I really want the Arc Mini so badly.

Gorgeous lookin' case.

I like the look of it, and the possibility of sitting a 360 rad on the roof (outside), but there doesn't look to be a lot of room for the rest of the loop - could be very cramped.

Originally Posted by Arc Review
Our only reservation is that its muted style doesn’t do anything to make it stand out in what is a crowded market place.

Ugh. Don't you think there are enough "Turbo Xtreme" cases in the market place already? Seriously, trying to find a competent case that doesn't look like the love child of a leaf-blower and a Nascar is hard enough as it is, don't go encouraging them!

*Hugs his Fractal Designs R3*

That is one swanky looking case and a great price, though I think that the inclusion of 8-hdd drive bays is as laughable as the number of optical drive bays in the first CM Stacker!

Frankly, Fractal make cases that are understated and don't scream "I'm a teenager". I went off windows, LED fans, cathode tubes and ridiculous styling years and years ago, so Fractal fit the bill perfectly. I'd actually say that they're the ones standing out from the crowd of tacky crap.

Good case for £75, but I'll stick with my Define R3 in white for now.

+1 to Cei - understated is better than colourful neon crap. Function over form! I'm torn between the R3 and this, but as I value silence above extreme OC'ing I think I'll go with the Define R3.

Very nice looking case, understated.

The only thing that is putting me off is the huge Fractal branding, not keen on that at all.

nice case, good to see the oi not connected to the front panel.

Very slick with the extra expansion port in the back.

Very nice looking case, I may have to get myself one :-)

Would a triple 120mm rad fit in the ceiling if the uppermost optical bad wasn't used?

Originally Posted by Cei
Frankly, Fractal make cases that are understated and don't scream "I'm a teenager". I went off windows, LED fans, cathode tubes and ridiculous styling years and years ago, so Fractal fit the bill perfectly. I'd actually say that they're the ones standing out from the crowd of tacky crap.

Exactly that.

There is of course a market for cases that look like Transformer Robots 'mid-transform', but there's also a market for more elegant looking equipment as well - Fractal Design seem to be cornering that section of the market quiet nicely.

I think the front looks ugly. Mind, you I like Fractal cases and I think the next upgrade will be either the R3 or the Fortress 02 (if I can be bothered to fork out the extra cash). This seems to be neither here nor there really. The R3 is a quiet and stylish case which sacrifices some cooling performance. I guess this does cool better, but if you have to sacrifice the looks or the noise levels then I think it's a bit pointless. Hmm, actually I'm probably a bit too harsh, it's still a very good case which is worth buying for the price, but there are other air cooling cases which have similar price points and looks (midway between clean R3 design and the HAF monstrosities) so it just doesn't stand out as much.

Originally Posted by urobulos
I think the front looks ugly.

Originally Posted by JCBeastie
The only thing that is putting me off is the huge Fractal branding, not keen on that at all.

I do agree that the massive branding on the front is a downside. They should have stuck with a nice plain front!

There's no picture of the so well described top of the case...

Front panel Power, reset, 2x USB 3, 1x USB 3, stereo, microphone

Typo, threw me off at first as i was thinking wow finally two USB 3's then i saw another one.

Anways i like the case except i do have to agree that the branding is bad. I like the cleanness though. Nice to see that people are are going quality over flash. Some competition for Lian Li (last time i bought a "nice" case, Lian Li really was only nice and clean option). Now lets just hope this trend moves towards MicroATX as honestly alot of people are building smaller computers nowadays.

great case

deleted

edit: my bad

i decided to take the plunge and get a define r3 as i couldnt stand waiting for this case any longer.............................................that was 2 weeks ago :(

Still has the hideous "FRACTAL" stamped on the fascia though.

Originally Posted by chrismarkham1982
i decided to take the plunge and get a define r3 as i couldnt stand waiting for this case any longer.............................................that was 2 weeks ago :(

I done the same a couple of months ago... and just to cheer you up a little, QuitePC listing for the Arc says, "due late July". Yet again its been put back.

And to be honest I'm thinking of giving this a miss altogether now and buy another R3, but in white :)

£75
nice exterior
plenty of hdd space
decent internals with better spacing behind & above mobo tray & good wire management
same old lay out of hdd's giving warm air to components is something I don't like with most cases so
Fair review .
Too many smilies from me :)

now why cant they combine this with the r3..i might then possible give mild consideration to replace my p182.

Originally Posted by MiNiMaL_FuSS
now why cant they combine this with the r3..i might then possible give mild consideration to replace my p182.

How do you mean?
The R3 is pretty perfect for silence as it is, the ARC doesn't bring anything in terms of functionality aside from USB3.

Looks like a fantastic case to me. I don't mind the plastic front too much if it keeps the price down and Fractal fans seem decent which is a bonus as stock fans aren't always the greatest. Should be lovely for tidy build and the USB 3.0 cable for the motherboard header is a nice addition, as is the included fan controller (not listed under extras by the way but is of course mentioned in the review) which should help offset having louder fans than the Define series. Temps aren't bad at stock at all so dialling them down a bit should still result in decent cooling for a mid range build.

I'm looking at the Arc Mini more so though for an matx build - would hope it follows in its big brother's footsteps :)