Final words and conclusion

Before we head deeply into the conclusions, can I just say this: the photos really don't do the overall look in real-life any justice. The ARC MINI R2 is refined, tasteful and feels like it has just the right proportions. And no I won't make any puns on the feminine rounded curvature (oh wait I just did!) at the frontside. As much of the Fractal Design PC cases, it is elegant, simple and definitely feature-rich for a mid-tower chassis. You get a matte black designed chassis with features wise options to put in many HDDs and devices. The chassis is fairly tool free, but does not have say easy click-in Optical drive clips. You'll still be using the good old screws and thumb-screws, that work fine of course but it's not as modern as some of the others in the competition seem to be able to manage.

The Noise

A big plus is the sound level the chassis produces. Now it's not 100% silent with the three fans, but realistically when you place them into low RPM mode with the included fan controller you will still have decent airflow, I'm quite anal when it comes to computers and computer parts making noises. But overall yeah, it's fine really.

The Innards

Though it certainly is sufficient, the inside of the chassis does leave room for improvement here and there. I do find that there is not heaps of space to maneuver in. And though cable routing options though improved they remain a little marginal. I like a good 3cm clearance for cable routing behind that motherboard tray. We love the plethora of grommet holes though. The HDD/SSD drive cage works simple enough, though you do need screws to secure the actual HDDs, installation should be very easy otherwise. Mounting the SSDs on the rear side however could be a little more user friendly == using screws is so 2008 :)

The looks are quite nice and with the new side panel window you can peek at your hardware as well. It surely is a complete chassis for its size alright.This mid-tower offers plenty of features and plenty of cooling. You can easily fit seven fans in here, and the HDD cages are removable and rotatable. There's room for a cool eight 3.5" HDDs, seven expansion slots and support for even the largest of graphics cards.

The Exterior

The matte black paint job on both in and outside has been done well. The looks are simply tasteful. But as we always state, each and every individual is different, and thus so is taste. What I might be tagging as a good look, you might find ugly. I like clean, simple and stylish. And that certainly is what the Arc Midi R2 is offering. I mean look at the photo above, subtle certainly does apply here as well. No screaming logos, LEDs and mismatched colors. It's all done just right, but again, taste differs per person and thus makes this a subjective rating.

Final Words

The Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 is a nice step up from its initial model. The new side see-through side panel gives it a little more niche, as well as the curvature and many options. The chassis is very feature rich with the removable dust filters, many HDD cages, mainboard backside tray SSD hideout, the included fan controller and of course the three fans. Aimed at a more performance hungry crowd, the ARC Midi R2 offers good airflow with its three fans. Though not 100% silent it is silent enough. Once again a quality build from a quality company. Highly recommended and approved. Oh and again, the photos do not do the chassis any real justice, try and look for it in a retail store. You can purchase the ARC Midi R2 for roughly 90 EUR.

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