Review: Fractal Design’s Meshify C cuts a few corners but not on cooling
Like Lian Li, Fractal Design was regarded as a premium chassis manufacturer that produced some of the best PC cases. The company still does just that but it has since expanded into the more affordable segment of the market. The Fractal Design Meshify C is a case that ditches the company’s exceptional sound damping and aluminum parts for an all-steel construct that focuses on airflow.
This chassis follows the same design principles as most mid-tower ATX cases out there. You can configure it with or without a tempered glass panel, and that mesh front panel is a sure upgrade on competitor cases that restrict airflow using small side vents for style over functionality. On paper, the Fractal Design Meshify C should be the case for anyone wanting a good value PC chassis with expansion.
Fractal Design Meshify C
Bottom line: There’s so much to love with the Fractal Design Meshify C. The meshed front panel allows plenty of air to be pulled in through a 360mm radiator, resulting in a cooler yet slightly noisy PC build.
The Good
- Multiple water-cooling radiator support
- Plenty of dusty filters
- Excellent airflow thanks to mesh front panel
- Good cable management
- Solid build quality with optional tempered glass panel
The Bad
- Drive cage removal for 360mm front radiator
- Not the quietest PC case around
- Compact spacing for PSU
- Not designed with water cooling in mind
- Weak front panel I/O
Fractal Design Meshify C: Price and availability
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
Fractal Design Meshify C: What’s good
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
The Meshify C isn’t your typical Fractal Design case, but it performs just as well as pricier chassis.
It’s a mesh panel that has numerous perforated holes instead of a flab of plastic or tempered glass. Usually, you’d find the latter two materials here, but Fractal went all out with catering to large amounts of airflow. All that’s required to achieve maximum results are three 120mm fans. On top of the front panel is the rather limited I/O, which consists of two USB-A 3.0 ports and a combined audio jack.
The Meshify C can be bought in a variety of models. There’s the choice of black or white for color, then tempered glass or metal for the side panel. The tempered glass will allow for additional sounds to escape, so if you’re going for absolute silence, it’s best to pick the steel panel, which can also have some sound damping added to the interior side.
The top and far side panels are bare, so too is the rear aside from the 120mm adjustable fan mount, rear I/O for motherboard cutout, and seven expansion slots. The PSU, as usual with mid-tower cases is installed in the lower chamber, which is separated from the main area inside the chassis by a plastic PSU shroud.
Category | Fractal Design Meshify C |
---|---|
Motherboard | Mini-ITX Micro-ATX ATX |
I/O | 2x USB-A 3.0 1x Headphone/Microphone |
Expansion | 7 horizontal PCI |
Storage | 3x 2.5-inch SSD 2x 2.5-inch SSD/3.5-inch HDD |
PSU | ATX |
Included fans | 2 |
Top fans | 2x 120mm |
Rear fan | 1x 120mm |
Bottom fan | 1x 120mm |
Front fans | 3x 120mm 2x 140mm |
Top rad | 240mm |
Front rad | 360mm, 280mm |
Filters | Front Top Bottom |
Clearance | GPU: 315mm CPU: 170mm |
Dimensions | 15.5 x 8.3 x 17.3 inches (395mm x 212mm x 440 mm) |
Weight | 14.2 pounds (6.45 kg) |
Materials | Steel Tempered glass |
Warranty | One year |
Color | Black White |
For radiator support, Fractal Design allows for up to a 24mm radiator up top and a 360mm radiator on the front panel. The latter does require the HDD cage to be removed, however. Filters are available for the top, front, and bottom panels. Cable management is pretty good with grommets and routing behind the motherboard tray.
The front mesh panel allows for serious volumes of cool air to pass through this case.
Building inside the Meshify C is a breeze. There’s plenty of room to work with and all panels remove easily using a few screws. The front panel is a challenge since it uses the old plastic clips to hold it onto the frame. I always prefer magnets here since these clips can (and often do) break with the amount of force required to pop them out.
Installing a large PSU like the be quiet! Dark Power 12 would be difficult since there’s only a small amount of space beneath the shroud. It’s possible but you will need to spend more time fiddling around with cable management to get everything just right. Removing the 3.5-inch drive tray to allow for a radiator is recommended since 2.5-inch SSDs are the way to go in 2021.
Like all other PC cases I’ve reviewed recently, I put together a test rig with an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X to see how the Fractal Design Meshify C would handle even the more power-hungry processors. This CPU pumps out plenty of heat, which the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 will be more than happy to manage. To allow for convenient fan management, the NZXT N7 B550 was used as the foundation.
Case | CPU temp | GPU temp | Noise |
---|---|---|---|
be quiet! Silent Base 802 | 65C | 54C | 37 dBA |
Fractal Design Meshify C | 68C | 56C | 40 dBA |
Razer Tomahawk | 73C | 64C | 42 dBA |
NZXT H510i | 75C | 63C | 43 dBA |
Fractal Design Meshify C: What’s not good
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
There’s also the case (pun not intended) that the HDD cage needs to be removed to allow for a 360mm radiator to be installed behind the front panel. Should you have an AIO cooler for the CPU with a larger radiator and some 3.5-inch drives to install, you may need to reconsider which is more important for the overall build.
Fractal Design Meshify C: Competition
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
Fractal Design priced the Meshify C accordingly since the company cut a few premium features usually on the specification sheet. At $90, it’s a solid deal even at full price. An equivalent case in the form of the NZXT H510 Elite runs a little hotter (and louder) and costs $150. Cases also come down to personal preference and judging on looks alone the Meshify C can look a little lost in a sea of glass and RGB lighting.
Fractal Design Meshify C: Should you buy it?
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
You should buy this if you …
- Want a case with optimal airflow
- Need a chassis with good thermal performance
- Have a 240mm or 360mm AIO CPU cooler
You shouldn’t buy this if you …
- Want to build a custom water-cooling loop
- Desire the quietest PC case available
- Need to install HDDs and a 360mm AIO CPU cooler
- Have a large high-end PSU
The Meshify C was an interesting case for me to review since it’s the first PC case from the manufacturer I’ve looked at in years. It’s a departure from the premium feature set I’m used to with Fractal Design, but the company has done an excellent job at keeping cost low and ensuring there are enough reasons for someone to buy this case over everything else on the market.
This case is perfect if you want a case with optimal airflow. A 360mm radiator for a CPU AIO can be installed upfront and a single 120mm fan down below, with a further three 120mm blowers to handle exhausting all the heat. You’ll be able to pack some considerable computing performance inside the Meshify C without encountering any thermal throttling.
Fractal Design had to cut corners with the case to keep the price down low. Because of this, you shouldn’t buy one with the expectation of seeing plenty of audio damping. There’s also a lack of support for water-cooling. While there’s more than enough space inside for a small custom loop, Fractal Design has not provided any mounting options for pumps and reservoirs.
That doesn’t negate the fact this is a killer mid-range case at a somewhat affordable price. There’s far more to like than dislike about the Fractal Design Meshify C.
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