Fractal Design Torrent Compact Black - Dark tint tempered glass side panels - Open grille for maximum air intake - Two 180mm PWM fans included - Type C - ATX Airflow Mid Tower PC Gaming Case

Product Information

The Torrent Compact does technically allow for E-ATX motherboards. However, be prepared to lose out on some cable routing options if you go that route, as larger boards end up covering a portion of the routing grommets. And as we’ll see later, cable routing space is already scarce. If you want to use a large motherboard, you should opt for the larger original Torrent, or another large case instead. Our acoustic test consists of three scenarios: We run the CPU at full load, the CPU and GPU at full load and an optimized idle. The CPU full load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test, we also stress the Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC and set the fans at 75% speed, because in gaming the fans never run at 100% and are far too loud when they do. I won’t quite say that I have grown tired of companies taking the safe route by slapping a fine mesh front panel on cases. But I admire creativity, which is what Fractal has brought to airflow-focused cases. Not only does the front panel look good, but it also performs really well, without even adding an exhaust fan. You will have gathered from our video that we have mixed feelings about the Fractal Design Torrent Compact. The simple explanation is that we are perfectly happy with cases such as the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO that rely on 120mm and 140mm fans and do not feel an immediate need for 180mm fans.

Torrent Compact — Fractal Design Torrent Compact — Fractal Design

KitGuru says: If you fancy the looks of the quirky Torrent Compact you will need to accept its slightly unusual layout. If there’s a criticism of the eye-catching design, it’s that angular motifs typically result in large swathes of plastic. Though the front fascia looks incredible, the slithers that make up the vent do have some flex to them, and the chassis’ plastic top panel doesn’t carry the high-quality feel of a metal build. Open layout with expansive base intakes and extra-large bottom fan support offers exceptional GPU coolingFan mounts: 3x 120mm, 2x 140mm or 2x 180mm front, 3x 120mm, 2x 140mm or 2x 180mm front, 1x 120mm rear. Removable top bezel and routing clips with cable ties make for easy installation and cable management Speaking of space constraints, my least-favorite part of the Torrent Compact is the area behind the motherboard. There just isn’t enough room for cables in the rear. You get mounts for three 2.5-inch SSDs here, and there’s space in the PSU chamber for either one 2.5-inch drive or one 3.5-inch spinning hard drive. I know M.2 drives are increasingly popular, and motherboards now often include ports for three or more, but I still would’ve liked to see more storage support here. Up to 360x120/280x140 mm (360 mm front radiators (push / push-pull) supported up to a max length of 403 mm)

Torrent Compact Review | KitGuru Revisited: Fractal Design Torrent Compact Review | KitGuru

Since we reviewed the original Fractal Torrent last year we have included our results from that case as well as the new Compact model, in part because we don’t yet have any other results from our new test rig. But since the original Torrent was tested on our previous testbed (with an Intel Core i9-9900K and an RTX 2070 Super), not our new i7/ RTX 3070 Ti setup, this isn’t meant as a direct comparison.

Smaller size, still a large amount of airflow

Streamlined open interior with extra headroom for components and support for E-ATX motherboards up to 274 mm in width Seamless tempered glass panels (TG versions) with bolt-free top-latching mechanisms for easy handling Fractal Design Torrent cases allow you to install 180mm fans in the floor and front of the case and house the power supply in the roof so if – like us – you're not much fussed about that feature you may well be feeling a touch of meh. I didn’t realize how tiny the Torrent Compact was until I started building in it. While I have experience with the Fractal Meshify C, that case looked small right when I first laid my eyes on it. However, the Torrent Compact does not. This isn’t a bad thing, but if you’re using a triple-fan graphics card, you’re cutting it close, as the case only supports graphics cards up to 13 inches (330 mm) with the front case fans installed. The open interior and top mounted PSU provides plenty of breathing room for components and maximizes performance potential