Fractal Design Core 3000 Case Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Fractal Design Core 3000: Exterior4. The Fractal Design Core 3000: Interior and Installation5. Testing Methodology, Temperatures and Noise Level6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

We had high hopes for the Fractal Design Core 3000 after reviewing it's impressive bigger brother, the Define XL which offered great build quality and unrivaled noise suppression at an awesome price.  The Core 3000 offers better build quality than most other cases at this price point and is has an simple but attractive design which should appeal to a wide audience.

The case allows for high levels of airflow.  There is room for seven fans in total and three are included as standard.  There isn't enough room in the roof of the case for a radiator and fans however we can't see many people buying a case like this for watercooling.  There is room at the rear for a 120mm watercooling unit much like the Corsair H60 or Antec Kuhler 920.  We like the inclusion of a fan controller which lets you reduce the noise to a bare minimum.

Even though there aren't as many cable routing holes as we would like in the motherboard tray, it isn't difficult to achieve a very tidy build if you do a little planning before building the system.

Fractal Design have informed us that the Core 3000 will be priced around £50-55 when it comes to market which is around £30 cheaper than the Define XL.  Considering the only major difference between the two is the smaller size and lack of noise suppression we feel the Core 3000 also offers great value for money.  At this price point, we feel the Core 3000 deserves some serious consideration.

Pros

• Good Build Quality
• Attractive Design
• Decent Cooling Options
• Impressive feature set for the price

Cons

• Lack of cable routing holes

KitGuru says: An impressive case for the price with an extensive feature set.

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