Final Thoughts
Fractal Design had a few goals with this case and I believe they accomplished them. First was to create a case that was not all that large, but still was able to support modern components as well as watercooling. This case does this, by eliminating the 5.25-inch drive bays Fractal Design is able to make the case shorter. But you still have room for full-size graphics cards, power supplies, and tall CPU coolers.
Fractal Design also wanted to bring some modern features to this case. The biggest I would say is the power supply cover, again this is the first case in the Define Series that has a power supply cover. The cover is implemented quite well, and a piece of it can be removed if you plan on doing extensive cooling in the front of the case. There are two openings in the power supply cover to route cables, but it would have been nice if they were a bit larger. Fractal Design also makes use of a new SSD bracket on the backside of the motherboard tray. This fits three 2.5-inch drives and really saves a lot of space.
When it comes to cooling you have two included 120 mm fans, but room for four more. Watercooling support includes room up front for a 360 mm radiator, room at the top for a 240 mm radiator and finally room for a 120 mm at the rear.
Of course the Define Series is known for silence and with this case you have sound dampening material on the top, front, and side panel of the case. We received the windowed version of the case, but the non-windowed version also has sound dampening material on the main side panel. During operation the case was extremely quiet.
Fractal Design will be offering the windowed version of the case for $84.99 and the non-windowed version will be $79.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Fractal Design Define C Case a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Small and compact
– Room inside for large components
– Easy installation
– Adequate watercooling support
– Rear SSD bracket
– Power supply cover
Cons:
– Cut-outs in the power supply cover could be a little larger
