Test – Fractal Design Core 2500: Specs | Price | CPU | Profitability | Hashrate | best Coins | Config | Advantage (Pros) and Disadvantages (Cons) and other important features that will help you make better decision.
After testing a mini-ITX box from Fractal Design (the Node 304 tested here) we are back to more classic boxes with today a rather entry-level box, the Core 2500! Medium tower case which is sober and equipped with 2 fans as well as a 3-position rheobus, let’s see what the Fractal Design Core 2500 has in store for us!
Specification: Hashrate – Fractal Design Core 2500
| Fractal Design Core 2500 | |
|---|---|
| Motherboard compatibility | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX |
| Materials | Metal and Plastic |
| Available colors | Black |
| Number of berries | 2 x 5.25 “ 4 x 3.5″ / 2.5 “ 1 x 2.5″ |
| Fan location (s) | 2 x 12/14 cm at the front 1 x 12 cm at the back 2 x 12/14 cm above 1 x 12/14 cm at the bottom 1 x 14 cm on the side panel |
| Fan (s) supplied | 1 x 12 cm at the front (1200 RPM) 1 x 12 cm at the rear (1200 RPM) |
| Expansion slots | 7 |
| Front connectors | 2 x USB3 2 x 3.5 mm jack |
| Maximum graphics card length | ~ 38 cm |
| Maximum CPU cooling height | 16.2cm |
| Additional features | Disc cages with Rheobus 3-speed anti-vibration system for 3 fans Dust filters at the front and below |
| Dimensions | 45 (W) x 43.1 (H) x 19.5 (L) cm |
| Weight | 5.7 Kg |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Price | ~ € 55 |
The Fractal Design Core 2500 is therefore a mid-tower case compatible with a motherboard ranging from mini-ITX to ATX, 2 5.25 ″ slots are available as well as 4 3.5 ″ / 2.5 ″ hard drive or SSD baskets, one dedicated slot for an SSD is also present behind the motherboard at the level of the power supply.
The graphics card is not abandoned with a maximum length of 38 cm, which should be enough to install any beast on the market, without the slightest problem. The maximum height of the CPU cooler is 16.2 cm, so you will have to be careful as we will see for the test configuration.
In terms of ventilation Fractal Design provides 2 original fans, namely 2 Silent 2 models with a diameter of 12cm and rotating at a maximum speed of 1200 RPM, there are then 5 places left for the madmen of cooling (2 in top, 1 bottom, 1 on the side panel and 1 on the front). Filters are present on the front as well as below, on the other hand the locations above and on the side panel do not leave the field free to dust, too bad!
ATX format requires we are entitled to 7 expansion slots, the front panel has 2 USB 3.0 ports in addition to the 2 3.5mm audio connectors. Regarding the dimensions we are in the classic here with 45 cm long, 43.1 cm high and 19.5 cm wide, nothing out of the ordinary, the weight of 5.7 kg makes it a rather light tower, sign of a steel which should be rather thin, we will see that during the tests!
The cardboard is very classic, on one side we can see an exploded view of the beast with a detailed listing of all the features in addition to the model and the brand, on the other a profile view of the beast.
2 cuffs are present to facilitate transport, a listing of technical specifications is present (dimensions, cooler compatibility, power supply and graphics card as well as a detail of the fans supplied, everything is there!).
The cardboard is quite strong and should therefore survive transport without problems, a good point!
When opening the box we find the Core 2500 packed in its plastic bag and between 2 polystyrene molds, we do not say no to protections and with that it should arrive in one piece!
Here is the beast! All dressed in black, sobriety is the order of the day, no frills here. The front cover is plastic, the rest is steel. For an entry-level box, it does not look as “cheap” as some of its competitors, which is really not bad and it will be able to find its place under a desk without shame.
La façade avant, tout en plastique donc, est plutôt réussie, l’effet aluminium brossé est plutôt agréable à l’oeil et même si tout est en plastique la rigidité est là, la ventilation se fait via les grille sur les 2 côtés.
Une fois la façade enlevée on a accès au ventilateur préinstallé, on peut voir que le premier emplacement 5.25″ est dépourvu de cache, ce qui aura pour effet l’installation d’un lecteur/graveur plus pratique. A noter que les ventilateurs ne sont pas devant des grilles qui affecteraient le flux d’air et le bruit, l’air passe donc librement.
Au dessus on a droit a du grand classique, 2 grilles en nid d’abeille avec la compatibilité pour 2 ventilateurs de 12 ou 14 cm. Comme je le disais plus haut point de filtre anti-poussière ni de cache donc la poussière et le bruit auront le champs libre.
Voici la connectique en façade, 2 ports USB 3.0, 2 connecteurs jack 3.5mm ainsi que les éternels boutons power, reset ainsi que la LED d’activité des disques.
En dessous on voit bien le filtre anti-poussière mis en place par Fractal design, il est amovible mais très franchement pas des plus pratique à enlever, de plus il est très fin et il faudra faire attention lors du démontage pour ne pas le casser. Les pieds ne sont malheureusement pas en caoutchouc mais en plastique dur. On voit également à droite sur la photo une aération permettant de faire parvenir de l’air à l’avant, point de filtre anti-poussière ici rendant les petits filtres avant pratiquement inutiles.
On the side, we can see the location for a 14cm fan, no dust filter here, not much to say except that everything is very sober, the panel is fixed by hand screws, which is rather practical during assembly / disassembly. Note however that the panels are very thin, see instead:
It will be necessary to handle all this with a minimum of precaution not to twist the panel, too bad but given the price positioning of the beast it is rather normal.
At the rear everything is rather classic once again, apart from the white brackets which contrast well with the rest. The 3-position rheobus (Low, Medium or High) is placed at the top.
Now it’s time for the presentation of the interior!
Voici les entrailles de la bête! Encore une fois un mélange de noir et de blanc plutôt réussi, on peut voir plusieurs trous permettant le passage des câbles derrière la carte mère et donc un montage un peu plus « propre ». Il faut noter le positionnement du ventilateur en façade, si un disque dur est installé il sera préférable de le mettre dans la cage du haut afin qu’il profite un minimum du flux d’air, ou alors de déplacer le ventilateur vers la cage du bas.
La qualité de fabrication est plutôt bonne pour un produit de ce type, l’acier est cependant fin mais pas d’arêtes tranchantes en vue ce qui est en général le cas sur les boitiers d’entrée de gamme.
2 cages de 2 paniers amovibles pour les disques durs 3.5″/2.5″ ainsi que 2 emplacements 5.25″. Les paniers sont équipés de silentblocs afin d’atténuer un peu les vibrations des disques durs, cependant ils sont assez fin et plutôt rigides ce qui ne devrait pas vraiment étouffer les disques durs qui vibrent le plus (comme le raptor de la configuration de test que l’on verra plus tard).
La partie alimentation permet une bonne ventilation, pas de problèmes en vue si le ventilateur de l’alimentation est vers le bas. Il sera possible d’y installer un ventilateur si l’alimentation fait au maximum 15.5 cm, au cas où un flux d’air supplémentaire est requis.
The 7 white brackets are fixed by hand screws very practical, the quality is at the rendezvous with a white glossy paint of the most beautiful effect, they are all equipped with ventilation allowing the possible flow of air. escape.
The rheobus cables, it will therefore be possible to control 3 3-pin fans, the whole is supplied with a Sata connector.
The 2 fans supplied as standard are Silent Series LT 12cm of the brand, 1200RPM maximum for a consumption of 1.92 Watts.
A l’arrière pas grand chose à dire, l’ouverture derrière le processeur est pratique pour le cas où l’installation d’un ventirad est nécessaire sans tout démonter. Les passe-câbles sont pratiques, par contre l’espace entre la plaque et le panneau latéral est plutôt réduit et il faudra faire très attention à ne pas faire de gros paquet sous peine de ne pas pouvoir fermer le boitier.
Comme on peut le voir l’espace est très réduit, attention aux gros paquets de câbles 🙂
L’emplacement dédié à un SSD se trouve du côté opposé à l’alimentation, par contre il faudra l’installer avant de mettre en place l’alimentation, et pour enlever le SSD il faudra également enlever au préalable l’alimentation.
Aller maintenant il est temps de monter la bête!
La configuration utilisée lors des tests est la suivante :
Une configuration plutôt volumineuse donc de part son énorme ventirad et les 3 slots pris par la carte graphique. Le Fractal Design Core 2500 sera testé une fois dans chaque position du rhéobus, à savoir « Low », « Medium » et « High » avec uniquement le SSD de branché. Un autre test aura lieu en « Low » avec le disque dur Raptor branché, celui-ci étant littéralement un enfer au niveau de ses vibrations cela permettra de voir l’efficacité des silentblocs.
Le montage de la configuration de test s’est plutôt bien déroulé, il faut cependant bien faire attention à installer les entretoises avant d’installer la carte mère sous peine de griller le matériel, ce qui n’est pas vraiment le but!
As you can see everything fits without too many problems, except for the Noctua NH-D15 where I had to remove the fan located above the memory because the box could no longer close. Be careful to take into account the dimensions of the cooler otherwise you will be unable to close everything!
In order to test the box, I will carry out an OCCT Power Supply test for 30mins and then take the temperatures of the main components such as the processor (average of the 4 cores), the motherboard, the graphics card as well as the hard drive.
Regarding noise pollution, I will proceed as in the file on silent PCs namely 1 statement in front, right, left, rear and above. All these tests will be done with the 6 fans set to 5V and 12V.
The Fractal Design Core 2500 will face the case used for the silent pc backrest, the Corsair Carbide 300R in the original version and modified for the needs of the same backrest as well as the Antec P100, Antec GX500 and Silverstone PS10.
Rest
At rest the temperatures of the components inside the Fractal Design Core 2500 are very good, indeed with 35 ° for the processor, 31 ° for the graphics card and 36 ° for the motherboard there is really no need to complain. Given the air flow provided by the 2 fans as well as the openings on the side and the top, it is not surprising that the temperatures are good. There is a very small difference between the different settings, only 1 ° difference between “Low” and “Medium” and the same thing between “Medium” and “High”.
Ambient sound level: 31dB
Despite the vents above and on the side, the noise pollution of the Core 2500 is very contained! Thanks to the fans from Fractal Design which are rather quiet as well as of course the very quiet internal coolers. Note that there is not much difference in sound level between the “Low” and “Medium” setting, on the other hand in “High” we really hear the fans, or rather the breath emitted by them, without it really is hell for the ears.
A quick word about our little Western Digital Raptor which, as the HDD baskets suggested, makes the whole tower vibrate well, the vibrating noise spreads throughout the carcass and the result is a rather shrill noise, no miracle recipes here however. the raptor will never be silent in an entry-level case. So choose a hard drive that does not vibrate too much for the good of your ears (for 10,000 rpm models for example!).
Nothing to report here, as the vast majority of cases in the test, the fans remain at their base RPM, ie 600 RPM for the processor and 500 RPM for the graphics card.
Charge
In load, the Fractal Design Core 2500 behaves really well, in fact whether in “Low” or “High” temperatures are really acceptable, with a maximum of 69 ° for the processor and 64 ° for the graphics card ( under OCCT which does not represent a use in game but really a maximum) it is quite capable of keeping the test configuration cool. These results can be explained in large part, once again, to the vents present next to the main components. The Core 2500 does better than the PS10 (which has only one fan and no ventilation next to the graphics card) and is more versatile than the Antec GX500 which relies on ventilation around the processor with its 3 fans. .
Ambient sound level: 31dB
In load, noise pollution is very contained in the Core 2500, with a maximum of 38 dB whether in “Low” or “Medium” the Fractal Design behaves really very well, once again thanks to the very quiet internal components and to the fans delivered very well. In “High” on the other hand we hear the box with a maximum of 43 dB which is clearly not silent, even if the noise is neutral and only the air flow is heard.
I’m sure a few modifications (like the ones made on this article) would make the Fractal Design Core 2500 even quieter.
Whether in “Low” or “High” the fans of the processor and the graphics card rotate at the same speed, namely 967RPM and 640RPM respectively, nothing that would not make the noise soar.
Here we are at the end of this test, what about the Fractal Design Core 2500?
Entry-level oriented, the Core 2500 has a lot of advantages for it, the performance is good, the fans present are very quiet in the “low” and “medium” settings, the interior layout allows the installation of a very large graphics card, modularity allows the installation of large Watercooling systems and its sobriety makes it go everywhere.
However, all is not rosy, entry level requires, it is made of rather thin steel which makes the side panels as well as the interior very flexible, the vibrations are thus propagated quite easily (in particular for the hard disks) and the openings provided for fans are not fitted with dust filters.
In the end, and for its price of around € 50, the Fractal Design Core 2500 will be a very good choice for an entry-level gamer config and may even be silent if the choice of components is suitable!
Advantages
- Quiet fans in “low” and “medium”
- Good performance
- Price
- Sober
Disadvantages
- Vibration hard drives
- Lack of dust filters
- Rather thin steel
A big thank you to Federica from Fractal Design who allowed me to do this test.
Where to find the Fractal Design Core 2500?
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