Fractal Design Define 7 Black & White Brushed Aluminum/Steel E-ATX Silent Modular Tempered Glass Window Mid Tower Computer Case

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Not a fan of the case and would like a better storage set up personally but it's as close as I could get that's still capable of VR and "quiet" Standardized thermal testing puts the Define 7 at a natural disadvantage, because it’s one of the only cases we’ve worked with that runs as quietly as it does; in fact, the Define 7 is below our 36dBA normalized threshold for noise testing, plotting instead at 34.6dBA, and that’s with its included fans at maximum speed. Even still, with this noted, the case is doing better in CPU thermals than a few others on the chart. An extra 1dBA worth of fan RPMs honestly wouldn’t change much in this setup, anyway, but might propel it more toward the O11 XL or Helios. The GPU thermals put the Define 7 actually very near the top of the chart. This, we think, is again because of the GPU intake through the rear of the case as a result of the pressure system being created. Conclusion: Fractal Define 7 Review As with any PC case, flexibility is a great feature to have! It will allow you to create the PC to your specifications with minimal complications. When purchasing your new case, consider its flexibility. Also I know that AMD is better for workstations, but I'm not doing anything too demanding, so I feel that I wouldn't feel the difference. That, and the fact that I wasn't waiting around for the new AMD chips either.

Be Quiet!’s PC case is water-cooling ready and can house radiators up to 360mm on the top, front, or rear of the case. The flexibility of his PCS case is fantastic! The case also comes with two-preinstalled pure wings fans to ensure a quiet operation. If the price ranks higher in importance than how quiet your PC case is, perhaps our other article Best Budget PC Case in 2023, will be more helpful.The top cover and front panel can be changed to deliver either maximum airflow or silent operation. While choosing between the two is not ideal, those craving a quiet operation will still enjoy the case! Ultra-slim Nexus+ 2 fan hub with three PWM and six 3-pin connections logically placed in-line with cable channels Blender thermals are next, another real-world workload. This one is split between CPU and GPU renders to isolate the parts. Not sure what you need from your quiet PC case? Let our buyer’s guide help you there! Cooling Power Comparatively, the Fractal Define 7 isn’t particularly impressive or unimpressive for GPU thermals. It’s not great, but it’s also not anywhere as close to the bottom as in the CPU testing. The Define 7 ends up about where the Corsair 680X is, and that’s a glass-fronted cuboid-like case, and isn’t far from the 220T Airflow or Core P3. If you were to fit another expansion card in here, it’d potentially have drastic impact on GPU thermals since most of the air comes through the rear of the case. 3DMark

In that same vein, we also received an accessory kit with the Define 7 containing an entire replacement top panel. Using this panel defeats some of the noise damping features of the case, but it does allow mounting fans and radiators, vastly expanding the cooling options. The downside of swappable panels like this is that customers are inevitably going to pay for a panel that they don’t use, but the ability of the Define 7 to switch from a silence-focused case with a ton of drive mounts to a liquid-cooled case with massive radiators and a reservoir at the front, or anything in between.Customers praised how quiet the PC case was and its solid construction. Especially when you consider the price, it is very well built! Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600KF (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache The 12600K is still an incredible CPU for your uses and saving here allows a more balanced spec elsewhere There are so many quiet PC cases on the market these days, and with such a range in price, finding the best quiet PC case can be challenging. But don’t panic, for here at PC guide, we are here to help! We’ve been hot and cold on Fractal over the past couple years. Their whole lineup has had consistently high build quality, but our opinions have ranged from the highly-rated Meshify cases that have excellent cooling potential (with some aftermarket fans added in) down to the highly-priced and unexciting Define S2 Vision RGB. Today we’re reviewing the Define 7, successor to the Define R6, a case that fell on the positive end of that scale in our review. We’re sure there’s some reason for Fractal dropping the “R,” but we neglected to ask.

I'll give the Define 7 some more thought. I just wasn't sure it was worth the extra cost and whether it would actually be as quiet as the Silencio - hard to know though unless you hear them in action, I suppose. Maybe it's worth it for the better airflow? CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Higher quality and higher wattage PSU to allow the system to run quieter and more efficiently, as well allow for a GPU upgrade down the road Looking at another thread, it looks like the following spec will fit the bill, but I'd appreciate comments/advice! (I'd like to bit a bit future-proofed: I might not buy another one for another 10 years, but budget is limited Top cover can be removed to swap in the included ventilated top panel for additional cooling options The rear usb-c connector has power but seems loose and plugging things into it connect then disconnect and I have to hold the cable in place to maintain a connection.And if you are tired of rogue cables, Fractal Design has thought of that too! There are multiple options for cable management with this case to keep your PC organized. Customers enjoyed the pre-installed velcro cable ties, making cable management simple and easy!

There are 2 usb-c ports on the pc, one on the top of the fractal define 7 case and one at the rear on the ASUS TUF Gaming B550-Plus motherboard. I should have mentioned I'll be moving over another 1TB SSD and a 1TB HDD from my old PC, so hopefully that gives me enough storage. Slightly modified version of the OP spec. KF version of CPU since you have a discrete GPU. RAM changed to 2x8GB (3200MHz). Storage altered to a 500GB for OS/main programs (250GB is really too small since you don't want it really over 50% full) and a 1TB M2 rather than SATA SSD. Otherwise the same. Detachable PSU cable shield and integrated cable guides with Velcro straps simplify cable management behind the boardCorsair has fitted two 120mm fans to ensure airflow in the closed-faced design. There is also a 3-speed fan controller that powers on overdrive when required to maintain an excellent machine. The controller also helps to keep the PC as quiet as possible while you are using it. Being in control of the fan allows you to control the noise in a way that we don’t usually see in the PC world! Especially at this low price! The HDD cage under the PSU shroud fits two drive sleds, but with so many mounting options inside the case, that’s barely worth mentioning. What is worth mentioning is that Fractal has fully taken advantage of the extremely long case form factor by mounting the cage on rails that allow it to be placed anywhere from right against the PSU to flush with the front panel. Even better, the rails can be used to mount HDDs or fans directly to the bottom of the chassis as well. Putting fans under the PSU shroud like this has limited usefulness (although the top of the shroud is ventilated), but Fractal was able to provide that option and so they did, which is a mentality we appreciate. More options is better than fewer. I usually have Civilisation on one monitor and either a music app or a movie streaming on a 2nd monitor, both 1080p I think. I'd like to have the option to connect to a TV (42") and play the movie on there. (It does not need to be 4k, my eyes aren't that good). I'm also thinking of getting one of those Oculus 2 Virtual Reality headsets. Most importantly, the PC must be as quiet as possible.