Fractal Design Arc Review

👤by David Mitchelson Comments 📅26-05-11
Installation

Installing kit inside Arc is very easy. As you can see from the below images, everything looks tidy and there is plenty of space behind the motherboard tray to feed thick cabling out of sight. The E-ATX/P4 can run behind the motherboard tray and up through the top without any problem. From start to finish, the installation process was a breeze.


Lots of space even for an ATX motherboard and big components



Behind the motherboard tray thick cables can be hidden[


Bundled with the Arc is an accessories kit that features many items. An instructions manual, 5.25” to 3.5” bay cover, cable ties, screws and even a fan controller.


Accessories kit bundled with Arc


Installing HDDs into Arc is quite simple, all you have to do is remove a bracket, place the drive onto the bracket and fasten 4 screws into the underside. Each screw has soft rubber between the bracket and cage.


HDD installed within a bracket


In terms of clearance, if you have a CPU cooler that is 160mm tall you will be able to fit it inside the Arc without a problem. Pictured below is the Noctua NH-U12P, this is 158mm in height.

• Thermalright Archon: Height 170mm
• Thermalright Silver Arrow: Height 160mm
• Thermalright Venomous X: Height 160mm
• Noctua NH-D14: Height 160mm



CPU cooler clearance is generous


Simiarily the Arc will also accommodate long graphics cards. With the top HDD cage installed we can manage up to 11.5”. If the graphics card is longer, the HDD cage will need to be removed – this actually is probably a good idea anyway as it will help to improve airflow.

Pictured below is the ASUS HD 6950 Direct CU II. This is 11.3” in length.


Graphics card clearance is very good


Behind the motherboard tray there is 2.2cm of clearance between the motherboard tray and side panel. This is very generous and it allows all of the necessary cables – including the thick 24-pin to run around the back without any hassle getting the side panel back on.


Behind the motherboard tray 2.2cm of clearance


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