Battle Of The Builds – Fractal Focus 2 vs DeepCool CH510

The Fractal Focus 2 and DeepCool CH510 cases have been around for a while now, so you guys will no doubt have seen all the launch reviews. Instead of reviewing these cases, we therefore decided to do something a little different… and a case-build battle video it is! Which one do you prefer? We put the two cases head to head…

Both the DeepCool CH510 and Fractal Focus 2 have been around for a while but they are two very inexpensive, good-looking cases that support lots of hardware configurations, so we thought these cases needed some attention. In the video, we build a system in both cases and put them head-to-head to see which one you guys like the best. Will it be the high airflow Fractal Focus 2 with an all-black all-AMD 7000 build or the DeepCool CH510 with its white-themed Intel and Nvidia build?

Both these cases were designed to be easy on the eye and easy on the wallet, coming in at under £70 each if you choose the non-RGB version of the Fractal Focus 2. The RGB-clad Focus 2 will set you back slightly more at £79.97 but it comes with some RGB fans and an RBG controller so you still can’t complain at that price. When these cases were designed, I doubt the idea was for them to be used to build high-end systems but we want to push them to their limits so we built an all AMD Ryzen|Radeon 7000 system in one and an Intel i9-13900KS/Nvidia 4080 system in the other.

Fractal Focus 2 Features

• Available in black and white, RGB/non-RGB (no fans).
• High airflow mesh front panel/dust Filter.
• Two Aspect 14 (140mm) fans are pre-installed in the front.
• Tempered glass side panel.
• Front I/O 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports, 2 x 3.5mm audio jacks, RGB button (optional USB-C upgrade kit is available separately.
• RGB hub is included with the RGB version only.

Cooling support:

• Space for up to 6 x 120mm or 4 x 140mm fans
• Front rad support up to 360mm, Top up to 240mm, Rear up to 120mm
• 170mm max CPU cooler height

Hardware support:

• ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX motherboards
• 7 PCIe expansions slots
• Max  GPU length – 405mm with front fans installed
• Cable routing space 19mm

Storage Support:

• 2.5” Drive bays – 2 included, 6 total
• 3.5” Bays – 2 total (included)

 Fractal Focus 2 System Specification:

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• Motherboard – Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX
• Graphics Card – Gigabyte Radeon RX 7900XT Gaming OC
• Memory – 32GB (2 x 16GB Modules) Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6000
• Storage – 2TB WD_Black SN580 PCIe Gen 4 NVME M.2 SSD
• CPU Cooler – Fractal Lumen S36 RGB 360mm AIO
• Power Supply – Fractal ION+ 2 Platinum 860 Modular 80+ Platinum 860W
• Case fans – Fractal Aspect 12/14
• Chassis – Fractal Focus 2
• Operating System – Windows 11

DeepCool CH510 Features

• Minimalistic solid front panel with side vents.
• Built-in headphone holder.
• Vented right-hand side panel for PSU shroud airflow intake.
• Built-in GPU anti sag bracket.
• Dust filters front, top, and bottom.
• Front I/O 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A Ports, single combined 3.5mm audio jack, Power + Reset.

Cooling Support:

• Space for up to 9 x 120mm or 5 x 140mm fans (1 x 120mm rear included)
• Front rad support up to 360mm, top up to 360mm, rear 120/140mm
• 175mm max CPU cooler height

Supported hardware:

• E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX motherboards
• 7 x PCIE slots
• 380mm max GPU length
• Max PSU length 170mm

Storage Support:

• 2.5” Drive bays – 2 (+1)
• 3.5” Bays – 2 total (included)

DeepCool CH510 White System Specification:

• CPU – Intel Core i9-13900KS
• Motherboard – NZXT N7 Z690
• Graphics Card – INNO3D RTX 4080 iCHILL X3
• Memory – 32GB (4 x 8GB Modules) PNY XLR8 Gaming DDR4-3200
• Storage – 1TB PNY XLR8 Gaming CS3040 PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
• CPU Cooler – DeepCool LT720 White 360mm AIO
• Power Supply – DeepCool PQ1000M Modular 80+ Gold 1000W
• Case fans – 3 x Thermaltake SWAFAN EX 12/14 White
• Chassis – DeepCool CH510 White
• Operating System – Windows 11

Building systems inside both of these cases was interesting and enjoyable. Often in cheap cases, you run up against some hardware incompatibility or annoying issues due to the design and cost-cutting measures, but in the DeepCool CH510 and the Fractal Focus 2 there were no such issues, well almost. The Fractal Focus 2 is a little tight for space at the top so moving 140mm fans from the front created a minor issue with clearance between the fans and the motherboard EPS connectors. The 140mm fans did just squeeze in but the cables were a little crushed so I wouldn’t recommend 140mm fans in the top, even though they do fit, it’s just a bit too tight for my liking.

Other than that minor issue, both builds turned out looking great. The DeepCool CH510 build is the more shouty RGB system but it looks sleek with the white theme. The Fractal Focus 2 build is a combination of stealth with all-black components and subtle lighting from the Fractal Lumen AIO and Aspect RGB fans. It's amazing to think both of these cases can cost under £70 and both handled all the high-end hardware we packed into them.

The Fractal Focus 2 RGB (White) can be purchased from Scan.co.uk for £79.99 HERE while the DeepCool CH510 White is available HERE at £69.98.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: I love how both these systems look but the DeepCool CH510 build probably just edges it for me, I am a sucker for a clean white build. Which one do you guys prefer?

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