Fractal Design has become well known for integrating wood into its cases, giving them a more refined appearance that blends in better with your workspace. The company is taking that concept even further with the new Fractal Design Summit, a premium ATX mid-tower case that combines furniture-inspired Scandinavian styling with the cooling and hardware support needed for a modern high-end gaming PC.
The Summit features multi-layered FSC-certified oak or walnut around its perforated front panel, along with matching solid wood feet. Fractal Design has not sacrificed airflow for looks either, as the case comes with three 140 mm Momentum PWM fans pre-installed and supports radiators up to 360 mm in both the front and top. You also have room for graphics cards up to 425 mm long, CPU coolers up to 173 mm tall, and E-ATX motherboards up to 277 mm wide.
To make the building process easier, Fractal Design has included tool-less exterior panels, removable cooling brackets, integrated cable-routing features, and an adjustable graphics card support bracket. The Summit also supports ATX and micro-ATX rear-connector motherboards, which should help create an even cleaner-looking system. With all of that in mind, is the Fractal Design Summit the ideal case for your next high-end build? Let’s take a look!
Special thanks to Fractal Design for providing us with the Summit case to review.
What are the Fractal Design Summit Specifications?
| Specification | Summit Solid | Summit TG | Summit Ambience TG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined 3.5/2.5-inch drive mounts | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Dedicated 2.5-inch drive mounts | 2 (supports up to six 2.5-inch drives total) | 2 (supports up to six 2.5-inch drives total) | 2 (supports up to six 2.5-inch drives total) |
| 5.25-inch drive mounts | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Expansion slots | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Motherboard compatibility | E-ATX up to 277 mm / ATX / mATX / ITX | E-ATX up to 277 mm / ATX / mATX / ITX | E-ATX up to 277 mm / ATX / mATX / ITX |
| Reverse-connector motherboard support | ATX / mATX | ATX / mATX | ATX / mATX |
| Power supply type | ATX | ATX | ATX |
| Front interface | 1 × USB Type-C 20 Gbps 2 × USB Type-A 5 Gbps 1 × audio combo jack Power button |
1 × USB Type-C 20 Gbps 2 × USB Type-A 5 Gbps 1 × audio combo jack Power button |
1 × USB Type-C 20 Gbps 2 × USB Type-A 5 Gbps 1 × audio combo jack Power button |
| Total fan mounts | 5 × 140 mm or 7 × 120 mm | 5 × 140 mm or 7 × 120 mm | 5 × 140 mm or 7 × 120 mm |
| Front fans | 3 × 120 mm or 3 × 140 mm (3 × 140 mm Momentum fans included) | 3 × 120 mm or 3 × 140 mm (3 × 140 mm Momentum fans included) | 3 × 120 mm or 3 × 140 mm (3 × 140 mm Momentum fans included) |
| Top fans | 3 × 120 mm or 2 × 140 mm | 3 × 120 mm or 2 × 140 mm | 3 × 120 mm or 2 × 140 mm |
| Rear fan | 1 × 120 mm | 1 × 120 mm | 1 × 120 mm |
| Bottom fan | None | None | None |
| Dust filters | PSU | PSU | PSU |
| Front radiator support | Up to 280/360 mm | Up to 280/360 mm | Up to 280/360 mm |
| Top radiator support | Up to 280/360 mm | Up to 280/360 mm | Up to 280/360 mm |
| Rear radiator support | Up to 120 mm | Up to 120 mm | Up to 120 mm |
| Bottom radiator support | None | None | None |
| Maximum PSU length | 253 mm | 253 mm | 253 mm |
| Maximum GPU length | 425 mm with front fan or 393 mm with a 30 mm-thick front radiator | 425 mm with front fan or 393 mm with a 30 mm-thick front radiator | 425 mm with front fan or 393 mm with a 30 mm-thick front radiator |
| Maximum CPU cooler height | 173 mm | 173 mm | 173 mm |
| Cable-routing space | 34 mm | 34 mm | 34 mm |
| Cable-routing grommets | 1 × large grommet | 1 × large grommet | 1 × large grommet |
| Fixed straps | Hook-and-loop straps | Hook-and-loop straps | Hook-and-loop straps |
| Tool-less access | Front panel, top panel, PCIe cover, both side panels, bottom filter, top bracket and PSU bracket | Front panel, top panel, PCIe cover, both side panels, bottom filter, top bracket and PSU bracket | Front panel, top panel, PCIe cover, both side panels, bottom filter, top bracket and PSU bracket |
| Captive thumbscrews | PSU bracket and top radiator bracket | PSU bracket and top radiator bracket | PSU bracket and top radiator bracket |
| Left side panel | Industrial steel | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Right side panel | Industrial steel | Industrial steel | Industrial steel |
| Case dimensions (L × W × H) | 495 × 229 × 515 mm | 495 × 229 × 515 mm | 495 × 229 × 515 mm |
| Case dimensions without feet, protrusions or screws | 492 × 229 × 495 mm | 492 × 229 × 495 mm | 492 × 229 × 495 mm |
| Net weight | 9.84 kg | 10.02 kg | 10.08 kg |
| Package dimensions (L × W × H) | 595 × 350 × 620 mm | 595 × 350 × 620 mm | 595 × 350 × 620 mm |
| Gross weight | 11.77 kg | 11.95 kg | 12.01 kg |
Packaging of the Fractal Design Summit Case
The Fractal Design Summit case comes in a pretty plain box that simply says “Summit” on it.
Opening it up we find the case itself nicely packaged and protected so you don’t have to worry about it being damaged during transit.
What Colors Does the Fractal Design Summit Come In?
There are effectively three different colorways that the Summit will come in. First is Chalk White, which is an all white case with FSC-certified oak around the front panel and oak feet. Then there is Black which is an all black case with FSC-certified walnut around the front panel and walnut feet. Finally we have Blackout. Both Chalk White and Black will have a solid panel variant and a Tempered Glass (TG) variant, while the Blackout only comes with a tempered glass panel, but there is a Ambience version that has an RGB strip that goes around the front panel.
