Fractal Terra Mini-ITX Case Review: Build Quality, Thermals, Acoustics, & Cable Management
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
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This review and benchmark of the Fractal Terra (Jade) Mini-ITX case looks at the build quality, the ease-of-installation features, cable management, and design qualities of the new small form factor (SFF) case from Fractal. We also deploy our hemi-anechoic acoustic testing chamber for some initial numbers, run thermal benchmarks and comparisons, and talk about what kind of build makes the most sense with this case. The closest competitors would come from Formd and the DAN Case A4-H2O. We are working on the DAN Case ITX review next!
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RELATED PRODUCTS [Affiliate Links]:
Fractal Terra ITX Case (black) on Amazon: geni.us/v8kB0lz
Fractal Terra ITX Jade on Amazon: geni.us/AOG0Z
DAN Case A4-H2O on Amazon: geni.us/jZFKcSs
Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini on Amazon: geni.us/TwnAdi
LEARN ABOUT THE ACOUSTIC CHAMBER:
Chamber Build Video & Explainer: • Our New $250,000 Test ...
HW News with use cases explained: • HW News - New RX 7900 ...
Find Cybenetics Lab here: www.cybenetics.com/
Find Hardware Busters here: / hardwarebustersinterna...
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - The Fractal Terra ITX Review
03:00 - Excellent Ease of Installation & Alternatives
04:12 - ITX Reviews Background Information | The Pain in the Ass Factor
05:30 - Ease-of-Installation & Component Clearance
08:29 - Size Comparison vs. ITX Cases & Dimensions
09:13 - Fan Discussion
09:38 - Build Quality, Fit & Finish
14:19 - Video Card Fitment & Clearance
15:38 - PSU Support
17:11 - Test Methodology
18:47 - Acoustic Testing
20:09 - Peer Review from ISO Labs
22:08 - Frequency Spectrum Plot
21:22 - Noise Levels (A vs. B)
24:58 - Thermal Testing
25:25 - GPU Thermals
29:19 - Conclusion & Excellent Build Quality
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Host, Writing, Test Lead: Steve Burke
Writing, Testing: Jeremy Clayton
Video: Vitalii Makhnovets
QC conducted by team above in addition to the team below:
QC: Patrick Lathan (GN), Aristeidis Bitziopoulos (Cybenetics, 3rd Party for Acoustics), Mike Chin (Consulting, 3rd Party for Acoustics) 
Игры
We're excited to do more work on these! The DAN Case is next -- but what's after that? What ITX cases do you all find most interesting? We're wide open to suggestions!
Learn about the hemi-anechoic chamber build here: ruclips.net/video/eUqYTenB2A0/видео.html
And learn more about its use cases in the first section of this HW News video: ruclips.net/video/ghSVNLX8dWU/видео.html
Nr200p max
Meshlicious/Meshroom!
Review some classics like the Ncase M1 v6 (if you can get one, they're discontinued now). The Ncase along with the Dan A4-SFX are longtime classic SFF cases.
ncase M1Evo or FormD T1
Ewwwww..... a 30 minute video review of a case.
I wonder if Linus Tech has any better videos I can watch right now.
As an Audio Engineer it makes me happy to see this level of testing on sound. I watched the video on the chamber and was excited to see the upcoming tests.
Like LMG labs?
Oh, they are no longer exist...
Very reassuring as a consumer to see audio engineers give the thumbs up!
@@minmb82 low blow my /Vi99er
@@minmb82 Linus is doomed, no need to talk about him, just let Twitter do its thing.
@@minmb82 who?
I cannot tell you how excited I am that not only is GN getting into ITX reviews, but that you’re also tailoring the tests to account for how ITX is different from a regular full tower build. Testing different cooling configurations is a HUGE help for those researching or building an SFF PC, and a lot of reviewers aren’t nearly as thorough when it comes to the objective testing portion. Thanks for the hard work you put into everything!
Agree. Looking forward to more advanced Thermals and Sound, having built ITX it can take a lot of tweaking on a single build, getting comparisons across many builds in one place with consistency GN brings is huge.
yes indeed me too, still have a Corsair 250D ITX case which looks a bit of a monster compared to these kind of new cases!
Same. I'm a big fan of SFF cases due to portability, aesthetics, and generally just not taking up a ridiculous amount of space.
And unlike most ATX cases where frankly it's pretty hard to screw up unless you do something really ridiculous, SFF is very sensitive to the specifics of how things are installed / laid out / etc.
I agree too! Awesome job Steve!
Yes, and also folks who choose ITX care more for form factor, and dont buy the biggest GPU or GPUs flow through (e.g. founders)
The PITA Factor is what I wish reviewers would have done years ago when ITX started becoming a thing. So glad to see GN taking the lead on this since it could save people hours of research trying to compare the buildability for different cases before spending more hours confirming that the selected components actually fit in the case which can't be avoided. Great coverage and consumer advice, as usual!
I agree, that was why I invested in custom power cables specifically shaped to the case.
OptimumTech specializes in ITX cases and discusses ease of build and configuration options in details. The thermal and acustic metrics are not as detailed as in GN, but well, not everyone has GN's lab
to me, PITA factor is something you just... sacrifice for the look and volume.
beauty is pain, as people say.
but i do agree, showing how much harder case A is to build compared to case B can be a determining factor when choosing a case.
Yup, I built an ITX PC for my folks a few years ago and the PITA factor is why I swore off ever doing it again. Their next PC will be an M-ATX build, since there are so many smaller options these days.
@@Looo0007 yeah but depending on people's skills it can result in damage to hardware or just giving up
It's absolutely impressive how thoroughly you conduct your reviews and the lengths to which you go for accuracy's sake.
And I love watching your case reviews, even though I've had the same case for years now and can't justify changing it.
Same. Though as a Carbide 540 Chad this one does appeal. It has a great color, too.
Didn't really realise until now how tricky small case reviews are, massively impressed with the displayed methodology tho and I'm curious to see more of these reviews to see how you end up comparing cases to each other.
Also props for the peer review stuff and hiring experts to invite constructive criticism. This is why you guys are industry leaders. Good shit, love to see it!
I want GN to use it's years of experience to work with someone to bring out a new motherboard formfactor/case design updated for extant GPU/CPU products and their coolers. Get with some small fabs, an independent designers and see what they could make, and how to make it pro worker/ pro environment/pro consumer forever.
You know they take things seriously when they start throwing around words like "peer review" or "vibrometer"*
* on any other channel I might start asking if that was a real thing and not a science fiction invention or adult toy, but since this is GN I'll take Steve's word that it is indeed an actual tool 😁
I wasn't expecting the Adobe Audition portion to be so effective at showing the noise characteristics. That really highlights the vibration induced.
I am so ready for more of this super detailed analysis.
Absolutely love the direction this channel keeps heading.
The indepth dedication and pursuit to testing, never ceases to amaze me!
Rather see him ROASTING LTT !
@@gertjanvandermeij4265 touch grass
They're actually willing to spend 100, 200, 500 dollars to test something!
I've got a lot of respect for Fractal's new outlook. I'm confident they'll continue to work on this extremely challenging form factor.
What sucks is that customers who spend their hard-earned cash on poorly designed/under designed cases are treated like they’re paying to be beta testers.
@@manny9323the wonderful thing is you don't actually have to pay for it
Can't tell if this comment is sarcasm
Love these reviews. I'm eventually going to build a new computer after 6 years, and am really wanting a small form factor build.
Video is 2 minutes old. You didn't even watch it yet
I want lower thermals and noise so CTE for me next.
Alas I chose my case based on Steve's verdict ("we don't mind recommending this case") :)
@@smmmokin he didn't say anything about the video itself
I've been debating between the Sliger S620 and the Dan Case C4
I bought my Phanteks P500 based on Gamers Nexus review. This channel testing and objective results speaks volume. 3 years later, I still love the PC case. Thank You STEVE!
So awesome to see you guys evolving with your new sound chamber and testing methodologies. The future of GN is bright! Now I need to see Steve wearing some stunner shades 8)
You don't think he pissed off the algorithm ? I'm calling it now GN will be gone in 12 months.
@@brucemc72lol
20:09 is why I trust GN. It is not enough for them to tell me why I should trust their data -- they prove it. You continue to raise the bar in this space. Thanks for the hard work GN team.
As someone who works in academia, I really appreciate that GN uses at least 2 different sources for peer review. Ideally, you would want at least 3 sources, in the event of disagreement between peer reviewers so as to weigh their assessment (for example, if 2 think one way while the other thinks differently). But, for this particular review, if both peer reviewers are in agreement, then that's fine. I am loving how GN is improving the quality of its reviews and showing its work. Honestly, if GN published its behind-the-scenes of the entire review process to its GN Extras channel, I would gobble that up even if such videos were hours and hours long. Excellent work GN!
Another reason why I trust them is that if they make a mistake they will take the video down and retest unlike some other company there that leaves it up and just use some RUclips tool to cut out the offending part and keeping the obviously ill informed conclusion, because it will effect monitization.
Tech Jesus all the way!
I find the ITX crowd to be super hard core. They’re expensive, but very cool! (To me). Like, I’ve loved my big cases over the years, but then you see people like Optimum Tech build these hyper machines in tiny shoe box cases, performing fairly decently and that is pretty impressive to me.
This case may not be for me, but I’m inching closer and closer to picking up something similar.
Take the ITX pill, it's worth it. I switched to the Dan A4-h20 and got temps as good or better to similar atx cases with a little bit of undervolting.
Super idiots more like
@@LTNetjak tiny tables
If the case and build are good you barely suffer any performance reduction. They are great
I encourage you to make the switch! I did it five years ago and it has absolutely been worth it.
My favorite part about this review is how it's indepth and at the same time easy to get. You go into detail on what the noise levels and noise frequency spectrum of this case are, while explaining to the regular consumer what those numbers mean and how they affect them. Bravo!
Very slick video editing, and production value. I particularly liked how legible the frequent overlays were, text or otherwise. Readable, and gives me a great jumping-off point for ITX case expectations
Built my first PC in 2017 and now im back looking at all the new tech to build a new one, happy to see steve and GN still killing it after all these years your video's helped my out a TON back in the day.
I went full ATX because I have the room and I didn't want to limit myself with size restrictions, but I freakin love these reviews. It is so cool seeing all of the various options you can throw together. Another great vid, thanks!
O11 air mini’s still a solid choice
Do you use the extra PCI? I kept buying ATX thinking id one day need a better network card or optical out till I just gave in to the adorable PC life.
Really cool case to review! Always enjoy case reviews, so it's great to see other form factors explored in-depth. Also looking forward to learning more about your peer review and consulting for the sound testing chamber--Great to see such a serious commitment to quality!
Love to see an ITX case put through its paces!
On the topic of controls (ie: standardised components) I could recommend what @OptimumTech did:
locking down to a Corsair 750 SFX and a founders edition 4080 so that the only variable is the CPU cooler (but even there, there are options, like Noctuas NH-L9i or NH-L9a which basically fit every ITX case as being such low profile that the I/O shield will be the limiting factor).
That could be the important metric here: which actual, tower style CPU cooler fits a case? 🙂
Great review! I’m so happy to see GN is finally reviewing ITX cases. GN not reviewing itx cases is one of the main reasons I didn’t jump into getting one. I’d love to see the cooler master nr200 reviewed next. Great budget itx case that looks newbie friendly!
Small form factor build is somewhat niche. Because of its niche, the SFF community lacked objective measurements in terms of thermals, acoustics. I am glad to see that is changing, thanks to GN! I look forward to seeing more these in-depth reviews with PITA factor!
While the noise testing isn't as deep, optimum tech has done an excellent job for a while, especially for enthusiasts due to the methodology that suits how enthusiasts build
I've seen a few ITX builds/reviews over the years and always assumed it was for people who liked them because they were "cute" or had OCD or who knows why. Thinking about it now there's plenty of people who have IRL space issues like living on a sailboat, a tiny home, an RV or maybe made an impromptu home office out of a closet when they needed to work from home. All that said I'm never going smaller than mATX to avoid the pitfalls.
@@bothellkenmore Or it's a general aesthetic thing? I have a pretty standard mid-tower case but it still and ugly box that takes up a lot of room and I have no interest in "showing off my components".
Hopefully more SFF cases get the GN treatment and we end up with even better cases!
@@bothellkenmoreit's for people who don't want a big ugly box in their room
@@bothellkenmoreThere are compromises, but they aren't all limited like (or as small as) these Fractal Terra/Dan A4 cases
My NR200 is more than roomy enough to be easy to build in a fit decently sized coolers for both the CPU and GPU, but it also is ~50% bigger than the terra - still ways off from a midtower, though.
Steve, your level of depth of testing is on another level. That is why I watch your channel every time new video drops. Thanks for great content.
OMG, Steve is finally reviewing ITX cases? I've been looking forward to this day for years now, thank you so much!
Great work as usual, I'm very excited seeing more ITX case reviews from you guys!
I’ve been waiting for a review of this case. And you hit it out of the park with it. And it being your first ITX review with the new sound chamber makes it so much more impressive.
Awesome video
Wow! A semi anechoic center! Damn, stepping up! Love how you are providing objective testing that will help the OEM improve their product design!
never really watched your channel before the video about ltt, and i have to say, this is a whole another level of professionalism, and attention to detail and quality. i'm extremly impressed, and i subscribed.
Really appreciated the style and focus of this review.
As someone who had already purchased the case,
I still found the review very useful for figuring out, how to get the most of my component choice.
As a first time ITX builder I found the build process pretty much painless with the Terra, compared to what I had heard from others, trying to build in this form factor.
Thank you for the video.
You have been always my go to for tech reviews always go in depth and throughout testing Keep up the good work!
🍆 how does he taste jw
-10
Awesome to see new ITX reviews! For the ITX enthusiasts, it would be great to see some reviews of older but still well-acclaimed cases as well to get a good comparison between them and newer cases. I think the Cooler Master NR200 and NR200P could definitely deserve a review for example.
Great review -- also love seeing peer-reviewed data. This review just confirms my decision to go with the fractal north in my most recent build rather than the terra. Still, if I ever need to do a SFX build I'd go with terra if they switch to mesh with the right poreocity(sp?) as you suggested. Great work!
The Ghost had a similar issue. That's why a lot of people would use the L12. Doubled as a large cooler, and the fan had to go on the bottom so you didn't get that negative noise profile.
Awesome review and data from the new chamber dude. Steve you and your team are the quality and professionalism this industry deserves. Looking forward for the next one
I definitely appreciate the mini-itx case reviews. From my own experience I can tell you that heat re-circulation becomes a big problem, I had a Fractal node 202 and I had to make a cone shaped barrier for the CPU cooler to prevent re-circulation. Reduced temperature of the CPU by about 10-12 degrees while running cinebench, and 4-6 degrees on SoTR.
Ingenuity can give you a huge pay off on these kinds of cases.
How was your general experience with Node 202? Considering that case too.
Thank you so much for doing proper ITX case reviews. I've been looking into building a new pc with a small case as the current one is so damn big.
I am thoroughly impressed by your new acoustic testing setup, and very excited to see where you go with it. Also these new case reviews are excellent.
The level of detail in the review is mind boggling. Kudos to the team.
Asking for peer reviews 🤯
This is a good review and also a really good descriptive introduction to their methodology. I once had a job working on building a test lab, and it's not easy.
I’m so excited for this. I hope that this will further help case makers listen and improve!
Would be great to see you guys review the Formed T1! It's amazing to see just how much testing you guys put in to see optimal performance where you can for an ITX case. Looking forward to the next case review 👍
which t1? I feel like its impossible to review a case that comes in so many configurations.
Gamers Nexus could suprise us though you are right. Would be great to see them tackle at least one configuration since the Terra takes inspiration from it
I'm *really* digging the new acoustic testing! Especially the spectrogram to demonstrate some of the less obvious sound considerations. Looking forward to more. :)
I've been waiting for this review for a while now, I'm glad it's finally out
love the new noise testing.
Also, i thought you were late on the testing for this case, since most youtube channels have reported on it weeks ago. But this test is just waaaay more deep than the others. Much appreciated!
I love ITX and SFF content! Please keep covering this stuff!
I just wish it wasn't absurdly overpriced. Hopefully if it gets more popular then that will change (with Economies Of Scale).
Almost done with my Gamers Nexus-themed Terra build. Excellent ITX/SFF case for modding. I quite like how easily you can tear down the entire case to its core pieces.
and ruin it lol!
I just built a i9-13900k/Strix 4090 Terra. Both blocked. And im using a Mora420 pro for the external rad. SO happy.
@helium5912 hey dude sorry to bring up old shit... do you have a build on PC part picker or have you posted photos of your build anywhere? I'm looking at doing pretty much the same build and would like to see how you ran everything and what 4090 and waterblocks you used.
Thanks for including the Audition spectrogram! While it's not really a scientific measurement tool, Audition is honestly pretty legit for analysis in pro audio contexts with the high quality metering tools like the spectrogram and superbly flexible FFT. I use it constantly for comparing microphones, preamps, effects processors, even instruments quickly and efficiently.
A few suggestions for the future: you can do a lot to configure the spectrogram to be more readable (right-click on the frequency plot). I often make it slightly more logarithmic so that the lower frequencies are more visible, and you can increase the frequency resolution at the cost of increasing temporal smearing of the image. This gives a sharper result with more clearly visible LF bands, which is way more readable but may smear horizontally if your sample size is too short. You can also decrease 'Decibel Range' setting in Preferences -> Spectral Displays -> Frequency Display to increase "contrast".
In the FFT plot ("Frequency Analysis") you can also do an average measurement across a section of audio by hitting 'Scan'. For comparing noise floors of different gain settings on a mic pre, I might measure 1-2 minutes and average over it. You should consider noting your FFT size and windowing function in your frequency analyses as they are not directly comparable and may result in different size/shaped peaks or smoother/sharper results if changed.
One last suggestion: you might want to consider including CCIR/ITU-R 468 weighting if possible. It more closely resembles the difference in audibility of objectionable sounds by human perception than simple A-weighting and is widely used in the EU but is very slow to become adopted here in the US because the values usually appear about 10-11 dB higher than A weighted values, and we all know "big number look bad on spec sheet"...
Impressive and insanely helpful test methods. Keep up the good work, this has massive potential. 🙂
Love the wood and green combo, really like fractals design's in general but it feels a bit to expensive in this case ^^
Haha, case
It's not a bad price relative to other ITX cases.
Itx isn't cheap and never has been
@@tuckerhiggins4336 bUt ItS lEsS mAtErIaL
Keep in mind, one of the largest reasons why Sandwich style cases are expensive is because most bundle pci-e 4.0 risers with them. That's already a 40-80$ cost attached to it(back then, it was even higher)
Absolutely fantastic work guys. I was a recording engineer years ago, and I really want to learn more about your chamber and testing methodology. Can't wait for that vid!
I was at a coworkers house today and helped his 2 sons build their first gaming pcs. They loved the GN build mat I was using and they wanted to know where I go to keep up with the latest info. Hopefully just made you 2 more fans. As always, keep up the good work GN!
Hello Steve and GN crew (and fellow YT folks)! Love the work you've done, and Im super geeked for your push to ITX reviews with accountability and data at the forefront. Yall rock!
Im currently running my Terra with a lower- to mid-tier setup with AMD hardware and have found some... interesting issues and caveats in this particular case. I put my thoughts below in case some are curious for a user review with newer mid-level hardware.
TL;DR, your conclusions about mid-tier gaming seem well-founded, and are corroborated by my experiences -- however, there may be some inherent problems derived from specific mother board choices, which may require novel configurations to alleviate. Overall good experience.
-----
Case: Fractal Terra (spine setting 2)
Mobo: ASRock B650E PG-ITX Wifi
CPU: AMD R5 7600x
Cooler: Noctua NH-12L
RAM: GSkill Trident Z5 (2x16GB)
NVME: Samsung 980 Pro (1TB) (x2; front and back)
GPU: ASRock RX 6650XT 8G SL
PSU: Corsair SF750
-----
On CPU/Mobo Heat:
> In one scenario, the built in NVME cooler on the mobo created a heat-trap inside the case. The mobo was likely designed for this component to be on the bottom - not where the case is suggesting the airflow be pushed out - toward the top. Between the riser cable and this big block of billet, my CPU thermally throttled under relatively light loads. After swapping that block for a lower profile cooler, NVME temps went up a few degrees overall, but the CPU only seems to max out on much higher loads. The pathway for air flow is now less obstructed by ~3square inches... which is a gaping hole in SFF...
> The 7600x has been set via BIOS to an 85 C thermal max, with fan curves set to mediate noise under moderate loads. It was finicky, but it works well once tuned, same as any initial system setup. SFF is probably just more sensitive to small changes here than (m-)ATX cases.
CPU Cooling Noise:
As you say, the fan being placed so close to a slotted panel is no doubt chopping the air and creating some gross freqs. The Noctua NH-L12 G1 seems to sidestep this by having the fan separated from the side panel slots by way of the cooling fins. I have mine configured to updraft, as downdraft configs exacerbated the aforementioned heat problems (CPU+NVME, but also RAM and VRMs). Noise at 100% is tolerable, and doesnt seem to have any particularly icky frequencies.
GPU:
[NOTE: the Terra comes with a PCIE4 riser cable, and others in its size and price often come with a PCIE3, requiring more investment.]
Running cool, has plenty of room to breath. High 60s to low 70s and well into 60+ FPS on some mid 2010s titles... fine for me. SFX PSU w/ 10mm standoffs allows excellent ventilation from the 3rd passthrough fan.
PSU:
[Big thanks to the Cybenetics database for helping me choose this!] With the fan oriented to intake from the side panel, thermals are well under control, and voltages are stable. Could probably afford to rotate and accommodate more pull from the GPU... not necessary for my work.
Cable Management:
About what one would expect from an ITX case this small. It's not without some swearing and grumbling, but a moment's consideration for space lead me to obvious pathways that dont crowd airways too badly. Like Steve said - dont smash those GPU cables with the lid... find another way! The cables that came with the SF750 adjust nicely to accommodate corners and u-bends...
-----
I mostly browse, stream, research, and game things that are *NOT* recent RT'd AAA titles... so my experiences are defo not for the ITX Power Gamers amongst thee. It suits my needs just fine, and looks gorgeous on my cramped desktop/workbench. I hope this helps some folks out there! ^,..,^I put my thoughts below in case some are curious for a user review with newer mid-level hardware.
Great review, i love your new setup. Many nice b-roll shots too. I'm happy you got this far over the years.
I just got the green terra and I have to say it looks even better in person than on camera. It was super easy to build in too, Im happy with it.
did u go intel ?
@@plantherain No, Ryzen 5 7600
@@Bpinator hows the cpu hoolding up?
@@tinyoku Works well, though to be honest I think I would’ve rather had not gone the Terra if I had to do it all over again. The two problems I have are heat and noise. It has been a struggle to keep it cool, I ended up putting a thermal limit in the bios, which solved the problem at the cost of cpu performance under load. The noise problem is way worse though. CPU and GPU fan aren’t too bad, but the fan on my motherboard is. I am using fan control to limit the SSD fan to 50%, which so far hasn’t caused any issues but I do not like a hacky solution like that. Without it though it’s the noisiest computer I’ve ever had. So all in all, I’ve kind of gotten soured on ITX, though it could have just been I didn’t build it well.
@@Bpinator thanks for the update, i had seen reviews saying its the side pannels that amplify any fan joise going on in the case which is what made me look at alternatives since i do want a quiet system, any flaws with the 7600? Or does it handle everything well
I just realized the channel as a whole has surpassed half a billion views, crazy accomplishment thanks to the tenacity and integrity of steve and the rest of the GN team. Thanks Steve :)
Oh. Whoa, odd. I didn't think they'd still be under a billion views while Jayz hit the 1B views early July this year.
Nevertheless, a great accomplishment indeed!
@@LloydDunamis jayz has twice as many subs so more or less checks out
Yay! So excited about this content. Your dedication to the fair review process is admirable!
Great review and I'm glad you're branching out into the sffpc space! In my experience with sandwich cases it's best to have any additional case fans exhaust to help encourage more fresh air through the side panels.
I was dreading this review as I bought this case a while back and until now I was flip flopping between building a retro winXP in it with relatively slow-ish components and a top tier AM4 build.
So it'll be a retro build then :P
The way the sound testing chamber actually changed your voice is amazing :D
Keep making those great vids guys.
I really have no interest in SFF builds but I loved this review and look forward to the next. It's so much more than a review, it's an in-depth look into why this design behaves as it does and it's strengths, weaknesses and how user choices of parts will effect the end experience. As ever, your suggestions for improvement aren't petty or picky, but justified feedback based on your testing, but it also provides valuable information for us in comparing solutions from other companies who may have done it differently. Great work, as always.
Absolutely loving the new sound reporting! I'd be really interested in seeing what a cooler like the Alpenföhn Black Ridge can do in terms of noise (and thermals), where the fan is beneath the heatsink but still exhausts out through the side of the case.
I built an ITX case from scratch with a very similar design to the Fractal Terra and haven't noticed any annoying noise like the Terra has with the Black Ridge.
Wow you guys hit 2 million now, it's great to see this channel's growth.
Your dedication and ethics are outstanding. Most reviewers wouldn't bother validating their methodology with third parties. The fact that you did, received valuable comments and are already taking steps to incorporate these is excellent. Thanks for your hard work & big respect!
Outsourcing your QA to GN means you don't only learn about its issues but you're also given the solution.
That sound chamber, those graphs? you guys are killing it. Gonna go buy something on the store, have a beer for me! Love all your work.
Wow forgot how much I missed your case reviews! This was great, more SFF cases please!
Tip: You can buy 3rd party 12VHPWR cables that are custom made for your PSU, and are extremely flexible. Putting very little strain on the connector area. Allowing a 4090 FE like that, to fit without forcing it.
You can also buy the Platuim edition of the Corsair SF750, it comes with shortened flexible cables and the lower tier ones come with the stiff typical psu cords. They do sell non 3rd party ones from Corsair too if you want them in colors or on a lower tier psu with stiff cables.
@@coryandrum yes this is true, the 80+ Platinum editions of the Corsair SFX PSUs all come with these braided cables (not just the 750W verison) but I'm talking specifically about only the 12VHPWR cable here. I'm also aware of the Corsair 12VHPWR cable, but what I'm referencing is a silicone cable made by MODdiy. It makes the Corsair cable seem stiff by comparison. Another plus is you can order a custom length. The Corsair cable is made with ATX in mind, so it ends up being excessively long for some ITX builds. You can order the MODdiy cable in a length such as 40cm (the standard on Corsair's own SFX PSUs) or even shorter than that if you know what length you require.
@@scarkillerful why pay someone, if you're just cutting it down? You pay to get more, just cut it down in plug them in the 12v port directly. I don't even use plastic, plugged them indirectly and taped them flush.
Thanks for getting into mini-ITX case reviews. Seeing a perspective outside of ultra enthusiasts is really nice.
When it comes to the PITA factor, some people (like me) build in mini-ITX cases in part because of the challenge. Just keep in mind that difficult to build in may not be as much of a discouragement as you think.
Till you get so frustrated you take out Sawzall. Honestly tho most of the PITA is just poor planning and you learn from it. Not saying the EVGA Hadron was a poorly made ITX case (the bottom intake was just 30 small holes on either side with temperd glass and another solid side panel), but I never used a flex PSU before and did not expect it to sound like 30 ps4s mining Fifa tokens running idle at only 40c. The VELKA 7 tho, was just a horribly designed case; bought all the right parts just to find the maker didn't follow his own spec and lied. I was just trying to find out how to get brackets with the correct holes that hold the case together and allow the display port to be accessible. The guy that made it was just an unprofessional person to work with. I am so glad ITX has gone mainstream, now GN does an amazing job finding most of the PITA pitfalls so you can plan around it.
You guys just kick butt, pure and simple. I've always enjoy, and equally respected, your attention to detail and accuracy, and this level is fantastic to see (and hear??? lol). Nice stuff! Keep it up!
Glad to hear more ITX reviews are coming. I recently bought the Dan A4 H20, interested to see how it performs.
Videos like this is why I fully trust Gamers Nexus when making a purchase decision. Never disappointed, well done!!!!
IVE BEEN WATING FOR U GUYS TO DO ITX REVIEWS FOR SO LONG. ITX cases/builds are my guilty pleasure and seeing you guys apply that quality of work to the products in this space is so exciting
Thanks Steve! Absolutely love itx case reviews/deep dives. Your scientific approach is the gold standard. Much love 😎🤘💚💜
Built my first mini itx recently. Exciting to see some other shoebox cases being made. Big fan of itx
The acoustic measuring was really interesting. I'm also glad that you included the visual representation of the noise frequencies.
Unlike what LTT Labs would've done.....
I build everything in the Torrent Compact (air) nowadays, parents, bros, friends but the cable space is a NIGHTMARE. Interesting little case and awesome video.
After a 4th build I kinda got a glimpse of it and the right trick to cable manage it however if you want to add more thingies SATA SSDs, FAN/RGB controllers it gets more and more frustrating lmao. But just love how it looks and performs. Wanna try Lian Li someday especially the O11 Air Mini.
I build everything in the NR200 as it's smaller, cheaper, easier to build in, better cable management
I didn't think I'd be this interested in a mini-ITX case review-- I'm not in the market for one, and likely won't be for a long time, if ever.
However, I love the detail in the review, especially all of the acoustic testing. Really great job, GN.
Thanks for looking at mITX cases! SFF is a world of tradeoffs, so standardized testing isn't possible. It looks like you are taking the approach of pointing out the positives and negatives, which will let us make up our own minds for our particular builds. I especially like the PITA factor, as some cases are damn near impossible to build in. "Thanks, Steve!"
With how nice the case looks it's a shame how annoying it can sound. If Fractal can put out a v2 with different ventilation on the panels then that'd be nice to see. Also it's great to see the new testing be put in a new review along with third party testing to validate it! I can't wait to see the methodology video on it!
man i would've loved to see those bottom fans as exhaust, i've heard from a few other creators that a single exhaust fan under the PSU helps a lot in the terra
so much more detail to the testing methodology, the true labs right here my boy. keep up the great work! you make my audio engineer side very happy!
Fascinating and informative. I really like how this case looks visually, but looking forward to more ITX case reviews for more general comparison.
Reviews like these are very important to make good product even better, if they fix the resonating fins on the panel, this will be an amazing case.
Try to flip the bottom slim fans so that they act as exhaust. I've heard this is better than intake. But also just in general, exhaust fans are more effective in ITX cases, due to there already (usually) being an abundance of intake fans in the form of the CPU cooler and the GPU cooler itself.
Yep, 100% correct
It's counterintuitive if you're used to working on regular cases, but yeah, that makes sense in this case in particular.
negative pressure is cooler in general. I believe the main complaint is the distance of the fan from the floor. As GN has tested before; a solid front panel needs at least an inch gap on the sides to be effective. The ground being a solid panel, you need at least an inch of clearance off the ground for the fans to be effective. 26:50 in steves own words "The legs need to be longer" the noise is not worth the cooling ability. Still having the exhaust fans up top would be better because hot air will instantly pulled up and out (not down and around your PC for the CPU/GPU to suck hot air back in). Hot air naturally rises and you don't want to fight that. Fans on the bottom just collect dust to shoot it right into your GPU/CPU heatsink and then you can get 5 degrees hotter temps in a month just from enough dust blocking a few fins by your GPUs hot spot. As Steve points out tho; ITX cases are very particular with the part your choose and if you got to put the fans on the bottom as exhaust to save your suffocating PSU from a giant GPU, you gotta do it.
@@coryandrumI'm well aware of what Steve said in the video, however flipping them to exhaust would improve temps. We just don't know how much, because it wasn't tested. Yes, top mounted exhaust fans would be the best, because they are practically unobstructed there. However due to the raised spine design of this case, it's not possible to fit two 120mm fans at the top. Large design oversight in favour of looks. Meanwhile the FormD T1 is practically the same size, has the case concept Fractal took "inspiration" from, and can fit two normal width 120mm fans in the top. Works much better for thermals.
I hope GN sees this comment as it was an oversight for this review. The case doesn't have good exhaust options so it'll be interesting to see how much difference flipping the fan would make.
Supporting top slim 120mm fans would help a lot, I hope this is considered for the next revision.
Really loving the audio breakdown. I've been looking to build myself a new full/mid tower PC in the future and I'm basically very mindful of finding a good case that has good cooling/ventilation without making too much noise As I'm in no rush to build a new PC, I'll be looking forward to the future reviews and breakdown to come.
They have a pretty decent archive of mid- and full-tower case testing - plenty of excellent airflow optimised cases on there to look at.
Thank you so much for this great report!!! The testing approach you use is absolutely impressive!
If you're gonna get back into ITX case reviews, this is definitely the first one to do. Everybody is talking about this one.
It's refreshing seeing a review of a product that actually, y'know, reviews the product.
Your noise analysis is truly next level! Home audio is my biggest hobby and its great to see a reviewer who really understands these things.
Awesome job guys - really excited to see the data coming out of the chamber. One additional thought: similar to how you flashed back and forth between the frequency spectra visualizations from Adobe, could you flash between the isolated "annoying" noise sample and the entire sound sample to help us understand how the annoying sound "comes through in the mix"?
As a SFF enthusiast I am really liking the direction you're taking on the ITX reviews. One thing I noticed in the shots demonstrating chassis fan mounting is that they were mounted as intake. Typically what I find on sandwich cases is exhaust is overall better for temperatures since the negative pressure enhances the GPU/CPU fans ability to intake fresh air from the side panels.
I’m so ready for GN level ITX reviews!
We're really excited about it! It's been a lot of fun working on something familiar (cases), and yet totally different (ITX)!
Love the color combo of this case and the adjustable spine. I'm tempted to build my next PC in an ITX case. On a side note, this review is very well done and the quality is great.
Congrats on the testing methodology. Just wow!
Keep it up!
This is what they call putting your money where your mouth is. Great review, looking forward to more like this, but specifically the Lian Li/Dan Case A4-H2O which I have been seriously considering for a SFF build. Glad to see my multiple mod mat purchases going to work.
Right? First review video after “the video” needed to be SOLID. The GN team knocked it out of the freaking park!!!
The noise profile of the slats was really interested. Great to see the chamber seeing use already. Roll on fan tester.
I'd really to see [hear] tests done on different common shapes, including the effect with fan-spacers (15mm and 25mm I believe are "common", but they're so rare, I can't recall).
I am a silence freak though, so I'd understand if there's just not enough broad interest to warrant the time investment.
That's a great idea on the fan spacers! Thanks for sharing. I'll see if I can figure out how we'd do it.
@@GamersNexus please also consider the correlation between temperature and volume, for example what the "most efficient" position would be as a result
A great review indeed! Acoustic analysis in this review is much more detailed and interesting than those in your previous reviews of other PC cases thanks to your new hemi-anechoic acoustic testing chamber. Although I have no interest in ITX builds at all, mainly from a silence-seeking perspective, I found this review quite interesting.
I am looking forward to your acoustic analysis of larger cases and other PC parts including fans and CPU coolers using the hemi-anechoic chamber.
My computing needs have reduced over the past few years and so I've been looking at building a Mini-ITX system to use as a daily computer. I LOVE the wood accent on this case and it's just what I've been imagining for the size of computer I'd like. The green, in my mind, looks classier and less likely to show fingerprints or dust than a black or white case too.
As a SFF case enjoyer, the more ITX case reviews the better, especially when they are of GN quality. Very excited to see more.
same, I moved to ITX/SSF after 980 days, when SLI was killed off. I love my NFCSkyreach build
This was a very interesting and useful look at a case I'm personally interested in. The noise and PITA factor analysis was very useful. It's a shame this case has the noise issues, because it's downright beautiful otherwise.
The attention to detail! This is what we want as customers. The truth. Thank you.
What a hard review to do to test all those configurations. Nice job. Good rigor to get peer-reviewed not only once but twice!