Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact Review – Versatile can also be simple | Hands-On

1 - Intro, Überblick und technische Daten 2 - Optik, Haptik und Zusammenbau 3 - Zusammenfassung, Fazit und Handbuch

The assembly mechanism deserves special mention in this context. It allows the side panels to slide down into the case and then secures the sides into the case itself with a plastic clip. Screws and cumbersome searching for mounting points and rails are now a thing of the past. Of course, this style is also found on the right side of the case, which is also made of sheet metal.

The upper housing construction is also made of valuable metal and can be completely dismantled from the housing body together with the dust filter for the upper positions. The perforated plate insert on the roof of the case is not 3D formed, but is made of exactly the same material as in the front, in keeping with the design. Four plastic feet are found on the bottom of the case, which keep the home of the PC hardware on a secure footing. The Meshify 2 Compact can be ventilated with either 120mm or 140mm fans.

Three of them find place in the front, whereby then the hard disk cage must be removed, another trio (120mm) or also duo (140mm) holds the roof part. A fan of any size can be mounted on the back of the case. Radiators can be placed in the back as 120mm/140mm versions, the front allows for a 420 radiator if we assume 140mm. The power supply mounting is done as already known and proven by a mounting frame, which simplifies the installation enormously.

Overall, the case makes a very well-made impression and the consequent choice of metal parts shows this off very well. The construction itself is form-fitting and stable, so that any wobbles, creaks or other disturbing noises during installation are not an issue.

Features and connections

The front I/O panel has the typical connections, whereby these have also been designed with the future in mind. Two USB-A ports in USB 3.0 protocol are present, as well as a USB-C and the familiar 3.5mm audio jack connectors. The power and reset switch also feel very quality and even require a bit of force to switch, but this fits the overall design concept.

What I personally miss a bit unfortunately is a prefabricated slot on the bezels for mounting a GPU vertically, as there would have been enough room for that and some of the big brothers have that feature on board at the factory. The hard drive cage, which comes with decoupling rubbers, can be completely removed as mentioned before. The backbone of the Meshify 2 Compact impresses with generous and perfectly thought-out cable management. The main paths of our copper friends have plastic clips, which can be positioned with a Velcro strip and thus allow flexible cable management.

Feed-throughs for EPS 12-pin, ATX 24-pin and PCIe cables are realized by well-fitted rubber sleeves. Two screwable slides offer space for the installation of two 2.5″ data carriers.