Fractal Design Define 7 XL Case Review

Define 7 XL: Interior Review

Once the tempered glass side panel has been removed, we have access to the interior of the Define 7 XL. We can see the normal motherboard mounting layout and plenty of cable management holes. The cable management holes have rubber grommets to prevent any sharp edges of the case from damaging the cables. Towards the front of the case, there is a large area for extra storage devices or water cooling accessories. The power supply chamber is sealed off on this side, but it is vented at the top.

Behind the motherboard tray are several Velcro straps and cable tie down points for cable management. Underneath the CPU cutout are two 2.5″ SSD mounts, which are removable via thumbscrews. There are two additional Multibrackets over to the left of the motherboard tray mounted on the vertical wall. These Multibrackets can fit a 3.5″ or 2.5″ storage device, or accommodate a water pump when installed on top or inside the power supply chamber.

The power supply chamber does have a cover over it for aesthetic purposes. With it removed, there are two pre-installed HDD cages; each capable of housing two storage devices. These HDD cages are removable to house water cooling accessories.

The Define 7 XL comes with the Fractal Nexus+ 2 fan hub. This hub can get power via SATA or a fan header on the motherboard. There are three 4-pin PWM headers and six 3-pin fan headers.

Like the Define XL R2, the Define 7 XL also has sound dampening material on the side panel. This increases the weight of the panel while reducing the noise coming from the interior of the system.

There are a few more features to cover on the Define 7 XL, but let’s take a look at the build process and see how those features work.