It should fulfill in particular the following points in contrast to the Phantom:
- Valence
- Appearance (subjective)
- Improve cooling
Reduce dust in the interior -
- Cable Management
- Large and simple window
Appearance
Since this point is rather subjective, my appearance at a high end PC but is nonetheless important, I will try to remain objective. The case features a matte finish of the metal and plastic parts on the front as well as by a large window on the side. All in all, as can be seen in the pictures the manufacturer's appearance in Natura. The matting is homogeneous and fine texture. The viewing window is tinted and you can look inside in the off state, but not so as the glass would be clear. You can see the components in the interior with natural light, colorful components such as cables fall through the tint only no longer so on. If you have Led's built into its housing so not the components work very precious, yet intrusive. The only to bemängelnde is a small not perfect matt spot on the left front.
4.5 / 5 points
Quality and workmanship
This point is very important to me personally. The housing is fundamentally very solid and well made. In comparison to other enclosures hence the weight is slightly higher, but this should not bother you, because it is primarily a stationary installed PC. The side walls of the housing are very stable and consist of relatively thick metal. Even if these are removed and the body lifts up to work on it, it bends not unlike my old Phantom 410. The fan grill top and front are fitted with relatively thick metal and supported by plastic braces and bend not even with light pressure. In the interior, the material is solid and of high quality. All in all, the case for me a reference point in terms of value and quality.
5/5 points
Improving the cooling and dust filter
The cooling capacity of this housing has astonished me since my Intel Core i7 47770K in my old Phantom case with Termaltake Water 3.0 Extreme cooler in idle a temperature of 33 ° C reached what was in debt mainly by the restrictions of the fan grille in the upper part. The Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 my processor is now in idle at the same room temperature of 23 ° C to a core temperature of about 28 ° C. So if you are looking for a case with good cooling is the right place. It also can be 2 fan in the front and a mount on the bottom of the case, but because of the length of the power supply only in 120mm version fits into it. All imbibing fans are equipped with filters (= front foam, foam shell = and power supply or lower = fine mesh) which are easy to remove and or with water by sucking clean. The dust problem of phantom is thus more than achieved.
5/5 points
Cable Management
Behind the motherboard has enough space for all the cables and the ordering of the cables with cable ties. Here, however, fewer attachment points and the overly-window for the CPU port is to be criticized. As the cables are not visible in the later operation should not be too worthy to this point.
4/5 points
Conclusion
In conclusion that the Arc Midi R2 at a price of currently just under 95 euros is entirely worth it. The optics, build quality and ventilation are excellent. Solely the cable management is not yet perfect, but these points are marginal, given the predominantly positive aspects.
Overall: 4.6 / 5 points
