Fractal Design Meshify C Case Review

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By Thomas Soderstrom
published

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Installation & Configuration

The Meshify C includes separate screw packs for the motherboard and drives, cable ties, standoffs, a Phillips-head adapter socket to help builders install the standoffs, documentation, and a cleaning cloth.

Connections include a split power LED lead to fit motherboards with both 3-pin and 2-pin header spacing, HDD LED, power and reset buttons, HD-Audio, and USB 3.0.

An inset section that provides additional cable space near the front of the chassis also prevents the installation of oversized motherboards more than around 10”-deep. This obstruction is small enough to fit beneath expansion cards, allowing you to install graphics cards up to 12.5” behind the fan. Moving the fan gets you another inch of card clearance.

Dark tint in the side panel glass does an excellent job of suppressing the excessive brightness of our graphics card lighting, and also helps to obscure any component color mis-matches.

We’re using our overclocked Core i7-5930K test platform to compare the Meshify C to similarly-priced glass-paneled NZXT S340 Elite and BitFenix Aurora. The Define-C doesn’t have glass panels, but its similar price and size make it a good metric for judging the benefits and deficits of Fractal Design’s new design. Methods and settings have been retained for two years to allow you to compare the results from other case reviews to those included in the charts.

BitFenix Aurora
NZXT S340 Elite

Test Configuration








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Drivers & Settings
ChipsetIntel INF 9.4.2.1019
CPU4.2GHz (42x 100MHz) @ 1.2V Core
MotherboardFirmware 17.8 (02/10/2015)
RAMXMP CAS 16 Defaults (1.2V)
GraphicsMaximum Fan for Thermal Tests | Nvidia GeForce 347.52


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Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
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9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • poochiepiano
    Good article, Thomas. Now that the Define C TG has been released, it seems like if you want glass, you can choose between the Meshify and the Define for either cooling or silence. Would love to hear if there are any plans to review the Define C TG and make those comparisons as well?
    Reply
  • therogerwilco
    Holy crap. 'Asphalt based'... Maybe this is why I've had lung problems within the last few years after getting 2 of their XL cases? lol.. This freakin world... I mean really, 2 new pieces of large asphalt with 200 CFM of air movement through the case.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    20042301 said:
    Holy crap. 'Asphalt based'... Maybe this is why I've had lung problems within the last few years after getting 2 of their XL cases? lol.. This freakin world... I mean really, 2 new pieces of large asphalt with 200 CFM of air movement through the case.
    They did put cloth over it so it wouldn't be sticky or get gouged as easily... :)

    Reply
  • daglesj
    I just love the USB sockets on Fractal cases. They are neat and complete metal surrounds. Not those cheap looking split petal ones. Hate those.
    Reply
  • zippyzion
    When I first saw the front of this my mind immediately went to acoustic rooms with their odd angled walls. I thought that maybe they FINALLY incorporated some sonic wizardry to help quiet down mesh front cases. It seems I was wrong and I'm actually quite disappointed. I can see how it would help airflow though. More surface area means more open space and the angled mesh provides more surface area... but man, I was hoping for that sonic wizardry.
    Reply
  • envy14tpe
    Finally, 2years late to the party, Fractal adds glass. Jokes aside, can anyone tell me which case has a similar front design? I know I've seen something similar before.
    Reply
  • therogerwilco
    They state it in the article. I also found a comment by fractal in another site, they refer to it as bitumen based.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    20045069 said:
    They state it in the article. I also found a comment by fractal in another site, they refer to it as bitumen based.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AsphaltWe could call that "using tech lingo to obscure the basics."
    Reply
  • therogerwilco
    I took the sides of the cases off last night, smelled closely, still very fresh after a couple years. Coincidentally, my headache got worse last night after smelling them. I think it's mostly odorless hydrocarbons though. All in all, 2 XL cases and the mini ITX case, and it's several square feet of asphalt that's been spewing gasses into the room until equilibrium is reached. Easily done given that I have about 200 CFM in each big case and 100CFM or so through the other. 500CFM of air passed sheets of asphalt into my living quarters. WTH WERE YOU THINKING FRACTAL. Now I have to rip those things out of my cases. I thought it was awesome when I got them, but if someone would have told me what it was, I would have never bought them. Now I have COPD symptoms. Thanks. Jerks.
    Reply