Outstanding Tower with perfect cooling concept

I have had in recent years, various forms (desktop, MIDI, and Bigtower) and dozens of different manufacturers (Antec, Chieftec, Lian Li, Silverstone, Cooler Master, and a few others), because I was looking for the perfect for me Housing was.
My penultimate Tower, the Silverstone FT-02, although was optically very good, but swing ... Um, * cough * ... very expensive and had but a few construction-related flaws that made me quickly search for an alternative. The Antec Three Hundred Two I had won, but also because it soon became clear that the housing would stay with me only at very short notice ...

But now to my new Fractal Design Arc.

Processing:
The case is (apart from the front and lid) made by today's standards thick steel plate, which is provided with a structured powder coating. This coating has an excellent quality and has any defects at no point on.
While the front and the lid are made of plastic, but the parts are so stable and clean processes that do not negatively noticeable. On the contrary, they complement visually even very well the simple overall picture of the case.
The inevitable gaps (eg between side panel and cover) fall out small and do not interfere at all. Again Fractal Design has done an excellent job.

Ventilation:
Here know the case to stand out very positively. Seven (!) Fan (six of them with dust filter!) With 120 or 140mm can be fitted easily, and provide good air circulation. I have currently six places occupied (2x140mm front entrance, 1x140mm entrance floor, 2x140mm input cover, 1x120mm as output for the radiator in the back), and more than a faint noise is not heard. So here you will except with an insulation of noisy hard drives and CPU fan, no longer able to make a lot of the soundscape. But for the 'Silence Fans' there are, after all, the Define R4 ...
Incidentally, the three fans that are fitted to Tower, have a surprisingly good quality. They are connected to the integrated controller, nice and quiet and have (the infamous 'Lagerklackern' such as) even at a low rotation speed no annoying noises on.

Temperatures:
Here I am but then nearly fell off my chair, the Antec (see review) was cooler than my old Silverstone, but the ARC they are again like! The CPU is ~ 9 ° C (load ~ 6 ° C) cooler than before, and the fan rotate my graphics card not nearly so much as he did before. Despite a test point utilization of 98%, I can do without a manual adjustment on the CCC for the first time in years. Temperatures that were previously only possible with a fan speed of ~ 70% (aka turbine), 50% are now already with ~ possible.
My built behind the Seagate Momentus XT Mainboardtray (incidentally, highly recommended if you still want to buy no SSD) achieved without additional cooling under load only ~ 40 ° C, which does not occur at this point to high temperatures.

Space:
The R2 is 'wider' than a normal mid tower. At first glance, it works by some brawny, but the construction you quickly realize that this is a big advantage. Larger CPU cooler (up to ~ 180mm) can block here without problems, and I've never had less problems the cable stowed behind the Mainboardtray (~ 25mm square!).
Even larger motherboards (such as the Gigabyte 990FXA-UD7) can block, but here it is in the cable glands but then be a bit tight. However, one can blame the Fractal Design only conditionally, because such large boards are now not too often installed in a mid tower.
For hard drives, eight 2.5 "/3.5" bays in the removable drive cages available Added to this are two mounting slots for 2.5 "drives at the rear of Mainboardtrays. So that would even for a file server more than sufficient.

Modding:
See the first comment.

Water cooling:
It is almost unbelievable what you can accommodate in this tower to radiators. A 280 Monster Radiator of Alphacool fits easily in the front, a 240 (depending on the manufacturer possibly even a 280) in the lid, and then each a 120 or a 140 (again depending on the manufacturer) into the ground or the back of the housing. So you should get yourself in a few years nearly all perfectly chilled ...

Disadvantages:
Here I had to look for very to ever find something so the points that I list the same, will be relatively unimportant for many users, or just tricked ...
1. Only two bays for 5.25 ". Especially with a larger water cooling can this 'a little' is problematic. However, you can cheat a little here by accesses Installation frame (such as inline or ORICO PCI25).
2. For fans with LED struts fall into the dust filters but to negative.
3. If you want to install a radiator in the front, which may need to expand the support plates for the HDD cages. While the plate in the ground is simple, custom one for the upper plate a Phillips with an approximately 13 cm long blade. The plate is screwed from above with the drive cage, and you can also solve the screws from above through the grille.
4. After a few months, another drawback with the filters has still got exposed. Unfortunately, very difficult to clean because something always gets stuck in them and gradually become clogged. Tapping, wash, brush, vacuum cleaner - all goes well not really because the mesh is in the way. Really clean you get that cleans only by taking out the foam and individually. However, this is to take out the easy part - Refit is a miserable fumbling, and the holders of the mesh aufzubiegenden make only a couple of times with (the guaranteed break sometime away).
I highly recommend to get the below listed in the addendum filter of Silverstone and remove the foam ... The cleaning is thus greatly simplified, and in addition you have to influence a better airflow without the volume of the system adversely.

TL / DR
In short: In the last decade it has managed very few products just as much to convince me how this body ... Very simple installation of components, loads of space, perfect for all kinds of applications and configurations, good quality, no major cons, and then also inexpensive!

Absolute buy recommendation!

Tips:
1. As the built-in thumb screws are too tight and also still are very small, I recommend against other (such as the InLine thumbscrews) exchange. This makes it easier to upgrade later or a remodeling enormous. But rather ordered a few more, since the consist entirely of aluminum (is just a soft metal;)).
2. Fractal Design has emerged as one of the few manufacturers its own page for spare parts. So even if times should slip when modding the multitool (I myself use a Proxxon), so you can get there conveniently substitute.
3. Since this Tower has a filter in the lid, but it worth it to him 'overpressure' remodel. So just go with the seats in the cap for sucking air. Especially when using a compact finished water cooling (such as a Corsair H55) brings some advantages.
The main advantage lies in the fact that one can thus avoid dust as much as possible because all incoming air must pass through the dust filter, and all cracks, gaps, and other openings are automatically used as air outlet.
4. If you want to have a little more air flow (or the white backplate not like), the should try out the Aeroslots Silverstone.

Addendum:
The Silverstone SST-FF143B are perfect for the cover of the housing, and I can really highly recommend.

Who would not have a window, which should try out the other version. The internal structure is the same and everything I wrote for this version, also applies here.