Fractal's SUPERB New ITX Case

The Fractal Ridge is simply one of the best ITX gaming cases you can buy in 2022 but you also have to take some of the limitations into account too. Especially when it comes to airflow and noise.

Buy the Fractal Ridge & More from Amazon & Newegg at the links below:

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Get ready to RIDGE
0:36 - Front panel and IO
1:40 - Vertical or Horizontal? pls no horizontal
2:28 - Curvy Side panels?
3:33 - Watch this for goodluck
4:05 - Radiator cooling who?
5:04 - GPU Chamber kinda... sucks?
6:25 - Build tips ur welcome
7:36 - Cooling Performance in 4 configurations
9:14 - The case is LOUUDDD!
10:07 - I like it... but

Review unit provided free of charge by Fractal. This video is sponsored by be quiet!. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

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[itzahoax]

1 year too late, However I just completed a build with a 7700X and a 7900GRE using a Noctua NH-L12S for the CPU. The dimensions of the 7900GRE are 335mm x 130mm x 52mm . Despite the limitations on the GPU dimensions you can in fact run 3 80mm SLIM fans on the top if you want and it will not interfere with a card that is ~130mm even though the manual says 125mm (probably because they using regular 25mm thick fans).

[Cermagine]

It's worth mentioning that the case currently has an issue with the riser IMO. Setting the pci-e slot to gen 4 causes standard riser instability issues, however you won't see an issue when setting to gen 3 or if your motherboard defaults to gen 3. Fractal have said that it only effects AMD systems but there are reports of it effecting Intel ones too. New replacement risers from Fractal don't seem to fix this yet either, so people are still waiting for a fix.

[swc]

5:17 This shot and the way Dimi delivers the line here is so Rodney Reynolds lol

[henryt]

I have been using this case for 2 months now. Here are my problems and thoughts.

Note: I use the ridge in a horizontal setup in a 28x44cm cupboard.

PC Parts:
Moded zotac 3080ti trin oc
Vram copper mod
fan mod, thermalright 3x TL-B9x25mm
top side installed 3 80x15mm exhaust fans

Pcie 4.0 riser cable because the card isn’t working and has to be used in 3.0. I had to remove the bracket and side panel to fit the riser cable.

Cpu amd r7 5700x with Asus strix x570i
I had to edit the bios of the board to enable low power mode so the chipset wouldn’t overheat…

Cooler - Blackridge with phanteks T30 and Noctua A9x14, since i took off the panel anyway might as well use the beefiest fan set up 🤷🏻‍♂️ had to remove the main m.2 cover to fit the cooler.

Gpu temps easily hits 83c despite under-volt and cpu at around 80c when gaming after 3hours.

I’m suspecting the gpu is sucking back in the hot air vented because of the space restriction of the cupboard. I will test if using a wood plaque to isolate the intake and exhaust will make a noticeable difference.

[spyro]

Why don't they just replace the side panels with a mesh? If it's made of metal this should also block all microwaves :)

[CollinTheSav]

I picked up one several days ago, just waiting until after finals at college to build it when I have time. :D kinda hyped to try a Fractal product for the first time after planning to do a WC build in the Meshify Mini but dropped it for SFF lifestyle.

[pkpnyt]

This is a 13 litter case which won't allow big GPUs to fit. Might as well get the Meshlicious which is only 14 liters and allows the strix, tuf 30 series (and rx 6000 cards) cards to fit and even the reference 4090/4080 to fit. That also allows a radiator while having a GPU in use.

[ClownMoney]

I got a lian li o6s mini itx case really rare hard to find case. Planning on building a new pc using that case

[amongstourselves]

5600x, 3060 and l9a noctua cooler and i think this would be the perfect home pc for about $1000 cad

[Malakyte-Studio]

By far the best review of the Fractal Ridge case!
What is your take on using this case as HTPC in desktop (flat) orientation with the MB and everything else upside down? On their website, you can see that the front panel USB ports are located on the left side: that means the MB and PSU are upside down (including the VRMs and all the other sensitive components that may not like this orientation).

[Roman.Anderson]

don't know why you were having trouble with your 3080 I fit my 3090 Strix in there just fine

[UntrainableWizard]

Question for horizontal-
The video shows horizontal only with the Shuriken, but (I assume) vertically with the Shuriken as well as the 80mm and 140mm exhausts. How well does horizontal perform with the 80mm and 140mm exhausts as well? I only ask for consistency and curiosity, and also because my idea was to get something like this case for a more slimline approach to my current case which sits horizontally and performs rather well (is just... very outdated, and not big enough for the newer Ryzen cards).

[metalfandude]

what made you ditch jurassic park to instead go for the pc youtube channel? very good content nevertheless

[TerryDoesTech]

This case could be perfect for something like a small 3060 and 13th gen i5. Could totally see this being used as an on the go editing rig.

[AlucardBloodFirst]

There Will be a review of the fractal design define 7 nano?

[josuezelaya_samara]

Can you fit a 120 mm rad with that gpu you installed?

[JrockProject]

Do ya think a 3070ti fe would work well in this case

[danstenis]

How hard is it to create an ITX case that has good cooling for the CPU and GPU without needing an AIO? It would have to be on the bigger side of ITX, but that is still way smaller an ATX. People who considers an ITX have space limitation, but that doesn't mean they are willing to sacrifice proper cooling. So an ITX on the bigger side is perfect. There is space efficiency (compared to ATX) and good cooling and therefore a kick ass, tidy, speedy system.

[andreasw.hvammen]

Another thing, fans work better if you allow them at least 10mm distance to the obstacle placed in front of them (e.g. side panel mesh). The GPU fans can do the job witout aid, but ideally there should be som kind og duct to seal off intake from within the case (recirculating hot exhaust air). It's strange that no SFF case building companies has thougth of this? As the build up of hot air is our enemy, we should try to create paths for the cool air to enter and hot air to escape without mixing too much.

What are your thoughts?

[ckat]

I think it's a beautiful case... especially for something like a steam machine. So much prettier and sleeker than the ugly af ps5. I love the vintage look that the fabric provides - kinda like those old 50s radios/turntables/tvs.