Performance Analysis

The out of box cooling balances noise and performance nicely. The CPU delta T of 53°C is fairly low, with the 140mm fan clearly shifting enough air to be useful and the roof ventilation also allowing heat to escape naturally upwards.

The GPU delta T is the same, although this puts it a little lower down the charts. There’s quite a gap between the GPU and the front fans, which probably limits their effectiveness a little, but the GPU isn’t starved for air.

With the fans only rated for a maximum of 1,000 RPM, noise is relatively subdued from this case. If you happen to have noisy components, the ample mesh does mean that you’ll hear them quite clearly, but again we do think the balance Fractal has struck is a good one.

Conclusion

The Meshify S2 gives Fractal another very strong entry in the upper mid range case market. The case has great build quality, modern features like USB 3.1 Gen 2 and latched side panels, and the flexibility to incorporate all manner of high-end hardware and cooling solutions. The only thing it might be said to be missing is RGB, but honestly given how prevalent it is everywhere else, anyone wanting LEDs all over the place can easily still achieve this.

That’s all well and good, but the Meshify S2 also complicates Fractal’s product range somewhat, as it is largely similar to both the Define R6 and Define S2 in terms of design and pricing. There are differences, of course, but they’re not particularly huge, and from a consumer perspective this could just end up being confusing. In fairness, the internal design is consistently excellent across the three, and giving users a range of aesthetics with which to use it isn’t such a bad thing.

Still, we’re not here to assess how consumers will or should respond to a crowded product stack, and that doesn’t change the fact that the Meshify S2 is another one of the best cases there is at this price point. Hopefully, though, Fractal won't play it quite as safe on its next launch.