Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL

I’m quite picky when it comes to PC towers, whenever i need to choose one to house one of my test rigs that is. Just imagine that the previous tower to house my Intel Z390 test rig (and probably my Z590 system which I’ll be replacing it with) was the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2. Well, the Meshify 2 XL actually delivers the same and more and so aside excellent build quality and interior space enough for even the largest hardware components around it also looks very nice and packs several useful features (such as the side panel latching mechanism, Nexus+ fan hub, the versatile - although optional - drive tray configuration and the removable air-filters). My sole objection with Fractal is over the non-RGB fans used which is a shame since the Meshify 2 XL would look great with A/RGB fans.

The Fractal Meshify 2 XL is a larger version of the Fractal Meshify 2, which we already positively reviewed. The Meshify 2 XL uses its additional space to support more drives (up to 18) or water cooling components, with support for large radiators. This has the Meshify 2 XL as more of a competitor to the Lian Li O11 XL or Enthoo Pro than to the mid-tower cases that the non-XL competes with.

The Meshify 2 XL is an XL Meshify 2 or a meshified Define 7 XL. From either perspective, it’s not something wildly different. We can certainly recommend buying it over the Define 7 XL because of the increased ventilation, but there’s no reason to choose the Meshify 2 XL over the Meshify 2 unless parts won’t fit in the smaller case, which is already larger than a typical mid-tower.

It is hard not to be impressed with what Fractal is offering with their Meshify 2 and Meshify 2 XL. These cases are clearly close cousins of the Define 7 and its XL counterpart. Still, they come with more attractive pricepoints and design changes which cater the enclosures more towards gamers and overclockers and less towards professional and workstations users. Both cases offer distinctive looks, and both offer users an excellent feature set.