Our Verdict
93%A brilliantly designed, feature-rich case for both air-cooled and water-cooled systems.
As the cheapest case on test this month, the Fractal Design Meshify 2 might appear to be at a disadvantage when it comes to features, but this unassuming case is sizzling with useful bits and pieces that will both aid your build process and help you create a cool, tidy PC. It’s much more grown up than its ageing predecessor – the original Meshify – and the first feature we loved about it was the pull-open mesh door on the front, which reveals a filter and fan mounts behind it for easy access.
We were also glad to see the return of the lift-out roof section we saw with the Define 7, which makes installing your hardware incredibly easy. Here, the roof section pops off with minimal force, again revealing a large removable filter and fan mounts. However, as its name suggests, there are no solid swap-out panels here, as this case is all about mesh and airflow. The side panels are also pop-off and are tool-free, bettering every other case on test in terms of their simplicity.
Three 140mm fans are included, with two in the front and one at the rear – that’s easily enough fans to handle a high-end system. However, if you plan on water-cooling your PC, there’s space for up to 360mm radiators in the roof and front, plus either a 240mm or 280mm radiator in the base, making it one of the most water cooling-friendly cases on test.
CPU cooler height is ample at 185mm, and if you’re happy with a pair of hard disks in the base and a third secured using a bracket that can also secure pumps and SSDs, there’s space for up to 467mm-long graphics cards, with this figure shrinking to 315mm if you employ the quartet of hard disk trays that mount next to the motherboard. The latter brings the total of 2.5in/3.5in mounts to an impressive seven in addition to two dedicated 2.5in mounts.
Cable tidying is excellent, with numerous large Velcro anchors with guides and plenty of routing holes too. Fractal Design also includes a fan hub that offers six 3-pin fan headers and three 4-pin PWM headers powered by your motherboard, making it straightforward to build a tidy system, although it could do with more 4-pin connectors here.
The Meshify 2 also did a good job of containing noise, and despite our additional fans being installed in identical locations, it was 3dBA quieter than the Corsair 5000D Airflow, although it still couldn’t match the be quiet! Silent Base 802 here. Cooling was exemplary, though, being only one of two cases to dip under a CPU delta T of 47°C and posting consistently good GPU delta Ts too. However, as there are already two front 140mm fans, our two additional fans failed to improve cooling any further.
Fractal Design Meshify 2 pros and cons
Pros
- Simple hardware installation
- Great water-cooling support
- Plenty of storage options
Cons
- Comparatively bland design
- Only three 4-pin ports on fan hub
Fractal Design Meshify 2 specs
The Fractal Design Meshify 2 specs list is:
Dimensions (mm) | 240 x 542 x 474 (W x D x H) |
Material | Steel, plastic, glass |
CPU cooler clearance | 185mm |
Max graphics card length | 467mm (315mm with optional hard disk mounts) |
Weight | 13.8kg |
Front panel | Power, reset, 2 x USB 3, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, stereo, microphone jack |
Drive bays | 7 x 2.5/3.5in, 2 x 2.5in |
Form factors | E-ATX (up to 285mm wide), ATX, micro-ATX |
Available colours | Black |
Cooling | 3 x 120/140mm front fan mounts (2 x 140mm fans included), 1 x 120/140mm rear fan mount (140mm fan included), 3 x 120/140mm front fan mounts (fans not included), 2 x 120/140mm base fan mounts (fans not included) |
Fractal Design Meshify 2 price
The Fractal Design Meshify 2 is a mid-range case with a price that’s generally below $150.
Price: Expect to pay $150 USD / £130 GBP
Fractal Design Meshify 2 review conclusion
Apart from slightly bland aesthetics, the Fractal Design Meshify 2 strikes an excellent balance of price, features and cooling. It maintains Fractal Design’s superb form following on from the awesome Define 7 and Define 7 Compact, and it also packs a punch considering it’s one of the smaller cases here. If you have around £130 to spend on a PC case, it’s a great choice whether you plan on water-cooling or air-cooling your PC. The Meshify 2 is one of our favourite PC cases, which is why it features in our best PC case list.