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Hardware Installation and Test Configuration Fractal Design Define 7 Chassis Review: Versatility and Refinement Page 2

fractal design define 7

Since the steel side panel can’t be screwed into place, there needs to be an extra line of reinforcement to keep bulky cables from pushing the panel open. To that end, we’d like a couple screw holes on either the plastic cover or the steel side panel to allow us the option to screw them down tightly. Even still, with this noted, the case is doing better in CPU thermals than a few others on the chart. An extra 1dBA worth of fan RPMs honestly wouldn’t change much in this setup, anyway, but might propel it more toward the O11 XL or Helios.

Tempered Glass Side Panel - Dark Tinted TG Type B

fractal design define 7

The tempered-glass side panel is attached to a metal frame that eliminates the need for rubber-coated locating pins or hinges. The panel on the opposite side of the chassis is a solid stamped steel panel with a thick layer of sound damping material and is held in place by the same push-to-lock system as the tempered glass panel. On the right is a much more complex and irregular pattern with recognizably similar fractal properties, a traditional urban neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq. Notice the similar patterning at different scales of bordering spaces and alternating patterns of indoor-outdoor space. For the CPU-sorted results, the Define 7 improves from 62.5 degrees stock to 56.2 degrees just by replacing the fans with significantly better ones.

Standardized Fans

The top panel shares the same snap mounting mechanism and can be removed by hooking a finger under the front corner and pulling it up. Versatile new multi-brackets allow you to convert any unused fan position to an HDD, SSD or pump mount. The new front panel features an improved reversible hinge design with magnetic latching, and the fully removable top panel opens to provide totally unhindered interior access. The results are nearly identical across the board and are within test error. We think there would be actual changes to performance if Fractal had a fan positioned lower on the front, but the lack of GPU-focused fans means that changes to the front panel have minimal impact.

Define R6 Tempered Glass

Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Case Review - KitGuru

Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Case Review.

Posted: Wed, 03 Jun 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Cable management is fine, and there are NZXT-style built in velcro straps and cable channels, but they’re somewhat superfluous given the cavernous interior of the PSU shroud. Even with the HDD cage installed, it’d be hard to create a scenario where the shroud wouldn’t fit every inch of slack cable. To help with this, Fractal has included a plastic shield that clips over the shroud opening to keep all the cables mashed in where they belong.

Plenty of room for massive builds

Fractal Design Define 7 Mid Tower Case - Page 5 Of 5 - Modders-Inc

Fractal Design Define 7 Mid Tower Case - Page 5 Of 5.

Posted: Wed, 26 Feb 2020 14:09:47 GMT [source]

Comparatively, the Fractal Define 7 isn’t particularly impressive or unimpressive for GPU thermals. It’s not great, but it’s also not anywhere as close to the bottom as in the CPU testing. The Define 7 ends up about where the Corsair 680X is, and that’s a glass-fronted cuboid-like case, and isn’t far from the 220T Airflow or Core P3.

fractal design define 7

Concealed storage

We can also reproduce fractal patterns in a computer, often with strangely beautiful results. Some graphic designers use fractal methods to reproduce very realistic-looking landscapes and other natural phenomena. We somehow recognize them as being “natural” and connect with them emotionally. We seem to be wired to “read” fractals in our environment, probably for two key reasons. When we look at a long vista, structures that repeat (trees for example), repeat at smaller apparent scales when they are farther away.

The Define 7 XL also comes with two new and versatile multi-brackets for converting any unused fan position to an HDD, SSD or pump mount, which will be welcome news for anyone not utilizing all eleven 120 mm (or nine 140 mm) fan positions. The Define 7 is the latest pinnacle of the renowned Define series, setting a new standard for what you should expect from a mid-tower case when it comes to modularity, flexibility and ease of use.

Explainer: What Scaling and Fractals Are, and How Designers Can Use Them

By default, as shipped from the factory, the chassis can be outfitted with seven 3.5-inch spinning disks and two SSDs. The Define 7 has a single 5.25-inch drive bay slot for those of you still using optical drives or 5.25-inch drive bay accessories. The Fractal Design Define 7 mid-tower chassis comes in black, grey or white with the option of a tempered glass side panel.

Define C Tempered Glass

If you were to fit another expansion card in here, it’d potentially have drastic impact on GPU thermals since most of the air comes through the rear of the case. The Define 7 lists support for E-ATX motherboards, and it does indeed have support for motherboards up to 11 inches in width by our measurement. We think Fractal has missed a trick here by not allowing even wider boards. The EVGA SR-3 that we’ll be using to build a production system in an upcoming stream is an E-ATX board 13 inches wide.

While I would like a quiet case, I also want great airflow and optimal cooling to ensure maximum performance (without any throttling due to heat). Some noise due to fans is okay if it helps to ensure optimal performance... Fractal’s Define 7 shows itself again underwhelming for CPU performance, ranking toward the lower third of results. The Define 7 is near the S2 Vision, which is one of the worst cases we’ve tested recently, and the C700P. That said, none of these are particularly bad in CPU thermals, and Blender doesn’t establish much of a top-to-bottom difference to begin with.

The included Multibracket lets you convertany unused fan position to an HDD, SSD or pump mount. The series debuts with a tour of a tranquil upstate New York retreat designed with Passive House principles. The Define 7 and the Define 7 XL are available worldwide now, and will soon be complemented with a unique range of accessories to help customize your building experience.

This fractal information helps us read distances and depth in the environment. Doing so gives us an effortless understanding of the geometrical order of our environment. We’re aware of this only as a pleasurable sense and not, coincidentally, as an important survival need, from an evolutionary point of view.

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