With the Meshify 2 Compact, Swedish manufacturer Fractal Design offers another follow-up variation to the popular Meshify C, which founded the Meshify series in 2016. It offers numerous improvements and new features that further enhance the user experience. For example, the mounting of the glass side panel has been revised. Away from screws and towards a self-closing mechanism that keeps a tight grip on the top of the side panel. Thanks to the improved layout, significantly larger graphics cards can now be installed. Feedback from the community has also been taken into account and Fractal Design has extensively reworked the front panel as a result. It is now possible to open the mesh front via the built-in hinges and improve the airflow by removing the nylon dust filter. How the improvements have been implemented, we found out for you in our test.
Technical data
| Model: | Meshify 2 Compact |
| Case type: | Midi Tower |
| Dimensions (L x W x H in mm): | 427 x 210 x 474 |
| Material: | Steel, plastic, glass, nylon (dust filter) |
| Cable management space (in mm): | 17 – 28 |
| Front I/O connectors: | 1x USB-C 3.1, 2x USB-A 3.0, audio I/O, power + reset buttons |
| Mainboard: | ATX / mATX / mITX |
| Color: | black, black inside |
| Power supply (position / length): | down / 200 mm (with HDD cage and front fans) |
| CPU cooler (max height): | 169 mm |
| Graphics cards: | 360 mm total / 341 mm with front fans |
| Pre-installed fans (mm) / (rpm): | Front: 2x 140 mm / 1000 (Dynamic X2 GP-14) Rear: 1x 120mm / 1200 (Dynamic X2 GP-12) |
| Possible fans: | Front: 3x 120 or 2x 140 mm. Top: 2x 120 or 140 mm Rear: 1x 120 mm Bottom: 1x 120 mm (without HDD cage) |
| Optional radiators (mm): | Front: 120/140/240/280/360 mm (max width 145 mm). Top: 120/240 mm (max. 40mm height of mainboard components) rear: 120 mm Bottom: 120 mm (removal of the HDD cage required) |
| Features: | Cable routing, airflow, dust filter, TG side panel screwless, radiator mounting frame, steel mesh front panel with hinges |
| Price: | € 127.39 * closed, € 80.69 * with tempered glass |
Scope of delivery
All the accessories are hiding in a small cardboard box that comes with the HDD cage. On the back of the box, all parts are listed once. Very exemplary, in our opinion. Various screws and eight rubber rings, which are responsible for the possible mounting of the HDDs, are packed in small plastic bags. Also included in the package are eight cable ties, as well as a black duster with logo imprint. Additionally, a very detailed and illustrated user manual or installation guide is included.
The scope of delivery also includes the three pre-installed fans. These are three case fans of the Dynamic X2 GP type. Two of them are in the front with a size of 140 mm and one in the rear with a size of 120 mm. The fans are completely black and have no lighting.
External impression
For the most part, the Meshify design was retained for the front. Only at the transition to the frame a change was made. A gap can now be seen here, which was created due to the new function or opening method of the front panel. In the predecessor, the entire front panel was made of one piece and had to be removed with a certain amount of force. With the Meshify 2 Compact, the mesh inside can now be conveniently opened to the side. This gives quick and easy access to the front fans, as well as the dust filter behind the steel mesh.
The front I/O also features an innovation. In addition to two USB-A 3.0 ports, the case also has a modern USB-C 3.1 port. It supports fast charging and transfer rates of up to 10 GBps. Next to the typical audio jacks, the buttons for power and reset are also found. The power button is a bit difficult to press for our taste. However, it gives a nice feedback with a clicking noise when turned on.
Fractal Design has also redesigned the top cover. It is now completely removable and not only provides further protection from dust with another dust filter behind the steel mesh, but also improves airflow with the removal of the nylon filter. The top cover can simply be lifted out upwards. The dust filter has to be lifted first and then pulled out to the back. Once both are removed, you have free access to the radiator frame and the inner workings. Thus, the installation, in this yet so compact case, is further simplified.
The bottom is peppered with another nylon dust filter, which, if you want to remove it, can be pulled out towards the front. Below the filter is a nice perforation, which can also be found in the rear area. Four mounting tracks can also be seen, which offer the possibility to attach an HDD cage, hard drives or another 120 mm fan. The feet are rubberized and provide the case with enough clearance from the ground so that enough air can find its way around the bottom of the case.
For the most part, the rear is unremarkable. It offers seven PCI Express slots, a mounting frame for power supplies, and the typical bulge for the motherboard connectors. For the fan area and a strip below, perforations have also been created to ensure air escapes. On the top of the rear we find a novelty, because here is the opening mechanism for the side panels. The side panels can be removed by simply pulling the plastic caps in the respective direction. We can also see a small notch that forms a grip point for lifting out the top cover.
Interior
The layout of the interior has been revised and improved. This promises to allow larger graphics cards to be installed in the compact case. All cable passages are covered with a rubber protection. The mounting points for the different motherboard sizes are very clearly labeled. On the top is the radiator mounting frame, which can be completely removed and thus provides access to the entire inner workings from above. Appropriate perforations on the PSU cover provide ventilation for the PSU. An innovation can be found here, two plastic plates are now incorporated into the cover in the direction of the front. If you only want to install three 120 mm fans, you only have to remove the first plate and the view under the cover remains largely hidden. However, as soon as you want to install a radiator with the corresponding fans, the second plate has to be removed as well. A very well thought-out concept, because who wants to see the cable tangle underneath.
On the back, more fasteners and cable routing have been provided. Six Velcro cable ties (Velcro Straps) roughly specify the running direction of the cables and the cable grommets are adapted to the connectors of the motherboard. In addition, nine further positions are offered for cable fastening. Fractal Design specifies between 17 and 28mm for the cable management in the data sheet. The 28mm are more available in the front area and the rest is very compact with around 17mm. There is also an integrated cable guide where the cables can be sorted and routed into indentations. Pre-installed on the back of the motherboard tray are two holders for 2.5″ hard drives or SSDs. These are hooked in at the bottom and fixed with a screw at the top.
An HDD cage is already installed in the PSU bay, with room for up to two hard drives. The cage is fixed to the bottom with four screws and can be removed after loosening via the opening above or through the PSU opening in the rear. The individual slides are attached to the HDD cage with one screw each on the right side.
Workmanship
Overall, the choice of materials was chosen very thoughtfully. Everything looks very valuable and classy. Opening and closing the front and side panel works very well and does not reveal any weak points. The individual dust filters are very nicely workmanship and can be easily removed from the holder. Also, no damages could be determined directly after unpacking. A lot of effort is put into the packaging so that the case reaches the buyer safely. Thus, we can award full points for this point in good conscience.
Installation and practice
For our practical test, the following components found a place in the case:
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600*
- MSI MPG B550 Gaming Carbon Wi-Fi*
- Alpenföhn Glacier Water 240 High Speed*
- Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 3200 MHz*
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6G OC
- Seasonic GC 500W*
- LINKUP – PSU cable extension sleeved*
For such a compact ATX case, the installation went quite quickly. It is recommended to completely expose the top side before starting the installation. This also facilitates the installation of a possible water cooling system. The upper mainboard cables should be plugged in before installing the radiator, otherwise the individual slots will be covered. The cable grommets are overall very well placed. One exception, however, is the leftmost feedthrough on the PSU cover. This is, we think, for the HD audio cable of the front ports. The problem is, however, that there isn’t enough room to route the cable when the power supply is installed. Even if the cable is first plugged in and then the power supply is inserted, the cable and power supply get in each other’s way. Other, much thinner, cables also get claustrophobic here.
The new closing mechanism of the side panels works very well, but it also has a small drawback that affects the right side panel. If you don’t take cable management that seriously and belong to the “main thing is that the lid closes” team, you will be forced to lay the cables neatly in the Meshify 2 Compact. Otherwise, the sometimes small space of 17 millimeters becomes apparent and the side panel simply pops open again. In our case, the problem was caused by a PWM controller, for which we first had to find the right position so that the side panel would stay closed. But cable extensions of the power cables can also become a problem here. Its connectors are usually quite high as well.
The interior space is rather tight in some places. If you decide to install an AiO water cooling system, it is important to pay attention to the height of the motherboard components. These must not exceed a height of 40mm. This includes the voltage converter cooler, but also the mainboard I/O cover. In our case, we didn’t get in the way of the RAM. We installed an Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 240 Highspeed, where the radiator and fan together have a build height of 5.2 centimeters. There is still some space left, but it shouldn’t be much thicker. Before buying, you should check whether the desired water cooling fits there. If it doesn’t fit, the radiator can still be installed in the front.
Performance Test
For our performance test, we demanded a lot from the installed components. We made the processor sweat for 20 minutes with the Prime95 stress test. The graphics card was not spared either; we also stressed it for 20 minutes with the free FurMark GPU benchmark. The values below show how the temperatures behave in stress situations.
| Fan performance | Temperature (°C) processor | Temperature (°C) graphics card |
| 50% PWM | ∅ 62.7 | max. 68 |
| 100% PWM | ∅ 59.6 | max. 66 |
There was no doubt that the cooling concept works and the temperatures confirm that. The processor stays very cool at 62.7 °C even at 50% fan power. However, the powerful glacial water also contributes its part to that. Everything stays in the green zone for the graphics card as well. It got a maximum of 68°C during our 20 minute load and that with a case fan performance of 50%.
Even during a longer session in Verdansk (COD Warzone) the graphics card stayed at a constant 62°C. A very good operating temperature. In other cases, we reached around 65 °C in the past. Thus, the Meshify 2 Compact convinces in the performance test!
Conclusion
The Meshify 2 Compact has convinced us! The workmanship is, as usual from Fractal Design, really top class. The new features are also very well received by us. The completely removable lid and the easy-to-open front greatly increase the user-friendliness. It also benefits the installation of a system. It can become a real challenge, especially for beginners, to install a system in a compact case. However, despite the small size, space is provided here for an ATX mainboard and graphics cards up to 341 mm long (with front fans installed). This would even leave enough room for an MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio (323 mm in length) and that is really impressive.
Negative aspects for us are the partially small space on the back and the superfluous or poorly positioned cable aperture for the HD audio cable, among others.
If you are looking for a compact case with decent airflow, the Meshify 2 Compact is the right choice. However, it is important to check the height, perhaps even existing, water cooling before buying. But this is only necessary if you want to mount it on the top.
Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact
Verarbeitung
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Ausstattung
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Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis
94/100
Eine sehr gelungene Fortsetzung zur 1. Generation mit tollen neuen Features und ordentlichem Airflow. Das Ganze sogar in einer super Qualität.
