Fractal Design Define Mini Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on April 22, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- MicroATX
- Fractal Design
- Case
Conclusion: The Only Game in Town
I keep feeling like Fractal Design is what would happen if Corsair were a European company. They share a lot of the same strengths, but they also share a lot of the same weaknesses, and that's fairly evident with the Define Mini. One thing Corsair consistently does better, though, is convenience. Their cases are typically much easier to build in and make a lot of allowances for the end user.
The Define Mini isn't a bad enclosure by a longshot. 21 pounds for a micro-ATX case seems a little bit much, but this is a lot of steel being used to dampen noise in addition to the acoustic foam. That makes the case both sturdy and capable of containing noise. The white trays and white expansion slots continue to be signature for Fractal Design and reliably sturdy and secure, the lighting is minimal and attractive, and it's frankly a nice case for the $99 price tag.
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Where I think things start to fall apart for the Define Mini is its thermal performance. Liquid cooling in general is an excellent avenue for getting good cooling performance for internal components without generating a ton of noise. This is something that makes the Nanoxia Deep SIlence 1 such a strong contender, but unfortunately the Define Mini misses the boat. That wouldn't be so bad if the case was a solid performer with air cooling, but the included fans at least seem to be pretty inefficient. It's difficult for me to actually peg exactly why the Define Mini is such a weak performer where thermals are concerned, but it is.
I don't think all is necessarily lost with the Define Mini. It has some very strong points to its design and a smart builder could produce a competitive machine with it. The noise dampening does a fantastic job of keeping the system quiet, too. There are just missed opportunities here: a couple of allowances here and there for liquid cooling solutions could go a long way. Alternatively, better fans (probably ones comparable to Nanoxia's) or even bigger fans might be the order of the day. You're not getting a 140mm exhaust fan into this bad boy unless you widen the chassis by at least 10mm, but you can definitely get a pair of 140mm intakes in if you redesign the front, and those would help tremendously. The Define Mini is practically screaming for an R2.
Until Fractal Design comes up with a Define Mini R2, you're going to have to be okay with the trade-offs inherent to this version of the Define Mini. Alternatively, you may want to wait for Corsair's impending Obsidian 350D and see what they're planning to bring to the table where micro-ATX is concerned. The Fractal Design Define Mini isn't a bad case, but it does need some tender loving care, and it's not as great as it could be. It's the only micro-ATX case designed for acoustics, though, and if that's what you're looking for, the Define Mini's about the best option on the market.
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Sleepingforest - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
Dustin, how would you say this compares to the TJ08e? They have essentially identical price points and both promise quiet performance.smellykaka - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
I have a TJ08e and I can't imagine how it could be called quiet. Its single fan on low setting is very audible. My main PC (in a Fractal Design R3) with 6 case fans (and a water pump, and four GPU fans) is considerably quieter at idle.EnzoFX - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
It can be quiet. It's loud just like any open? case with direct airflow. So it's up to your components. The big 180mm? fan on the TJ08e can be undervolted and be set quiet, it's 180mm! so it'll still pump out good air. After that it's up to your components, so pick a good cpu hs/f, quiet gpu, HDD's that don't vibrate too much, etc, etc.But yes, if you don't want to approach it this way, a case like this will be the best bet in terms of quiet potential, without having to try too hard.
Sleepingforest - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
Weird. Even in games, mine is totally silent. Maybe you're pushing your hardware harder?serrin - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
That's probably because the noise of your games is masking the noise of your case. The TJ-08E is great* quiet case, with the caveat being that you need to undervolt that sucker of a 180mm fan. Although that's not too hard given that you can buy them from fleaBay for a couple of bucks if you don't want to weld some resistors to a bit of wire.The Define Mini also is easier to assemble than the TJ-08E, but it's also 10cm longer and thus, heavier.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Sleepingforest - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
The TJ08e is definitely a pain to muck around in because of the cramped space. My hands are pretty big, so squeezing them into case to mess with fan headers is pretty close to impossible. I wish it was just an inch bigger in each dimension.I have the fan undervolted pretty considerably, so even with the game sounds off, I don't really hear what's happening. Or being under a fume hood for too long has desensitized me to fan noise...
JPForums - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
I agree. The loudest component in the most recent TJ08e based build I've put together is the Zalman 9900CNPS and that's not particularly loud. However, the case is seriously a pain to work in for someone with big hands. I'm actually putting together two builds based on the Define R4 and Define Mini this weekend. I don't know how the noise will compare, but I've opened up the chassis and I'm fairly certain the Mini will be easier to build in than the TJ08e. I can't imagine its thermal performance will be quite as good though.Metaluna - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
The hard drive cage in the TJ08e also has major interference issues with many full-sized tower coolers. It's virtually impossible to mount a 3.5" HD in this cage with anything but a smallish (90mm) tower cooler, or maybe a 120 with the fan flipped to the other side (which in my situation had other interference issues on the other side of the board).On the plus side, it does have more height clearance for taller coolers. But overall I agree it's a PITA case to work in.
Death666Angel - Tuesday, April 23, 2013 - link
I have big hands (1.95m here) and no problem with the TJ08-E. But then again, I don't use 3.5" drives. All my drives are in the 5.25" trays (2.5" ones, 7 total). That's all I need. And the space freed up is great for water cooling (pump and controls). :) The front intake fan is loud even in lowered setting though. It runs at ~700rpm on the low setting, but I have my fan control throttle the fan to ~500rpm to be inaudible. :)Dustin Sklavos - Monday, April 22, 2013 - link
I don't want to be a jerk, but have you tried changing the fan's setting? There's a switch on the side of the case, I believe, that's easy to miss, but on the low setting the TJ08-E is borderline inaudible.