Fractal Torrent Case Review: Fractal + Airflow =Torrent != Abhorrent

[@danwlan0]

I'm not in the market for a computer case but it is always fun to watch Wendell play with some new tech.

[@SycsFinest]

@5:54 I did this. 😅 Installed a supermicro board in a define R6 case and the top middle standoff was creating a short and causing memory issues. Took me a while to figure it out. Im glad you're bringing this up. Just because the standoffs are pre-installed doesn't mean they're in the correct positions.

[@BearThor]

Question: With this airflow setup, why do you have the CPU heatsink/fans mounted vertical? Would it not be better to have them horizontal to add to the airflow being pushed out towards the back?

[@bg9280]

He must have liked the two-way heating of the graphics card.

[@Valkross9]

He's probably looking to keep the PSU warm while also keeping CPU warm with hot air from the GPU.

[@ScottGrammer]

It's just wrong for that case. For a case with an open top, maybe. But not this one.

[@blackbeargear8884]

@chippster stephens how can you make sure a cooler will fit? I'm looking at the MSI B660 mortar board and it has some serious vrm heatsink. I want a d15 but unsure if it will all fit.

[@migueldtrz8750]

It´s simply an aberration

[@hermis2008]

Thank you for making these videos, I have made purchases after seeing your reviews, so far, you haven't disappointed me.

[@Outland9000]

The velcro straps on the outside at the rear of the case are designed for the power cable because the PSU is at the top of the case. Sure you can route other cables through them too though.

[@sutekhxaos]

just a casual $13k cpu and 3090 for a troubleshooting rig. 900w of heat generation. my space heater is 1000w. Wendell, never change.

[@mick0matic]

Knowing now that cpu costs so much, its even more annoying that the cooler is pointing towards the psu..

[@SurvivorNVL]

Absolutely loving the return of 180mm fans with this and the Silverstone line of cases coming out like the Alta's.

[@justinchampion5468]

Cahm-on man you had a perfect dad joke in there around 3:25! You could have said you were... A big fan of big fans! :) - Thanks for a good case review!

[@johndicus123]

I watched this and a half dozen other videos on this case last month and within a day or two had ordered one (it was an easy choice, it had all the qualities I was looking for in spades!). The next day the holds were put on sales but mine was in the mail already. So I put my 3900x into it and it runs MUCH cooler than in my BeQuiet case. This case is really good, and actually a bit surprisingly good! If I weren't already married to me BeQuiet Dark Base Pro900 rev 2, this Torrent would be sitting on my desk. But my lovely gets the new 5950x and the pretty Torrent just sits a bit further down the bench, churning away, and feeding nice filtered air to my BeQuiet.

[@svettnabb]

Would it not be better to rotate the cpu cooler so that the exaust was out back and not pointing towards the PSU?

[@FoiMal123]

It would and this is a very bad example of cooler mounting technique.

[@psiklops71]

The Swiss team, as The Register explains, used a rig powered by two 32-core AMD Epyc 7542 processors with 1 TB of RAM and a program called y-Cruncher. Its setup had 38 hard drives with 16 TB of storage space each, 34 of which were used for the process while four were used to store the new value of Pi.

[@WayStedYou]

How nice of B.A Baracus to join us for the review halfway through. 7:23

[@piked86]

PSU in the top, as god intended.

[@grantsuk7880]

I appreciate a lot of the advantages of it at the top, but I still get annoyed by the power cable being hit by steaming hot exhaust.

[@grantsuk7880]

@asdrubale bisanzio I'm aware it's not literally that hot. I just would prefer if it wasn't doing that. In the winter, my gaming rig hears up my entire room without any need for a heater. When my rig can hit over 80 degrees C, anything that can reduce the lifetime of my stuff I'm not happy with in particular.

[@jamesm568]

At least the lettering isn't upside down when on the top.

[@jamesm568]

@@grantsuk7880 I have never seen normal heat wear out a component on a computer. I have seen heat destroy a computer when there is a severe malfunction, but under normal wear, heat very rarely deteriorates a computer component.

[@GGray.]

Amen brother !!

[@noahneutral7557]

I love how you can lock the side panel from the top!

[@girrig97]

"I can't hide my sins" 😂

[@OriginalBadRobotz]

I lol'd

[@eyeruol]

This case looks awesome! It would be nice to see someone put an EATX (and maybe something larger, too) into it, so we can evaluate where the grommets are relative to the edges of the board. Personally, I'd love to see something like the ASUS Pro SAGE TRPro motherboard and how it fits. To me, this case screams TRPro Workstation. Great review, thanks for your videos.

[@derekjcooper]

The high airflow fans must have blown Wendell's shirt collar all over the place @4:24 - teehee. Great job again Wendell - terrific review.

[@qwerty74]

Finally! A case that breathes!

[@matasa7463]

Oooh now this is a nice case! Great job, Fractal!

[@DangoNetwork]

I wish Intel change their ATX layout to be similar to server motherboard. So air flow can be one direction and less random turbulent that slow down the air flow reduce cooling efficiency.

[@edwardgreenjr167]

Now lets see a mATX and ITX version, Fractal

[@mbfleming]

The video shows the specifications for the 8380HL which is last year's 28 core 14nm processor. The Ice Lake 10nm 8380 is the 40 core.

[@Caabooose]

yeah I had to turn down the fans so they weren't full blast all the time for some reason that was the out of box setting :P anything below like 50% can't hear them basically. and my 1080ti hasn't gotten hot enough yet to push them to go above 50% again yet. been running super cool with all the air flor super surprising.

[@goblinphreak2132]

"the PSU at the top" Hello little me building computers back in the 2000s Also, i really want a full mesh case, no solid panels, no glass. I also want it cube design, where the motherboard sits flat and you can install TWO 360mm radiators im the front side by side. Tons of HDD space (3.5, not ssd) who would be under the flat motherboard area like pillars to lift the mobo up. Top support for radiators and fans. And the rear special design for fans above the motherboard IO. Possibly even 240 aio support on that rear. Fuck my case would be godly

[@micobugija6284]

Closest to that is the node 804

[@c99kfm]

Check out the Thermaltake Core V21, it's made to be stackable, with interchangeable side/top panels: www.thermaltake.com/pub/media/wysiwyg/key3/db/products/case/coreV21/pic2.jpg

[@goblinphreak2132]

@@c99kfm too small. im talking full size cube. full atx motherboard. nothing comes close. thermaltake has one that can fit a full size buts its got all glass panels all around it.

[@goblinphreak2132]

I mean. My case would be "the end case" because those who need it, wont ever need another case again. You start off, its a cube. All panels are honey comb, no glass, no plexi or plastic, just pure honey comb. It would fit pretty much all size motherboards including server and e-atx.... The motherboard tray sits flat inside the case, instead of vertical like most cases. That tray is also removable. Think cooler master HAF-XB how its motherboard tray is flat. UNDER the motherboard tray, you have the PSU which will sit dead center of the case, but towards the rear. Then the extra space next to it would be HDD bays. Lots of them. You can stack 3 drives high. And probably 2 or 3 stacks facing each side panel. This would mean up to 18 HDD bays. 9 on each side facing out. With the removable motherboard tray, easy access to all the cables under it. Kinda like how the Cooler Master HAF-XB did, but way better and more thoughtful. Of course those HDD bays can be adapted to install SDD's instead if that's your flavor (I prefer 16TB classic platter drives). Then you have airflow options. The front panel would allow for TWO 360mm AIO liquid coolers to be installed. Not sure how they would be mounted. I dunno if they will be vertical or horizontal. it all depends on how the rest of the case goes. Then you would have each side panel, again more honey comb for airflow. Maybe fan mounting. And then the top panel will have fan mounting even radiator support. It would be the case to end all cases. And things like the front panel USB, interchangeable pieces. So lets say right now you only need usb 2.0 front panel. Buy that part. Later you want usb-c front panel, buy that part and swap it out. Later we got USB-X or whatever the hell they call it, you simply SWAP IT OUT. Motherboard tray is swappable, so if a new standard comes out, simply buy the new panel that supports the new standard. Now I know, business wise this sounds horrible, because then people will NEVER have a need to "upgrade" their case to a whole new one. You essentially get one time customers. But people usually end up buying new cases because they sold the whole pc, so technically they would end up buying another anyway in my mind. I am a realistic that also knows how to dream. These cases today make no sense other than a business model to keep making new shitty products and keep selling them to people. We need a case that makes sense. A utilitarian case. No flashy ass RGB. No glass all over the place. Just functionality.

[@EriIaz]

Full mesh probably would not be good cause it will be a nightmare to direct the airflow, air pressure will just try to escape through side meshes. This is why a good case performs better with closed side panel rather than open one.

[@bits2646]

I still haven't found a new case that would replace my old haf x with 200 and 230mm CM fans...

[@micobugija6284]

Alphacool has a dual 180mm rad so

[@oogrooq]

Still have my 650D. Checking to see if Noctua makes 180mm fans...

[@MooTaters]

Not sure if it's both side panels or just the back side, but boy do I miss the side panels of my 600t for how they swing out from the top and remove....much easier to remove on a cluttered desk for something small and fast, like a video card swap, ram upgrade, etc.

[@Dan-Simms]

Very nice case, I too am a fan of the large fans, currently daily that CM H500 mesh you briefly showed.

[@Condor1970]

If you get the less expensive steel sided version, couldn't you just buy some sound dampening, and add it to the side panels?

[@catbeazil6864]

Are the conversion brackets are included in the package for the front fans to convert 2x180mm fans to 3x140mm AIO?

[@TheL4LMusic]

Anyone have info on the 420mm set up?? On the front it doesn’t fit right

[@nerdedkyle3515]

i remember the storm scout case had big ass fan on top i miss the big fans alot too.

[@cidsapient7154]

when i was buying my case i wanted a phanteks p500 or at least a p400 but got $10 off a lianli liancool mesh II that put it at the p400s price and never looked back not sure i could ever go without that cable cover for cable management 2 glass panels and the back looks as nice as the front

[@Puffalupagus360]

Does it support 420mm aio's? I had to go with a meshify 2 to fit the arctic freezer 2 420mm. There are some other cases that say they support that size aio but in reality they don't.

[@benjamintrathen6119]

Ek have the 180mm radiator, no dual 180mm as far as I'm aware.

[@YodielandInhabitant710]

3:34 Proud owner of a Mastercase h500 here, love the 200mm fans.

[@glynkatkin]

Fractal going full circle and following in Silverstones footsteps..also, you can get 180mm radiators, although I am unsure if the fractal fans line up correctly with them. Good to see companies trying something new, instead of making NZXT and Lian Li clones constantly.

[@Adam_Lynn]

I think it's finally time to retire my HAF X. She has served me well but the plastic side panel and lack of dust filters has always annoyed me.

[@StarsMarsRadio]

I hope 180mm and thicker fans become more common

[@Dcatts-i2z]

This would make for a good workstation case.

[@nemesis851_]

Wonder if this is a genuine L1 video. Don’t see any orange drink onscreen.

[@AI-xi4jk]

Where can I get 3090 from? Don’t want to support scalpers

[@grumpyoldnord]

This is the second review of this case I've seen where the build had the CPU cooler mounted vertically rather than horizontally. Any particular reason for that?

[@williamsherwin7114]

To push air out the back of the case. No vents/fan at the top of the case, means the air should go to the back.

[@FoiMal123]

Why would you feed psu warm air? I don't understand that. This type of setup is just wrong.

[@mervin3x]

👆

[@testpattern23]

my favorite case to date...I have a 12900k build with a front mounted AIO, so as bit different than stock

[@AfiKreative]

I'd probably mount the 180mm Air Penetrators from Silverstone at the front. Should look amazing in white

[@Fallen608]

I really like it but can they please make an ATX version? Pls Fractal.

I just got meshify 2 xl and it's a shame that one can't do 180 fans, because those 140mm look so tiny in it... also this new hub with all 4 pin looks awesome, I wish that meshify would have it

[@TheRealMrRoboto]

@Level1Techs - is this the one that catches on fire?

[@QuentinStephens]

How does that case cope when on its side?

[@MrTette78]

Wendell, please can you try if an supermicro EE-ATX MB fits in the case. 13.68" x 13" (34.75cm x 33.02cm) i have one uppcomming dual cpu bild and would like to shoehorn a EE-ATX build in this case instead of meshify 2 xl.

[@DVDFHardTarget]

Thanks for another great case review.

[@kel5423]

If the PSU is mounted at the top wouldn't it suck in warm air radiating off of components inside the case? Also...(without water cooling) wouldn't the fans at the bottom, which are more powerful than those mounted on a GPU, blow the hot air back onto the GPU?

[@jamesm568]

I like it, but it also will never go on a desk. If I was to get one, it would go underneath the desk. I still don't get what the hoopla is about the power supply being in the top wenn for the last f**king 20+ years power supplies has been on the top.

[@honkbeforeitstoolate587]

I can not find the dust filter material that Fractal and other case manufacturers use to save my life :( It appears to maybe be nylon mesh with very fine holes.

[@itsdeonlol]

Fractal, please make a mid tower with this design!!

[@SkyForce6700]

This is a Mid Tower! It has 7 PCI Express expansion slots making it a mid tower case. A Full tower case would have 9 of them!

[@itsdeonlol]

@@SkyForce6700 Yeah it does have 7 slots. How did I miss that lol?

[@dannysmith713]

I have a Thermaltake Chaser with 4 200 mm fans

[@exodiatheforbiddenone8228]

What is db sound noise for this case friend :(

[@SunDancerGE]

"Change of design... moves the power supply to the top" LIke in the good old days! When the PSU sucked all the bad air out of the case of your AT build. (Yes, AT, not ATX) I was there... 3000 days ago... or something... ;) All designs come again. In clothing, cars and now PC

[@avgjoesgamin9935]

i am looking for a new case, and i realy like this design, but TG on the motherboard side kills it for me. can you get this with a hard panel. i really do love this design. but the TG on both sides. guess im still looking for a new case.

[@cirrus404]

You can get it with solid black sides no tempered glass on their website no colours available other than black for that option though :)

[@avgjoesgamin9935]

@@cirrus404 yeah no, i want tg on main side and steel on mobo side, not white. having tg on the back side of the case bafflingly stupid.

[@Nicvik]

Havent seen green motheboards in a while

[@augustbiernbaum4841]

Ok, that’s not fair, I didn’t expect this to be this funny.

[@saiprasad8078]

Now if I could find parts in stock to fill this case.

[@ClannerJake]

i like how he's exhausting hot air right into the PSU. spirit of the outside down rad is stonk.

[@SirReptitious]

I thought it was funny how he mentioned the top mounted PSU like it was some genius new idea. When of course that is where they always used to be back in the 80s and 90s beige box days...;-p

[@ClannerJake]

@@SirReptitiousnext maybe they'll realize there is only 2 optical drive enclosures and maybe they should angle towards that user again... Actually, I dare fractal to make an optical enclosure and a 3.5 and 2.5 one.

[@jonscot8393]

Add 2 420's and 1 140 AIO coolers and NOTHING else , turn it into your Orange Fizz Fridge

[@Tofflus]

how good support has server/workstation motherboards for RAM with RGB?

[@Tofflus]

@asdrubale bisanzio thanks for you answer! i was thinking more about the added power usage from the RGB. when RGB RAM was a new thing and you had a old motherboard. combine those two and you would likely have a bricked motherboard. thats was why i asked :)

[@Tofflus]

@asdrubale bisanzio yeah when you said it, i remember the ram from my old dell r710 server having heatsinks on the memory, i thought the ram was more "premium" than others. its good to know about those stuff for future use. the bricked motherboards from high power usage ram i have seen have been old intel motherboards with no ecc support. thanks

[@tyroneslothdrop9155]

Would you recommend this case over the Silent Base 802? I feel like the Silent Base is superior in every regard aside from air flow.

[@Sladeofdark]

can't purchase it anywhere.. :(

[@famoussasjohn]

It's been recalled but should be back for sale in the next few weeks while they fix this issue - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6XbpZWCpNpsbZo

[@whirledpeaz5758]

PSU at the top, throwback to the days of AT

[@duckrutt]

Whats old is new again

[@piked86]

ATX cases had them there for a long time as well. My current case has it there. An old antec from around 2000-2002.

[@CyReVolt]

I have a case now with the PSU at the bottom, and routing the CPU power supply wires straight to their socket was super, super tight - it barely fit. With CPU sockets at the top, PSUs at the bottom make a limited amount of sense, imho.

[@ael5150]

They MUST release a midi tower version of this

[@notgonnahappen7899]

Bottom fans are 3x140mm not 120mm

[@VEN0M415]

That thing is such a beast, if they made it smaller with the same style then I would buy it, this would have been perfect for back when SLI/Crossfire was popular. Tbh I wonder if fractal could make a oversized cpu cooler this case that's really wide.

[@mick0matic]

Did you buy the compact version yet?

[@VEN0M415]

@@mick0matic saw it and Im super tempted, I got a modded phanteks shift and I love it just as much. If I was to get a new gpu I need to spend a lot on a new PCIe gen 4 riser cable (I have gen 3) which costs the same as that case, so either I lose some desk space and get that case or I get a riser cable and keep my current case. Either way it's a costly investment. Going to wait things out and see how prices fare down the road.

[@jpharasmin]

Why on Earth did you orient the CPU cooler that way? Turn it 90° so all that airflow exits the back. 🤦‍♂

[@nadtz]

Kinda can't wait to build my next system just so I can use one of these.

[@HavokR505]

its a shame they dont make an HDD mount to bolt on and slam like 12 HDDs in that big void between the mobo and the front fans.

[@ASDSwede]

It moves the power supply BACK to the top. Where it should be. The case is made to have a positive pressure airflow. The one thing you really should question about this case is the MSRP. It's ludicrous.

[@brianeckley4388]

Wendel who do you make these for? What do you do with them? Also, you are still on GOD tier for those builds. Honestly, I'm jealous, because I'd love to have a rig like that. It'd be overkill for 3-d printing and designing, programming, and learning some new IT skills not to mention (cough), gaming.

[@mainfighter]

Damn the mixture of the PSU back in the top and the big fans really brings me back to my older PC builds.

[@javierortiz82]

I like this case, not available in my country for what I could see, the bane of my existence.

[@lesliestandifer]

it’s 2021 a lot of these things can be magnetic instead of friction fit

[@dwillingham]

I want this case, but feel like I would be doing it a disservice without putting a custom loop in it. And I don't have custom loop money

[@Alexandra-Rex]

I don't really see a reason to connect all the unused PSU cables as it's so easy to access and remove or add things with the PSU at the top like this.

[@byCDMC]

imagine those front fans were big ass delta fans :D

[@TechLevelUpOfficial]

you gotta use that Torrent file before the peer decides to stop seeding lol

[@hammerheadcorvette4]

0:37 Who remembers when Power Supplies were at the top of cases in the '90s

[@-opus]

4:00 The case looks nicer without that front panel on it

[@Gunni1972]

If it had an optical drive bay (yes, i am one of those) this would be my dream case.

[@TheExard3k]

Good old burning backups to CD-ROMs? The 90s called....they want their ODD back

[@FutureChaosTV]

Just get an external case with USB3.0 No reason to waste space inside the case with almost obsolete technology.

[@JayzBeerz]

P300A is the best low budget Airflow case.

[@denvera1g1]

"Its glass on both sides, i cant hide my sins" I spit out my mountain dew

[@SirReptitious]

Mountain Dew?? You should be drinking orange soda! ;-)

[@KillaBitz]

I wish fractal would change one thing about there designs. I want to see there front panels have a clearance so we can get the fans in front of the main body and still get the front panel on (without modding it like I had to in my build video) No one wants to have RGB fans covered up by steal panels. 25mm is all I ask Fractal !!!

[@jjdizz1l]

They Gray Torrent is calling me!

[@philippbeckonert1678]

: I'm sorry I came here from Gamer's Nexus. Is this the same case and do I have to watch the video again? Ok, I love Wendel. Let's watch.

[@philippbeckonert1678]

: Alright alright, I will join the forum and upload a picture of my pc if you like them big fans :)

[@exodiatheforbiddenone8228]

Is this noisey pc?

[@Kappa_mi]

0:42 They moved the power supply "back" to the top.

[@KylieManur3]

Rotate that cpu cooler 90 degrees. Pull the twin 180s air into the cpu and push the cpu hot air out the back.

[@jedadiahtucker2132]

a strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid. "rain poured down in torrents"

[@Mine_For_Fish]

Why can't I like this video twice?

[@Safetytrousers]

Why does it say abhorrent in the title?

[@chinlim14]

It says Torrent != Abhorrent. This means that it isn’t abhorrent. Just some coding language

[@Safetytrousers]

@@chinlim14 Thanks. I watch tech channels evry day and I didn't know that. It is far too obtuse.

[@arda_]

I would imagine one of the targets of a full size premium case like this should be being an alternative to the mac pro case. It doesn’t look premium enough and at that price I can’t expect it to be. I find it sad that we still don’t have beautiful premium cases outside of itx world.