I normally don't bother liking videos or leaving comments, but I was blown away by how detailed this review was. A lot of the concerns I had regarding thermals (extra fan on the bottom, radiator mounting positions, stock fan performance, even the combination of an extra fan with a front mounted radiator) were put to rest by your thorough testing. Liked and subscribed, hope to see your channel get the success it deserves.
This is the best video that I saw regarding the Meshify 2 Compact, I was looking everywhere which CPU/AIO I should buy for this case and this video gave a lot of good information, Thanks!.
Thanks for the extensive thermal configuration tests. For anyone running an NH-D15(S) you can use a 120mm fan in place of the front 140mm fan in order to bring the height of the cooler down to 160mm. The fan clips fit 120mm fans because the round NF-A15 has the same mounting size as a 120mm. Thermal difference is minimal, usually within margin of error when compared between a 140mm and 120mm front fan for the NH-D15. You can then mount your extra NF-A15 at the front or top-rear as an exhaust so as to not waste it.
@Gantcho Gantchev Yeah that's correct, first fan should be 120mm as that's the fan that sits above the RAM (which makes its height subject to that of the RAM's own height). With just a middle fan installed the height of the NH-D15(S) is 160mm. For personal reference I'm using the original Meshify C with an NH-D15S. With my Mushkin RAM that are around 39mm tall, my 140mm fan on the on the front of the NH-D15S just barely fits inside the case. Maybe 1-2mm of clearance. IIRC, the CPU clearance for the Meshify C is 170mm and the Meshify 2 Compact is 169mm so that 1mm difference might actually prevent me from using a 140mm with the same RAM. Unless you have Corsair LPX or similarly short RAM just stick with a 120mm on the front. The 140mm noctua on the top-rear would be the perfect spot to use it.
That is really useful to know. It is so easy to make a mistake, when you can’t check before you order. Someone else mentioned that you may be able to use low profile ram as well to make the noctua fit. I was wondering if the be quiet dark pro 4, which is 163mm might be an alternative and wonder if anyone has tried it.
I was worried about the cooler to fit this case, so it was very helpful. The video of assembling the PC was also great. I don't understand English, but probably because you speak polite language, the RUclips translation worked fine.
your channel is way underrated. I love your videos. I dont much like AIOs or liquid cooling, so I SUPER appreciate you testing with air coolers. in 2021 other channels have forgotten air coolers exist. So it is refreshing you go through both. Thank you so much. My question is if the NH D15 didnt fit, is it because of ram clearance, and could be remedied if you had lower clearance ram, or should I just try a different air cooler?
Bought that case and very happy with it! The only complaint/problem i had with that case is that my ram is too high to install 240 mm top mount AIO. My ram is TF3D432G3600HC18JDC01. I had to install my AIO on the front. Still have really good temp and happy with it.
Amazing video detailing everything I needed to know. I was already leaning towards getting this case but after this I am definitely gonna pick it up. Very nice looking case for my first build.
i used your Cooler Master 500 video to help build my Gaming/Stream PC a little bit. It was helpful indeed but one little tip i want to mention for future videos is making sure users are running at their monitor's max display hz. My monitor was on 59hz or some bull when display port could do 165hz. i had to search another video to make sure my fps was correct as well as my recommended max resolution that my monitor supports. I'm have seen many other controller players mention that they find out they are playing at 60hz the entire time too months later and this is usually the case. Thankfully, I noticed the issue in one of my settings somewhere. I forgot how i saw it, but you get the idea. Have a good day
Thanks so much for your two videos. I'll build this in a couple of weeks and as I don't have much experience, they will be of a huge help. One question if I may: With an Aircooler, is it a bad idea to add fans at the top? one intake, one exhaust for instance...
Tnx for very good testing!! I have a question regarding the noise measuring. Where have you placed the microphone in relation to the chassis? According to your test result placing the AIO fans in the front will decrease the fan noise level significantly.
Regarding the aesthetics of using a front AIO, I wonder if putting the GPU in a vertical mod kit would allow you to mostly hide the hoses behind the GPU? I believe this case is good for a vertical mod as it has an open PCI-E slot area. The downside being the current lack of riser cables for modern GPUs.
Dude, awesome data! Appreciate the fan, radiator and dust filter configurations tested! Even the AIO and air cooler info! Would it be possible to swap the NH-D15 fan with the back case fan or something for better clearance?
The D15 (and the D15S - single fan version) can be configured with a 120 mm fan using the supplied clips. However, you may want to try out just using the D15 with a single fan or going with the D15S and saving a few bucks. The performance between one fan and two on the D15 isn't all that major unless you are trying to deal with a lot of heat. I like to configure my rear case fan in BIOS to follow the same fan curve as my D15. Keeps that hot air moving out of the case and adds some support to the D15's airflow overall.
a great review Chris. 👍 just one query. will the LT520 aio of deepcool will fit on the top. the 2 fans measures 240mm but the radiator is 280mm. Is it still possible to place it on the top instead of putting it in the front?
Nicee just came across your channel today and absalutely love ut keep it up m8!! Btw can you do case reviews for cheaper cases in the range of 120 dollars and less...
Nice review as always. Chris, please help and advice. Having hard time deciding, between this and Lian Li Mesh (Performance) which would you pic? My concern is bottom hole and no dust filter thus more dust accumulation for Lian Li II Mesh. Any thoughts?
Both a good cases and it depends on what you like most from a case, but the build quality in the fractal case is excellent and that would probably be the deciding factor for me
Chris how about a configuration like this, a 280mm rad in the front, a 120mm fan in the rear as exhaust, two 140mm fans at the top, the first one as an intake and the second one as exhaust.
Love the review. I was just wondering, with AIO as top exhast, would the small 120mm exhaust be better as intake? You also mentioned in you build video you would test with a fan below the PSU shroud, did that change anything?
Awesome review, you mentioned almost everything I wanted to know. Got 1 question tho: would a NH-D15 fit with a low profile RAM (like the Vengeance LPX which is 31mm)?
The NH-D15 Chromax Black (165mm height) fits in my Corsair 4000D Airflow case (170mm CPU clearance) with Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 RAM (39.17mm height) so taking this into account and looking at the Meshify 2 Compact case (169mm CPU clearance) with Vengeance LPX RAM (31mm height), it should fit easily as the NH-D15's front fan can clear 32mm high RAM sticks without the need to elevate the fan (i.e. thus no increase in the height of 165mm leaving you with 4mm clearance in the case).
Why are you using the NF-S12A as comparison basis to the GP-14? The S12A is smaller and low-pressure, which will put it at huge disadvantage against the GP14 as intake fan considering the mesh panel and dust filter will introduce some resistance. The NF-A14 is a far more proper competitor to the GP-14 and it's also the benchmark of 140mm fan.
A great review Chris. I would like your opinion on a proposed build. I'm looking to build a machine that will run 24/7 and will be under my desk. I am torn between the Meshify 2 Compact and the Define 7 compact. I am plan on running a Ryzen 3700x with a beQuiet dark rock pro 4 CPU cooler. I want the machine to be as quiet as possible. Which of the two cases would you recommend?
Great review! Sorry for bringing this up a year and some later, but did you happen to test if gpu temperatures improved by sliding the stock 140mm fans a bit down from their original position, as more of the cool front intake air might be coerced beneath the gpu? xD
If im building a 3080ti fe 12700k dark power 12 1000w psu nochtua cpu cooler, is this cool enough or should i really consider going straight to the meshify 2
Hi Chris. Wonderful review as always. As always fractal makes amazing cases but once again they don't allow bigger psu's with the drive cage mounted in their smaller cases (this was the reason that prevented me from buying the previous iteration). My psu is 18cm. Do you think it's possible to fit my psu with the drive cage mounted even if fractal states the maximum size is 16.5cm? As a side note my psu is modular (except motherboard power connector). Thank you in advance. Nuno.
Very good review, I´m looking to match the Meshify 2 compact with a NH-D15. So it would be extremely helpful and much appreciated if you could tell me what ram memory you used and what their height was?
I have a request if you don't mind. Could you measure the space between the hdd cage and a psu (if the psu were like 180mm?). I know the specs only list that you can only fit 165mm with the hdd bay but that also includes if there was a 120mm fan in front of it. So I am just wondering if fitting 180mm and the cage would be possible without that 120mm fan in the way. (very nice and detailed review by the way!)
Hi my friend. I am not sure in which direction to place the case fans. Need your help. I bought 10 x Corsair QL120 case fans. On my Lian Li 011 dynamic XL Rog case which direction should they go. I have the Corsair iCue H150i elite Cappllix CPU liquid cooler. I’m not sure about airflow which way the fan intake for air.
Hello, thank you for your amazing videos. So i bought meshify 2 compact and arctic liquid freezer 280 before i saw this video. I wonder if you couldn't fit radiator to the front because of bad aesthetics, or it was Impossible which will cost me a new cooler :/
When the most important and expensive part of a pc build these days are the GPU and you don't recommend installing a bottom fan is just outside of my realm.
It's a nice case but I'd be a lot more interested in a Meshify 2 XL Compact if they release such a thing. For those who are not putting lots of HDDs in a case, the non-Compact case versions are a waste of space. Anyone who needs massive storage should be looking at a NAS instead as it'll allow for a lot more flexibility in choosing a new case and also improve the temps, airflow, weight and noise in the case.
(Pls dont be offended) Why does every tech interested guy look like the same pattern for example look to linus tech tips they are al same and theres one that explains mainboard origins abd he also look like the same pattern
I normally don't bother liking videos or leaving comments, but I was blown away by how detailed this review was. A lot of the concerns I had regarding thermals (extra fan on the bottom, radiator mounting positions, stock fan performance, even the combination of an extra fan with a front mounted radiator) were put to rest by your thorough testing. Liked and subscribed, hope to see your channel get the success it deserves.
This is the best video that I saw regarding the Meshify 2 Compact, I was looking everywhere which CPU/AIO I should buy for this case and this video gave a lot of good information, Thanks!.
I love your reviews, keep on and thank you for this case review, only some hours after his launch! THANKS
I think he already had it for some days 😉
Yes, will do.
@@swizzler8053 Your right
FINALLY
the dream case
Sorry SteveGN and Leo@KitGuru, but Chris goes first.
Thanks, much appreciated
Thanks for the extensive thermal configuration tests.
For anyone running an NH-D15(S) you can use a 120mm fan in place of the front 140mm fan in order to bring the height of the cooler down to 160mm. The fan clips fit 120mm fans because the round NF-A15 has the same mounting size as a 120mm. Thermal difference is minimal, usually within margin of error when compared between a 140mm and 120mm front fan for the NH-D15. You can then mount your extra NF-A15 at the front or top-rear as an exhaust so as to not waste it.
@Gantcho Gantchev Yeah that's correct, first fan should be 120mm as that's the fan that sits above the RAM (which makes its height subject to that of the RAM's own height). With just a middle fan installed the height of the NH-D15(S) is 160mm.
For personal reference I'm using the original Meshify C with an NH-D15S. With my Mushkin RAM that are around 39mm tall, my 140mm fan on the on the front of the NH-D15S just barely fits inside the case. Maybe 1-2mm of clearance. IIRC, the CPU clearance for the Meshify C is 170mm and the Meshify 2 Compact is 169mm so that 1mm difference might actually prevent me from using a 140mm with the same RAM.
Unless you have Corsair LPX or similarly short RAM just stick with a 120mm on the front. The 140mm noctua on the top-rear would be the perfect spot to use it.
That is really useful to know. It is so easy to make a mistake, when you can’t check before you order. Someone else mentioned that you may be able to use low profile ram as well to make the noctua fit. I was wondering if the be quiet dark pro 4, which is 163mm might be an alternative and wonder if anyone has tried it.
@Gantcho Gantchev Thanks. This is probably the way to go.
You’re videos are extremely helpful! Superb quality matched only by your exceptional editing. 10/10
fantastic case full of modular and simple to clean front mesh and top plate nice information from you
Thanks
Thanks christopher. I built my pc in this case a month ago and I'm super happy with it.
Love the reviews. My go to channel ✌🏾
Btw you give me Jim Browning vibes on YT
Thanks
I was worried about the cooler to fit this case, so it was very helpful. The video of assembling the PC was also great. I don't understand English, but probably because you speak polite language, the RUclips translation worked fine.
Excellent and detailed review. Thank you!
absolutely excellent & comprehensive testing. You're the best.
your channel is way underrated. I love your videos. I dont much like AIOs or liquid cooling, so I SUPER appreciate you testing with air coolers. in 2021 other channels have forgotten air coolers exist. So it is refreshing you go through both. Thank you so much. My question is if the NH D15 didnt fit, is it because of ram clearance, and could be remedied if you had lower clearance ram, or should I just try a different air cooler?
Thank you so much for this! Definitely picking this case up for my first build!
Bought that case and very happy with it! The only complaint/problem i had with that case is that my ram is too high to install 240 mm top mount AIO. My ram is TF3D432G3600HC18JDC01.
I had to install my AIO on the front. Still have really good temp and happy with it.
Amazing video detailing everything I needed to know. I was already leaning towards getting this case but after this I am definitely gonna pick it up. Very nice looking case for my first build.
same just ordered
Great review, many thanks! And yes, I just ordered one, the removable top was my main reason.
I will buy this case because you look like a knowledgeable nerd and I trust you.
i used your Cooler Master 500 video to help build my Gaming/Stream PC a little bit. It was helpful indeed but one little tip i want to mention for future videos is making sure users are running at their monitor's max display hz. My monitor was on 59hz or some bull when display port could do 165hz. i had to search another video to make sure my fps was correct as well as my recommended max resolution that my monitor supports. I'm have seen many other controller players mention that they find out they are playing at 60hz the entire time too months later and this is usually the case. Thankfully, I noticed the issue in one of my settings somewhere. I forgot how i saw it, but you get the idea. Have a good day
This looks like a perfect case for no frills 11400f build.
Yet again Fractal Design's cases look really nice just wish they were a tad cheaper.
I think you get what you pay for and the build quality of this case is very high
Very instructive video, now I just need to get the parts. I suppose, next year zen 4 may be out, but my current build will be really creaking by then.
Thanks so much for your two videos. I'll build this in a couple of weeks and as I don't have much experience, they will be of a huge help.
One question if I may: With an Aircooler, is it a bad idea to add fans at the top? one intake, one exhaust for instance...
Tnx for very good testing!! I have a question regarding the noise measuring. Where have you placed the microphone in relation to the chassis? According to your test result placing the AIO fans in the front will decrease the fan noise level significantly.
Thanks for the informative review
Regarding the aesthetics of using a front AIO, I wonder if putting the GPU in a vertical mod kit would allow you to mostly hide the hoses behind the GPU? I believe this case is good for a vertical mod as it has an open PCI-E slot area. The downside being the current lack of riser cables for modern GPUs.
Dude, awesome data! Appreciate the fan, radiator and dust filter configurations tested! Even the AIO and air cooler info! Would it be possible to swap the NH-D15 fan with the back case fan or something for better clearance?
The D15 (and the D15S - single fan version) can be configured with a 120 mm fan using the supplied clips. However, you may want to try out just using the D15 with a single fan or going with the D15S and saving a few bucks. The performance between one fan and two on the D15 isn't all that major unless you are trying to deal with a lot of heat. I like to configure my rear case fan in BIOS to follow the same fan curve as my D15. Keeps that hot air moving out of the case and adds some support to the D15's airflow overall.
@@MrMoogle the D15S comes with 1 fan but ALSO has q slightly different heatsink design for added clearance, the tubes sit slightly higher.
a great review Chris. 👍 just one query. will the LT520 aio of deepcool will fit on the top. the 2 fans measures 240mm but the radiator is 280mm. Is it still possible to place it on the top instead of putting it in the front?
Nicee just came across your channel today and absalutely love ut keep it up m8!!
Btw can you do case reviews for cheaper cases in the range of 120 dollars and less...
Nice review as always. Chris, please help and advice. Having hard time deciding, between this and Lian Li Mesh (Performance) which would you pic? My concern is bottom hole and no dust filter thus more dust accumulation for Lian Li II Mesh. Any thoughts?
Both a good cases and it depends on what you like most from a case, but the build quality in the fractal case is excellent and that would probably be the deciding factor for me
Chris how about a configuration like this, a 280mm rad in the front, a 120mm fan in the rear as exhaust, two 140mm fans at the top, the first one as an intake and the second one as exhaust.
Love the review. I was just wondering, with AIO as top exhast, would the small 120mm exhaust be better as intake? You also mentioned in you build video you would test with a fan below the PSU shroud, did that change anything?
VERY GOOD JOB, FROM ITALY
Awesome review, you mentioned almost everything I wanted to know. Got 1 question tho: would a NH-D15 fit with a low profile RAM (like the Vengeance LPX which is 31mm)?
The NH-D15 Chromax Black (165mm height) fits in my Corsair 4000D Airflow case (170mm CPU clearance) with Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 RAM (39.17mm height) so taking this into account and looking at the Meshify 2 Compact case (169mm CPU clearance) with Vengeance LPX RAM (31mm height), it should fit easily as the NH-D15's front fan can clear 32mm high RAM sticks without the need to elevate the fan (i.e. thus no increase in the height of 165mm leaving you with 4mm clearance in the case).
@@frikkievuiltrens is ur ballixtics non RGB?
Why are you using the NF-S12A as comparison basis to the GP-14? The S12A is smaller and low-pressure, which will put it at huge disadvantage against the GP14 as intake fan considering the mesh panel and dust filter will introduce some resistance. The NF-A14 is a far more proper competitor to the GP-14 and it's also the benchmark of 140mm fan.
A great review Chris. I would like your opinion on a proposed build. I'm looking to build a machine that will run 24/7 and will be under my desk. I am torn between the Meshify 2 Compact and the Define 7 compact. I am plan on running a Ryzen 3700x with a beQuiet dark rock pro 4 CPU cooler. I want the machine to be as quiet as possible. Which of the two cases would you recommend?
Great review! Sorry for bringing this up a year and some later, but did you happen to test if gpu temperatures improved by sliding the stock 140mm fans a bit down from their original position, as more of the cool front intake air might be coerced beneath the gpu? xD
Nice!
If im building a 3080ti fe 12700k dark power 12 1000w psu nochtua cpu cooler, is this cool enough or should i really consider going straight to the meshify 2
Hi Chris. Wonderful review as always. As always fractal makes amazing cases but once again they don't allow bigger psu's with the drive cage mounted in their smaller cases (this was the reason that prevented me from buying the previous iteration). My psu is 18cm. Do you think it's possible to fit my psu with the drive cage mounted even if fractal states the maximum size is 16.5cm? As a side note my psu is modular (except motherboard power connector). Thank you in advance. Nuno.
Very good review, I´m looking to match the Meshify 2 compact with a NH-D15.
So it would be extremely helpful and much appreciated if you could tell me what ram memory you used and what their height was?
I have a request if you don't mind. Could you measure the space between the hdd cage and a psu (if the psu were like 180mm?). I know the specs only list that you can only fit 165mm with the hdd bay but that also includes if there was a 120mm fan in front of it. So I am just wondering if fitting 180mm and the cage would be possible without that 120mm fan in the way. (very nice and detailed review by the way!)
Do you think it's too big for a ITX mobo? I'm after a decent compact case with a Type-C connector.
Hi my friend. I am not sure in which direction to place the case fans. Need your help. I bought 10 x Corsair QL120 case fans. On my Lian Li 011 dynamic XL Rog case which direction should they go. I have the Corsair iCue H150i elite Cappllix CPU liquid cooler. I’m not sure about airflow which way the fan intake for air.
Can you put 140mm fan on the bottom? Also are you able to put fans into psu shroud?
Hello, thank you for your amazing videos. So i bought meshify 2 compact and arctic liquid freezer 280 before i saw this video. I wonder if you couldn't fit radiator to the front because of bad aesthetics, or it was Impossible which will cost me a new cooler :/
Great review.. can I ask which DIMMs you're using with your NH-D15?
Nerver mind, HyperX Fury RGB it looks like. About the same height as crucial ballistix. I was wondering If I could even fit a D15 in this case. ;)
.... and I got to the part where you couldn't close the case... will stick to the Dark Rock Pro 4.. haha.
can you put fans on top of psu shroud?
👍
Thanks
When the most important and expensive part of a pc build these days are the GPU and you don't recommend installing a bottom fan is just outside of my realm.
U12a cpu cooler
It's a nice case but I'd be a lot more interested in a Meshify 2 XL Compact if they release such a thing. For those who are not putting lots of HDDs in a case, the non-Compact case versions are a waste of space. Anyone who needs massive storage should be looking at a NAS instead as it'll allow for a lot more flexibility in choosing a new case and also improve the temps, airflow, weight and noise in the case.
They are already really scarce, this one will probably also not available.
Like every other part at the moment unfortunately
Can’t get any of the parts at less than 2x price, probably have to delay my build until 2022.
With a last name like flannigan I should have known you were either Scottish or Irish lol
(Pls dont be offended)
Why does every tech interested guy look like the same pattern for example look to linus tech tips they are al same and theres one that explains mainboard origins abd he also look like the same pattern
It's called nerd, they used to be plenty until hipster started to invade tech geek and this type of reviewer became more scarce