Test methodology
Fractal Design has apparently decided to roll out all of their cases in smaller designs as well. The latest in compact designs is the Define 7 Mini, which fits a Micro ATX motherboard. Even though the dimensions have shrunk, they haven’t cut corners in other ways and this new case maintains a high quality standard. The kind of quality we are used to with Define series cases.
Test methodology
A 140 mm Dynamic X2 GP-14 fan is placed on the intake to provide cool air. This one is a breakthrough after a long time, where after multiple cases with large perforations in the front, the vents are limited to just the right and left side of the front panel. The exhaust also houses a Dynamic series fan but in a 120 mm version. Since a perforated top panel is also included, we used that for testing. I myself am curious to see how the smaller Define 7 Mini case handles cooling components despite the smaller number of fans and less perforations on the front.
For testing purposes, we always leave the fans in their original positions.
Testing is done in a home environment where I strive for the most accurate results possible. In the room during testing, the air temperature in front of the case is 23 degrees Celsius and the minimum noise level I can measure with the Voltcraft SL-100 noise meter is 32.4 dBA. The sensor of the noise meter is aligned to the center of the top of the case at a distance of 10 cm, for the best measurement of the speed difference of the fans, which I change using the motherboard. For easy comparison to other cases, they are always regulated to fixed noise levels.
Individual components are heated for 10 minutes in FurMark synthetic stress tests and with Prime95 (custom settings) at the same time. This time is long enough to allow all components to warm up sufficiently. There are then 15-minute cooling breaks between tests, during which the component temperatures (and the case air temperature as well) are brought back to default.
Modes noise levels:
- 36 dBA
- 38 dBA
- 39 dBA
Test setup | |
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X |
Motherboard | Asus ROG Strix X470-I Gaming |
CPU cooler | Scythe Fuma rev. 2 (single fan) |
Thermal compound | Noctua NT-H2 |
Graphics card | Asus RTX 2060 Super Dual |
RAM | Patriot, 2× 8GB, 3600 MHz/CL17 |
SSD | Western Digital Blue 500GB (2280) |
Power supply | Corsair RM750X |
- Contents
- Elegant exterior
- Smaller interior here and there
- Test methodology
- CPU and GPU cooling tests
- Motherboard cooling tests
- SSD cooling test and temperature underneath the ceiling
- Conclusion
Thank you for this helpful review. Would you recommend that I add two more fans to this case, an additional 140mm at the front and another 140mm at the top?
What is the purpose of increasing the number of fans? Do you consider the current cooling performance to be poor (is it not enough to increase the speed?) or do you want to achieve quieter operation by adding more fans? With four fans you will achieve the same air flow naturally at a lower noise level than with only two fans, if you now have two fans running at higher speeds. Although the Dynamic X2 GP-14 has only DC control, its curve as well is actually usually adjustable in motherboard BIOSes.