Fractal Design Meshify 2 Review - Leo likes it... a lot!

[@KitGuruTech]

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 video start 00:13 introduction 00:48 the Double Peel 01:08 pulling the case apart… 05:35 Comparing to the Define 7 09:07 so are the chassis are the same? 10:31 let’s dig into the details 13:13 and there’s more! 18:16 it’s all about the options 18:39 test hardware 19:13 and now for thermal performance 22:29 so does Leo like it? 23:56 final thoughts

[@exodiatheforbiddenone8228]

Friend is it loud if I play world of Warcraft or make an animation cinematic

[@handlealreadytaken]

I really like the interactive reviews you guys do. I appreciate the numbers from GN, but hands on tells such a great story as building in the case is always the hardest thing to understand.

[@irridiastarfire]

Absolutely, they focus on different things. Very much worth watching both. This is a great video, thank you KitGuru team!

[@edgain1502]

You once called Tim of Hardware Unboxed "Mr. Monitor". I think the title of Mr. Case would fit you perfectly. Great work as always, Leo.

[@KitGuruTech]

That might have been at Computex - we do like the HUB chaps! Glad you enjoyed the review.

[@dynastes4938]

That title will be heavily contested, though. GN's Steve and HWC's Dmitry say hello ;D

[@Rance53]

Idk, the amount of controls and independence GN is hard to beat. Regardless its nice to have a large of data from different sources. Shoppers win

[@SuperGinkgo]

Leo you always do your reviews justice and ask the questions your most pedantic of your viewers ask, that's the reason I have followed you for decades from your Micromart days and it's the reason I will always seek out your advice for many years to come. Top job mate! Keep doing the do. 👍🖖

[@casb-]

Hopefully the will do a Compact version of this like the Define 7.

[@ImKairyu]

i would just get the meshify c then, i actually think the glass side panel looks better on that one.

[@DaveMacara89]

And a Meshify 2 C... the regular one is just too long for me.

[@machinegod72]

An updated Meshify C would be a instabuy from me, this is too long for my desk.

[@Machistmo]

Own 2 S2 and a C - hands down the best cases I’ve ever owned. Build experience, performance and value.

[@TheBrandicus]

Fellow time traveler spotted

[@goblinphreak2132]

You make THE go to case videos. Hope to see more in the future man you do great work

[@merwinpique]

Just watched the gn video. It looks like a great case. Keep up the great work.

[@Machistmo]

Gamers Nexus such a disappointment

[@sausages932]

Love your comprehensive reviews Leo!

[@Archivvve]

Best review of this case on YT. Trust me, I watched almost every video about Meshify 2 and Define 7.

[@karbonMAYne]

Thanks for the honest reviews! I've got the Define R6 for a few year old build and massively love that case. Now, building a 5950x/3090 PC for myself and your review sold me on the Meshify 2 over some "flashier" cases. Love the channel.

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

17:12 that look brutally tight for a top rad build with regard to the RAM! But if it works, this looks like just the case I'm looking for: great airflow, top rad capable *and NO RGB*!

[@vintage0x]

Thanks to Leo's seal of approval, I will absolutely be purchasing one of these and putting a 5900X, an RTX 3080, and by the looks of it, several dozen 140mm be quiet silentwings 3 fans in it. THANK YOU

[@chrisohanlon69]

That'll be a beautiful beast.

[@eo2077]

Nice! I intend to do the same, although I'll be pairing my 5900X with a 6800XT.

[@vintage0x]

@np4tch nothing's in stock in the UK anyway...so until it is, my 6700K + GTX 1070 will have to do. I'm also worried that a 6800XT will have driver issues for an uncomfortably long time.

[@jayw350]

Fractal is really packing a lot of great design and features into their cases of late. Next build is almost certainly going in a define 7 or meshify 2

[@adityanaik2424]

The hands on review makes purchase discussion even more practical 🙏👍

[@soykac]

I just want the Meshify 2 version of Define Compact. I'd also take a M2 Mini. Do more people really use the hard drive space/water cooling space?

[@palniok]

I'd also love that!

[@kelownatechkid]

Excellent video Leo. I have swapped the side panels between my Define C and my Meshify C so the testing regarding that with these next-gen revisions is absolutely SECOND TO NONE! thank you!

[@thematrixredpill]

Just bought the Meshify 2. What a dream case. So easy to set up, so many little clever additions plus it has the fan hub. Cable management is a dream.

[@bergePanzer581]

Thank you for showing how the Storage Layout works. The company itself seems to have failed at that task, as it isn't clear in the manual how it works, nor on their website. I haven't found any other YT videos of people setting it up either, you are the first. I bought one of the cases and it's in shipping, and it's going to be a hybird UNRAID server/gaming computer for me, so I need it in Storage Layout mode. Every YT'er seems to make water cooled builds with the thing. Thanks again.

[@Ukiegaming]

Leo thank you for a great fun review!

[@sand9577]

Maaaaaan. I want the noise dampening and optical drive mount of the Define 7, with the meshed door of the Meshify and it would be my ideal case.

[@LordSoulSicarious]

Damn, with the nice door like that on the front, I just really wish the case had kept support for an ODD like the Define 7. It looks like it would have been dead simple to include mounting points behind the mesh door without interfering with any of the other options, and the storage layout could have easily provided the physical support required. It's super hard to find nice-looking, high quality cases that have both USB-C and ODD support, and the few options that do exist all have chocked front panel airflow. And good airflow is absolutely essential for the Australian summer.

[@RGInquisitor]

In that case (pun intended), why not just opt for an external ODD?

[@gally9625]

A really comprehensive review - many thanks

[@geekytechycool]

Thank you for showing the storage mode, with my 1500i PSU I needed that extra space in the floor so I wanted to see how my storage drives would fit. Great review

[@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy]

I like mine. I did a stormtrooper build. I'd like some RGB fans, but I'm having trouble finding good 140mm one's for the case in white.

[@spacehead74]

I didn't realize that there was a filter in the top of this case and I've have one for nearly one year. Thank you!

[@KitGuruTech]

Glad I could help!

[@shubh_nx777]

You can easily remove the hdd caddy from the those removable power supply shroud covers as well, then one doesnt need to remove the psu just to take out the caddy. Many thanks for this awesome review though, you convinced me to buy this caby. Just received mine today only.

[@andreyfed]

Can someone elaborate on better case fans cofiguration for this case? I currently have 1 at the back, 2 on the bottom and 3 in the front (besides the 3-fan AIO on top). I had a strange idea of putting the plastic plate back (the one removed at 11:35 of the video) so that to make the bottom front fan push the air inside this bottom cover acting like a tube for it, and the bottom fans would blow the air throught the holes in it right into the graphics card.

[@bikingchupei2447]

3:45 yeah, they learned a lesson from the define r4 which i'm still using that slides the dust filter out from the back.

[@geeesejeeeze6055]

Can this case comfortably install a 420 mm radiator at the top with a high end motherboard?

[@shubh_nx777]

You may face some challenges with a high end mobo like the once with 8 dimm slots since those mobos tend to have tall heatsinks on the topmost part of the board since thats where all the cpu power delivery system is. Check out the Elevated System's review of the same cabinet, you will get ur answer.

[@iiimgdiii]

love both my meshify's s2 mini and meshify s2 and i love the look of the updates they have done to that case.

[@AaronBowley]

i am currently helping my friend take everything out of his old alienware and into a meshify 2. i also use a fractal case for my music computer its the stealth one very quiet. i love both cases, i will continue to buy and use fractal cases, they are awesome!!

[@olternaut]

I want a compact version of this case similar to the meshify c but with all these new design features.

[@Machistmo]

Own 2 S2 and a C - hands down the best cases I’ve ever owned. Build experience, build quality, performance and value.

[@jjr007]

With all the swapping parts back and forth I am surprised you didn't try the back panel with sound deadening on the new case. If I bought this case the first thing I would do is get a dremel and cut off the extensions for 120mm fans on the front to get better flow with 140mm fans.

[@QuentinStephens]

Cracking review. Well done. It's a shame you didn't have sufficient drive plates to do a server build, because that is an area where I think that you might see a positive difference from the Design in temperatures and a negative difference in noise. Are those mounting plates any good for damping vibrations? And speaking of a server build, how large a motherboard can it take? Perhaps an idea for a follow-on video? Your camera did have trouble with focussing a couple of times thanks to the dark interior of the case. Perhaps an extra light source a few feet above desk height pointing towards you and slightly down might help?

[@leonard.nicolae]

Top video. Case sent to wishlist.

[@guille92h]

Perfect review Leo, i agree with you on the filters for 1 deegree i leave them on and have to clean less frequently the inside.

[@knny-oi2hp]

The HDD caddy can be removed through where the PSU shroud plate is or through PSU way.

[@terryd8692]

Are there any videos out there that test airflow push vs pull through different types of filter/mesh/holes/edge gap scenarios?

[@The1PatSmith]

First class there, Leo. Thank you, and stay well.

[@silvowitch]

Does anyone know if you can top mount a Arctic Liquid Freezer II in this case?

[@ReivecS]

I really wish the meshify had the optional 5.25 bay like the define 7 does. The mesh being a door would make it super easy to access yet invisible when not in use.

[@mikep9418]

I don't think the door opens 90°, only 70°, so might be a bit awkward.

[@ReivecS]

@@mikep9418 Even if I had to take it off the hinges it would be worth it. I use an optical drive maybe once per year but I still like to have one. Mostly because at this point I try to get copies of all my MRIs on disk and keep them for my own personal records. I get one every couple of years to track a "slipped disk".

[@TheMajorlucifer]

It's my next case for ALDER LAKE !!!! THANKS YOU LEO !!!!!!

[@GamerForLife012]

does this case fit a Noctua NH-D15

[@xmetrix]

absolutely fucking brilliant video for those of us who like the fucking details. A+ thank you

[@Ari_G73]

I own the 7 XL.. If I want more airflow I just open the door.. If I am just lightly using it, I close the door for better acoustics and looks. For me, its best of both worlds. I understand the criticism of course of the Define 7 but it is easily mitigated.

[@ethereal026]

Hey! I'm doubting between the Define 7 XL and the Meshify 2 XL. All reviews on the net just center around the temperatures and the noise levels in dBA. But they don't consider the noise profile (closed cases are supposed to provide a less harsh noise compared to mesh ones, especially if they also have sound dampening like the Define 7). Have you noticed any difference in the noise profile on your Define 7 XL, with the door open vs closed? What kind of noise would you consider more pleasant?

[@abgersaurus]

@@ethereal026 I have the Define 7 (regular size) I much prefer the sound with the door closed since it helps against fan drone noise, but at the cost of temps I thought about switching to the meshify 2 and reusing the back panel from my current define 7 that has the sound deadening however I am concerned about the acoustics aswell, but it will still have more airflow vs the define with the door open and therefor less air resistance/noise but the deadening on the door of the define 7 also helps against gpu coilwhine A LOT as Ari suggests, maybe get the Define 7 XL and open the door when gaming, and keep it closed when doing regular desk work (if you have open back headphones or just use speakers then leave the door closed) hope it helps a bit :-) EDIT: I also have 3x 140mm in the front and 1x 120mm in the bottom as intake, 2x 140mm and 1x 120mm as exhaust, but I have somewhat modded mine a bit and used fan decouplers/spacers to get more airflow and less noise in pull config since the door kinda chokes the front fans :-)

[@ethereal026]

@@abgersaurus Thanks for your reply! It's a pity the Define 7/7 XL doesn't come with an additional vented front panel for airflow. It would be the perfect case. After a lot of further research, I opted for the Meshify 2 XL. Sometimes I use my computer for heavy workloads. And I also do cryptocurrency mining. I really liked the 7 XL, but I feared I would have to always keep it with the door open. So the Meshify 2 XL seemed the better option. I got my case last Friday and the airfow is superb. I can keep my GPU at the same temps/fan speeds as in open air. The CPU cooling is also awesome. As for the noise levels, I'm quite satisfied.

[@abgersaurus]

@@ethereal026 thats good to hear, I also used to mine eth for a while, but it was difficult to find a balance between noise and temps. I might just jump ship from my define 7 to the meshify 2 instead :-)

[@ethereal026]

@@abgersaurus To get an idea of what noise/temps you could get on the Meshify, you can try opening the door and also taking off the front filter on your D7. Some reviews say it's a little more restrictive than on the Meshify. If you also have the vented top panel installed, you could get a very close match to the airflow of the Meshify. This way you could get an idea of what to expect before buying it.

[@Geralt26]

Question: How much worse Define 7 will be with open doors vs stock Meshify 2? Unfortunately in review it is shown only stock Define 7 (and difference is big). But open doors should help to decrease this difference (but dont know how much). It is not a problem for me to open doors if needed. But not sure if the thermal difference will be still big or not. I will be using case with AMD 5900x, Noctua NH-D15, 3HDD, 1x m.2 NVMe and when it will be available on market Nvidia 3080 or AMD 6800xt.

[@Amenoxiel]

I really hope they do a Meshify C2(or 2 Compact whatever they call it now) cause most people probably won't need all that space and HDD/SSD slots.

[@david300m]

Great review. Many thanks.

[@NoSend901]

Can you use 3 140mm front intake fans with a top 360 AIO installed?

[@shubh_nx777]

Yes, u can. Since the top supports upto 420mm, u can easily fit in the 360 rad up top with 3x140mm fans up front

[@Chiquiet]

One of the reasons i like fractal so much, no RGB and all closed cases (no windows)

[@planetmekon]

How about the Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL?

[@jamiebishop9512]

That case has space for a spare bedroom in addition to pc hardware.

[@planetmekon]

@@jamiebishop9512 and an on suite shower room...

[@himanologanor4093]

under the lower front fan we can see now a huge opening ~3 inches by 6 inches where the air will create a short loop back to the front of the fan...

[@huplim]

I’ve been waiting for this! Great for a NAS build!

[@proesterchen]

It's ... a door ... able. 😁 I'll see myself out.

[@nossy232323]

I wanted a Define 7 with a mesh front, I guess this will do.

[@AllDayBikes]

0:51 I got shivers from that. Awesome lmao

[@pwcorgi2000]

I'm strongly considering Fractal Designs for my next build. I was pllaning for another Cooler Master case, but most of their cases still lack USB-C.

[@milqueto]

Leo, noticed you didn't mention the option you could remove the complete top for radiator installation. What are your thoughts on that?

[@KitGuruTech]

Covered it in the Define 7 review and after some thought came to the conclusion it's brilliant for custom loop. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4m3mqpqZtGjjqs With an AIO it's neither here or there.

[@garethevans9789]

My case, a Define XL is 10 years old in a couple of months (have modified the front to allow more airflow), but I just can't shake it. It has 2x140mm + 120mm front intakes, plus a side 140mm intake which only comes on when gaming (Ryzen 3950x, RX5700XT). There's also a 140mm+180mm fan in the top which take care of the CPU VRMs fairly well. It's missing a lot of the flexibility especially cable management and Type C. The top panel is fixed and working on anything above the GPU generally involves a small blood donation to the Noctua D14 heatsink. The Define 7, and newest XL is the closest replacements, but don't quite cut as I have the case on a wooden floor and don't want an open top panel but exhaust airflow does get limited doing that. I haven't seen a case that ticks all the boxes between quietness and cooling. The loudest/ most annoying thing in my system is the x570 fan (blocked by GPU, dumb location Asus). PS: Please can you test cases with a couple of harddrives installed.

[@hafengr]

very nice case indeed but will it allow for the thickness of the Arctic Freezer II 280 cooler when using an ATX motherboard?

[@Petersen793]

@@hafengr The radiator thickness of this product is 38 mm. To ensure compatibility, I recommend you choose a 27mm water cooling radiator

[@mart446]

But if i had all external watercooling (a Mo-Ra 3), would the Define 7 be the perfect case vs Meshify 2 ? I have a Define R6 right now and need to build another PC.

[@rupugraphic1221]

Great work ❤️

[@Banlara1702]

are you using the top radiator as an intake or exhaust?

[@razerlazer25]

This video was very helpful! Thanks Also, it's the only good review that shows the white case version which is amazing!

[@mikayd]

There must be two versions of the mestify s2 as mine does not do this, my top lid does not come off like yours, nor does my front cover.

[@rare6499]

The S2 is the previous version. The naming is a little bit of a mess to be fair...

[@jochenfong3056]

Please ask a question, I have an 8t hard disk, it will have some sound, so use which will be more isolated sound？ m2？ D7?

[@_maciek_5341]

guys do you think that if I put one filter on the top it will be enough? I mean the fans will not get lots of dust. Sorry for mistakes ive made in this text.

[@maliogrod]

Wouldnt make an aircooler more sense for temp test?

[@KitGuruTech]

Why? air coolers are absolutely fine but AIOs are popular with enthusiasts, so why not use them in reviews?

[@mid9sun]

Any help please, I am deciding between this vs Lancool 2 mesh vs Be Quiet 500DX. Thanks.

[@watermelon7956]

fantastic video

[@Luisml8]

how big is this compare to the Meshify C Mini? MicroATX

[@SUcC..]

are the top fans exhausting or is the back one the only exhaust? also im thinking of getting a Liquid freezer 2- 420 (458x138x38mm) with artic p14s fans.. would there be size/clearance problems for Ram or in general the top of the MOBO (ATX) in this case?

[@azeem576]

Does the front io depend on case or motherboard? I mean this case has usb 3.0 type a and 3.1 gen 2 type c. My motherboard has 3.2 gen 2 type c and 3.2 gen 1 type a for front io support. What output will I get using this case?

[@imdoug]

What do you think about putting a 3080 and multiple drives in the front? Think it'll fit?

[@shubh_nx777]

If ur 3080 is less than 310mm, then yes, if its longer than that, then u cant.

[@murti-tube]

If you want a 280 rad in top, how will that affect the options of memory you use? do you have to have low-profile? Using the Mesh-mini atm and i simly cant fit a 280 rad in top if i dont change for thinner fans.

[@KitGuruTech]

Yes you are limited in that respect. I missed this in the review and it was picked up by Nigel Scruby further down the comments. Having said that, it doesn't change my view of the Meshify 2.

[@matthewgowdy8911]

I'm torn between this and the phanteks 500A

[@osnad]

Yeah me too :/

[@Borgemichaels]

Were there any issues with graphics card sag in this case ? Do you get any attachment, like with the Phanteks cases, to stop the card from sagging ? Nice review KitGuruTech

[@KitGuruTech]

You don't get one of those accessories, however we didn't detect any issues. We'll let you be the judge how it worked out!

[@SachinBalan_PB]

You are definitely a guru 👍❤️

[@chrisbfmv7389]

thank you guys thats helpfull

[@KunalVaidya]

the features of the case are very nicely explained, calm and composed like how it should be. The disassembly and demo of HDD mode was very useful. I have decided this case and was wondering how does the typeC internal connector look, I have decoded on gigabyte B550 pro (or master) which does not have internal type C on board and hence i am not sure if the typeC case port will be usable. I think it should be some USB motherboard header but i dont know.

[@williamsternritter3214]

That's a shame, I would love to have a front mesh panel on my Define 7. Still hope they'll make that as an optional accessory.

[@Younghoon15]

I can't find this case anywhere to buy. Was it also scalped like the RTX3000 cards?

[@magnusnilsson9792]

Inet dot se

[@malphadour]

Lots in stock in the UK so it is out - if you are in the US it might literally be down to shipping time to get over there as it has just been released.

[@ReaLLyTaLLLuCas]

can it suits kraken x63 280mm on the top, with 40mm ram height ?

[@shubh_nx777]

Yes, it does.

[@ReaLLyTaLLLuCas]

@@shubh_nx777 ty

[@qq312qq]

Nasty experience with riser cable :)) 13:46

[@limother3749]

No power and hdd led?

[@irridiastarfire]

Space for 17 drives. Now I just have to figure out how SAS/SATA cards work :)

[@jamiebishop9512]

Hi Leo, thanks for such a great review. Do you see any use case for bottom mounted fans ? If so how would you get to them if the psu shroud is fixed ? Thank you.

[@NoSend901]

I would like to know also,planning on this case using a nzxt 360aio top mount, 3 140mm Noctua intake and 1 140 Noctua exhaust . Thinking a bottom fans air might get pushed towards the gpu through the shroud holes near the psu

[@jamiebishop9512]

@@NoSend901 i tried it. I managed to mount one fan under the shroud. Could not get two due to cables. It gave some GPU airflow but only lowered temps by 2 to 3 degrees.

[@NoSend901]

So it wasn’t worth it?

[@jamiebishop9512]

@@NoSend901 not really. Had to clean the bottom dust filter more often and it was louder.

[@ggzii]

Where to purchase, theres so many meshify versions im lost lol

[@G1N70N1C-Garage]

I wanna build a FD Meshify 2 Compact white inside & outside. So i cant change the front with define 7 C / i also cant order the Meshify 2 C in complete withe. But Why ? im not gonna buy an expensive Case and paint it with a spraycan. It fells patronizing.

[@magnusnilsson9792]

Very nice case, it's a shame you can't have 2x200mm fans in the front when the case is 240 wide, a compact version should ditch the HDD storage space entirely. The sound dampening side panel from define 7 wouldn't hurt and blocking of the top with sound dampening from the define 7 should prove optimal to prevent dust falling into the case when fans are turned off. If not using a discrete GPU being able to put another fan across the expansion ports would have been neat.

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

Leo! To me you're the greatest case reviewer :] Definitely I trust you more than fames like fixated over airflow Gamers Nexus, who seems to think, that every viewer is hardcore overclocker or Dimitry from Canucks, who finds best case in the year like 4 cases each year. You are just reasonable.

[@2wcp]

Call me silly but the whooshing sound effect cracked me up😂

[@dubuuu2872]

is the PSU shroud removable ?

[@KitGuruTech]

Nope it is fixed, but that gives me the chance to say that the hard drive tower can be removed through those two plastic covers at the front of the PSU shroud (or through the rear, the way I showed)

[@dubuuu2872]

@@KitGuruTech thank you

[@edwardnovick9904]

they really need to make a compact ATX version I don't think I'd take advantage of the hard drive space or vertical GPU mounts

[@wundyboy]

pretty perfect case ... pretty perfect review

[@Daigham23]

Really appreciate the thoroughness of your reviews, even when I've reviewed a product on another channel I always check to see if you also reviewed that product because more often than not you tend to cover something that wasn't covered by others which I appreciate 100% #subsccribed

[@Dean-Trower]

My next case for sure, love my Meshify C but this is quite a step up, great review.

[@GurmeetSingh-fr8uo]

How is it?

[@Adenomamusic]

Can we put there ASUS RTX 3090 OC?

[@shubh_nx777]

In open layout, yes u can easily put it in there. In storage layout, ur gpu needs to be 310mm or less.

[@chrisohanlon69]

Is the "thumbs up" proverbial, in this case?