Fractal Design ARC Mini R2 Micro ATX Chassis Review

Introduction

Fractal make some of the best looking chassis on the market, they’re known for their desirable designs and they’ve always done well to back that up with rock solid build quality and premium quality features. It is because of this that we have very high expectations of the ARC Mini R2, Fractal Design have set their own standards incredibly high with ever product they’ve released and we’ll expect nothing less with this new chassis.

Smaller form factor chassis are very popular right now and while micro-ATX isn’t exactly tiny, not everyone wants a 3 foot tall super tower next to their desk, nor does everyone even have the space for such things. Small and mighty is the popular choice these days and that’s exactly what Fractal Design are promising here. Keeping with the theme and style of the rest of the Arc range and priced at £69.99 it looks like a great mid to high-end solution for a compact gaming build and as you can see from the specifications below, it isn’t exactly lacking in features and components support either.

Specifications

• ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX motherboard compatibility
• 2 – 5.25″ bays
• 8 – 3.5″ HDD trays – all compatible with SSDs
• 2 – 2.5″ additional SSD positions behind the motherboard plate
• 7 + 1 expansion slots
• 7 – Fan positions (3 Silent Series R2 fans included)
• Filtered fan slots in front, top and bottom
• CPU coolers up to 180 mm tall
• PSU compatibility: ATX PSUs up to 170 mm deep when using the bottom fan location; when not using this fan location longer PSUs (up to 270 mm deep) can be used
• Graphics card compatibility: Graphics cards up to 290mm in length with the top HDD cage installed – With the top cage removed, graphics cards up to 430mm in length may be installed
• 26 mm of space for cable routing behind the motherboard plate
• Thick rubber grommets on all holes on the motherboard plate
• Colors available: Black
• Case dimensions (WxHxD): 230 x 460 x 515mm
• Net weight: 10.7kg
• Package dimensions (WxHxD): 320 x 610 x 560mm
• Package weight: 12kg

Cooling is going to be a big factors for the Arc Mini R2 and with room for four radiators and plenty of fans, this is already sounding like one of the coolest little cases around.

Cooling system

• Front: 2 – 120/140mm fans (included is one hydraulic bearing 140mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed)
• Rear: 1 – 120/140mm fan (included is a hydraulic bearing 140mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed)
• Top: 3 – 120/140mm fans (included is one hydraulic bearing 140mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed)
• Bottom: 1 – 120/140mm fan (not included)
• Fan controller: 1 – Integrated fan controller for up to 3 fans (included)
• Water cooling compatibility:
  • Front – 240 mm radiators (thick and slim) when HDD cages are repositioned or removed
  • Top – 240 mm radiators (thick and slim)
  • Bottom – 120mm radiators
  • Rear – 120mm radiators

The packaging is a fairly standard box and features a clear representation of the chassis design on the front.

Around the back we have a break down of all the major features and components of the chassis. This details the fans, filters, hard drive bays and more, all of which we’ll be taking a closer look at in a moment.

A small component box contains all the major fittings and fixtures for the chassis.

In the box there was a components bag with all the major screws, bolts and a few cable ties, as well as a simple to read user’s manual, pretty much everything you need to install all major components.

The front panel, was well packaged, with securing tape keeping everything in place and a layer of plastic to protect both sides of the side panel window.