Fractal ARC MINI R2 Computer Case Review

Cases & PSU/Cases by leeghoofd @ 2014-04-02

Swedish case manufacturer Fractal Design, know for its stylish, high quality, yet affordable cases surprised friend and foe at the last CeBIT 2014 Messe. Their latest creation the Node 804, again a stunning looking and no frills design, might be one of the hot selling case products once it will hit the retail shelves; however till then we have to be happy with the current line up and review some of their more common looking enclosures. Today we review the micro ITX/ATX compatible ARC Mini R2, a mini sized tower case with tremendous storage and cooling capacity.

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Unboxing

To keep the pricing low no fancy box art here, nor any frills on the outside, though the enclosed case is a true marvel.

 

 

 

 

The case is well protected against scratches or any transport abuse. Cases from Swedish Fractal Design are all about small details which differentiate them from the rest. One small example is the double protection on both sides of the windowed panel. The ARC Mini R2 is an elegant looking case and really needs no further explanation.  Just look at the below picture set.

 

 

 

 

The highly ventilated front and top grill already reveal one of the ARC R2 Mini's strong points: airflow. After removal of both the thick side panels one can spot the humongous CPU and the other numerous cutouts for easy cable management. A neat feature is the cutout near the PSU position, again for easy and clean routing of the USB and Audio connectors.

PSU compatibility is warranted up to 220mm in length, this when not using a bottom fan, graphics card compatibility up to 260mm with the top HDD cage installed, increasing up to 400mm without the top drive cage.

 

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • Micro ATX and Mini ITX compatible
  • Storage:
    2 x 5.25" bays
    6 x 3.5" HDD trays (SSD compatible)
    2 x 2.5" dedicated SSD positions behind the motherboard tray
  • Dust filters in front, top and bottom
  • CPU coolers up to 165mm tall
  • ATX PSUs up to 220mm, 170mm deep  with bottom Fan installed
  • GPU compatible up to 260mm with HDD cage installed, 400mm without
  • Windowed side panel
  • Cooling:
    2 Silent R2 series 120mm Fans in front and rear position
    1 Silent R2 series 140mm Fan in top
  • Optional Cooling:
    1 extra front 120mm Fan
    1 extra top 120/140mm Fan
    1 extra bottom 120mm Fan
  • I/O interface:
    2 x USB3.0
    Audio in/out
    Power & reset button
    3 speed Fan controller ( 5 - 7 - 12V )
  • Dimensions:
    WxHxD: 210 x 405 x 484mm
  • Weight: 9kg

 

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