Joined on 12/16/08
Lovely Scandinavian Design
Pros: Striking looks to go with top notch build quality and great functionality. This is the second Fractal Design I have worked with, and this one was as much of a pleasure to build as the last. Fabulous wire management, many HD mounting options, lots of sound deadening. Once the system was complete, I was amazed by how quietly it ran, even when under Prime95 testing. The Gunmetal finish is a nice change of pace from black.
Cons: One small issue - when installing he power supply, I broke one of the thumb screws that affix the PSU mounting bracket to the case. Must have been one weak screw, since I had no other issues with any other screws.
Overall Review: I used this case for a workstation build and proved to perfect for this. The solid side panel keeps the case looking clean, and all the sound deadening really works at keep this system quiet. I would buy this or any other Fractal Design case without any reservations. This workstation build: Fractal Design Define R6 Intel Xeon E5-1650 V4 MSI X99a SLI G.Skill Aegis 32 GB DDR4 2400 PNY Quadro P2000 Western Digital Black 256 GB M.2 PCIe Western Digital Black 2 TB EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1+ Cooler Master Hyper 21 EVO
High Performance Motherboard with a High Performance Temprament
Pros: Asus build quality, cool RGB lighting, connections galore, high performance features. Supports the Xeon E5 1650 for my customer's GIS mapping build.
Cons: High performance temperament, meaning very persnickety compatibility. The original Intel 545 M2 SSD and Toshiba 2 TB HD were not recognized by this motherboard. Asus compatibility list is from 2016, so many of the items on it are no longer available or very expensive. Only after I called Asus Support did I find out the only M2 drives supported are PCI-E. I locally sourced a Western Digital Black M2 256 GB SSD and 2 TB HD. Both play nice with this board
Overall Review: Do your homework before you buy this board. Helpful is to ensure your power supply has 8+4 connections. Check Asus for compatibility of your hard drives.
Solid Value in an Affordable Case
Pros: -Included ARGB Fans -No Sharps Edges -Relatively Roomy for an mATX case -Nice Aesthetics -Included black hardware
Cons: -No grommets in wire management holes -Fan hub won't connect with Gigabyte app
Overall Review: My son wanted to build his first gaming PC. This case caught my eye with the 4 included RGB fans, so we went with it. This was my first time building a DIYPC case, and I found it to be well thought out and good looking. Our build fit nicely, and there was decent room for stashing wires. In all, a solid choice for an affordable mATX case. Our Build: DIYPC ARGB-G5-BK Case Intel Core i5 14400F Gigabyte B760M DS3H DDR4 Motherboard Silicon Power DDR4 3600 16 GB (2x8) Memory Patriot P300 1TB M2 SSD Gigabyte Windforce RTX 5060 ThermalTake 600W PS Fenvi FV-AX300 Wireless NIC
Awesome Thermostats
Pros: -Relatively easy install if you disable to power to your HVAC system before you hook it up. -Set it and forget it. -Very easy to use. -After 5 years, have been totally reliable.
Cons: -Don't make toast.
Overall Review: When I moved in to my current home, I bought two: one downstairs, one upstairs to match our two A/C units. Had to get a professional to do the initial install, but since, these truly have been set and forget units. It is awesome how they detect when someone is or is not in the room and adjust the temp accordingly. Would buy these again, no questions asked.
Amazing Case
Pros: Sleek Scandinavian Aesthetics - love the smoked side window. Multiple configuration options for water cooling, drives, even monstrous video cards. Three included fans, three speed fan controller, and dust filters for everything but the rear fan. Plentiful wire management space and options. In all, the easiest case I have work with yet. 4 year Update: It is amazing how this case has performed. Still looks awesome, and all those filters are keeping the dust down inside. Fractal Design are my go to cases.
Cons: Is on the large side, but what do I expect for an ATX case.
Overall Review: My Rig: Fractal Design Arc Midi Intel Core i7 3770K ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Team Dark DDR3 1600 - 8 GB MSI GTX 960 ME Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD Samsung 320 GB Storage Drive Lite-On DVD-R RaijinTek 240MM Water Cooling - Green LED (3) Cougar Green LED Fans
Quality Fans
Pros: Green color is a nice change over red and blue, prior to RGB, that is. Fans are quiet.
Cons: Doesn't cook bacon.
Overall Review: I have been running these fans for 4 years now, and they continue to give my system a nice green glow and very low noise. I have two on my rad and the third as a bottom intake. Would definitely use again.
Good product, Great Service
The monitor arrived in great condition; in fact, it might as well have been new for how it looked. Acer shipped it out very promptly, so it arrived earlier than I expected.
Very Happy
They shipping my order of a SanDisk ReadyCache 32GB SSD very quickly, and they had great follow-up.