Review: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact

by Parm Mann on 24 February 2021, 14:01

Tags: Fractal Design

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Conclusion

...at under £100 this is the Fractal enclosure that many have been hankering for.

Sometimes the most obvious products are the ones that tick the right boxes. Fractal Design's Meshify 2 Compact, an airflow-optimised take on its Define sibling, is entirely predictable yet no less worthy of a place on your desk.

You might even argue that at under £100 this is the Fractal enclosure that many have been hankering for. The shorter Compact form factor is better suited to on-the-desk use, filtered mesh panels bode well for airflow, USB-C features as standard, and there's a choice of black, grey or white colour options.

All of the aforementioned serve to enhance an underlying frame that already works well. Fractal's latched side panels are among the best in the business, seven fan mounts and three bundled fans offer good out-the-box performance with ample scope to expand, the removable top panel is excellent, and the end product is both well-built and stylish in appearance. There are inevitable constraints of the Compact form factor - including fewer storage bays, no fan hub and an inability to vertically mount a graphics card - but these are trade-offs you need to make for a smaller overall footprint.

Bottom line: enthusiasts likely to entertain an E-ATX board with lots of storage and cooling should continue to gravitate toward the regular Meshify 2. For everyone else, Meshify 2 Compact is a neater, more affordable alternative.

The Good
 
The Bad
Available for less than £100
Three bundled Dynamic X2 fans
User-friendly side panels and removable top
Smaller footprint suited to desktop use
Seven fan mounts with filtration throughout
Available in black, grey or white
Three USB ports, including Type-C
 
Rear cable clearance is tight
No integrated fan hub



Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact

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The Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact chassis will be available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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HEXUS Forums :: 17 Comments

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Any comparison shots of this against its stablemates Meshify 2 and Meshify 2 XL?
virtuo
Any comparison shots of this against its stablemates Meshify 2 and Meshify 2 XL?

Afraid not, but here's a shot of Meshify 2 Compact next to Define 7, which is effectively the same size as Meshify 2:

Ordered one today, very excited.
I currently have a Meshify-C (love it) and cool to see an update.

A few things that struck me as questionable:
- Rear fan grill looks pretty restrictive
- Rear fan still only a 120mm - would have been nice to squeeze in a 140mm (looks like there's space)
- Don't like the feet at all, very chonky

Other than that, a cracking case!

Su
I purchased a Meshify 2 some a couple of months ago. Didn't need the size, it just seemed more modern than the Meshify C. Sods law that a Meshify 2 Compact comes along, looks like a good all-rounder.