Fractal Design Arc

Fractal Arc Midi Review

The Fractal Arc Midi, part of Fractal’s gaming-oriented Arc series, is a mid-tower steel chassis lined with mesh on the front and top panel. The surrounding front panel is made of matte plastic, though the plastic has a nice, brushed texture surface. The Arc Midi has two standard USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 port (with an internal header), and standard power and audio jacks. Almost every aspect of the case, from the two optical drive bays to the hard drive cages to the seven PCI slots (plus one, for use with the included fan controller) is attached via thumbscrews. The Arc includes three fans: a 14cm front fan, a 14cm exhaust fan, and a 14cm top fan. Removing the top mesh panel (with removable dust filter) exposes two additional mounts for 12cm fans or a 240mm radiator. Building into the Arc Midi is a cinch, thanks to plenty of room and three large, rubber-grommeted cutouts for cable organization, and two smaller cutouts in the top-left of the motherboard tray. Three 14cm fans rendered the Arc Midi's cooling performance among the best of the mid-towers we tested.