs and GPUs under those conditions.

The table below shows the MSRP of each Ion+ model in all major regions.

Specifications

Power Specifications