Fractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Black Computer Case
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Gaming Cabinet comes with Three pre-installed Dynamic fans(1x 120 mm and 1x 140 mm Dynamic X2 fans included) for maximum airflow and heat dissipation. Constructed to support up to 7 x 120mm or 4 x 140mm and 2 x 120 mm fan positions and has enough space for radiators up to 360mm. Constructed with Brushed aluminum front with industrial high-density sound damping helps to maintain quiet operation, top-latching side panels which offers a clean sophisticated look and Top panel effortlessly swaps from solid steel to filtered ventilation. Built for Flexible storage options which allows to fit two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drives beneath the shroud and two SSDs behind the backplate. Equipped with Easy-to-clean high airflow nylon filters and Removable top exposes interior for easy installation and cable routing. Provided with Ventilated PSU shroud with two-part removable cover for optimal coverage and front radiator support. Equipped with 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Audio I/O, Power button, Reset button at the front side. Compact yet spacious interior fits for ATX, mATX and m-ITX Motherboards.
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Gaming Cabinet comes with Three pre-installed Dynamic fans(1x 120 mm and 1x 140 mm Dynamic X2 fans included) for maximum airflow and heat dissipation. Constructed to support up to 7 x 120mm or 4 x 140mm and 2 x 120 mm fan positions and has enough space for radiators up to 360mm. Constructed with Brushed aluminum front with industrial high-density sound damping helps to maintain quiet operation, top-latching side panels which offers a clean sophisticated look and Top panel effortlessly swaps from solid steel to filtered ventilation. Built for Flexible storage options which allows to fit two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drives beneath the shroud and two SSDs behind the backplate. Equipped with Easy-to-clean high airflow nylon filters and Removable top exposes interior for easy installation and cable routing. Provided with Ventilated PSU shroud with two-part removable cover for optimal coverage and front radiator support. Equipped with 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Audio I/O, Power button, Reset button at the front side. Compact yet spacious interior fits for ATX, mATX and m-ITX Motherboards.
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Gaming Cabinet comes with Three pre-installed Dynamic fans(1x 120 mm and 1x 140 mm Dynamic X2 fans included) for maximum airflow and heat dissipation. Constructed to support up to 7 x 120mm or 4 x 140mm and 2 x 120 mm fan positions and has enough space for radiators up to 360mm. Constructed with Brushed aluminum front with industrial high-density sound damping helps to maintain quiet operation, top-latching side panels which offers a clean sophisticated look and Top panel effortlessly swaps from solid steel to filtered ventilation. Built for Flexible storage options which allows to fit two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drives beneath the shroud and two SSDs behind the backplate. Equipped with Easy-to-clean high airflow nylon filters and Removable top exposes interior for easy installation and cable routing. Provided with Ventilated PSU shroud with two-part removable cover for optimal coverage and front radiator support. Equipped with 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Audio I/O, Power button, Reset button at the front side. Compact yet spacious interior fits for ATX, mATX and m-ITX Motherboards.
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Gaming Cabinet comes with Three pre-installed Dynamic fans(1x 120 mm and 1x 140 mm Dynamic X2 fans included) for maximum airflow and heat dissipation. Constructed to support up to 7 x 120mm or 4 x 140mm and 2 x 120 mm fan positions and has enough space for radiators up to 360mm. Constructed with Brushed aluminum front with industrial high-density sound damping helps to maintain quiet operation, top-latching side panels which offers a clean sophisticated look and Top panel effortlessly swaps from solid steel to filtered ventilation. Built for Flexible storage options which allows to fit two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drives beneath the shroud and two SSDs behind the backplate. Equipped with Easy-to-clean high airflow nylon filters and Removable top exposes interior for easy installation and cable routing. Provided with Ventilated PSU shroud with two-part removable cover for optimal coverage and front radiator support. Equipped with 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Audio I/O, Power button, Reset button at the front side. Compact yet spacious interior fits for ATX, mATX and m-ITX Motherboards.
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The lowest price for Fractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Black Computer Case right now is $179.00 at Scorptec, compared across 5 retailers.
The all-time low was $149.00 on 6 June 2026 — today's price is 20% above the lowest ever. That's a little above the best price we've seen.
Prices last updated 19 June 2026.
Last updated at 19/06/2026 13:36:12
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Black ATX Case, No PSU
Delivery $31
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Mid-Tower Case - Black Solid
Delivery between 23–26 June $56.46
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Mid Tower Case (Black)
Delivery between 23 June – 2 July $31.26
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact
60-day returns
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Brushed Aluminum Solid Computer Case, Black (FD-C-DEF7C-01)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
originally posted on newegg.com
I have built 3 computers in the last few years, all silence focused. An R7-1700 in a fractal mini-C (mATX), an R5-3600 in a bequiet purebase 500 (ATX), and an R9-3900X in a Fractal Define 7C (ATX). This review is for the Define 7C, and will offer a few comparison points to the other cases in case folks are cross shopping those. All 3 cases were easy to build in, as long as you remove the 3.5in drive caddy. The fractals are very well constructed, solid thick materials and good sound absorption with default closed-tops, and optional open top vent panel. The bequiet case is a little on the cheap side - construction is not as solid and the sound absorption is lower compared to the Fractal cases. Also the base 500 comes with a default partially open top panel and an even ... MoreI have built 3 computers in the last few years, all silence focused. An R7-1700 in a fractal mini-C (mATX), an R5-3600 in a bequiet purebase 500 (ATX), and an R9-3900X in a Fractal Define 7C (ATX). This review is for the Define 7C, and will offer a few comparison points to the other cases in case folks are cross shopping those. All 3 cases were easy to build in, as long as you remove the 3.5in drive caddy. The fractals are very well constructed, solid thick materials and good sound absorption with default closed-tops, and optional open top vent panel. The bequiet case is a little on the cheap side - construction is not as solid and the sound absorption is lower compared to the Fractal cases. Also the base 500 comes with a default partially open top panel and an even more airflow-oriented optional top panel; seemingly a silly decision by bequiet for what is supposed to be a quiet case - completely closed top should be the default or at least an option). In the fans department however, bequiet wins by a huge margin. The stock Fractal fans are a disgrace for a silence-optimized build. The Define7C fans are an improvement over the define miniC, but still pale in comparison to bequiet purewings stock fans (which mind you are the lowest tier of bequiet fans!). So, interestingly, stock-for-stock, the noise emanating from these cases is about the same... the worse constructed and less sound-absorbing bequiet case makes up with better fans. But, if you forgo the stock fans and put in noctua's in the cases (or higher tier bequiet fans in both the fractal and purebase cases), the Define 7C comes out significantly ahead in its sound absorption due to the better constructed case. I can start to hear the shadowwings fans at 43% speed in the bequiet case and at 68% in the Fractal case. Note that if I place a thick book over the partially open top cover of the purebase 500, the fans can go to 55% speed before they can be heard. Bottom line, if you are looking for the quietest possible build, go for a fractal case (Define 7C is great, and so is the older miniC!), immediately rip out the stock fans and toss them in the nearest trash can. Then treat yourself to Noctua fans or the higher tiers of bequiet fans, like that shadow/silent wings and you will have a very quiet system. Other notes on a quiet build... Go fanless power supply, or a hybrid that will keep the fan off at 80% or less load and oversize your powersupply. Use an aftermarket cpu cooler from noctua or bequiet. PWM fans only - never settle for voltage control for a quiet build. Tune your fan curves in bios and have presets that trade-off and favor quieter operation even if at slightly higher temps. The Define7C with 2x shadowwings2 140mm intake and 1xshadowwings 120mm exhaust, a shadowrock slim cooler, is able to keep a heavily loaded R9-3900X at 78C with all fans set to 60%. I am not able to hear any noise from the Define7C @3feet in those conditions; a very low hum can be heard if I stick my ear on the case or near an intake/exhaust fan.
originally posted on neweggbusiness.com
Overall, I definitely do not regret my purchase. This is a very nice case. However, I was especially disappointed with how the power button feels when I turn the computer on. There's no satisfying click. It's as though the button becomes partially stuck, like there's something stopping the button from going in and out effortlessly. It's too bad because nearly everything else about this case is really nice. It's worth noting that the power button still works, but it feels like it's ready to give up one day. Perhaps I'll update my review if that happens.
originally posted on neweggbusiness.com
A great case for a full-size ATX build with M.2 storage. I wanted to build a couch computer, and this case fits well horizontally on the bottom shelf of the wheeled coffee table I'm using as a desk. The power button and front ports end up on the front left, and the back ports are easily accessible on the near right side. The feet are attached with screws; I took them off as I have no need for feet sticking out in the back. The filters are easy to remove and clean. I removed the hard-drive cage and the plastic shroud covers to open it up a bit. I am using the solid top. The stock fans are quiet enough for me, but the build does not currently have a graphics card. CPU (i5-11500), chipset, and M.2 all stay under 40 degrees Celsius but the most intense game I have ... MoreA great case for a full-size ATX build with M.2 storage. I wanted to build a couch computer, and this case fits well horizontally on the bottom shelf of the wheeled coffee table I'm using as a desk. The power button and front ports end up on the front left, and the back ports are easily accessible on the near right side. The feet are attached with screws; I took them off as I have no need for feet sticking out in the back. The filters are easy to remove and clean. I removed the hard-drive cage and the plastic shroud covers to open it up a bit. I am using the solid top. The stock fans are quiet enough for me, but the build does not currently have a graphics card. CPU (i5-11500), chipset, and M.2 all stay under 40 degrees Celsius but the most intense game I have played is The Sims 3, so not much of a test. I would really like to see case manufacturers get a little more creative now that M.2 storage is becoming mainstream. There were a couple of smaller ATX cases I looked at, but one had the power supply inaccessible to the outside, and the other only allowed small power supplies. Neither had good clearance for graphics cards or CPU coolers. While this is a little large and expensive for my purposes, it has worked really well for a simple, quiet build.
| General | |
| Form Factor | Tower |
| Max Mainboard Size | ATX |
| Supported Motherboards | ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX |
| Internal Bays Qty | 8 |
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Black ATX Case, No PSU
Delivery $31
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Mid-Tower Case - Black Solid
Delivery between 23–26 June $56.46
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Mid Tower Case (Black)
Delivery between 23 June – 2 July $31.26
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact
60-day returns
Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Brushed Aluminum Solid Computer Case, Black (FD-C-DEF7C-01)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
I have built 3 computers in the last few years, all silence focused. An R7-1700 in a fractal mini-C (mATX), an R5-3600 in a bequiet purebase 500 (ATX), and an R9-3900X in a Fractal Define 7C (ATX). This review is for the Define 7C, and will offer a few comparison points to the other cases in case folks are cross shopping those. All 3 cases were easy to build in, as long as you remove the 3.5in drive caddy. The fractals are very well constructed, solid thick materials and good sound absorption with default closed-tops, and optional open top vent panel. The bequiet case is a little on the cheap side - construction is not as solid and the sound absorption is lower compared to the Fractal cases. Also the base 500 comes with a default partially open top panel and an even ... MoreI have built 3 computers in the last few years, all silence focused. An R7-1700 in a fractal mini-C (mATX), an R5-3600 in a bequiet purebase 500 (ATX), and an R9-3900X in a Fractal Define 7C (ATX). This review is for the Define 7C, and will offer a few comparison points to the other cases in case folks are cross shopping those. All 3 cases were easy to build in, as long as you remove the 3.5in drive caddy. The fractals are very well constructed, solid thick materials and good sound absorption with default closed-tops, and optional open top vent panel. The bequiet case is a little on the cheap side - construction is not as solid and the sound absorption is lower compared to the Fractal cases. Also the base 500 comes with a default partially open top panel and an even more airflow-oriented optional top panel; seemingly a silly decision by bequiet for what is supposed to be a quiet case - completely closed top should be the default or at least an option). In the fans department however, bequiet wins by a huge margin. The stock Fractal fans are a disgrace for a silence-optimized build. The Define7C fans are an improvement over the define miniC, but still pale in comparison to bequiet purewings stock fans (which mind you are the lowest tier of bequiet fans!). So, interestingly, stock-for-stock, the noise emanating from these cases is about the same... the worse constructed and less sound-absorbing bequiet case makes up with better fans. But, if you forgo the stock fans and put in noctua's in the cases (or higher tier bequiet fans in both the fractal and purebase cases), the Define 7C comes out significantly ahead in its sound absorption due to the better constructed case. I can start to hear the shadowwings fans at 43% speed in the bequiet case and at 68% in the Fractal case. Note that if I place a thick book over the partially open top cover of the purebase 500, the fans can go to 55% speed before they can be heard. Bottom line, if you are looking for the quietest possible build, go for a fractal case (Define 7C is great, and so is the older miniC!), immediately rip out the stock fans and toss them in the nearest trash can. Then treat yourself to Noctua fans or the higher tiers of bequiet fans, like that shadow/silent wings and you will have a very quiet system. Other notes on a quiet build... Go fanless power supply, or a hybrid that will keep the fan off at 80% or less load and oversize your powersupply. Use an aftermarket cpu cooler from noctua or bequiet. PWM fans only - never settle for voltage control for a quiet build. Tune your fan curves in bios and have presets that trade-off and favor quieter operation even if at slightly higher temps. The Define7C with 2x shadowwings2 140mm intake and 1xshadowwings 120mm exhaust, a shadowrock slim cooler, is able to keep a heavily loaded R9-3900X at 78C with all fans set to 60%. I am not able to hear any noise from the Define7C @3feet in those conditions; a very low hum can be heard if I stick my ear on the case or near an intake/exhaust fan.
Overall, I definitely do not regret my purchase. This is a very nice case. However, I was especially disappointed with how the power button feels when I turn the computer on. There's no satisfying click. It's as though the button becomes partially stuck, like there's something stopping the button from going in and out effortlessly. It's too bad because nearly everything else about this case is really nice. It's worth noting that the power button still works, but it feels like it's ready to give up one day. Perhaps I'll update my review if that happens.
A great case for a full-size ATX build with M.2 storage. I wanted to build a couch computer, and this case fits well horizontally on the bottom shelf of the wheeled coffee table I'm using as a desk. The power button and front ports end up on the front left, and the back ports are easily accessible on the near right side. The feet are attached with screws; I took them off as I have no need for feet sticking out in the back. The filters are easy to remove and clean. I removed the hard-drive cage and the plastic shroud covers to open it up a bit. I am using the solid top. The stock fans are quiet enough for me, but the build does not currently have a graphics card. CPU (i5-11500), chipset, and M.2 all stay under 40 degrees Celsius but the most intense game I have ... MoreA great case for a full-size ATX build with M.2 storage. I wanted to build a couch computer, and this case fits well horizontally on the bottom shelf of the wheeled coffee table I'm using as a desk. The power button and front ports end up on the front left, and the back ports are easily accessible on the near right side. The feet are attached with screws; I took them off as I have no need for feet sticking out in the back. The filters are easy to remove and clean. I removed the hard-drive cage and the plastic shroud covers to open it up a bit. I am using the solid top. The stock fans are quiet enough for me, but the build does not currently have a graphics card. CPU (i5-11500), chipset, and M.2 all stay under 40 degrees Celsius but the most intense game I have played is The Sims 3, so not much of a test. I would really like to see case manufacturers get a little more creative now that M.2 storage is becoming mainstream. There were a couple of smaller ATX cases I looked at, but one had the power supply inaccessible to the outside, and the other only allowed small power supplies. Neither had good clearance for graphics cards or CPU coolers. While this is a little large and expensive for my purposes, it has worked really well for a simple, quiet build.
The cables go behind the motherboard tray, and there's not enough depth there to make it a simple process to easily route everything. I have the 2 psu cables going to the motherboard, gpu power connector, and a sata cord going to an expansion card (read below). A single 3.5" drive is mounted, and with all of this...it's a very tight fit for all the cables so that the case will stay closed (the panels are a friction fit, no screws holding them in). Also, be aware that the front type-c port is key A...not a normal USB header. Since my motherboard didn't have one, I did manage to find a pcie card that has one. Still allows for air circulation around the m2 drive and gpu. Otherwise, i still really like the case. Fairly clean looking install, cables are all pretty well ... MoreThe cables go behind the motherboard tray, and there's not enough depth there to make it a simple process to easily route everything. I have the 2 psu cables going to the motherboard, gpu power connector, and a sata cord going to an expansion card (read below). A single 3.5" drive is mounted, and with all of this...it's a very tight fit for all the cables so that the case will stay closed (the panels are a friction fit, no screws holding them in). Also, be aware that the front type-c port is key A...not a normal USB header. Since my motherboard didn't have one, I did manage to find a pcie card that has one. Still allows for air circulation around the m2 drive and gpu. Otherwise, i still really like the case. Fairly clean looking install, cables are all pretty well tucked away. Plenty of ventilation options, and all the intakes have filters. PSU is isolated from the rest of the PC's air so it's fans never come one. The included 140mm fan is surprisingly quiet, I decided to go ahead and use it along with a 120 in the front (yes, that does work, you can fit a 140 and a 120 together in the front). With both front fans at full power, there is a bit of wind noise from the amount of air moving, but there's really no need to actually move that much air (temps didn't go up when I cut the fans rpm to < 1000rpm). Hard drive tray rubber mounts the drives, and you can remove a couple pieces to allow some airflow to the rest of the case (I left it closed since it's temp never really rises much anyways). No sharp edges anywhere, fit and finish is pretty nice. Not sure how effective the sound insulated panels are, but nice touch anyways. Edit: I just realized that the hard drive cage is open to the intake area in front of the front mounted fans. So even with the hard drive closed off from the motherboard, the intake fans can still pull some air from the hard drive cage (and it's still filtered because of the bottom filter). That probably explains why the hard drive temps never climbed much.
I was disappointed that the side panels and top panel just snap into place and are not held with fasteners. When you pick up the case to move it, particularly if one side panel is open when doing so, you have to be careful it doesn't come apart.Other than that, the layout and internal function of the case is great. Does not have the ability to mount an optical drive if that is a consideration (though most can do without these days or use a USB connected optical drive). We installed Windows via a USB optical drive we had around for laptops.A Fractal Design 7 (full tower) I bought a couple years ago uses thumbscrew fasteners for everything and it's just more solid (and more expensive).
Case is really really nice. Looks very professional and is a breath of fresh air from the "gaming" type cases. It is very easy to build in, and has really nice sound dampening properties. This was noticed by my wife who has been exposed to the meshify versions from Fractal Design. "wow, it's so quiet" It is a well designed and constructed case. It has very good cable management and the size seems appropriate, not too big and not too small. If you want to use an AIO you can swap out the top with a vented version that is also included. The only downsides I can see, are it can't use a 140mm exhaust fan, and the air intake is somewhat limited. However, it seems to be sufficient for it's intended use. I don't want to give the impression that it is choking the airflow but ... MoreCase is really really nice. Looks very professional and is a breath of fresh air from the "gaming" type cases. It is very easy to build in, and has really nice sound dampening properties. This was noticed by my wife who has been exposed to the meshify versions from Fractal Design. "wow, it's so quiet" It is a well designed and constructed case. It has very good cable management and the size seems appropriate, not too big and not too small. If you want to use an AIO you can swap out the top with a vented version that is also included. The only downsides I can see, are it can't use a 140mm exhaust fan, and the air intake is somewhat limited. However, it seems to be sufficient for it's intended use. I don't want to give the impression that it is choking the airflow but again, if you are looking for a performance based option, I suggest you look at the meshify versions. Otherwise, it's awesome. will use again.
Most of my issues with this case are of the Old Man Shakes Fist At Cloud variety. With that disclaimer:Good: It's not unnecessarily large. There's just enough width for a typical 120mm tower cooler and a modicum of cable routing, just enough height for a rad up top and air underneath, and just enough depth for a full ATX board plus a rad up front. Construction is solid, and the slot covers don't protrude from the rear like most chassis these days. Comes with 140mm intake and 120mm exhaust fans, both of which seem decent. Airflow is better than one might expect, and configuration is reasonably flexible. Swappable solid and vented top panels are a nice touch, as is how far it can be disassembled.Less good: Cable routing can be tedious, which I'll accept in trade ... MoreMost of my issues with this case are of the Old Man Shakes Fist At Cloud variety. With that disclaimer:Good: It's not unnecessarily large. There's just enough width for a typical 120mm tower cooler and a modicum of cable routing, just enough height for a rad up top and air underneath, and just enough depth for a full ATX board plus a rad up front. Construction is solid, and the slot covers don't protrude from the rear like most chassis these days. Comes with 140mm intake and 120mm exhaust fans, both of which seem decent. Airflow is better than one might expect, and configuration is reasonably flexible. Swappable solid and vented top panels are a nice touch, as is how far it can be disassembled.Less good: Cable routing can be tedious, which I'll accept in trade for the small-ish size. Included fans are not PWM. Sound damping material doesn't seem all that effective, but if air is to get in, one supposes that sound will be able to get out. No drive activity light. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is black inside and out, which makes it really hard to see what you're doing without really good lighting. Controls and ports are on top instead of the front, and there's no 5.25 bay.Basically, it's a Meshify 2 with a solid front panel, which is interesting because I passed over the Meshify 2 because I don't like the look.
As soon as I took it out of the box I was impressed with the build quality of this case. It looks absolutely amazing sitting on top of my bamboo desk, great finish all over, and the buttons feel superb! I was able to put an Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer II 280 mm in the front with no problem. I have a 750 watts, semi modular power supply, and I was able to tuck all the cables I didn't need between the PSU and the HDD cage with room to spare, and the sleeved 24 pins cable is not touching the right side panel. Since the case sits on my desk, I removed the front dust filters to aid with the airflow, it does make a difference. I left the solid top panel on, I am sure it would've helped airflow if I had swapped it for the mesh panel, but the temps inside the case are ... MoreAs soon as I took it out of the box I was impressed with the build quality of this case. It looks absolutely amazing sitting on top of my bamboo desk, great finish all over, and the buttons feel superb! I was able to put an Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer II 280 mm in the front with no problem. I have a 750 watts, semi modular power supply, and I was able to tuck all the cables I didn't need between the PSU and the HDD cage with room to spare, and the sleeved 24 pins cable is not touching the right side panel. Since the case sits on my desk, I removed the front dust filters to aid with the airflow, it does make a difference. I left the solid top panel on, I am sure it would've helped airflow if I had swapped it for the mesh panel, but the temps inside the case are pretty good even with the solid panel on, and it does make it more soundproof, which is my goal here! The rubber feet kept making marks on my bamboo desk, I tried to rub them with a Scotch Bright pad, tried to clean them up with alcohol, nothing worked, so I ended up putting felt pads on them. I have two mechanical drives in the HDD cage, I can hear the drives, especially when they are working, but I will replace those with SSD drives soon, so no biggie. I moved the HDD cage to the front, which gave me an extra inch for cable management, I left the thumbscrews on the cage, since they were not in the way, the case comes with rubber washers for the HDD, so there are no vibrations whatsoever. My motherboard doesn't have a USB-c port, so I will buy a card and test it out as soon as possible. All-in-all, the building of my new workstation went really well in this case, all I can hear are the mechanical hard drives, other than that it is dead silent. I already recommended this case on my Facebook page.
I just sat here a couple hours to review the products used for a new workstaion build, and I have never reveiwed anything in the decade plus of shopping here. Rating Decision: 3 eggs, and those are generous... this is the last product to review, and only disappointment. I also own three Define 5 and two Define 6, and all will out live this Define 7 hands down. All are solid paneled cases, no weeee look at me window. Don't need the what's that, do that to mine etc etc. Where to start... PLASTIC, sure easy to pop covers off/on, but after a few times nothing stays tight with the pastic degrading. It is already loosening up after 4 system clean/upgrades. Front panel: The hole in bottom, a vacuum is all it is, why not solid, the plastic is thick enough for indentation ... MoreI just sat here a couple hours to review the products used for a new workstaion build, and I have never reveiwed anything in the decade plus of shopping here. Rating Decision: 3 eggs, and those are generous... this is the last product to review, and only disappointment. I also own three Define 5 and two Define 6, and all will out live this Define 7 hands down. All are solid paneled cases, no weeee look at me window. Don't need the what's that, do that to mine etc etc. Where to start... PLASTIC, sure easy to pop covers off/on, but after a few times nothing stays tight with the pastic degrading. It is already loosening up after 4 system clean/upgrades. Front panel: The hole in bottom, a vacuum is all it is, why not solid, the plastic is thick enough for indentation for grip. Removable dust filters, nice, but not flat/flush, looks like a snake crawling thru the plastic clips, more dust in. Instead of having to pop front cover to clean the filters, how about solid rubber rails inside cover, insert/remove filters from top of panel vertically. Heck, the entire front panel could slide up/down vertically. Bottom line is poor front dust stoppage. No activity light, guess to much stress for the plastic, installed one myself. I see a lot of people complain about cable managment, patience is all it takes to get it right. The only complaint about cabling is the IO cables are to long, its not an XL case. Interior: Only issue... hard drive cage or fan, not both. I needed the extra airflow and somewhere to put a 3.5 drive. The cage does fit tucked up into front of case if no fan/radiator occupying the bottom. Drives would have to be inserted before mounting cage. I know, hassle for most. I simply made a sled for the 3.5 hd, doesn't block the extra 120 fan in bottom. Take a look at the parts list below, you'll see why more airflow is needed. Fans: 2x 140 intake front 1x 120 exhaust rear 1x 120 exhaust bottom 1x 120 intake front bottom, popped the extra cover where radiator would go, it sits at 45 degree angle pointed directly at the chipset. Coincidently perfect height of added HD sled/drive, not planned. 6x SSD, 2 on back of motherboard, 4 mounted in top of case above motherboard. I knew all of the issues above existed but still took a chance. The plastic is the biggest flaw, dust management hasn't improved over the years. A custom front filtering system is/has been used on all of my Defines. It is probably the last Define for me, maybe time to update office from the synced 6x Define look when this Define 7 become a migraine. I may use solid panel cases personally, but they look as good if not better than a clients bling bling build. The build: --- (yes, cables managed, no gouges/bulges in panels, all clear of fan in bottom) --- AsRock Phantom Gaming X AMD Ryzen 9 3950X -- 4.3 all cores -- lucky silacon lottery Noctua NH-U12A 128g G.SKILL Trident Z Neo 3600 2x Sabrent Rocket 4 PLUS NVMe 1TB 1x Intel 665p nvme 1TB 6x Crucial MX500 SSD 2TB 1x TOSHIBA X300 HDD 8TB 1x EVGA GTX 1080 1x AMD Radeon Pro W5700 1x Seasonic FOCUS PX-850 1x Fractal Design Define 7 Compact case Work OS: Debian Linux Daily OS: Arch Linux
I already have a Define R5 and a Define R6. Since the new system was going to be limited to M.2 and possibly an SSD, I gave the R7 Compact a try.Good:1. Quality is a good as the other FD cases.2. Cable management is at least as good as the R5 and R6 and maybe a bit better.3. Slightly smallerLess good:1. No HDD activity LED2. There is no room to reach the PSU modular slots if you leave the HDD cage installed. Plug in all the cables you need first.Other:1. Airflow seems good. Air cooled 5900x idles around 40C, max I've seen is about 62C (10 minute primes on 24 threads)2. You could install 1 water cooler in this case, but I would be careful on the size specs.
| General | |
| Form Factor | Tower |
| Max Mainboard Size | ATX |
| Supported Motherboards | ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX |
| Internal Bays Qty | 8 |
