FRACTAL DESIGN Meshify 3 XL Big Tower Review – Sophisticated large-capacity housing in the usual good quality

With the Meshify 3 (XL), FRACTAL DESIGN has updated its most popular case series alongside the North this year. Read on to find out what the new big tower can do in everyday use.

A whole year! That’s how long this case stood around in my office before it finally got my attention. Postponed release, lack of time, illness, lack of time again and then, towards the end, the personal desire to make something “special” out of this review. Over the past six years that I have been writing articles for Igor’sLAB, I have often used the Christmas period to add some variety to my case tests. That’s why I wanted to realize my almost traditional “Christmas build” again this year and the white Meshify 3 (XL) seemed to me to be the ideal basis for this project.

FRACTAL DESIGN has repeatedly shone with excellent cases in recent years and even started a real trend with the extremely popular “North” by bringing real wood applications into the mainstream. But even the well-established series have undergone extensive revisions over the years – a clever decision if you want to hold your own against the strong competition in the long term. The name “Meshify” already contains the word “Mesh” (meaning “mesh”, “net” or “grid”) and thus allows a direct conclusion to be drawn about the focus of this series: Airflow. While other series and competitor products have followed the trend of also sealing the front with a visually attractive glass panel and thus depriving the hardware of air to breathe, there have always been no compromises with the Meshify. At this point, as always: before we go into detail, let’s first unpack the case together.

Unboxing

The plain outer box does not initially give any indication that we are dealing with the “luxury version” of the Meshify 3 XL.

Despite the lack of buzzwords and flashy design, you can tell as soon as you open the box that we are unpacking a premium product. The protection against transport damage is exemplary, the box with the accessories is neatly stowed away and not carelessly thrown into the case.

And we have already unpacked the snow-white dwelling and photographed it in full broadside. The design is minimal, as is typical for Fractal, but as we all know, less is often more.

The grille on the front is not damaged, but has a discreet design, which actually looks quite harmonious after a short familiarization phase.

At the bottom we find several mounting points for components and a dust filter for the power supply that can be pulled out to the side.

I had initially assumed that the filter would be pulled out to the back, which would be rather impractical. But Fractal has simply integrated the handle of the filter into the stand, very nice!

The rear is extensively perforated with a long hole, which again benefits the airflow and also looks good in passing.

The external screw points of the PCIE slots leave me with a bland aftertaste, as these are usually found in rather cheaply produced cases. At least they are covered and can be easily reached with a longer screwdriver without collisions. There are no dividers between the slots, but the optional PCIE riser must be purchased to install the graphics card vertically. Unfortunately, this was not available for the test.

A look at the other side. The plastic front with the attractively designed metallic front grille can be removed easily and without tools.

In the Ambience Pro version shown here, the front is also fitted with a comprehensive ARGB strip. This is connected using push pins – without any cable clutter. This is appropriate in this price segment, but by no means a matter of course. Unfortunately, there is no additional air filter at this point. This cost-saving measure simply follows NZXT and claims that no additional filter is necessary due to the fine-mesh grille. Too bad.

However, the pre-installed 140mm fans in the front have not been spared. These make a high-quality impression both visually and haptically, which will prove to be absolutely true in the course of the test.

Three 120 or 140mm fans (and radiators up to 360mm) can be accommodated in the front.

Everything is attached to mounting rails, which can be easily removed for simple installation of the components.

Next, let’s take a look at the cover. The cover is made entirely of a streamlined metal grille and can be removed without the use of tools. To do this, simply pull on the tab already familiar from other series.

Underneath, we then find another mounting frame for installing fans or radiators. Radiators up to 420mm in size can even be installed here, although I would have preferred this for the front and side given the dimensions of the case.

The modern I/O panel is located right at the front. Power button with integrated power LED, plus a 3.5mm combo blade, two USB Type-A and one Type-C – the contemporary, but somewhat shortened version of today.