Fractal Design ARC Mini R2 Micro ATX Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 10 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

Priced at around £75 the Arc Mini R2 isn’t exactly cheap, in fact it is easily one of the more expensive chassis in this form factor. Put simple, you can get a lot more space for your money should you need it, but you’ll find it near impossible to find anything of this quality for around the same price. The inclusion of three high quality fans certainly goes a long way to improving the value for money, as too does the build quality and reputation that Fractal Designs have worked hard to maintain.

Overview

Fractal Design have clearly put a lot of thought into this chassis, they’ve used plastics on more parts than they usually do, but this has helped keep weight and cost down a little. Sure it is still expensive for a chassis of this size, but you’re still getting that strict attention to detail that Fractal Design are renowned for. For a smaller chassis, it is impressive just how versatile this chassis is and when you compare it to other mATX chassis on the market the Fractal is clearly one of the best looking and more featured packed products on the market.

Water cooling users are going to love this chassis, it may be small, but the internal space is almost Tardis like, and being able to strip out the front hard drive bays to mount front radiators is a big win for those planning a custom loop. The inclusion of two 2.5″ drive bays behind the motherboard makes this even better, as you don’t have to lose all your drive bays just to fit in more crazy water cooling loops.

Everything is easy to work with too, quick release thumb screws, precision fittings and metal components where it really matters. The hard drive bays are really well finished and while most manufacturers use plastic drive trays even on their premium models, the metal trays of the Arc Mini R2 just feel that little more special.

A large, tinted window on the left side gives a great internal view, and this is made even better by black finish cables, robust cable routing options and a flawless interior and exterior paint job. Overall the chassis manages to look understated and gorgeous at the same time.

Pros

Great build quality
Smart looking design
Good cable management
Extensive cooling capabilities
Dust filters
Modular hard drive bays
Tinted side panel window
Stealth SSD mounts
Three high quality fans included

Cons

Price is a little high, but the inclusion of three fans more than makes up for it.

“Fractal Designs rarely disappoint and the Arc Mini R2 is a welcome addition to their already superb range. The modding community is going to love this as much as those who just want a clean looking, easy to work with product.”