The Arc Midi R2 is developed with high-performance computer systems in mind. Featuring three high performance Silent Series R2 fans and ample water cooling options, the Arc Midi R2 layout maximizes airflow throughout the case and keeps even the most demanding systems at cool temperatures. Designed to house even the thickest radiators in both the top and front panels without extensive modifications, the Arc Midi R2 offers all this within a mid size case.
The chassis comes complete with a stylish window side panel, fan controller, easy to clean dust filters, high level of workmanship, flexible hard drive mounting system and plenty of space for cable routing.
Key features
Designed with high airflow in mind while consistently holding a minimalistic, sleek look and feel
Featuring a window side panel to show off your set up in style
Extensive water cooling support, designed to support thick radiators in the front and top positions
Three Silent Series R2 fans with integrated fan controller included
HDD cages are now split 5 + 3 and are both rotatable and removable for maximum configuration and airflow
Support for up to 8 hard drive bays with accommodation for an additional 2 x 2,5” inch drives behind the motherboard
Easy installation and configuration with ample cable routing space making it simple for everyone to make a very tidy looking computer build
Removable fan filters for easy dust maintenance and washing
ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX motherboard compatibility
2 - 5.25" bays
8 - 3.5" HDD trays - all compatible with SSDs
2 - 2.5" additional SSD positions behind the mothboard plate
7 + 1 expansion slots
7 - Fan positions (3 Silent Series R2 fans included)
Filtered fan slots in front, top and bottom
CPU coolers up to 180 mm tall
PSU compatibility: ATX PSUs up to 170 mm deep when using the bottom fan location; when not using this fan location longer PSUs (up to 270 mm deep) can be used
Graphics card compatibility: Graphics cards up to 290mm in length with the top HDD cage installed - With the top cage removed, graphics cards up to 430mm in length may be installed
26 mm of space for cable routing behind the motherboard plate
Thick rubber grommets on all holes on the motherboard plate
Colors available: Black
Case dimensions (WxHxD): 230 x 460 x 515mm
Net weight: 10.7kg
Package dimensions (WxHxD): 320 x 610 x 560mm
Package weight: 12kg
Cooling system
Front: 1 - hydraulic bearing 140mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed (included); 1 - 120/140mm fan (not included)
The Arc Midi R2 is developed with high-performance computer systems in mind. Featuring three high performance Silent Series R2 fans and ample water cooling options, the Arc Midi R2 layout maximizes airflow throughout the case and keeps even the most demanding systems at cool temperatures. Designed to house even the thickest radiators in both the top and front panels without extensive modifications, the Arc Midi R2 offers all this within a mid size case.
The chassis comes complete with a stylish window side panel, fan controller, easy to clean dust filters, high level of workmanship, flexible hard drive mounting system and plenty of space for cable routing.
Key features
Designed with high airflow in mind while consistently holding a minimalistic, sleek look and feel
Featuring a window side panel to show off your set up in style
Extensive water cooling support, designed to support thick radiators in the front and top positions
Three Silent Series R2 fans with integrated fan controller included
HDD cages are now split 5 + 3 and are both rotatable and removable for maximum configuration and airflow
Support for up to 8 hard drive bays with accommodation for an additional 2 x 2,5” inch drives behind the motherboard
Easy installation and configuration with ample cable routing space making it simple for everyone to make a very tidy looking computer build
Removable fan filters for easy dust maintenance and washing
Going from a Cosmos 1000 to this is amazing. Loads of room for drives/fans etc while being much smaller. Great airflow and nice cable management.
(Read More)
Airwolf1984 10/17/13
Verified Owner
Retired case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05
It's so hard to think of all the good and bad things about this case, but overall I'm 100% satisfied with my decision. Coming from an old case, this is a HUGE improvement. Not only for noise, but for airflow, cleaning, and workroom.
(Read More)
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Messages about Fractal Design Arc MIDI R2 Tower Computer Case Window 2X5.25 8X3.5INT No PS Fan Controller USB3.0
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Customer Reviews of (Fractal Design FD-CA-ARC-R2-BL-W)
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Cons Wish the filter material wasn't foam! Included fans are quiet but don't push a lot of air!
Summary This case was very easy to build in! Cable management is excellent! Air-flow is great. Very spacious for a mid-tower. Will fit the longest gpu and tall air-coolers.(170mm) Side window is designed properly!(I prefer not to look at drive cages) By far the best case I've built in and there has been a few. Some costing more!
Pros Style: Love the curved angles, the brushed aluminum-esq paint on the front panel and the side window Functionality: the Front fan filter is well designed ( pop on/off), and the underbottom filter is extra long, filtering not only the PSU but the bottom intake fan grill. Also I appreciate how the front panel inputs are connected to the case, not the front panel itself. Cable management is excellent/amazing. Almost a full inch in the back, no buckling on the back side panel. Never had a tidier interior.
Cons About the only con I can think of is no Sound dampening material.
Summary My favorite case to date. Absolutely love it. Worth every penny.
Pros plenty of room, excellent cable management and air flow
Cons fan controller only has three lines
Summary Great case and well worth the money when on sale. Excellent air flow and cable management. Removable HDD cages are great but I wish the 3.5" bays were tool-less.
Summary Going from a Cosmos 1000 to this is amazing. Loads of room for drives/fans etc while being much smaller. Great airflow and nice cable management.
Pros -If you love thumb screws you won't be disappointed. -extra thumb, special drive, and "standard" case screws come in the accessories box; all black. -Removable front filter without taking off the bezel. -Top can be taken off with thumb screws to clean filter. -3 supplied fans are silent enough that it's not that bothersome on all fan speed settings -Rubber feet to reduce desk vibration -Tinted glass -Rubber grommets for cable management -Can use three 140mm on top or one larger one (have to check what size), two 140mm in the front, 140mm on bottom and rear -Lots of room to work with in my opinion -Noise dampening foam filters on top and front, not on the bottom, but not needed -removable drive cages for longer video cards and reducing airflow restriction
Cons -taller and wider if you're coming from an old mid tower case (see my old model above), measure your location first to see if it will fit (I have it on the desk top because it will not fit on the usually tower spot below, and the back fan is about 1/2" away from the hutch). No noise issue from this that I can tell, but almost restricted top exhaust. -Had to use special drive screws for the SSD and HDD, but they install on rubber washers to reduce vibration on the mounting bracket. -Small vibration noise coming from the bottom dust filter if moved a certain way, but I haven't heard it lately. Might be bothersome if you move your case a lot (you can see part of the filter plastic on the inside bottom of the case and if you use black tape it might stop the vibration, but I haven't tested that theory). -Bottom filter can be annoying to remove and put back as the case itself doesn't slide well with the rubber feet, but I would rather have rubber feet to reduce vibration on the desk. -Didn't come with fan connection splitter if you have more than 3 case fans you want to use with the speed control. I ended up using the one that came with my NH-D14. -Foam filters might be an issue to clean as I'm used to that from my old case, but easier access might offset this as I can clean it more often without hassle -No tool-less installation of drives, but not a hassle with the aid of thumb screws at least
Summary Retired case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05 It's so hard to think of all the good and bad things about this case, but overall I'm 100% satisfied with my decision. Coming from an old case, this is a HUGE improvement. Not only for noise, but for airflow, cleaning, and workroom. It has all the things that I wanted in a new case. 140mm fan spots with the possibility of a larger fan on top. I have to look into this some more. A side window as I was tired of a vent. Front dust filter without removing the bezel is what really sold me. I recommended this to a couple friends who are going to be doing a build sometime soon. I will update if I think of anything else. A+ case
This review was modfied by poster @ 10-17-13 04:21 PM
Summary This case is the latest iteration of my watercooled build. Went in easy, lots of cable managment space and ability to run water tube behind motherboard tray. Looks great except fot the tight squeeze between upper 240mm rad and the 5.25 bays. Could have used 1 inch more for comfort.
Pros -Sleek and minimalist -Well built -Easy to cable manage -Fan control included -Silent default fans
Cons -none I can think of
Summary I've always wanted a fractal case for the sleek and quite oriented design. This is just the perfect case for me, spacious enough for hefty builds and it's sturdy enough to support it.
I have a huge enclosed water cooler in it and it wasn't hard to fit it in. I'm also happy with the space provided as I could easily manage the cables.
Pros -Fits dual radiators -Dust filters -Minimalistic styling -Excellent HDD mounting mechanism -Three 140 mm fans, and in white! sleeved cables too -Huge amount of clearance between the top radiator and motherboard. H100 fits no problem, and I guarantee you push/pull would have zero clearance issues with 99.9% of boards. -Fits 292 mm gtx 770 with lots of room to spare WITH both drive cages installed. Not sure if Gigabyte's wrong on the card length, or fractal design is wrong on how long a gfx card you can fit in this. Either way, very pleased. -Tons of room behind motherboard tray.
Cons -Panel gap like a 1980s American car -Motherboard tray flexes a lot (previous case was an HAF932, so maybe I'm spoiled in terms of build quality) -Extraordinarily poor SSD mounting in the drive cage. The connectors lie almost flush with the metal drive tray, making it impossible to connect power and data cables. If you look at SSD mounting kits, there is always a raised bump surrounding the screw holes, which allows for sufficient clearance to securely connect your SSD. I ended up just taping the SSD farther back on the tray so that the connection point was unobstructed. Serious oversight here imo. -Have to remove motherboard to use back panel SSD mounts... -HD Audio/front panel audio quality is really, really bad. -USB 3 cable so thick that it pulled itself free of my board -Front panel wiring protrudes into top ODD bay -Entire front facade is plastic, not brushed aluminum, as pictures may lead you to believe -Top dust filter can't be fully secured on both sides if you have a radiator installed in the top bay, as there is insufficient clearance to accommodate screws -All fans were installed with the power connector angled in such a way as to block something (i/o shield, another fan, etc.). Had to reorient them all. Front panel fan holder is just cheap plastic... -Rubber feet make it very difficult to push on carpet -No option to mount the 5 drive cage on the bottom of the case. This would be very nice in the event that your video card is too long with the top cage installed, but you want more than 3 3.5" drives installed. -Bottom-most drive can't use an angled connector. Keep this in mind if you're buying cables -PCI-e slot screw holes don't line up with PCI-e card screw holes. Never seen this in a case before...I'm talking an entire screw width off.
basically, a lot of minor, unpolished stuff that makes the case feel cheap
Summary Overall, I like this case. It looks good and has excellent cooling support. My biggest complaint is that everything feels unpolished and a bit cheap. There are so many minor issues with this case. Read full review for a list of my nitpicks I encountered while building.
Pros - good of cable management room and lots of gromets - modular hard drive cages for airflow - 3 5v/7v/12v fan controller - smoked good sized window - dust filter on bottom and front and top I guess - 3x 140mm silent seires r2 fans
Cons - maybe put more fan input on the controller - The top cover doesn't help with cooling. It'd be great if they made an alternate top cover for airflow as the case does not look great without it. - no 3.5" front bay mount.
Summary This is probably the best case for the money. Got it on sale for $69. Also comes with 3 silent 140mm fans. Be careful of shipping from Canada Post. Mine came with a giant hole on the side and the window punched in. Luckily I was able to push it back in with only a few minor scratches.
Pros Lots of room, dust filters, fan controls, quiet. looks
Cons one of the usb port is broken, not responding. looks
Summary I like this case, it's got tons of room for cable management and other upgrade option, absolutely love the 3 dust filter for easy dust off, fan controller is a plus, best case I have own, only down side is one of the usb port is broken, I didn't bother return it, don't want to rebuild the desktop:D
Pros Just a FANTASTIC Case in my opinion. I mounted a Corsair H110 in the top with minor modification running 2 x's 140mm fans in the front and reversed the back fan to blow in. The H110 fans push through the 280x30x140 rad out the top and still can mount an optical drive in the top bay. There is tons of space between the main board and rad where I can easily mount 4 fans on the rad for push pull. Actually you can mount a 360x60x140 rad in the top without modification but you will loose the top optical bay.
I run an i7 2700K on an ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 at .969v/1600Mhz to 1.376v/4600Mhz with temp variance of 36C at idle to a max of 67C running Prime95.
You can mount up to a 280x60x140 rad in push pull in the front with out modification - Would be ideal for another loop to cool GPUs.
Great Ventilation and Dust Filtering plus it's Quiet with then big 140mm fans.
I got it on SALE from NCIX for $69.99 costing me a Total of $108.71 by the time it was delivered and it was a very fast delivery like under 48Hrs. I received the case before PayPal with drew the purchase from my Bank Account.
Cons I did have an issue with the Fractal 5/7/12v fan controller such that when you moved the slider it shorted my PSU thus nuking my discrete PCIe Video Card and the USB ports but Fractal sent me a new controller for free.
Hum: $108.71 - $69.99 = $38.72 - Isn't that Horrific. Almost $40 that is 2/3rds of the purchase price by issue of TAX, Handling and Shipping. CANADA should be ASHAMED. Americans had the same sale at $64.99 and Shipping was FREE. What the H*%l is Free Trade all about.
Pros Good price, quality case, good enough airflow, beautiful, smoked window, spacious for its size (watercooling)
Cons Riveted 5,25 bays.
Summary I decided to do watercooling not long ago and I was tired of my Antec Eleven Hundred (which was not WCing friendly). After some research, I found that case... perfect!
There's nothing "ugly" in this case (compared to the original Arc Midi engraved logo) and it screams quality even if it uses plastic for the front cover. My favorite feature would be the hdd bay which you can move further left to install a thicker (say EX240) radiator in the front! My only complaint would be the riveted optical bays which would be better to get off because of my odd radiator :)
That being said, for the price, you can't go wrong! This is a 2013 case and it has all the features (and more) from a modern case. My first Fractal case but surely not my last.
Pros Cheap, well-engineered and built. Looks pretty good.
Cons Power button is a little flimsy, zero sound-dampening material. Would rather have had a 90-degree USB3 plug.
Summary Excellent for cable management, highly configurable case that's a breeze to work on. They include everything you need (even a little MB-standoff adapter for your Phillips #2 screwdriver!) Anything that makes any noise in the case can be heard from outside. The quiet version of this case is the R4.
Pros Price Quality Size Room to watercool Modular Smoke side window Fantastic airflow Great simple design
Cons Fan controller uses molex SSD mount behind mob useless. Must remove mobo first before install of SSD
Summary Where do i start on this case. I will say this, the Fractal Arc Midi R2 is the only case on the market that fully support dual rads for $100 or less. There is no case like it on the market. Forget about buying Antec, Coolermaster, Corsair or any other. Pointless to spend your money on those others. 1) The smoke window plays nicely with any lighting, while it adds a somewhat darkness to it. 2) Fan controller for 3 fans is not bad, uses molex which is bad. Good to control CPU fans. 3) Modular HDD racks, makes it easier to find the best spot and room. 4) Great airflow with 140mm fans. Replaced stock fans with 6x 140mm fans. That is plenty for cooling. 5) Size, small to house the best components you got. Do not take up room, but plenty of inside. 6) Proper dust filters. It is a foam mesh type (does very little to restrict airflow), not like the mesh you see on other cases which really does nothing and they do not work to lower your dust. 7) Easy to clean dust filters on front and top. Removal of panels are easy to do. All right best part here it is. Watercooling for dual rads. Top supports 240x60mm rad with push/pull. Can use 280mm rad on top (Check clearance and measure before anything) Front supports 240x60mm or 280x60mm up front in Push/Pull. (Always check measurements and clearance before you buy watercooling) Conclusion... Fractal Arc Midi R2 is the best case right now and will be so for a very long time. Some small issues, which is not a problem. Other companies needs to take note on what Fractal Design is doing in the market and properly listen to consumers.
This review was modfied by poster @ 04-11-13 02:21 AM
Pros Le prix lorsqu'en solde à 89.99$. 8 emplacements de disques 2.5"/3.5". Beaucoup d'espace à l'arrière du panneau de montage pour la gestion des câbles. Trois bons ventilateurs silencieux lorsque monté verticalement. 7 emplacements pour installer des ventilateurs 120/140MM. 2 baies et montage de disques durs amovibles et configurables. Trois bons filtres à air facile à démonter pour le nettoyage. Contrôleur de vitesse de ventilateur à trois tensions fixes (5V, 7V et 12V) non limité en courant (commutation des tensions du power supply). Panneau de tôles en acier épais. Grosses pattes sous le boitier pour bien laisser circuler l'air. Deux prises USB3.0 et leur câble est compatible avec un connecteur USB3.0 de carte-mère et aussi retro-compatible avec pin-header USB2.0 de carte-mère.
Cons Allure générale anonyme. Le câble HD audio pourrait être un peu plus long. Le filtre à air sur le dessus du boitier n'est pas vraiment utile puisqu'habituellement les ventilateurs du dessus du boitier sortent l'air du boitier. Donc celui-ci garde la poussière à l’intérieur du boitier.
Summary Pour un budget sous les 100$ ce boitier est probablement le meilleur choix actuel si le look n'est pas une grande priorité. J'ai acheté ce boitier pour remplace mon Antec 900 qui m'a bien servi pendant plusieurs années. J'ai installé sept disques durs dans ce boiter avec beaucoup d'aisance ce qui n'était pas vraiment possible avec mon Antec 900. Aussi les filtres à air de mon nouvel Arc MIDI R2 vont éloigner les fréquents nettoyages de la poussière que je devais faire régulièrement avec mon Antec 900. Les trois ventilateurs 140MM 1000RPM inclus sont très silencieux sans bruit de roulement ni de vibration lorsqu'ils sont montés verticalement. Horizontalement ont entend et on sent quelque peu virer les ventilateurs mais ce n'est pas énervant. Le commutateur de contrôle des ventilateurs à trois positions raccorde directement ses trois sorties à connecteurs standard de fan à 3 pins sur les rails de 0, 5 et 12 volts pour alimenter les ventilateurs soit à 5 ou 7 (12V – 5V) ou 12 volts. Donc ce contrôleur n’est pas limité en courant comme s’il générait lui-même les tensions à partir d’un régulateur dédié. Je suis très satisfait de mon nouveau boitier et je le recommande sans hésitation.
Pros Very clean design Great air filters fans included are quiet Lots of water cooling options
Cons Which there was a 2.1Amp dedicated charging port If there was sound dampening material in the case and panels
Summary Overall a great case, I would recommend it to anybody. Wish I waited a few days before buying the case because it's on sale for $99.99. Would NCIX give me a $10 credit?
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