Final Thoughts
Back in November when we reviewed the Meshify 2 I said that I wouldn’t be surprised if Fractal Design releases a compact version of the case and here we are with a Meshify 2 Compact! Lets first go over the big differences between the Meshify 2 and Meshify 2 Compact. The biggest thing is obviously size, the Meshify 2 Compact is a much smaller case. With that you lose the storage layout, so instead of supporting 9 hard drives out of the box you can only install 4 here. Another thing missing in the Compact version of the case is the Nexus+ 2 Slim PWM fan hub, so you’ll need to plug the three included fans into your motherboard. The Compact version of the case also only supports motherboards up to ATX, while the normal version of case supports motherboards up to E-ATX.
I think that most people interested in this case really won’t miss those things. Four hard drives is more than enough for most people and with M.2 slots on your motherboard you should be covered as far as storage. The Compact version of the case is really perfect for most builders and you don’t have that “dead” space in the case that we noticed when reviewing the Meshify 2. No space is really wasted in this case which I like.
This is a Meshify case so you have that cool angular front mesh panel. This allows air to easily enter the case providing more efficient cooling. The front mesh is actually a door that can easily be opened and removed from the case to access the nylon filter cartridge. There are three filters on this case that are easily accessible. When it comes to cooling Fractal Design has included three (2 front, 1 rear) of their Dynamic X2 GP-14 140 mm cooling fans and you have room to add two more fans. When it comes to watercooling you can install a 360 mm radiator on the front of the case and a 240 mm up top.
Like most Fractal Design cases Meshift 2 Compact is extremely easy to build in and we did not run into a single issue during our installation. The cable routing channels, velcro straps, and cable tie-down points make it really easy to organize and keep your cables looking clean.
Like any high airflow case the downside is noise. While the noise levels we measured were not really all that loud, this case is going to be louder than say a case with a front tempered glass panel. Of course this case is going to perform far better thermally.
Fractal Design will be selling this case for $109.99, which is $30 less than the original Meshify 2. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact Case a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Sleek design
– Side panels come off easily
– 3 filters, all easy to access
– High airflow design
– Easy to build in
– No wasted space
– Price
Cons:
– No fan hub
– Noise levels because of the mesh
