Fractal Meshify 2 Compact Case Review

A Closer Look at Fractal Meshify 2 Compact

The exterior dimensions of Meshify 2 Compact are 427 x 210 x 474 mm LxWxH (including feet). My sample model came with a tinted tempered glass door on the left side of the case. On the right side of the case is a solid steel door without a window. The entire color of the case theme is black. The paint job of the case is well done in my opinion however, it is easily marked with finger and handprints. You can see my hand imprint on the side of the case. The case does come with a small Microfiber cloth so you can take care of the smudges on the case window and sides with ease.

The front bezel of the case is partially made from ABS plastic with steel mesh. On the front of the case, there is a small case badge with a Fractal logo on it. This badge appears to be made from brushed aluminum. The rear of the case has the same standard design with the power supply being on the bottom of the case and the motherboard on the top. There are seven PCI slots in this case and there is no way to vertically mount a GPU without modding the case. The power supply space has a removable PSU plate for easy installations.

The bottom of the case features interesting ABS feet and has rubber inserts on them. The design of the feet helps the removable ABS/nylon filter to stay in place. The filter has similar designs as the front bezel.

The feet, in this case, are very unique and provide a really good grip. With added weight to the assembled case, Meshify 2 Compact is as stable as it can be on flat surfaces. As I mentioned earlier my Meshify 2 Compact came with a 3mm tempered glass side and a solid steel side. Both of these doors come with a tool-less latching mechanism that is very easy to operate. Just pull on the rear corner of the panel and the panel unlocks from the case allowing full access to the components.

The tempered glass panel is reinforced with a steel frame on the top and bottom. Both panels feature the same type of tool-less latching system and are extremely easy to use. The paint that is applied to the workable mechanism has extra clear coating layers on top. This should help the paint from peeling on the latching mechanism.

The top panel is made from steel and has a non-removable mesh insert on the top. The mesh does not have the same texture as the front of the case and it is flat and non-angular. On the top front of the case, there is a built-in IO panel that features headphone and microphone jacks, USB 3.0 Type C connector, a Power button, a reset button, and two USB 3.0 Type-A connectors.

The top panel assembly can be completely removed to gain access to the removable mounting plate for fans and radiator installation. There is also a removable nylon filter that can be removed for cleaning purposes.

The top mounting plate can be unscrewed from both sides and removed to install a radiator or additional fans as well as give additional space to work inside the case. Note that the suggested radiator height should be under 40mm in order not to hit the RAM modules on the motherboard. Radiator support here is capable to handle 120 or 240 mm radiators or two 120/140 mm fans.

The front bezel of the case features a similar release mechanism as the top bezel. The majority of the front bezel is made from ABS plastic. There is a similar removable nylon filter that is supported by the stylish plastic/steel mesh plate. Everything fits like a glove and is really easy to take apart for cleaning.

The frame structure of the case is extremely sturdy considering the top radiator mounting being removable. The bottom and the top of the frame are single riveted at the corners however, I didn’t see any movement while the case is without panels. Cable management in Meshify 2 Compact is sufficient to keep the case nice and neat. there are five rubber cable management grommets in the case that have enough space to run pretty much any cable to the GPU and motherboard. Handy “Fractal” Velcro ties are a nice touch to the details here. If you need additional zip ties to keep your cabling clean you can use some of the included zip ties that come in the accessory box.

Just like Meshify 2, Meshify 2 Compact has the ability to mount a vertical reservoir and pump on the right side of the case. Two separated plastic covers could be popped out to give access to the hard drive cage where you can mount your reservoir if needed. The reservoir can be mounted directly to the top of the hard drive cage using the mounting points on the top portion of the cage. This comes extremely handy when putting together a plan for a custom loop system for this case.

The motherboard rear access cut out on the back of the case is just the right size for managing cooler installations. Supported motherboards here are ATX / mATX and mITX. The mounting standoffs come already pre-installed into the case so you are ready to install your board from the get-go. Meshify 2 Compact comes with two 140mm fans in the front and one 120m fan in the back. These are Dynamic X2 GP-12/14 fans and designed to provide good airflow at low speeds.

The fans are made from ABS plastic and have a high-grade LLS bearing. These bearings are based on fluid dynamics that offer quiet operation and also provide long-lasting operation. LLS or Long-Lasting Span fans have mean time before failures longer than 100K hours. Here is a comparison data on GP-12 and GP-14 fans which are included in this model.

Note that these fans are not PWM ready.