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The Define 7 XL sets a new standard for what you should expect from a full tower case in terms of modularity, flexibility and ease of use. With its dual-layout interior, industrial sound damping and massively versatile layout supporting the largest E-ATX and enterprise boards, multi-GPU setups, outlandish water loops, and almost two dozen storage devices (in Storage layout), you’ll be hard pressed to find a limit to what you can do with your build in the Define 7 XL. FEATURES: Outstanding cooling capacity with a total of 9 x 140mm or 11 x 120mm fan mounts and three preinstalled Dynamic X2 GP-14 fans ZIL and SLOG: https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/some-insights-into-slog-zil-with-zfs-on-freenas.13633/
I am in the process of putting together a system for a very similar use case. After a lot of consideration I ended up getting a Define 7. I ruled out the Define 7 XL because I didn't think I'd be able to lift the case, even empty, and I thought that would be too much of a bother; very possibly that isn't applicable to you. The main question that prospective Define 7 or Meshify 2 users must ask is these questions. Which case best suits your budget, styling, and hardware needs. If you need optical bays, you need the Define 7. If you don’t want a flat front panel, use the Meshify 2. Do you prefer noise-deadening or do you prefer direct airflow? The 7 XL is the most expandable Define case ever. With its bold and innovative design, it sets a new standard for what you should expect from a full tower case in terms of modularity, flexibility and ease of use. Supporting the largest E-ATX and enterprise boards, multi-GPU setups, and almost two dozen storage devices (in Storage layout), you’ll be hard pressed to find a limit to what you can do with your build in the Define 7 XL. All-In-One Affordable, easy to install, maintenance-free liquid cooler with class-leading performance Like Fractal’s Define 7, the Meshify 2 is easy to build in and offers a level of build that’s rarely matched within this industry. We are certain that we will see a few copycat designs in the future from other manufacturers, or a few features in upcoming cases which are “inspired” by Fractal’s designs.Â
Fractal Design Define 7 combines a striking aesthetic design with a bevy of convenient build features and impressive performance.
Below are the specifications of Fractal’s Define 7, which are compared to the company’s existing Define R6. Notice the case’s support for a larger selection of fans, more total HDDs and the case’s additional room for cable management. Standardized thermal testing puts the Define 7 at a natural disadvantage, because it’s one of the only cases we’ve worked with that runs as quietly as it does; in fact, the Define 7 is below our 36dBA normalized threshold for noise testing, plotting instead at 34.6dBA, and that’s with its included fans at maximum speed. Even still, with this noted, the case is doing better in CPU thermals than a few others on the chart. An extra 1dBA worth of fan RPMs honestly wouldn’t change much in this setup, anyway, but might propel it more toward the O11 XL or Helios. The GPU thermals put the Define 7 actually very near the top of the chart. This, we think, is again because of the GPU intake through the rear of the case as a result of the pressure system being created. Conclusion: Fractal Define 7 Review Use the Open Layout for more headroom and gargantuan water-cooling with radiators up to 480 mm in front or top and 280 mm in the base
The world of PC cases is about more than simple boxes and adherence to the ATX standards of PSU and motherboard designs. The world of cases is filled with a wondrous variety, with manufacturers offering enclosures of all shapes and sizes. However, well-designed cases always encouraged the creation of clones from competing manufacturers.ÂÂ In that same vein, we also received an accessory kit with the Define 7 containing an entire replacement top panel. Using this panel defeats some of the noise damping features of the case, but it does allow mounting fans and radiators, vastly expanding the cooling options. The downside of swappable panels like this is that customers are inevitably going to pay for a panel that they don’t use, but the ability of the Define 7 to switch from a silence-focused case with a ton of drive mounts to a liquid-cooled case with massive radiators and a reservoir at the front, or anything in between. Etorix, I'll take a look at the Nanoxia, thank you. Did you find that it was indeed as quiet as the "Deep Silence" name would suggest? Don't use RAID: https://www.truenas.com/community/r...bas-and-why-cant-i-use-a-raid-controller.139/
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New chassis design opens up to fully expose the case interior on three sides for totally unhindered installation and cable routing
I wanted to space out the drives on the theory that would make it easier to keep them cool. I felt like that was pretty straightforward to do with eight drives. Ten spaced drives might be better in the XL, but it would probably still be somewhat reasonable with the regular define 7. I'm optimistic that there is plenty of extra space to negate the airflow concerns, but not tested yet. We loved the Define 7/Define 7 XL, and that love extends to the Meshify 2/Meshify 2 XL. The Meshify 2 series is cheaper, offers a nigh-identical feature set and offers users a completely new external aesthetic without compromising any of the things that made the Define 7 great. We said that the Define 7 was “on the cusp of perfection”, and the same applies to the Meshify 2. For that reason, we have given Fractal’s Meshify 2 and Meshify 2 XL the OC3D White Gold Award.ÂÂÂThe HDD cage under the PSU shroud fits two drive sleds, but with so many mounting options inside the case, that’s barely worth mentioning. What is worth mentioning is that Fractal has fully taken advantage of the extremely long case form factor by mounting the cage on rails that allow it to be placed anywhere from right against the PSU to flush with the front panel. Even better, the rails can be used to mount HDDs or fans directly to the bottom of the chassis as well. Putting fans under the PSU shroud like this has limited usefulness (although the top of the shroud is ventilated), but Fractal was able to provide that option and so they did, which is a mentality we appreciate. More options is better than fewer. So basically the core and GPU temperatures haven't changed. The differential across the radiator went up by 1/2 to 1 degee C. The VRM went up slightly (with the case open, it was getting cool air that it would not have regardless of how many exhaust fans I would have had).
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