Fractal Design Pop Air Case Review

Interior

With the side panel removed, you can really appreciate just how vibrant that interior really is. The colour really pops… well, I guess we know why they call it the Fractal Design Pop then. It’s a good-looking interior though, with lots of space for hardware, and a nice and large cut-out behind the motherboard, with two large cable routing cut-outs along the sides.

There’s a built-in PSU shroud, which offers up plenty of ventilation to prevent heat from getting trapped under it. There are two cable routing holes towards the back too, so you can easily get cables to your motherboard. No vertical pass-through for the GPU cables though, which is a shame.

There’s a Fractal logo pressed into the side too. I like that it’s angled here too, it just looks nicer than having everything squared off.

The Pop comes equipped with the latest Fractal Aspect 12 RGB fans.

They’re pretty looking fans too, and while they’re 120mm, the case can support 140mm models if you wanted to swap them out.

The space in the top is good for adding a few more fans if you need it. However, even without fans, just having that passive heat exhaust at the top is going to help keep temperatures down.

All of the expansion slots use large thumbscrews, which are all recessed so the screws are on the case interior, not the exterior.

Removing the right-side panel, it’s surprisingly robust, which thick steel and plentiful reinforcement on the edges.

That stunning blue colour runs around the back too, and even the HDD trays in the bottom of the case are colour matched.

The Pop has plenty of cable routing space, with cable tie loops dotted all over the place, as well as some Velcro straps to help keep things clean and tidy.

Tucked into the back, there’s a durable metal cage, which allows you to screw two 2.5″ drives into it. It’s removable too, using the thumbscrew on the right, making it easier to install/remove the drives.

There are two more drive mounts located here too, with trays that will support either 3.5″ or 2.5″ drives. What’s interesting is that they have no traditional cage, but rather one is fixed to the underside of the PSU shroud, and the other to the bottom of the case. This is clever, as it means you can install a single 5.25″ drive in the front mount, and you would only lose the one HDD tray as a result, if they used a drive cage, you would have to remove both.

The PSU has lots of room, so excess cables shouldn’t be much of an issue. There is a set of tough rubber feet here too, preventing any unwanted vibrations from the PSU.

While the fans have RGB headers you can daisy chain and connect to your motherboard, there is another option. You can hook them up to this point here, and use the RGB control button on the front panel. Of course, you may want to use your own controller or your motherboard, so you can sync them with other hardware, but it’s nice to have the option.