Soon to come Fractal case

[Behemoth-]

Super Sized! The Fractal Design Define XL | bit-tech.net

Some news from Fractal with 2 new case and a not-so-new Define R2.

Pretty much HTPC oriented, I like the new Design XL. It's perfect if you want a HTPC-server in the same box, it keeps the clean look and offers the HDD space. There's a new mATX case too, which can also be used for server purpose. 6HDD + 1x2,5. Comes with a PSU, a quality one would be nice.

[martin_metal_88]

why did some people still put THIS STUPID LAYER between PSU and MOBO!!!! That make stupid crappy airflow!!!

[ilya]

Those 11 blade 140mm fans from Fractal seem to be impossible to get.

I ordered one from NCIX and got it replaced 2 times by NCIX AND Fractal, still they give me a different 140mm fan every time.

[AkG]

Originally Posted by martin_metal_88

why did some people still put THIS STUPID LAYER between PSU and MOBO!!!! That make stupid crappy airflow!!!

With bottom mounted PSU cases...its doesnt matter. The air gets sucked in from below the case, through the PSU and exhausted out the back never "touching" the internal case air. So it has no impact on internal air flow movement at all. The whole idea of zones is to separate the heat from the various items and keep them from heating each other up. For example if you were using it as a NAS with all those bottom hard drive bays populated...that would be a bit of heat that other components would have to deal with (e.g. the CPU may run hotter, mobo chipsets that are passively cooled may run hotter, etc etc). Its a good idea for certain areas....and a meh idea for others as it makes cable routing a bigger PITA, etc etc.

YMMV but Lian LI and Silverstone proved it does work when implemented properly. This case. No idea havent tried it out. So YMMV :)

No my personal rant is why do companies STILL think its a good idea to have the hdd cage rotated 90°!? Why even bother putting a fan in front of it....jack shite all of the air is going to make it past that aid damn of a cage.
IF you have to have that in your design....stick ANOTHER fan on the other side of the cage to help suck the air through and past it.

[fishingfanatic]

In the case of hdds being sideways, Cooler Master's Cosmos had one put in to draw air through the hdd bays, yet the overall frame still had some airflow restrictions. Perhaps they should consider channeling air through the bays, but with some sort of filtration involved. It seems everything needs better filtration, but how much flow restriction does this cause? Is it worth it in the end? It's a regular thing for me to use the compressor to clean out dust and lint, monthly, yet the very fine stuff always gets through.

[Zero82z]

Originally Posted by AkG

No my personal rant is why do companies STILL think its a good idea to have the hdd cage rotated 90°!? Why even bother putting a fan in front of it....jack shite all of the air is going to make it past that aid damn of a cage.
IF you have to have that in your design....stick ANOTHER fan on the other side of the cage to help suck the air through and past it.

Depends how it's implemented. The ATCS 840 for example has large gaps between HDs and big holes in the cage so there's a pretty decent amount of space for air to pass through. There is also a bracket for mounting a pair of 120mm fans on the inside of the drive cage, like you want.

[MpG]

Looks like the lovechild of a 800D and a P183. Almost blatantly so, in fact.

And yeah, while that HDD cage design is fantastic for isolating vibrations, it just ruins airflow. I much prefer the sideways mount that the P-series uses in their bottom chamber.

And I never understood the point of isolating the HDD and PSU chamber, then having the PSU draw air from the bottom. One or the other, sure. But both seems overkill.

[grimx133]

The article said that the mid-plate is removable, so anyone who eventually gets the case can try it both ways.

I do like the hard drive setup, looks like the trays themselves are about the thickness of a drive, so they don't add to the obstuction of airflow.
I'd like to see a better picture of the mounts that the trays go into, that's where the blockage will be, depending on how big the holes are.

All in all, it'd work for a server. Stick it in a corner somewhere, let it hum away semi-silently. Might have to consider one of those when
they come out. Though it's not like I have a shortage of cases.

[Zero82z]

Originally Posted by grimx133

I do like the hard drive setup, looks like the trays themselves are about the thickness of a drive, so they don't add to the obstuction of airflow.
I'd like to see a better picture of the mounts that the trays go into, that's where the blockage will be, depending on how big the holes are.

It's not the trays that block airflow, it's the cage that they mount into.

[grimx133]

Right, and the angle of the pic doesn't give a good enough view, but I'd guess three holes in the frame between drives. The question is, how much useless metal is actually there?