Fractal design Define 7 XL Black Big-Tower - insulated, black [FD-C-DEF7X-01]

The Big Tower combines a straightforward look, which is characterized by smooth exterior surfaces and a clear design language, with extensive interior adjustment options, which allow a high degree of flexibility in the configuration of the system and excellent expandability. Whether an inconspicuous silent system or a striking gaming PC, the Define 7 XL can be anything.

The features of the Fractal Design Define 7 XL Big-Tower at a glance:
- Noble, high-quality big tower in black
- Almost noiseless thanks to optimized housing insulation
- Front door with brushed aluminum
- Extensive air and water cooling support
- Three fans & fan control for up to nine fans pre-installed
- Modular dust filters on the front, top and bottom
- Dual layout for flexible interior design
- Three slots for the vertical installation of an expansion card

Fractal Design Define 7 XL: Optimized for water cooling
The Fractal Design Define 7 XL offers extensive options for installing water cooling. The front, the lid, the bottom and the back can be equipped with heat exchangers. With 5.25-inch bays installed, a 360 or 280 radiator can be attached to the front and a maximum of 360 triple radiator is possible on the lid.

420 and 480 radiators are also possible on the cover and front without optical drives. There is space for a 240 or 280 dual radiator on the bottom of the case, as long as no hard drive cage is used, and there is a 120 mm radiator on the back of the case.

Air cooling in the Define 7 XL
Up to eleven case fans in 120 or nine in 140 millimeter format can be accommodated in the Fractal Design Define 7 XL: Without the 5.25-inch slots, up to four fans fit on the lid and front, two on the floor and one on the back wall. If an optical drive is installed, there is no need for a fan slot on the lid and on the front.

The Fractal Design Define 7 XL comes with three 140 mm fans with PWM control: two of them are attached to the front and one to the rear of the Big Tower. These are connected to the integrated Nexus + 2 fan hub, to which a total of nine fans can be connected. The manufacturer provides a generous 185 millimeter height for powerful CPU coolers.

Define 7 XL: A home for powerful hardware components
The mainboard tray of the Fractal Design Define 7 XL has space for small Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, regular ATX and protruding motherboards in E-ATX and even EE-ATX format. In the storage layout, 359 millimeters are intended for graphics cards, while the open layout offers 524 millimeters with and a whopping 549 millimeters without fans installed on the front.

A total of nine horizontal and three vertical expansion slots are available. A separately available riser cable is required for vertical installation of the graphics card. There is space for an ATX power supply with a maximum length of 250 millimeters under the power supply cover if an HDD cage is installed.

Space for many storage drives
An essential feature of the Define 7 XL is its dual layout, with which the housing can be adapted to your own needs. The Big Tower offers a large number of drive bays in the storage layout. The housing offers six 3.5 / 2.5-inch drive carriers, two 2.5-inch drive carriers and two multi-brackets for attaching a 3.5 / 2.5-inch drive to one of them designated places. With separately available accessories, up to 18 3.5 / 2.5-inch carriers and five 2.5-inch carriers can be accommodated.

The large drive cage in the front of the housing can be completely removed. In this case, the storage plate is used to complete the mainboard tray. Multi-brackets with 3.5-inch hard drives or 2.5-inch SSDs can be attached to the rear. There is also additional space for a multi-bracket on the power supply cover. In the upper part of the case there are two modular 5.25-inch bays for two optical drives. This can be removed in favor of larger radiators.

The design of the Define 7 XL
When closed, the Define 7 XL gives the impression that it is one piece: the design is characterized by straight lines, smooth outer surfaces and rectangular shapes. This is also due to the elegant front door, which is covered with brushed aluminum. This is where the modularity of the housing begins, because the door can be installed so that it opens to the left or to the right. A magnetic locking mechanism ensures that it stays closed.

The Fractal Design Define 7 XL is available in different versions and different colors. The closed outer panels are always provided with bitumen noise insulation, which effectively reduces the volume. A second top cover with ventilation slots is included in the case. Side panels with tempered glass are not soundproofed. This version of the Define 7 XL has a black interior and exterior. Both side parts are made of sheet steel and are equipped with sound insulation.

Easy installation thanks to the modular concept
The housing cover can be completely removed for easy installation of all components. If you also remove the side panels, the Big Tower is freely accessible on three sides. This significantly simplifies both the installation of the components and the laying of the cables. The side panels and top panel are also equipped with a tool-free push-to-lock mechanism.

Rubberized cable guides and a full 30 millimeters of space behind the mainboard tray make cable management easier. The new multi-brackets of the Define 7 XL make it possible to convert any free fan slot into a holder for a hard disk, SSD, pump or an expansion tank and can also be found at various points in the housing.

Extensive variety of connections
The I / O panel of the Define 7 XL is equipped with one USB 3.1 Type-C, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports. In addition, there are two 3.5 millimeter jack sockets, one of which functions as a headphone output and the other as a microphone input. The Big Tower is equipped with a power and a reset button.

The Nexus + 2 PWM fan hub offers three 4-pin PWM and six 3-pin fan connectors. A total of nine fans can be connected, which also corresponds to the maximum possible number of case fans in the Define 7 XL. Note: The PCIe riser cable required for vertical mounting of the graphics card is not included in the scope of delivery and must be ordered separately. When installed vertically, the graphics card should not be higher than three slots.

Technical details:
- Dimensions: 240 x 566 x 604 mm (W x H x D)
- Material: steel, plastic, aluminum
- Weight: approx.16.53 kg
- Color: Black
- Form factor: EE-ATX, SSI-CEB, SSI-EEB, E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Total fans possible:
- 4x 120 / 3x 140 mm (front)
- 4x 120 / 3x 140 mm (cover)
- 1x 120/140 mm (rear)
- 2x 120/140 mm (bottom)
Pre-installed:
- 2x 140 mm (front, Dynamic X2 GP-14)
- 1x 140 mm (back, Dynamic X2 GP-14)
- Filters: front, bottom, lid
- Radiator mountings (with partial omission of ODD / HDD cages):
- 1x max. 480/420 mm (front)
- 1x max. 480/420 mm (lid)
- 1x max. 120 mm (back)
- 1x max. 240/280 mm (bottom)
Drive bays:
- 2x 5.25 inches (external)
- 6x 3.5 / 2.5 inches (internal, max. 18 incl.Multi-brackets)
- 2x 3.5 / 2.5 inches (multi-brackets)
- 2x 2.5 inches (internal, 5x max.)
- Power supply: 1x standard ATX (optional)
- Expansion slots: 9 (+3 vertical)

I / O panel:
- 1x USB 3.1 Type C
- 2x USB 3.0
- 2x USB 2.0
- 2x 3.5 mm jack (audio in / out)
- Maximum CPU cooler height: 185 mm
- Maximum graphics card length:
- Storage layout: 359 mm
- Open layout: 549 mm (524 mm with front fans)
- Maximum power supply length: 250 mm (with HDD cage)
- Cable routing space: 30 mm
Scope of delivery:
- 1x Fractal Design Define 7 XL Big-Tower
- 1x box with accessories (screws, spacers, cable ties)
- 1x instruction manual
- 1x alternative housing cover
- 1x ODD bracket
- 1x cover for ODD slot
- 2x HDD / SSD carrier