Fractal Design not the quality feel I was expecting?

mrk · 14 Jun 2011 at 23:54

My previous cases

Antec something something v.something (forgot model

)
Antec P182
Lian-Li PC7Fb

I wanted to upgrade from the Lian-Li to something a little more robust because while the PC7F was built to a very high standard (quality feel, quality construction) the panels are very thin and over time I have noticed resonance creeping through. A quick tap resolves the issue but the resonance comes back a day or so later.

I bought the Define XL today and while it's got some excellent design features (which appear to be borrowed from the P182 book and improved a bit!) I felt the case material inside and out was not of very good quality.

The feet for example are just plastic and painted chrome, the same kind that a child's toy is. The fan vent doors are cheap plastic that feel like they will snap or crease if I catch them on something one day and there are loose panels inside the case as well (the PSU hatch and separator partition).

Needless to say, I am taking it back and spending a bit extra to get the Corsair 650D instead but I really did like the features the XL offered. The top angled 180mm fan is pure genius especially the way it keeps the top of the case completely vent free and flush and directs air out the back, this is ideal for me as my external drive sits on top of the case.

Everything I read indicated the XL improved upon the R3 which improved upon the R2 so I can only imagine how they were materials wise.

The motherboard tray cover was also plastic, I don't know how safe this would be unless it's heat resistant plastic? The back of a CPU socket gets pretty toasty! Moreso when there's a backplate sticking out for aftermarket coolers.

I also noticed that while the vents on the XL had dust guards, there were too many small gaps between them and the edges that dust could enter through or collect around. Removing the front dust guard was also a pain in the bum as it's a great faff to remove and clean as you have to unplug the fan(s) to do this.

I paid less for the Lian-Li back in its day (£60) and the XL felt like a step backwards

Edit*
Bugger it, the 650D top vents put me off and there's no other case <£150 that takes my fancy :/
I'll stick with the XL I guess. Maybe it will grow on me lol.

Edit2*
Ignore the above edit

paradigm · 15 Jun 2011 at 07:32

Fractals ARE cheap and nasty. Yes, they have some stunning designs and some innovative features, but 99 times out of 100 you'll hear stories of crap quality control, nasty materials, and just general disappointment.

I'd personally up the budget and get a top end Lian-Li, doesn't seem to be anything in the mid-range (£100-£150) bracket that makes anything worth buying over a lower end case.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 07:59

Hmm it certainly seems that way but the Corsair 650D does look very nice. I like the PowerMac style case design and the SATA bay at the toop of the case would mean I could remove my Backup drives from their USB enclosures and use them bareback directly in there and then tuck them in a safe place when weekly backup runs have completed.

I "could" live with the top mounted vent on the 650D as well.

I don't really want another Lian-Li, their panels are amazing in finish and feel but they're very thin and resonate over time because of it. Just want something that is put together with quality but isn't so thin around the sides that you can hear stuff.

The P182 was immense so I will look at the P183 as an option as well but it's not taking my fancy at the moment compared to the minimalist exterior that worked well on the P182. I don't like the front vents on the P183.

As you can tell, I am quite picky

I will talk this over at lunch....with gut and heart

Probably end up getting the 650D anyhoo.

paradigm · 15 Jun 2011 at 08:10

I know what you mean about the panels, it's what made me stick with my old Coolermaster ATCS 201 for so long, as the panels were 1mm thicker than the Lian-Li, and the whole case just felt more "quality".

As far as I'm aware though, the panels are thicker on the higher-end Lian-Li cases (and why I ended up paying >£200 for the A71F), touch wood, so far, no rattling.

What about a Silverstone?

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 08:18

The A71F does look very nice, ticks all the boxes for what I'm looking for bar one, the price!

The Silverstones have a similar finish to the Lian-Li from what I have seen in person but I don't like most of their case designs :/

Marvin · 15 Jun 2011 at 08:24

The only Lian Li that I would consider any more is the new Z-range, though I was disappointed to see the pricing. I just get fed up of Lian Lis with no cable management provisions whatsoever. I do find the pricier ones do tend to have thicker panels (my V-series cases did).

Helios1234 · 15 Jun 2011 at 09:38

Yeah the panel on my V1020 is quite thick. The regular black ones are just around £200.

setter · 15 Jun 2011 at 12:57

The panels on my A70F are pretty thin, but ive had no issues with resonance so far. This was a big problem with my previous akasa eclipse 62, had to use strategically placed bits of blu tac to stop it from rattling.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 13:42

Hmm well I wasn't a fan of the 650D either lol!

I've decided to do the wise thing and combat the problem directly.

What causes the resonance? Vibrations from the fans. My drivers are quiet and sitting on vibration pads in their cages anyway so I've bought 2x Noctua NF-P12 fans, one to replace the Akasa one on the CPU cooler and one to act as an exhaust in the Lian-Li.

Combined, these should push more air through the back and lower temps as well as lower noise. I did some research and it seems Noctua's motors and fin design keeps noise to an absolute minimum even at max rpm so I should be able to keep these fans at above 50% and get less noise than my current Akasa fans at 50% which are quiet anyway but maybe not as efficient on airflow and vibrations.

I don't think I will find a case that fits my liking below £200 and the PC7F is very nice and I do like it a lot so hopefully the better fans will cure the resonance!

Long live the PC7Fb I geuss!

setter · 15 Jun 2011 at 13:46

In my eclipse the vibrations were caused by the hdd's. Theese were screwed directly to the case, unlike my current case were the drives are mounted on rubber grommets.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 13:48

Yeah the Lian-Li has grommeted cages for each drive which in turn sits in a padded cage so the drives are deadly silent anyway

Only the OS drive is a WD Black, the other 2 are WD Green and a Samsung F3.

setter · 15 Jun 2011 at 13:52

Very nice case the PC7Fb, looks like a miniature version of my A70F.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 13:56

setter said:
Very nice case the PC7Fb, looks like a miniature version of my A70F.

Aye I can't believe I paid £60~ for it as well considering that a similarly finished all Aluminium case costs £150> looking around.

On a related note, does anyone know how to remove the front 140mm fan on this case? I always wondered but never got round to figuring out a way as I wouldn't mind replacing that with a non LED one, maybe another Noctua.

setter · 15 Jun 2011 at 14:02

Khaaan! said:
On a related note, does anyone know how to remove the front 140mm fan on this case? I always wondered but never got round to figuring out a way as I wouldn't mind replacing that with a non LED one, maybe another Noctua.

On my A70F, the entire front panel simply pulls off to allow access to the front fans/filters. Literally a few seconds to get to the fan screws, the PC7 seems to have the same type of front panel.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 14:04

setter said:
On my A70F, the entire front panel simply pulls off to allow access to the front fans/filters. Literally a few seconds to get to the fan screws, the PC7 seems to have the same type of front panel.

Oh the panel comes off indeed:

but the fan is mounted inside the case just in front of the hdd bay but inside its own sort of restraint/cage which appears to be fixed!

setter · 15 Jun 2011 at 14:12

Ahh, i see what you mean. Bit different from mine then. Theres a bit of a gap between my fans and the drive bays, once the fans are unscrewed, you push it back a little, then move it sieways a bit before sliding it out of the front of the case.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 14:15

setter said:
Ahh, i see what you mean. Bit different from mine then. Theres a bit of a gap between my fans and the drive bays, once the fans are unscrewed, you push it back a little, then move it sieways a bit before sliding it out of the front of the case.

Hmm maybe I could try that as I only tried one side before and saw the fan was going nowhere!

Ta

Gundog48 · 15 Jun 2011 at 17:28

I was considering the Fractal Design XL but didn't buy it for these reasons. I love that style case, just like the Antec P182. But the P182 owes it's success to a nice style an quality. I've seen tons of cases that look good in pictures, but if they feel cheap then they let themselves down. Having the plastic frontage and vents meant there was no chance I would get this case.

I felt that the only way to get a case that is guaranteed to feel good was to avoid anything with plastic or lots of mesh. I've just got myself a TJ07 for it's looks, but more importantly it's full metal, thick aluminium construction.

If someone made a case that looked just like the TJ07 for half the price with a plastic front panel I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Looks and quality are more related than people may think- if a case has one without the other, it is going to be mediocre at best.

Curunen · 15 Jun 2011 at 19:31

Yes I agree. Certainly the define mini I have feels cheap in terms of materials used.

However sitting on the desk now, I can't fault it's looks or functionality - it just works as intended: quietly and unobtrusively.

Plus I'm less concerned about knocks or scratches with something like this; with the silverstone cases I've had in the past, it's always been the worry to keep the case in good condition.

And even though the materials feel cheap, the build of the case certainly does not - it's incredibly sturdy and offers good protection for what's inside.

mrk · 15 Jun 2011 at 22:12

Oh I'm certain it does the job as advertised and looks the part as well which was my initial reason for looking at it and buying it!

Just the feel and knowing it's not as awesomely as the Lian-Li day in day out and it cost more than I paid for the Lian-Li to boot!

Needless to say, I got the NMoctuas today and installed them, I also found out how to remove the 140mm fan, the hdd cage has screws under the case to release it! So will get another Noctua 140mm in due course.

Temps are down a few degrees and the vibration is also gone now. It will be even more so once the 140mm gets replaced.