Case advice - Meshify C or Define 7 compact?

[Mvula]

I've pretty much narrowed it down to these two for my rather expensive build (5900X, 6800XT, etc)
Reason is I want a semi-smallish case with no RGB and no glass door (i want my case to be low profile looking), so there goes the majority of cases. Phantek P600 is too big as well.

Anyone who can recommend one over the other for above build? Perhaps someone has experience with both? I value quietness most, but I don't know if it's better for the case aiming for optimal airflow and temps (meshify) thus enabling lower fan rpu and lower noise (but is naturally louder due to no solid front), or the case aiming for noise suppresion (define 7 compact) that while being inherently quieter, has worse airflow, gets hotter thus the fans sound more...

 

[mahius]

I've only built with the Meshify C but hopefully my 2 cents will be helpful. Overall I'd say its an average case, it didn't come with rubber gromits to protect the cables and some cabling did end up a bit tricky. But it was spacious and fit everything that was needed, including fan and RGB controller behind the motherboard. It was a tight squeeze with a Noctua NH-D15 (aka best air CPU cooler) however.

Overall I wouldn't mind either, since they both have good airflow options IMO. I can balance fans as both cases support up to 4 140mm and 2 120mm. When going for fans I always would recommend larger but slower fans. For the same airflow between a 140mm and a 120mm fan, the 120mm fan has to spin faster and louder. The Define 7 compact has very good front I/O. Airflow is important, so I would edge towards the Meshify C for a cooler system, but again the difference won't be anything major like 5-10 degrees. Hard rive capacity is slightly better on the Define 7 compact and a couple of the SSD mounts on the Meshify C on the back aren't the best, it can make cable management a bit trickier (on the build I did, we took off that SSD mounting plate). Dust is what worries me with the meshify C, I feel like it would build up easier and the define 7 compact comes with more filters for the front, unlike the Meshify C.

Depends on the design you want, the meshy design of Meshify C or the super clean look of the define 7 compact. Even with the define 7 compact, just have 140mm fans running slower and that should sort out temps. Perhaps put in an extra 120mm on the bottom at a slow speed to improve airflow if you have a 120mm on the back. It's not just the case, but the fans you use and motherboard control of the fans. Have good fan curves on quality fans and there's no worries about noise on the Define 7. Plus it comes with more USB ports.

Heck I'm pushed towards define 7 of the 2 at this point, despite having a fairly decent experience building on the Meshify C.

 

[ViperXk]

As an alternative, I ordered the LianLi Lancool II Mesh from elsewhere for just over £72 delivered (and it came a couple days later) - it's got a glass door but it looks very unassuming and 'classy' in my opinion. It's also quite a smallish case, maybe slightly taller than the Meshify but with the potential for longer GPUs.

 

[GloriousMess]

I'm going Define Mini C for a mini-itx high end build, if that's any help. So far the chip I have runs hot even with a U12A, so my poor existing mini itx case couldn't handle it.

 

[DeltaJesus]

I found the meshify really nice to build in personally, and the dark tinted glass panel still looks pretty understated if you couldn't end up getting the none glass version as it seems to be much less common in my experience.

 

[atomixers]

It's a shame that the new Meshify 2 released today only comes in standard (large) and XL (very large) sizes. Would have been nice to see a compact version as it would make the choice simpler as you'd just be comparing the asthetics and cooling/noise capabilites of the two cases.

The updated front panel on the Define 7 much nicer to work with, as are the fully removable sides and top when compared to the Meshify C.
A case with better airflow can run slower fans so be as quiet as an insulated one in certain workloads, so maybe the Meshify C. It's also a bit smaller than the Define 7 and there's always the Meshify C Mini is you can afford to lose another 40mm of height.

The Define 7 compact came out 4 months after the Define 7 so I guess we won't see the Meshify 2 Compact until the new year.

 

[Jay794]

The Meshify 2 C will be coming, Fractal knows what they're doing

 

[Xelene]

The original Meshify C is a good case, I found it easy to work with; the Define prioritises silence over airflow, but with good airflow you can run the fans pretty low. Just finished a build in one.

 

[SaBBz]

The Meshify 2 C will be coming, Fractal knows what they're doing

This is what I’m waiting for!