Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Review - Feel the Squeeze! [w/ timelapse build]

[@willjkeller]

Thanks for the review man. I saw a couple other from people who didn't like the case, and they had some valid points, like the sides not closing if your cables were too thick. Happy to see a review from someone who liked it as well; thanks for the straightforward rundown and the build vid, which gave me a good look at how you routed around some of the pain points some of the shorter reviews mentioned. Gonna go for this case - thanks again!

[@methany8788]

Thanks for the detailed review! The only additional thing I would have liked to see in the written version is a comparison with an air-based CPU cooler (and corresponding case fan setups).

[@foop231]

A very nice review of a very nice case. Yesterday I got mine and I'm after assembling my computer. If someone is looking for a compact, but not at all small case, I recommend it. Very high product quality and quite elegant at the same time.

[@nwrigley]

Great video review, tied in with the written review. I have the Define R6 USB-C and I've found that I don't really need the extra space and have wished for a smaller case. However, my biggest problem is how tall it is, I was really surprised to see that this compact version is actually taller! The Define 7 Compact is 474 mm tall, while the R6 is 465 mm. Not being as wide and long is certainly nice, but I wouldn't give up space for a case that is actually taller.

[@kasimirdenhertog3516]

Nathan Wrigley noticed that too! This video demonstrates very well that ‘compact’ can mean different things 🤯

[@larsruoff6752]

That is actually a mystery to me. Where does that extra height come from? We can see the usual ATX dimension, and not much on top of that. Are we sure the dimension on their site are correct? May someone who has it could measure? :-)

[@textpower3050]

Thanks a lot for your excellent video. I have the Fractal Define 7 Compact and I got to last stage to decide where to fit the AIO. I tried AIO top mounting but it was difficult to fit so I am going to use your front installation instead. Your build is really superb.

[@krisanalfa]

I must admit that your cable management is on another level. Simple and clean. Love it.

[@RobBCactive]

Had my case 2½ years, just built up a data analysis PC for my niece in my case, dismantled and am delivering the CPU, mainboard, RAM in the mobo box, with some fans, a cooler and the drives already to go. A new Define 7 compact case with psu is waiting on site. Compared to the full ATX towers I began building with, this case is an absolute joy. Yes it's compact, but only my GPU cooler/shroud is tight and I just need to mix in cool air with the exhaust from it.

[@Buffinator1988]

I'm loving these recent case reviews tied in with a full build video. Excellent content thank you. This case is at the top of the list for me. it's a shame they didn't resolve the spacing issues with top mounted radiators as that problem existed with the Define C and Meshify C. I've got a build planned for later this year, I'm now thinking a meshify refresh can't be far off....

[@KitGuruJames]

I'm glad you like the video. The build is also my favourite part 🙂

[@danielcaspers9506]

FYI Meshify 2 Compact just came out today, and is nearly the same chassis. www.fractal-design.com/

[@camotech1314]

Really want to switch to this case!!

[@gustawbiaogrecki5298]

great video mate, I recently bought this case and Your video helped me so much with the cable management inside, so thank you and keep it up! The case itself is made so well, I fell in love with the design and building up my system inside it was just pure pleasure

[@KitGuruJames]

Glad we could help you out. 👍

[@PerfectCode]

Great video. Going to be doing a build in this case for a family member soon and this was quite helpful in getting a better understanding of the case beforehand. Appreciate this.

[@prismaticgaming8465]

Great review! I miss 2 things: Fitting a bottom fan (and how it affects GPU temps and noise), and fitting a PSU with side-mounted cables, like Corsair RM850X Shift (will the cables fit, will the panel close?)

[@olternaut]

I wish you had gotten a 240 AIO instead and mounted from the top. I would have liked to see that done with the mobo and the ram you chose to see how that would fit.

[@gagedesormeaux1149]

I would have liked to see the same as well considering it’s very similar to the build I’m wanting to do

[@Farang_Lifestyles]

Awesome case review,,,, loved the timelapse build

[@frikkievuiltrens]

Great review. They should have kept the door so that you could improve airflow when you needed to. I'm hoping this chassis will form the basis of the next Meshify iteration.

[@RobBCactive]

Funny, I saw the front snap off and thought "great!", a door just gets in the way. I can see it might disappoint someone who wanted an optical drive installed and a legitimate way to gain access.

[@jayk396]

Great case, building my new rig in it next month

[@pafawag5b6b5b]

Me too!

[@jayk396]

MrKitlik Just to let you know, cable management is a nightmare! Good luck with the HDD cage as well. I regret getting this case just a little bit, other than cable management everything else is great

[@pafawag5b6b5b]

@@jayk396 But total aesthetics not including painful building are good, right?

[@jayk396]

MrKitlik yeah like i said everything else is fine. I strongly recommend a vertical gpu mount, i got one in mine and it looks beautiful!

[@pafawag5b6b5b]

@@jayk396 What mount do you use? I have been thinking about one from cablemod.

[@Dragonsky88207]

Awesome case review and build video. Exactly what I was looking for, thank you! Earned yourself a Sub :)

[@KitGuruJames]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!

[@Jimmy-zw9ve]

thx for being so serious and detail review

[@Killdarian]

Great video, thanx. But do you have CPU fans and back-chasis fan venting out from the case? Isn't that problem for the airflow? Thank you.

[@sausages932]

Mighty fine building skills mate 🙂👍

[@adityapandey7798]

Nice review, it would have been nice if they provided airflow mesh for the front pannel too. I think people using air cooling will benifit from this case more.

[@KitGuruTech]

knowing Fractal, i am sure there will be a Meshify Define 7 Compact before too long

[@Adieu91]

@@KitGuruTech Hopefully with the same tempered glass panel clip design. Personally, it's been only the thumb screws securing the glass and the fact the I/O is built in to the front panel that have stopped me buying a small Meshify case.

[@RobBCactive]

I just noticed that the radiator has the pipes installed high at almost the top, that means they are near the top of the water circuit so any residual air might interfere with the pump or cause noises. The other way up, the air sits above the water at top of radiator far from water in/out flow. It is unfortunate that the CPU level is relatively so high, I was hoping a traditional ATX position above the CPU was possible, which would also help with top mounted radiator clearance.

[@gap816]

Will those small area front filters last as long before need cleaning as the older bigger area design? Guess not.

[@KazuraYTYT]

With the X570-E and TridentZ RGB, would there be space to top mount a 240mm AIO? Planning on building in this case with a B550-A and the same RAM, but hoping to top mount the radiator...

[@gagedesormeaux1149]

Would also like to know the same

[@JustinKent]

I've been hoping for this case for months now, not at all joking... loved my Define r4 and love the look of all of Fractal's cases but was sad that all of the Define cases are way larger than I need them given that I don't care at all about overclocking or trying to install giant water cooling systems. smaller form-factor ATX cases is something all case manufacturers should be introducing to their product lines.

[@camotech1314]

So is this the successor to the original Define C which is still being sold?

[@savbran]

Hello James! Great video, it's really informative. I have a question: I'd like to buy the cooler "Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280" and put it in that case... do you think it mounts? Thanks in advance.

[@willjkeller]

boutta give exactly that a shot so i'll let you know how it goes

[@KitGuruTech]

Is the Define 7 Compact just the thing you've been looking for - or do you need the space of a bigger case? let us know!

[@basshead.]

I prefer open air cases.

[@methanoid]

So basically killing off the Define C and relaunching a new version called Define 7 Compact..... I'm happy with my Define C thanks Fractal!

[@jackyww8058]

Which mobo do perfectly compatible with the Define 7 compact header ports? Can Gigabyte Vision D-P fits?

[@bygonebebygones8503]

Why would you mount the AIO on the front of the case? Surely that'd end up blowing warm air onto the graphics card when gaming.

[@zero0core]

Why did you install a 3.5" Hard Drive backwards so that you can not connect it after installing all the wiring because you could no longer remove the drive to connect the Sata & Power Cables??? I'm so confused...

[@KitGuruJames]

My cable OCD even confuses myself sometimes. Installed that way round may not be convenient but it looks neat. There was just enough space to feed the cables through the back but it would make it a little awkward to remove I agree. The drive was connected to the power and sata cables but I edited it out of the video as I thought it might be a little boring to watch.

[@tonyd223]

@@KitGuruJames would there have been enough space with the HDD cables facing the solid panel anyway? that corner looks crowded already

[@KitGuruJames]

@@tonyd223 yes there is just enough space.

[@lshe97]

I heard some people had problems with the power button's LED, but I have yet to see the actual LED for myself, is it still blue or a different colour? Is the light weak? Is there an issue at all?

[@KitGuruJames]

The power LED is white and it is inset from the from panel a little. Its not very bright but I wouldn't say its an issue as such.

[@Medobube]

Hi, so you think there is no chance to install an AIO cooler at the top? Even something like EK 240 AIO, which seems to be a bit smaller than the one you used? Thinking of using an Gigabyte Z390 Aorus master and Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO. I would really appreciate the help

[@KitGuruJames]

Space at the top of the case is very limited. I'm sure an AIO up top would interfere with either the VRM heatsink or memory.

[@goondu86]

The hard disk cage looks to have a DDC sized pump/reservoir mounting holes

[@ackman3981]

Call me "old fashioned" but I do not need lights inside my pc case. I will be looking at the screen when using the pc. Not need "disco" going on inside the case. Does that pc play disco tunes as well when turned on to go with the lights? 🤔🙄

[@seananderson9346]

Excellent review.

[@maxheadroom6833]

A good video, however it would of been better if it included you connecting the hard drive to the motherboard- Connecting the cables to 2 hard drives was a nightmare, and I couldn't route the main lead the way you did in the video.

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

A friend asked me to consider this one, but the tightness for top rad config sadly makes this a no-go. :'( I otherwise really wanted to like this: I don't do the RGB bling thing and black in black will never go out of style!

[@josegdumbniglet_1]

i already have a pc but i want to build a pc with a 7900xtx and 3800x3d in this with the solid panel kinda as a sleeper pc im also gonna put an aio cooler in it too and as many fans as i can to keep it cool

[@Oz-gv5fz]

Any news of matx version of this case?

[@ImCTPPS3]

with that same build, would you have been able to fit the radiator on the top?

[@greeniekid1341]

yes but it has to be 240mm in size.

[@danielcaspers9506]

He said at the end that it depends on height of mobo and VRM.

[@unclealig]

why is there the big cutout in the case plate, on the back of the motherboard?

[@ahmeterenparlak773]

great video, thanks!

[@iisqw]

is it possible to mount a 3.5'' HHD on the back of the motherboard tray?? i really want to change my current atx case to this smaller version but i am scared that the parts cannot fit :(

[@BrendanDeBobes]

3.5 no, but you can mount ssd's back there no prob. You can however put your 3.5 drives in the basement.

[@t.n.9508]

Airflow is kinda choked bc of that front panel, but the case got some really nice features and looks hella simple and clean.

[@barel8080]

There are few major drawbacks of whole Define 7 line - top bracket incompatibility with HWLabs Nemesis radiators - they are too wide and collide with with clips for glass panel. Also - all of theese tool free mechanisms made theese cases less sturdy than previous generation. And plastic front panel in cases that are priced so high? It must be a joke, good that They fix it in 7C case. Just few steps ahead and few steps back.

[@brucerosner3547]

One of the nicest cable management setups I've seen. But the hard drive support destroys the elegance, I'm going with a 4TB ssd and 2 M.2.

[@curtis9701]

Would it be bad to add a top exhaust fan if i were to use the solid panel that has no ventilation?

[@KitGuruJames]

Adding a top fan with the solid panel fitted wouldnt be optimal for airflow.

[@Tenmilmedia]

Great review ! When does this launch in the UK/Ireland?

[@KitGuruJames]

It's available now www.overclockers.co.uk/fractal-design-define-7-compact-mid-tower-case-black-light-tint-tempered-glass-ca-097-fd.html

[@tilitali3807]

Can people PLEASE start doing the acoustics and all with stock fans and all?

[@tilitali3807]

Because i do not know how loud the fans actually are, because i am going to use the stock ones.

[@Haydarlive]

What is that chip youre installing at 12:22? :) Is it necessary?

[@greeniekid1341]

yes that chip is necessary and you actually NEED it for your build, and the chip/component is a ssd m.2 drive :)

[@Haydarlive]

@@greeniekid1341 thanks, I got wiser after my comment and its not necessary, its just a slim harddrive which gives a little more speed for the sake of higher costs

[@greeniekid1341]

@@Haydarlive no problem :)

[@UnknownUser-fg3fs]

Any eta when it'll hit Canada ?

[@Gogargoat]

Since when do hard drives not need any airflow?

[@noneminor]

Fractal should go with the changeable front panel rather than top panel as you mentioned, you can not install AIO. An airflow oriented case you can set the fans to a less audible levels and could be more effecttive than sound dampening on panels. Phanteks P300A is a better compact PC Case than this. It has only 240-280 AIO option, but it ok because it is budget oriented Compact PC Case.

[@UnknownUser-fg3fs]

So if we remove the HDD cage from the bottom we can mount a 120mm intake fan???

[@KitGuruJames]

That is correct.

[@Empireabc]

Would the Noctua NH-D15 air cooler fit inside this case?

[@mati020202]

NH-D15S plus 120mm fan

[@HUNtastic1]

Would the 360 AIO hose reach the CPU with the hoses on the bottom?

[@KitGuruJames]

It is a stuggle, this is why you see so many builds with AIOs at the front ans the tubing at the top.

[@8skyline7]

I have two 3.5 cm hard drives so I can't use the bottom slot for cable management. Is there enough space for cable management if you install two hard drives?

[@KitGuruJames]

I think there should be. It would just mean routing the cables different to how I did, so more cables would be seen.

[@AliAhmed-id2mq]

Very nice, and thanks for works ♥️🇮🇶

[@GabbyTech]

nice case review

[@forgofm7105]

Will there be a white version?

[@KitGuruJames]

As far as I'm aware, a white version has not been announced yet.

[@hooplah7612]

yea lol

[@patrickproctor3462]

Damn it update the Nano series Fractal!

[@spacecy]

Sup James, how are you fam?

[@DaFunkz]

Meshify compact when?

[@matthewcarr422]

Why did you install the 3.5 hard drive backwards, unconnected to the power supply and unconnected to sata data?

[@KitGuruJames]

There is just enough space to connect the cables up and then slide the HDD into the cage. It is quite fiddly but looks neat with the HDD installed like this.

[@dazturner1576]

Funky design i like

[@petripuurunen2491]

Not a single cable connected to 3.5" HDD ?!?

[@mekan]

I'm wondering that too.

[@petripuurunen2491]

@@mekan Maybe its wireless HDD.

[@KitGuruJames]

They are connected on the other side and hidden. There is just enough space to do this but it is tricky.

[@---df1zx]

I guess it's obvious but don't put an all-in-one radiator at the bottom.

[@OlettaLiano]

Good review. Bad case. I wouldn't buy it at half the price, and I'm someone who doesn't mind paying over $200 for a good case.

[@i_ludius]

Incorrect orientation of radiator

[@liamsenn77]

first ?

[@SICKBOYSALONICA]

i bet this case have garbage airflow