Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
The installation process was extremely straightforward with the Fractal Design Define One Dark TG. For the most part, it was very easy to work with as far as a standard mid-tower is concerned. Out of preference, I installed my Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W power supply first, followed by the rest of my components. It does not matter what you install first, since they will all work out just as well in the end. The massive 21cm long PSU had no issues fitting in as I had no drives installed on the bottom panel, even though Fractal Design specifies a maximum of 18cm. However, depending on the location and length of your modular cable connectors, you may run into issues with the air guide.
Executing a good cabling job was also very easy on the Fractal Design Define One Dark TG. As mentioned earlier, there is a gap of 37mm between the side panel and motherboard tray. The pre-installed Velcro straps and T-shaped cable guides make routing cables a breeze. There is one large opening adjacent to the motherboard on the right. You can also route small cables through the opening on the shroud adjacent to your power supply. For those with motherboard backside connectors like Asus BTF, MSI Project Zero, or Gigabyte Project Stealth, this chassis supports them all. They are all appropriately placed for routing cables through, whether they are from your power supply or your chassis. However, as discussed previously, there is only one rubber grommet on the largest opening for looks and vibration dampening as a cost-savings measure.
The rest of the installation process came and went smoothly. I installed my ASUS ProArt Z890-Creator WiFi motherboard with a Noctua NL-LC1-24 AIO cooler. I did not install any 2.5" or 3.5" drives, even though the Fractal Design Define One Dark TG supports them. This is because most modern builds only have NVMe SSDs. The three front fans are daisy chained together, so you will only need to connect one 4-pin voltage to your motherboard. You will need to use the included PWM extension cable.
Installation of most components will require you to keep your screwdriver handy unless you count thumbscrews as tool-free. This includes all add-on cards as well as your disk drives, if you have any you want to install. I do not have much beef against this though, since it is usually much more secure, and it is not like I will take my computer apart occasionally anyway. The Define One will give you no surprises.
After plugging in everything, our system configured inside the Fractal Design Define One Dark TG was ready to roll. I hit the circular power button on top, and my computer came to life. You can see the white power LED is visible via a slit from the front in classic Fractal Design Define style in the above photo.
On a scale from 0.0 to 10.0 where 0.0 is silent and 10.0 is the loudest, the stock Fractal Design Momentum 14 140mm fans would come in at 4.0 subjective sound rating at full blast. I measured them at 40.6 db(A) at 50cm, and they produced an airflow speed of 12.2 km/h, or 7.6 mph, directly at the outlet. I am quite sensitive to perceived sound volume, and as a quiet PC enthusiast, the Fractal Design Define One Dark TG is reasonably good thanks to the fans. The fluid dynamic bearing fans have a smooth-running motor with no annoying noise during operation. The chassis is highly ventilated, but sound insulation material on the front and right side panels keep things dampened whenever possible.
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The Define One carries the Define name, has many signature elements of the Define series, but is not a flagship chassis, as it feels -- and appropriately priced -- halfway between the company's mainstream models like the Epoch and Define 7. In fact, the Define One is not meant to replace the Define 7, as the latter remains in production. So is the Define One a true Fractal Design Define series case? If you are looking for a price-is-no-object, no-corners-cut product, then this is not it. But I would not write it off right then and there. The Define One Dark TG features the same signature clean look, now with a curved front panel to make it more interesting. The full-size tempered glass left panel in our particular variant and front and right side panels with sound insulation materials, all held on by well-designed latches and mechanisms, are all elements you can expect from a true Define series case. For cooling, there are three reasonably quiet Momentum 14 140mm PWM fluid dynamic bearing fans with dust filters in front. Inside, lots of openings on the motherboard tray along with good cable management allow for easy hardware installation and cable management, including support for motherboards with backside connectors. To top it all off, the Define One can accommodate more 2.5" and 3.5" drives than you probably need, and the built-in GPU support arm prevents long graphics cards from sagging. What you will lose out on is a top dust filter, where a removable mesh panel is present. There is a rubber grommet on only one opening, and no rear exhaust fan is included. There really are not that many compromises. Listed at an MSRP of $155 at launch, the Define One is really a "Define Lite" in my books, and while it is not a flagship product, I believe it is still worthy of the name.
Fractal Design provided this product to APH Networks for the purposes of evaluation.
APH:Renewal Award | APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.8/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Fractal Design Define One Dark TG mid-tower computer case is essentially a "Define Lite", carrying the essentials of the Define series and priced accordingly in a competitive way.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
