The SSD Review The Worlds Dedicated SSD Education and Review Resource | 
CHASSIS INTERIOR
My favorite quality about the Fractal Design Define SL case is that I can take the side panels off and replace them in no time at all without difficulty. The side panels simply slip into place at the front, swing shut and you secure them with 2 screws at the back. Why has it taken so long for someone to see this? Am I the only who has hollered for assistance in trying to line up the left side panel while the wiring was keeping the panel from closing properly? That experience always reminds me of sitting on a suitcase while my wife gets the zipper closed.
This is our Test Bench as it sits in the Fractal Design Define XL. The room within is great and the upper carriages we see can either be rotated or removed to fit any monster graphics cards. We particularly liked all the rubber covered openings which allow for proper storage of cabling although we learned quick enough that the CPU power cable can be a few inches longer in such as chassis. Lets add a bit and see how it looks!
Here we have the Fractal Design Define XL running a MSI N560GTX-Ti Gfx card, OCZ RevoDrivex2, OCZ RevoDrive and being cooled by a Corsair H50 CPU cooler on our Gigabyte P67A-UD7 motherboard with Intel i7-2600k processor. We have also thrown in the external SATA connector for our testing scenarios in days to come.
OVERALL CONSIDERATION
The Fractal Design Define XL chassis has promised to be everything that we could have asked for and then some. Its exterior appearance gets away from the computer case look completely and it would easily fit into any room while its construction and sound dampening insulation make it completely silent. The side panels are very easily removed and replaced and the inside is not only roomy with enough space for 10 additional drives, but also, its very well laid out with plenty of space to tuck away the annoying cabling.
As far as cooling goes, two fans pull fresh air in the front, a top fan forces heated air back down and the H50 Corsair CPU Cooler Fan teams up with the Corsair AX850 Power Supply to push the air out the bottom and rear. When I remove the side panel, there is no heat buildup whatsoever which allows me to keep all fan level low through adjustment of the rear fan control also included with the case.
Amazing Case Fractal Design and deserving of our Editors Choice Award!!!
Pg1 – Introduction
Pg2 – Chassis Interior
Looks like a very nice case indeed!
I still like my Lian Li PC-7F Black Anodized case though.
Does everything I need so far.
That case looks sweet. Definitely better laid out than my current Lian Li.
I just finished an i7 2600k build in this a few weeks ago. The case was a wonder to work with, you should definitely mention that both sides of the case pop off, and that it makes installing the MB and making changes to the heatsink (I have the 120mm Zalman on, stock sucked) is easy. Wiring was simple, and my system looks spotless inside. I second the issue with the power cable, but buying a short extension cable gives you the choice to choose a color, and typically get one more flexible than the standard Mobo ones.
This was my first full build (in the past I’ve only upgraded) and during full video encodes in a ~25*C room, my processor never goes above ~53*C while being nearly silent (I can only hear the Zalman, and that’s because I keep it on high. Case fans are near silent on high still bc they’re huge).
EDIT: There is also a panel that pops open right below the processor (main reason to take the other side off)