Fractal Design Arc XL Review

1. Introduction2. Fractal Design Arc XL (Exterior)3. Fractal Design Arc XL (Interior)4. Testing Methodology5. Thermal Dynamics6. Acoustics Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Today we are taking a look at Fractal Design's Arc XL case. Completing the Arc series of cases, this full tower case boasts support for radiators up to 360 mm in length, up to 10 storage drives and graphics card up to 480 mm in length. The big question is, can the Fractal Design Arc XL justify its £100 price tag?

Specifications:

• ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX, E-ATX, XL-ATX motherboard compatibility
• 4 – 5.25″ bays
• 8 – 3.5″ HDD trays – all compatible with SSDs
• 2 – 2.5″ dedicated SSD positions behind the mothboard plate
• 9 expansion slots
• 7 – Fan positions (3 Silent Series R2 fans included)
• Filtered fan slots in front, top and bottom
• CPU coolers up to 180 mm tall
• PSU compatibility: ATX PSUs up to 190 mm deep when using the bottom fan location; when not using this fan location longer PSUs (up to 345 mm deep) can be used
• Graphics card compatibility: Graphics cards up to 330mm in length with the top HDD cage installed – With the top cage removed, graphics cards up to 480mm in length may be installed
• 26 mm of space for cable routing behind the motherboard plate
• Thick rubber grommets on all holes on the motherboard plate
• Window side panel included
• Colors available: Black
• Case dimensions (WxHxD): 232 x 572 x 552mm
• Net weight: 13.8kg
• Package dimensions (WxHxD): 322 x 625 x 635mm
• Package weight: 16.3kg

The Fractal Design Arc XL ships in a large brown box protected by layers of styrofoam.

The Fractal Design Arc XL's design is identical to that of the Arc Midi R2 and Arc Mini R2, ensuring a consistent look for the entire range.

Taking a closer look at the I/O panel we can see the 3-step fan controller, audio and mic jacks, the Power and Reset buttons, two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports.

Like the Arc Midi R2 and Arc Mini R2, the plastic fascia has received a brushed finish to mimic an aluminium panel.

There is a window on the side panel, exposing the motherboard section of the build.

Moving to the back we can see the 9 expansion slots and power supply cut-out.

A close-up of the top panel shows it is held in place with two thumb screws.

Finally, flipping the case on its side reveals the large dust filter covering both the power supply and any installed bottom in-take fans.

Removing the front panel reveals the pre-installed front in-take fan. Fractal Design have chosen to use a Silent Series R2 140 mm fan. This fan is rated to deliver 66 CFM at 1000 RPM with a maximum noise level of 18.5 dBa.

Turning the front panel around shows a layer of soft padding. This acts as both a dust filter and offers minor sound proofing.

Moving to the inside and starting at the bottom left we can see a large rubber grommet behind the power supply. Directly above the power supply mounting position are the 9 white expansion slot brackets and the second pre-installed fan.

Interestingly, an additional rubber grommet is available directly to the right of the expansion slots to aid builders with standard ATX boards. A large CPU cut-out is available to facilitate the installation of a cooler without removing the motherboard.

Along the center of the case we find three additional rubber grommets. The drive caddies are identical to those found in the Arc Mini R2 and Arc Midi R2.

A better look at the rear exhaust fan reveals that is also a Silent Series R2 140 mm.

The pre-installed top exhaust fan is also a Silent Series R2 140 mm. Users can replace this fan with a thick 240 mm radiator, a slim 280 mm radiator or a 360 mm slim radiator. The use of a 360 mm radiator will block the top drive bay.

Directly below the top exhaust fan we can see two more smaller rubber grommets.

The drive cages are held in place with thumb screws and can be removed easily to facilitate the installation of either a thick or slim or 240 mm radiator.

It is also possible to install a 120 mm radiator in the bottom of the case if the lower drive cage is removed.

Around the back of the case we can see two additional SSD mounting positions directly below the CPU cutout. These are surrounded by a healthy number of cable tie points.

As always we aim to find out how forgiving a case is by deliberately stacking cables and only applying minimal cable management. This proved to be impossible with the Arc XL as the layout of the case resulted in a clean look without much effort. All in all, this is one of the fastest builds we have done with the least clutter.

We are using the Cooler Master Hyper 103 cooler to keep our Intel Core i7 3770k cool and perform our tests with the CPU at its default clock speed before then overclocking it to 4.6GHz with the voltage set to 1.3v.

Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 3770k
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX2
• Memory: 16GB G.Skill Ares Blue
• Graphics Card: Sapphire HD 7790 2GB GDDR5 OC
• Power Supply: Seasonic G-Series 650W
• Chassis: Fractal Design Arc XL
• Monitor: Acer X243HQ
• Boot Drive: Intel SSD 510
• Storage Drive: 2TB Seagate Barracuda

System validation can be found here.

Software:

• CPUID HW Monitor 1.23
• CPUID CPU-Z 1.65
• Prime95 v27.1
• Furmark 1.11.0

We are testing the Fractal Design Arc XL's performance as follows:

• Room temperature is kept at 22° throughout our tests.
• The CPU Fan is set to 100% to eliminate inconsistencies as a result of PWM control.
• Idle temperatures are obtained after booting the PC and idling on the desktop for 30 minutes.
• CPU load temperatures are obtained after running Prime95′s Small FTTs test for 15 minutes.
• GPU load temperatures are obtained after running Furmark’s Burn-In Test for 15 minutes.
• To measure noise levels we disable the CPU fans and GPU fan.

We cleaned up our cable management to ensure nothing obstructs the path of airflow to the components we test.

The rear exhaust and top exhaust fans, coupled with the front in-take fan resulted in fantastic results for our small cooler. Across the board, these are excellent results.

We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the closed chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation. Ambient noise in the room measures close to the limits of our sound meter at 30dBa.

We use the integrated 3-step fan controller to measure noise levels at 5V, 7V and 12V. The CPU and GPU fans are manually disconnected to eliminate unwanted noise.

KitGuru noise guide

10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Running at both 5V and 7V the noise levels fell below the lower limits of our meter.

Running at 12V the fans produced a total of 36 dBa, which is noticeable but not intrusive.

Overall, we are very pleased with the Fractal Design Arc XL. Staying true to the high standards of construction that we expect from Fractal Design, the Arc XL is sturdy and built to last.

In terms of cooling performance the Arc XL improves upon the Arc Midi R2 and Arc Mini R2, while maintaining the formidable low noise characteristics associated with this family. The Fractal Design Arc XL incorporates all the best elements of the Arc Midi R2, but enlarges the physical dimensions to target a different audience.

We do feel that users with XL-ATX and E-ATX motherboards will be able to take full advantage of the Arc XL's generous space. In our opinion, the Midi R2 is a more suitable option for those with standard size ATX motherboards. That said, if you yearn for a larger chassis design, then the ARC XL does deserve some serious consideration.

Retailing for £100 inc vat., the Fractal Design Arc XL is a fantastic full tower case for those who want an understated, sleek design without compromising on functionality.

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Pros:

• Excellent build quality.
• Excellent cooling performance.
• Clever design makes cable management easy as pie.

Cons:

• Side window collects dust rather quickly.

KitGuru says: The Fractal Design Arc XL rounds out the Arc series of cases and does so in style.

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