Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Case Review

The Front and Top Panels

The front panel of the Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 is similar to the one used on the previous version of this case. It looks like it is made of aluminum, but it is actually made of plastic. It has two external 5.25” bays with solid covers and a big mesh with an air filter for the front fan.

Figure 4: Front panel

The case comes with one 140 mm Silent Series R2 fan (1,000 rpm, 66 cfm, 18.5 dBA) on its front panel, and it supports the installation of another 120 mm or 140 mm fan. 

Access to the front fan is much easier on the Arc Midi R2 than on the original Arc Midi. You just need to press the air filter to release it and have access to the fan, whereas on the original Arc Midi you had to remove the whole front panel.

Figure 5: Front fan

The top panel of the Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 is completely meshed and has an air filter. It comes with another 140 mm Silent Series R2 fan (1,000 rpm, 66 cfm, 18.5 dBA) installed, and it supports the installation of another two 120 mm or 140 mm fans. The top panel supports the installation of 240 mm radiators. 

Figure 6: Top panel

The case comes with two USB 3.0 ports and the traditional audio jacks located on the front portion of the top panel. The USB 3.0 ports use an internal connector, which has a USB 2.0 header, so you will be able to use the USB 3.0 ports as USB 2.0 ports in case your motherboard doesn’t have USB 3.0 ports. The case also comes with a three-speed, single-channel fan controller, which supports up to three fans. This is a great addition to this case; the previous version didn’t have a fan controller.

Figure 7: Buttons and connectors