Fractal Design Define C Case Overview
When I first took a look at the Define C, I immediately noticed it was smaller than the other ATX cases in the Define Series. This is because the case is actually shorter. Fractal Design is able to make this case shorter because it does not have any 5.25-inch drive bays. This is something that many case manufactures have been doing recently and I am a big fan of it since I have not used a 5.25-inch drive in a very long time. To start Fractal Design will be offering the Define C in black, no word yet on if they will have any other colors available in the future.
Moving to the front of the case it has the same elegant front which is the calling card of the Define Series. It has a cool brushed aluminum look, even though it is not brushed aluminum. Centered at the top of the front of the case is an activity LED. The top part of the case is where you will find your buttons and connections. There is a large power button, smaller reset button, two USB 3.0 ports, and audio connections.
Typically on the Define Series cases the front was actually a door where you would have your 5.25-inch drive bays, but since they are not on this case we have no door. The front of the case easily pops off though and we can see that it is lined with sound dampening material. With the front of the case of removed we can see there is a large filter that will cover the entire front of the case. There is another one that can be pulled out from the bottom of the case which extends the entire length of the case. Fractal Design has pre-installed a 120 mm fan in the front of the case. The front of the case supports up to three 120 mm fans or watercooling radiators up to 360 mm.
Moving up to the top part of the case is it covered by Fractal Design’s ModuVent system. This system is a removable panel which has sound dampening material applied to it. So if you are not using the top cooling spots you have silence, but if you need the top cooling it is available. Fractal Design includes a magnetic filter if you plan on using the top cooling spots. Up top there is room for two 120 mm fans or watercooling radiators up to 240 mm.
As I mentioned we received the windowed side panel version of the case so we have a nice large side panel window. This will allow you to show off all of your components inside.
Moving around to the back of the case it is a pretty basic setup. You have a second 120 mm cooling fan, which can be moved up or down depends on your needs, seven expansion slots with the signature white Fractal Design covers, and your power supply mounting on the bottom. Each side panel has thumb screws so you can easily get into your system.
Finally we take a look at the bottom of the case and can see that the filter does extend the entire length of the case. We can also see the four feet, which lift the case off the ground to allow for proper airflow.
