The FD Meshify 2 Compact is out and we’ve already tested it!

CPU and GPU cooling tests

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

Basic specifications

Sophisticated exterior

The case did not go through some significant facelift, which would differentiate the series at first glance and the original charm thus remained. When measuring the thickness of tempered glass, I measured 2.85 mm with a micrometer, which is quite an unusual value. The predecessor has 3 mm in the specifications, so we will see what information the manufacturer will state now. Even with small dimensions, the weight of the case can be higher, which it also is. This immediately evoked in me the possibility of a more massive design than what usually passes through my hands. The thickness of the sheets ranges from 0.78 to 0.8 mm, which is a solid increase compared to the usual 0.6 mm.

I’ll tell you straight away that opening the side panels has reached a new level. Whether the tempered glass or the right metal side panel, they open without tools, only with hands, without problems and in a second. The side panels have special hooks and push-pins with ball ends that hold them to the case. You might have also noticed something similarly simple in Sekira with hinges. I fell in love with this mechanism very quickly, it is quite addictive and one tends to go through a few cycles of opening and closing.

Both sides extend to the back, where they have two release levers at the top, which you just need to pull in a direction and the side will slide out with your hand. Of course, it is questionable what the lifespan of this mechanism is, but since one will not use it ten times a day, I dare say that it will survive the case. Otherwise, the rear of the case is designed as standard with an I/O opening for the motherboard, a spot to attach a 120 mm fan, which is supplied with the case, expansion card covers and a power supply opening at the bottom. Using another frame to hold the power supply and then attaching it to the case never seemed like a good solution to me. The same goes for the second generation of Meshify, but for the compact dimensions of the case, I understand this system – you will not fit the power supply to the tunnel from the side.

A typical feature of the Meshify series is the “wrinkled” appearance of the front panel. The developers naturally kept it in the novelty. Usually it is not so visible in space compared to a photo from the right angle. However, such an adjustment definitely adds elegance to the case.

Compared to the older sibling, it has a fully removable front panel with an easily removable dust filter. The front, design mesh is on the hinges and has a fine dust filter right behind it. It can be removed from the hinges by snapping it out and together with it you will also remove a nylon filter for cleaning. If necessary, it is also possible to remove the entire frame, which holds this whole mechanism on the case. Behind it there are two 140 mm Fractal design Dynamic X2 fans. Compared to standard Dynamic fans (non-X2), they have lower power draw and also a longer service life, up to 100,000 hours. If you would like to replace them with water cooling, the case is fully available for up to a 360 mm size, while the width of 145 mm cannot be exceeded.

To differentiate across the generations, you can use the status LED panel, which lights up while the computer is on. By the way, it is the only diode on this entire gem.

Connectivity on the top panel does not lag behind. There are two gen 1 USB-A ports (i.e. 5 Gb) and 1× USB-C gen 2 (10 Gbps). The first generation boasted only two USB-A connectors. The rest is identical to most other cases – power and reset buttons and 2× 3.5 mm jack for headphones and microphone. Both buttons are stiff and you need to apply more pressure than usual. I assume that this is more of a prevention against unwanted pushes, because the button press path is almost zero.

Many water cooling enthusiasts can now enjoy the detachable top panel. Under the main part and a thicker dust filter mesh, hides a fine removable nylon filter. With that, the case improved significantly compared to its predecessor. It is hooked on a structure used to hold the radiator for liquid cooling. It can be up to 240 mm in size and it is important not to exceed a height of 40 mm, otherwise it will collide with the motherboard. In practice, only rare narrow radiators in combination with low-profile fans will be compatible. Rather, you will probably attach 120 mm fans here. There’s room for two.

For more efficient cooling, most of the bottom side is perforated. Manufacturers could take an example from Fractal, as this whole part is protected by a fine nylon filter, which is not usual among others. Below it, you can see four screws, through which they hold the drawer for 3.5″ HDD to the structure. The case stands on rubberized feet. My observation and advice is not to rub the case on a wooden floor. It leaves smudges, which also applies to models from other manufacturers.

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

Interior for everything

From the inside, the case looks relatively ordinary, although it has a few “gimmicks”. The entire upper part of the tunnel, like the lower part, is perforated and it is possible to attach two 2.5″ internal storage drives to it, if you buy an additional holder for this position. The rubber covers of the cable passages are also on the upper part, where some manufacturers ignore it. For some cases, it seems almost impossible to connect the EPS cable to power the processor. Here it’s easier than screwing the motherboard to a tray. Simply disassemble the top of the case and you now have unlimited access to the top of the motherboard. The case can fit everything except the E-ATX format. You don’t have to worry about the new “Compact” even with tower coolers, which have no restrictions up to 169 mm. However, if you have a graphics card longer than 341 mm, you will need to remove one fan to fit it (maximum is 360 mm in length). For most cards, however, this should not be a problem even when the fan is present. The only problem inside, and also of the whole case, is the size of the openings for the cables. Namely, one specific cable and that is the 24-pin ATX that powers the motherboard. If you have a power supply with capacitors built into the cable in place next to the connectors, you will have to try hard to run them through.

Two removable tunnel covers are used to comfortably fit thicker water radiators or a water pump. After removing the first cover, you get 70 mm of space. With both, this is additional 145 mm of space.

A small cable magic takes place behind the motherboard. For those orderly ones, Fractal prepared six pieces of Velcro straps and other nine pre-prepared positions for additional fastening of the cabling. The pre-installed Velcro straps were enough for me. In some spots there is enough space, there’s less in others. Here the case loses 17–28 mm vs. 15–35 mm compared to the older C model. The important thing is that I had no problem closing the side panel and the cables did not put up any resistance even in such a smaller case.

You will fit a 165 mm long power supply into the tunnel of the lower part, then you will come across a hybrid drawer for 2.5/3.5″ drives. To absorb vibrations, the drives are attached via anti-vibration pads. But if you decide to remove the drawer, you will get another 185 mm space for cables and the power supply. Alternatively, you can use this space for a 120 mm fan, which you can mount there to suck in air from below, but I’d rather try to avoid this option if you have the case on the ground. Directly above the tunnel, from the back of the motherboard tray, there are positions for attaching another two 2.5″ drives. The case allows you to install up to six drives in total. This is one drive more than its predecessor.

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

Test methodology

Two 140mm fans are at the front for suction and one 120mm at the rear. With this amount, the new compact improved compared to the previous generation, as that had only two 120 mm fans. I will show you how it deals with the currently highly set bar of cheaper cases. I see great potential mainly in the volumetric airflow intake by the two 140 mm fans, in a smaller environment than the competition had.

Testing runs at home, where I try to get the most accurate results. During testing, the room temperature in front of the case is 23 degrees Celsius and the minimum noise that I can measure with the Voltcraft SL-100 sound level meter is 32.4 dBA. The sound level meter sensor is aligned to the center of the top of the case at a distance of 10 cm, for the best possible measurement of the difference in fan speeds, which I control using the motherboard. For easy comparison to other cases, they are always regulated to fixed noise levels.

The individual components are heated for 10 minutes in FurMark synthetic stress tests and in parallel with Prime95 (custom settings). This time is long enough for all components to heat up sufficiently. Between the tests, there are then 15-minute cooldown breaks, during which the temperatures of the components (and also the temperature of the air in the case) return to the initial level.

Mode noise levels:

• 36 dBA
• 38 dBA
• 39 dBA

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

CPU and GPU cooling tests

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

Motherboard cooling tests

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

SSD cooling tests and heating under the roof

Zahrievanie vzduchu pod stropom skrinky

The popular Meshify C case from Fractal Design finally has a successor on the market after five years. It was introduced on this day and brings a new soul in the old body. The fact that the case has undergone significant innovations is also evidenced by the weight gain of more than one and a half kilograms. The new Meshify is not heavier for no reason, also thanks to this it leaves the first generation far behind.

Conclusion

Meshify 2 Compact has proven itself in practical terms, but also showed a solid cooling performance, where it dominates over the current rivals primarily at lower noise levels/speeds. However, this does not degrade it even at higher speeds and keeps pace without any problems. I was quite surprised how it beat the competition when comparing the motherboard MOSFETs temperatures and heating the top of the case.

You will definitely like the quick side panel removal system and the possibility to remove the upper part of the case. In addition, great cooling and great flexibility to adapt to your needs, while the case is marketed at a reasonable recommended price of 108.99 euros. All this predestines the case for the well-deserved earning of the “Smart buy!” award.

The Meshify 2 Compact can be recommended to anyone looking for a smaller PC case for powerful components. Thanks to the large number of positions, you will not be short of storage capacity. I shall also emphasize the decent modularity, which will help in easy installation of components, also if you want to try different cooling options. Dust protection is at a high level even in dusty environments. Very fine nylon filters take care of that. All this gives the case great potential to use it exactly according to your ideas. Whether you’re a gamer or creative.

• Contents
• Sophisticated exterior
• Interior for everything
• Test methodology
• CPU and GPU cooling tests
• Motherboard cooling tests
• SSD cooling tests and heating under the top panel
• Conclusion