Fractal Design Arc Midi Mid-Tower Chassis Review
Luke Hill / 12 years ago
Internally, the Fractal Design Arc Midi is deceivingly spacious in comparison to its exterior representation. 5 excellently positioned cable routing grommets ensure a sleek system without bundles of cables hindering style and performance. We measured VGA clearance as approximately 290mm with the upper HDD cage installed while CPU cooler clearance was in the region of 180mm or slightly more if you are lucky.
Removing the upper HDD cage allocates clearance for graphics cards up to a colossal 440mm in length or 470mm with the front fan removed. The remaining 4 storage drive mounts will probably be sufficient for the majority of users, so the unobstructed airflow from the front 140mm fan may be of more use than the upper HDD cage.
8 2.5/3.5″ storage drives can be installed in the Arc Midi by making use of both the securely connected 4-bay HDD cage and the removable 4-bay HDD cage. The bottom HDD cage assists cable management attempts by featuring a conveniently located cable routing cut-out. Attaching a 5.25″ drive can be completed without using any tools via the application of numerous thumb screws.
Without the bottom 120/140mm fan installed, power supply clearance extends to a huge 310mm. A rubberised cable routing grommet is ideally positioned adjacent to the power supply location. 4 rubber feet, insulating foam and a large dust filter ensure that your PSU will stay healthy and quiet.
White PCI shields make for an attractive accompaniment to the white blades of the 140mm, 1000 RPM Fractal Design fans. Each fan uses a black braided cable which will guarantee a clean-looking system.
A single 140mm fan is mounted in the roof but various combinations can be installed. Supported combinations include 3 x 140mm fans, 3 x 120mm fans or 180mm and 120/140mm fans. A thick 240mm radiator can be mounted in the roof with minimal interference from motherboard VRM heatsinks. This is achieved by the Fractal Design’s positioning of the necessary mounting holes towards the left side panel rather than the motherboard tray.
Approximately 21mm of clearance which extends to over 37mm towards the HDD cages is present behind the motherboard tray. The 125 x 145mm CPU cooler backplate cut-out should reduce the amount of hassle changing a CPU cooler can cause. 6 cable tie-down points are conveniently located to make fastening the 24-pin or PCI-E power cables a simple task.
The easily-removable front panel can hold 2 140mm fans, both of which are attached without the need for tools. Each 5.25″ drive bay cover is easily removed by hand. The front-mounted 140mm fans direct airflow towards the HDD cages, keeping your drives effectively cooled.
