Hardware Fractal Design Array R2 mini-ITX case review

Has Fractal Designed the perfect NAS box case for mini-ITX? Is that all there is to it? We find out.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/07/14/fractal-design-array-r2-m-itx-case-review/1

 

WOW!! i was thinking of getting one for a nas box but i think ill go the custom built route after reading that! it does look lovely though.

 

ouch! 4 out of 10. That is a shame as i liked the look of this case and thought it would make a great home server. Hopefully there will be a second revision that improves the design.

 

I LOVE the look of this chassis - I definitely wouldn't use it for it's intended purpose, definitely one I'd mod the bejebus out off.

 

I love that modding it was seriously taken into account in the conclusion.

It would be a pretty decent case right out the box if it had an optical drive slot - HTPC without a DVD or Bluray drive is silly.

 

From a company that got so much right with their last case, it seems incredible that they could get much wrong with this one. (Not least the faintly ridiculous price tag)

 

If I were to get this case, the only real downside would seem to be the too high HDD temps. But yeah there are plenty of things to do differently in the possible future versions.

 

Mini-ITX chassis need airflow if they're going to host high end parts. Manufacturers seem not to understand this

 

High end parts or lots of hard drives. I wouldn't mind for NAS/HTPC case not to be capable of cooling gaming hardware, but it really is a biggie if the hard drive get toasty.

 

What were they thinking? £130! That PSU had better be damn impressive.

P.S. Dremel is misspelled in the last paragraph of the conclusion.

 

I'm still looking for a decent mini-ITX case that can take a GTX285 AND power it. Want to build a machine for lans, as my main rig is just too damn cumbersome.

 

I really liked the look of it when it was mentioned in the previous Fractal article. However it seems this review has brought to light some of the problems with it. The modding potential does sound interesting though, I have no doubt we'll see some people get stuck into it.

Hopefully the R2 XL I'm looking forward to will be more favourable.

 

Maybe they thought that people would only want to install an Atom setup and not want to go any higher.

 

Silverstone Sugo SG07 is your answer.

It's not really the whole issue, it's the fan that doesn't shift enough air to the hard drives and fact the cage either overlaps stuff or leaves huge gaps elsewhere.

 

Great review guys. I actually spoke with Fractal this morning, and they are sending me a case for a review as well. I'm anxious to see the issues you spoke of first hand. However, I've got no intention of leaving mine stock for long... ;-)

 

I like it.
Hmmm... now I compared this case to my NanoTower
This one is 20x25x35cm = 17.500, my Tower is 20x20x40cm = 16.000.
Tower is smaller than this case, but still takes dual chip GTX295, full size PSU and it's all watercooled in two separated loops - H50 and triple radiator with EK 4.0 pump with reservoir for gpu...
I guess this case can be heavily modded and be pretty powerful despite all those flaws...

 

If I ever grab an itx board up I will be picking up this case and some fun mod ideas!

 

Gorgeous case, but considering the price tag, you could probably buy a half reasonable 4 bay NAS for the cost of building a system in one of those. Gorgeous case, but

 

I would like them to review the Lian Li PC-Q08 as a comparison. It is also a mini-ITX case with room for 6 hard drives plus a 5 1/4. It looks very similar and has a 140mm intake fan.

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=480&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63

 

Sweet case but I'll wait for a revision or two