Fractal Design Define 7 XL review - Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

If you want to build an extremely clean looking PC with a big chassis, hey the Define 7 XL might become your peachy perfect companion. Fractal design went for clean and dark looks, I mean have you even spotted a Fractal Design logo throughout the photo-shoot? They are there though, but you can hardly see them really. That fact alone kind of proofs that FD designed and thought through every little aspect of this chassis. It is a chassis series that appeals to me very much, purely from an aesthetic point of view to be honest. The features are plenty for any decent build with massive storage and cooling options, though admittedly the demise of the HDD is getting closer and I personally would not have a need for so much HDD space. But hey if you want it, you can configure it.

So is it any good?

The amount of airflow the chassis offers can, however, be a bit tricky, there are plenty of cents, but the panels are all sound dampened. Luckily FD includes a top side panel mesh. The fans included while silently aren't the best in airflow though. So if you cram 8 HDDs two graphics cards and a Core i9 7900X in there, I would worry about cooling. If you build something more normalized, you should be totally fine and silent. There are bottom and front side intakes, so for most setups, it will not be a problem. The XL version is spacious, you have been able to see that. This chassis does offer space enough for up-to E-ATX motherboards, you can really build a spicy and feature-rich DIY PC. Cable routing and management are done right and for a chassis of this size, I'd label it good even. The PSU cables leading out of the PSU, that could have had some more space, but you can use that PSU extension. The build quality is simply put extremely good, just lovely. The new side panel design is intricate with the tempered glass left side panel, the mounting and retention system for the side panels is superb really, you'll so easily take them out and re-insert them. You have seen that in our acoustic test the fans are silent but do not offer massive amounts of airflow, we think it's enough though even for a pretty spicy PC. The dark main color interior and cables will complement your components anything LED RGB activated. We like the included fan HUB, however, three PWM fans can be connected and then six (3pin) non-PWM fans.

Aesthetics

The looks then; hey, I already spilled the beans in the first paragraph, I really like the new Define 7 XL with its all dark color and see-through finish, you can't argue about taste as it is the most subjective thing, which doesn't always make the job of reviewer any easier. Some will dislike it, and others will love this chassis for its looks. Each and every little aspect of the chassis has been thought through really well. The design of the chassis has been made to make your life a little easier while combining the best features an enthusiast crowd seeks in a chassis. The tempered glass will make you look inside the PC. Nice to see is that everything is color matching. Fractal Design kept things subtle with the logos an all. I would have liked to see some white elements in there, which in the past was Fractal Design's signature. Perhaps that's just my grasp to nostalgia though.

Features

The internals are extremely decent, a normal-sized ATX form factor motherboard will fit up-to E-ATX, the more lengthy graphics card will fit as well and there is excellent space for liquid cooling on the front side and topside, the drive bay has sufficient space for many HDDs and SSDs. The chassis has nice motherboard cut-outs and there's mucho enough space left for cable routing through the grommet holes, all in the interior. The nice touch is the ability to hide cables behind the cover at the backside in that separate compartment as well as the usage of velcro straps. 

The Verdict

She's pretty once you finished that build. At first, the Define 7 XL looks a bit bland, but yes after building the PC, you will see its appeal, it's all so very clean. The feature set is, of course, excellent, and it does remain silent if configured that way. With a normal DIY PC build you should not run into any airflow options, the airflow from the two fans is a bit on the low side though. There are meshes and air intake/exhausts to play around with. In a worst-case scenario, you might need to add a fan, though we doubt that will be needed. Of course, if you'd mount LCS or regular liquid cooling there, you'd have that 'issue' covered instantly. The replaceable top cover helps here as a viable alternative as well of course. Overall the chassis is easy to use and fairly maintenance free, with the easy to clean dust-filters where applied. You have excellent storage options alongside proper cable routing options. The one (nitpicking) gripe might be that ample space for PSU cables to tuck away as their HDD cages get in the way, but then again you can use that extender. Depending on your color options and whether or not you like the tempered glass windows you are looking at a chassis in that 200 EUR/USD range for the XL model, and that certainly is a huge amount of money for a chassis. The removal of the side panels is so easy, yet so secure. We love that as it is properly designed. 

If this is your thing/style though it'll be worth it, as the XL oozes quality and options with very clean looks and comes with sound dampening materials applied. Fractal Design throws in all kinds of extras as well. Overall, we're certain you will not be disappointed with the Define 7 XL, and we can certainly recommend it if it matches your style and budget. And I do say that with a bit of caution, the regular model with tempered glass will cost you roughly 169 USD, the version as tested here (XL) is a massive 209 USD, which admittedly is a bit out of my comfort zone. 

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