Fractal Define 7 Compact White Edition! - Review and PC Build.
Today I'm taking a look at and building a high end gaming PC in the brand new Fractal Define 7 Compact White Edition.
Fractal Define 7 Compact Info -www.fractal-design.com/produc...
Buy the Fractal Define 7 Compact -
Amazon (Paid Link) - amzn.to/34Nkxk9
amzn.to/34v2a1T
Newegg - bit.ly/3kHdgYx
bit.ly/36Rvwun
Timecodes:
0:00 - Opening
0:47 - Intro
2:04 - Key Features
4:43 - Full Build
14:13 - Glamor Shots
16:06 - Special Thanks
16:28 - Form Factor
16:50 - The Aesthetics
18:14 - More Features
20:18 - Cable Management
21:46 - Overall Build Experience
22:00 - Thermals and Airflow
23:20 - Acoustics
24:39 - Issues
25:16 - Conclusion
Components (Paid Links)
Ryzen 7 3700X - amzn.to/3jxMKQN
Asus Prime X570-Pro -amzn.to/2G7vTp7
G.Skill Trident Z Neo -amzn.to/30dAAEZ
SanDisk 2TB SSD -amzn.to/336zL2D
EVGA RTX 2080 TI -amzn.to/30euG6B
Samsung 970 Evo Plus -amzn.to/2F5rG54
Fractal X2 GP-14 -amzn.to/3nqFqZu
WD 2TB HHD -amzn.to/33C4aX2
Lian Li Galahad 240 AIO -amzn.to/34RSIqU
Find me on Social Media
Twitter: @elevatedsystem1
Facebook: / elevatedsystems
Instagram: / elevatedsys
Contact Me: CJ@elevatedsystems.tech
Audio file(s) provided by Epidemic Sound
www.epidemicsound.com
This was probably one of the best and most detailed reviewvideo I have watched about this case, will subscribe for sure!
Cleanest white build I’ve ever seen, Fractal makes great cases.
@Jadiel Koda Wow, it really works!
Nice build! I was literally just starting to put together some components for a build next year using a lot of these exact components! You helped me make a few tweaks that I hope will smooth my building process. Cheers!
Glad I could help!
Thank you for the review! I just ordered this case for my new build and there was only white cases in black friday discount. After your review I don't have any more second thoughts about the color. Thanks mate! Awesome build!
Love the camera work and editing here! I subbed :D
Awesome review! Keep it up!!
Hey man, this review is what convinced me to buy this case. Been using it for a month and I absolutely love it. Thanks Also great channel and content. Keep it up. 👍
Do u have 2 HDD's + 1 old school SSD? i want to switch but keep my HDD's and SSD, would this be possible (i love the design and I don't want an ugly RGB case)
@@perkelator9277 I have a 3.5" HDD and a 2.5" SSD there is room for 2 of each, 4 total. And if I am not mistaken you can mount two 2.5" SSD's on the PSU cover.
@@welles1989 Thx for telling me this, have a nice day.
me too, my case is modded though.
Finally, someone who fits the AIO on the top, great video (very helpful !), I am gonna buy this case for sure.
CJ: I'm not doing a full review. Also CJ: Does a awsome full review 🤣😜
OK that's fair lol
Great review! I have a very old Fractal Design Cube in a home entertainment system form factor and I love it. It's a pity they don't provide such cases anymore. I like the Define 7 Compact, with the brushed aluminum front panel it looks similar to my old case, but in upright position. Wondering how this compares to be quiet Pure Base 500?
Great review. Thanks. I have the Define C TG now and thinking of moving to this. Looks to be a nice upgrade.
Good choice!
Hey dude, This Video looks so beautiful. When I first looked at your channel I thought there are two zeros missing at your subscriber counter. This Video is amazing, and you convinced me to buy the Lian li AIO cause it looks so awesome in the fractal case. Thank you, go on like this
what cables did you use for the GPU? it doesn't seem the standard one you get with the PSU
great review, keep that up!!
Is there any stress on the AIO tubes with the pump block orientation like that?
i have a much older fractal case with the cd bays and full hard drive area. which is removable. i still love it. i use many drives even today. once all my older spin drives die i may upgrade. for now i still cant find a case i like over this one.
Thanks. Very good review!
Thanks, stay tuned for a review on......uuh, something I can't talk about yet 🤫 But it will be cool.
does a normal 15cm long PSU can be used when a 3.5 HDD cage is used as well?
First time on your channel, great content...
Sick Bro!
Thanks Steve.
This video is really excellent.
how many fans can u put at the bottom of the case if u remove the harddrive cage?
That aoi cooler looks very pretty!
Hey. Perfect review for the case. Thanks! I can't really tell how close the AIO came "nowhere near the Memory". I have a Arctic Freezer II (240) here that I would like to use top-mounted with this case. Do you think it would've fit as well? If I see the specs correctly, the Lian Li radiator should be about 11mm thinner than the Arctic (which is 63mm in total).
The Galahad fans were about a full centimeter above the RAM. The Artic Freezer is a thick rad so you may be cutting it close. The Trident Z memory I used would have fit behind the Galahad with a mm or 2 too spare, but you might want to go with some low profile memory to be safe.
Nicely done review and build! Gave me a real good look at this case that I am considering against a few others from Phanteks and Lian Li. Now I wonder if I can remove the 3.5 drive cage entirely and still bolt a HD to the floor of the case to help with the cables... Keep up the good work!
Yes you can remove the drive cage, either from the rear through the PSU opening or through the front after removing the expansion covers, and then you can mount a 3.5" HHD directly to the floor of the case.
@@ElevatedSystems Thanks for confirming that! Good to know.
I removed mine, and used self adhesive double sided velcro with my 2.5" SSD, and put that on the bottom!
Awesome Video! I've always wanted to have a white chassis. Always drooled over the NZXT Phantom, and now the NZXT H710, but I just found out about this case and absolutely love it as well! That said, I'm extremely worried that the white would be ruined by dust and dirt through time. Kind of leaning towards the black even though I just said I've always wanted a white.
I've never had a problem with white, in fact white hides dust a lot better then black.
can anyone tell me what screw to use for top aio cooler mount..the supplied screws is too tiny and wont clip on the bracket
Thx for the video, it convinced me that I should get a e-atx version instead of the compact one.
Excellent very nice, great CJ
Thank you kindly
Great review
Thanks.
Great video! I am just starting to look at Pcs, would you recommend this setup for gaming by any chance??
Yes it’s good for gaming but gpus are sadly hard to find at the moment they’re sold out everywhere and really hard to find at msrp price
Really awesome review! Getting this case purely after watching this review. Building system for my son with a i5-10600k GTX 1080 Strix, 16gb ram and 1TB SSD. :)
Great Choice.
I've now watched the vid twice. Haven't done a completely new build in a while. Excellent and very thorough review (others have complimented you on that as well). My question: I didn't get a great sense of how easy it is to route USB and audio to the top panel, which I've never done because previously I have had no need to do that. Is cable length something I'm going to have to worry about here? Will I need extenders? Moving a build with an MSI MPG Z90 Gaming Plus mobo over from an Antec 900, if that helps you answer. Thanks!
The front pan connectors are long enough to route up through the PSU shroud and connect to the headers on the bottom of the motherboard. You just may need to connect them prior to installing the PSU as it's a tight fit.
@@ElevatedSystems Thank you!
@@ElevatedSystems Just wanted to say I followed pretty much everything you did and suggested, and I got my system up and running on the first try. Even though I've built every system I've ever owned, that usually doesn't happen. Also, cable management was not an issue for me, though to be fair my rig is medium end. Still, I did not even have to replace the thumb screw on the hard drive tray. Thanks a million!
Zaaaaajebisteeee!
Good morning, does it have good airflow despite there is no front mesh but side air intakes? Better the meshify c ?? Thanks.
I covered the airflow in the video, with a second fan in the front the airflow was pretty good but of course it's not an airflow focused case like the Meshify C.
2 Years later and I have yet to do the build because of the world chip crisis driving prices through the roof. Now that prices have calmed down, somewhat, I'm finally ready to build. On watching this video again I noticed that you installed Trident Z Neo ram without any clearance issues with a top mounted radiator and fans. I thought I read somewhere that 44mm were too tall for ram in this configuration....which is how tall Trident Z neo's are. I guess I was wrong. I went ahead and ordered a couple of Noctua NF a12x15 slim 120mm fans anyways. Going to remove the 140mm front fan and install three 120mm fans there instead.
Very nice. I'm curious how it works for smaller channels getting review samples or whatever you'd that here. Is it you reaching out to Fractal to ask for it or did Fractal reach out to you?
It's mostly about working hard and being fair an honest about the products featured. Having a community that trust you is crucial regardless of the size of the community.
Great review. Where can I purchase the RAM? It looks amazing.
You can't buy the ram. Not like that anyway. Check this out to see how I did it. kzhead.info/sun/f6-ac7WSeXmena8/bejne.html
Digging this case. Thing is, I need an optical drive so would have to go with the regular 7. Cheers.
Do you use the optical drive a lot? I use an external optical drive that goes back in a drawer when jot in use.
@@ElevatedSystems Perhaps not as much as I use to, but the pc is a gaming / htpc setup.
@@NYCamper62 Then I'd definetly go with an external as it will open up your case options a lot. You can even get a USB external enclosure if you already have an internal optical drive.
Hello CJ, In the video, I see that you installed the 240mm radiator on top. Based on the video, there's still a little room. Would you think that a 280mm radiator will still fit on top?
The top does not support a 280mm radiator, it would interfere with the motherboard. You can fit a 280 in the front.
@@ElevatedSystems Alright thanks! Because of your video I'm trying to copy the aesthetic. Looks awesome! Hope you can do a startup/first power up setup guide! Again, awesome video!
It's amazing how many cases and choices we have for PC cases. Did you use the Galahad 240 for this?
Yes, the Galahad was a perfect match for this case.
@@ElevatedSystems I was wondering how do you like the Controller for it? Mine seems to stop responding to presses at times and doesn't change the lights. I'll come back later and it will work find again, than stop. I have a 360.
@@SilverDragn I tested the controller briefly when I reviewed the AIO and it seemed to work fine but for this build and in the final build the Galahad will be used in I connect it straight to the ARGB header on the motherboard and Control it with the motherboard software.
Good video!
Thanks!
anyone with this case, i bought a hole saw 6 inch, and drilled 2 big holes in the metal front. then i used screen and mech together to make a dust filter. i used baking soda and super glue to seal the mesh to the black back fabric. my cpy cooler can now breath better. the metal front actually gets cold now hahha
Can the bottom 3.5 hard drive trays be removed from the case to make more room for cables?
Yes
@@ElevatedSystems How would you remove it? thinking about ordering one
There are 4 screws on the bottom of the case and then it slides out of the rear or up through the front. There are detailed instructions in the user's manual or check out my review of the Meshify 2. I demonstrate how to remove the drive cage in that and its is the same as the Define compact.
Sir what's the price in us dollar?
Where did you bought those rams? I only can find black and white versions of those :/
I made them kzhead.info/sun/f6-ac7WSeXmena8/bejne.html
@@ElevatedSystems thanks! :)
good review - you seem like a friendly guys; very digestible content.
Glad you think so!
the gigabyte vision 3080 would look sick in this build as it fits many all white builds
I tried to get the Vision 3070 on launch but it went immediately from coming soon to sold out.
Would this fit a RTX 3080 build? (Great review, thank you!)
Yes, if you are lucky enought to have one and it meets the length requirements of the case.
Absolutely beautiful! I sub'd and liked. I wanted to ask you one question. Would you recommend 970 evo like you used or the 980 pro SSD for a Ryzen gaming? Thank you?
It really depends on the capacity and use case. I always recommend a smaller, faster Nvme M.2 boot drive and a larger capacity SATA SSD for storage (game library). In that case a smaller 980 Pro would make a good boot drive if you can find it for a good price and you have a PCIe Gen 4 capable Motherboard.
Is the drive tray at the bottom there removable?
There are 4 screws on the bottom of the case and then it slides out of the rear or up through the front. There are detailed instructions in the user's manual or check out my review of the Meshify 2. I demonstrate how to remove the drive cage in that and its is the same as the Define compact
@@ElevatedSystems What annoys me is that from checking their site just now there doesn't seem a way to order tempered glass side panels separately. Other than that, this case seems to be a solid contender for my next build.
@@olternaut There is a German parts shop they recommend.
confused between Meshify C and define 7 compact case from fractal.
define 7 compact :)
Can somebody please tell me what the 4 metal plates in the box are for? I can't figure it out for the life of me.
I don't think the define 7 compact came with any additional drive trays in the accessory box. The Define 7 (non-compact) comes with 4 extra drive trays in the box if you need to install extra storage.
Where'd you get the white trident z neos
I made them - kzhead.info/sun/f6-ac7WSeXmena8/bejne.html
@@ElevatedSystems ohh that's cool, thanks!
Is the cooler any good? Temps & Noise
kzhead.info/sun/d5GudMyqb2t5gKM/bejne.html
@@ElevatedSystems thanks
Thank you for showing the beautiful case.. yes I want one. hopping over to amazon now. I logged in however to ask this. > am I the only one that cringes whenever I see someone whip out a powered tool to extract and manipulate fasteners ? > no reflection on you or your work. I see a lot of "youtubers" do this. I have the same aversion when I see air tools used to do light automotive work. Just an old mechanic.. wondering if I am alone.
I typically only use a power driver for first cutting in fan screws, and that's typically only when the camera is rolling. Tapping in those screws by hand just results in a lot of (digital) footage on the editing room floor. Never has a power driver touched one of motherboard screws however.
Wait... your AIO aren't touching the RAM at all? Holy shit I was lied to!! LOL.... Fractal said with a rooftop AIO, motherboard headroom limit for this case is 40mm. I bought the Trident Z RBG before that and I realized it was actually 44mm and couldn't fit, I actually went back to my store, swapped my Kraken X53 that I planned for the roof for a X63 that I will put to the front instead. And now you're telling me your Trident Z NEO that's 43mm fit like it wasn't a problem at all? Man....
It depend on the space from the top of the mobo to the top of the DIMM slots. The DIMM slots on the Asus Prime I used were just below the AIO.
if someone send me a case, i can show a video how to mod the front for cpu fans to breath better. theres not much clearance for a radiator. so the 4 inch holes was a definate necessity for me
Did anyone else have the same issue as i did? The AIO did not fit in the top because it hit the damn motherboard heatsink... 52mm height radiator+fan
It's a compact case so there is a motherboard component height limit of only about 40mm, so if you have tall VRM heatsinks they will impact the ability to use a top mounted AIO.
Adding a further comment, on closer examination from Fractal's website, I see the clearance issue has mainly to do with the I/O shield, bigger VRM heatsinks, and possibly the ram. And I see that the motherboard you chose has a big honking VRM heatsink and I/O shield. What I have is the ASUS tuf gaming x570 pro wifi. It's heatsink is more modest than yours. And if yours can fit then so can mine! So possibly those slim noctuas I ordered were for nothing. The fans that came with the fractal design AIO should work fine then....they have standard 25mm widths. Well crap, money possibly wasted. What I should have ordered then was just one more 140mm case fan for the front.....but a slim one. That way I would future proof for larger GPUs and their ever increasing sizes. Alas, I guess I will make due with the noctuas.
Hi ! I am actually trying to choose the last two components for my PC and these are a case and cooling system. I am very concerned about clearance issue with 240mm mounted on top. I do have the ddr5 kingston ram which is 44mm in height. GSKILL used in this build seems to have 44mm as well. Would you recommend any AIO cooler ? also how is your build so far ? everything fit ?
I just wish the front panel was white also.
かっこいいっすね
とてもかっこいい
You have one of the most beautiful blue eyes.
I wished this had one external drive.
External Drive?
Cleaning the front filter is a huge downgrade from the R5.
The review is very good, just fine!! But (!) no one ever tells the whole truth about tower coolers.(Including on this channel) I chose Fractal Design Define 7 Compact, I chose strictly according to those characteristics and specifications on the official website. I chose a serious tower cooler for it, which by all parameters SHOULD fit into this case, this is Noctua NH - D15. According to the stated data on the Noctua website, its size is 165mm in height. In the Fractal Design Define 7 Compact case, according to the data on the Fractal website, the maximum height of the tower cooler is 169mm. See how everything fits perfectly, doesn't it?!! . . . . But really, the Noctua tower cooler does not fit into the Fractal Design Define 7 Compact case, it does not fit!!!!!! And now the essence of the question, about which everyone, including TehnoBelka, is "loudly" silent: Actually, the tower fits, even the average fan becomes good, but the front fan, located above the RAM slats, moves up because of these very slats, and because of this, the real, I emphasize, the real size of the Noctua NH - D15 tower cooler goes beyond the officially declared.About 2.5... up to 3 cm!!! Noctua does not write about this, and it looks like this is some kind of conspiracy of all reviewers on KZhead. How many people get to the hull like this, or to replace a smaller tower (or should I take my own)? Dear author of this video! I appeal to you with a request to spread this information, because the mystery covering this topic will be a major upset for hundreds of trapped people!! This case is able to fit Noctua NH - D15 with only one central fan. If you install a second fan in front, the glass does not close. That is, either this way, or with 2 fans, but without glass (or a blind metal wall)But this, as you understand, is a collective farm and not an option. Therefore, it is impossible to put processors of the upper line in this case, which have a strong heat dissipation.Only with ITS own. This information will save a lot of people from spending, through the fault of Noctua.
this case dont have power led for hard disk.. too bad
what is the pricetag of this
The case cost $109.99 US, the system.as built cost about $2500 US
Can i have it🤫 i dont have pc but i still watch tech vids like i have one😂
I've answered that question for all here: kzhead.info/sun/jMWnlLOfeXeAp6c/bejne.html
I am cracking up seeing the battery driver used for the screws. How weak are your wrists and how long are the screws? lol
Alunimum
That's what I said, aloominum.
From now on, I will refer to "aluminium" as alunimum. Everyone will just have to deal with it.
2020 USB 2.0 ....