It’s rare that we see a new case manufacture jump into the market and wow everyone. This past January at CES Fractal Design did just that to a lot of people including a member of our own staff. From then on we have been excited to get a chance to take a closer look at what Fractal has to offer. Well that moment is finally here. Today we will be taking an in depth look at the Fractal Define Mini, a Micro ATX case built to be silent, compact and stylish. Their goal is to “provide products with an extraordinary design level, without compromising the important factors of quality, functionality and pricing”. That is a high goal to set, let’s find out if they were successful.
Product Name: Fractal Design Define Mini
Review Sample Provided by: Fractal Design
Review by: Wes
Pictures by: Wes
Specifications
Cooling system |
Fan controller for 3 fans included 1 rear Fractal Design 120mm @ 1200rpm included 1 front Fractal Design 120mm @ 1200rpm included 1 front 120mm fan (optional) 1 top 120/140mm fan (optional) 1 bottom 120mm fan (optional) 1 side panel 120mm/140mm fan (optional) |
3.5 Inch HDD |
6x trays, compatible with 2.5 inch drives also |
5.25 Bays |
2x with 5.25 to 3.5 adapter |
Top I/O Panel |
2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0 Audio I/O |
Motherboard compatibility |
Mini ITX and Micro ATX |
Expansion slots |
4 +1 |
Graphic card space |
260mm with HDD Bay in place 400mm without HDD Bay |
CPU Cooler Height |
160mm |
Maximum PSU depth |
170mm with bottom fan 220mm without |
Case size (WxHxD) |
210x395x490mm |
Net weight |
9,50 kg |
Packaging
Fractal packed the Define Mini a simple and elegant box. On the front you have a nice photo of the Define Mini on a black background. The top section is a different color with the cases name along the bottom and the Fractal logo on the top left. Around back the logo and name are in the same location but the photo of the Define Mini is lacking its side panel, giving full view of nearly feature. Next to the photo you have a description and then a specification listing.
Inside the box the case came wrapped in a plastic bag with foam on the corners to keep it safe and snug in the box.
Tucked away inside the case you also get a small box with all of the accessories. On one side of the box you have the fractal logo and on the other side you have a full breakdown of everything included in the box. A nice feature. Inside you have all of the screws and standoffs needed, like normal. Also included is a PCI slot fan controller to match the white PCI slots on the Define Mini. The small wrench included is also a nice touch.