There is no let up in the downsizing of cases and it goes on. Now Fractal Design has worked on a simpler version of the Meshify 2 Compact, to which we gave a rare editorial award a while back. The skeleton of the case has remained the same, the materials used have not changed, but in some places, cuts have been made. And in other places, improvements have been added. In our analysis we have looked at the case in the Lite RGB variant.
Conclusion
In cooling, the case did great on all fronts. In fact, the results were almost identical to the cooling of the original Meshify 2 Compact. The only thing where the smaller case fell short was in cooling the air under the ceiling. However, it should be added that the Lite didn’t have a fine nylon dust filter in front of the fans, which could form a barrier and reduce the effectiveness of the fans as it did with the full-size case.
The structure is made of thick metal plates that hold the whole case together. You’ll love the tool-less mechanism that allows you to quickly and easily remove the side panels from the structure. In case of unexpected but also expected interventions in the case, it is a great helper. Unfortunately, the case has been stripped of its removable ceiling, which also helped a lot when handling components. But with it, the case would hardly need the Lite designation.
Hardware installation was a bit slower. The main reason for this is the power cables from the fans and their subsequent placement in the cable management. Otherwise, everything went without much difficulty.
Prices in Austria and Germany start at 144 EUR for the Meshify 2 Compact Lite RGB. If we add the USB Type-C port for about 13 EUR to this price, which is an optional accessory, we are getting closer to a full-fledged Compact with RGB. And the latter is a class above in terms of features, even without backlighting. The case itself has only minor flaws, but with the price it is going for, it can’t walk away with a rating other than “Approved”.
For those of you who would like to save money but still have a premium case, I would definitely recommend looking at the Compact Lite versions but without the RGB designation.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
| Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact Lite RGB |
| + Great component cooling |
| + Up to eight storage bays |
| + Plenty of space for most hardware |
| + Tool-less (de)mounting of side panels |
| + High build quality |
| - Higher price |
| - No fine dust filter on the intake |
| - USB type C only as an additional accessory |
Hi!
My friend is building her first pc and is really struggling with the rgb lights on this exact case. She still has the Sata cable and she doesn’t know where to plug it in… We can’t find any info on this exact case and no one knows how to fix it. Could you tell me how your rgb lights work and where everything is plugged in?
thanks!
Hello. The SATA cable that she has left over from the case powers the lighting for the fans. She also needs to have the SATA cable (female) coming out of the power supply, where she plugs the one from the case (male). If she has the fans properly wired in series and the first connector comes from the I/O panel, then her fans should already light up. Let me know if your friend has succeeded.