Scandinavia’s premiere design festival 3 Days of Design began with a quartet of Danish brands—Anker & Co., Kvadrat, Erik Jørgensen, and Montana—11 years ago. In editions since, its hundreds of brands and twice as many events take over Copenhagen, spilling out of the Scandi city’s storefronts, showrooms, museums, and restaurants. This year, most events are open to the public and are set to take place June 18–20.Join NowAD PRO members enjoy exclusive benefits. Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month.ArrowNew to the event? Or thrilled to return to one of the world’s most inspiring design locations? AD PRO’s got you covered, with all the must-sees and should-do’s at 3 Days of Design 2025, as well as hot tips on where to rest and restore amidst the buzzy fair.What to know about 3 Days of DesignAll events are free, but visitors are encouraged to download the 3DD app and register via a QR ticket system for more seamless access to all the fun. Getting from event to event is also a breeze: Copenhagen is one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities—and it’s quite walkable too. (Check the fair’s Design Walks program for specially coordinated tours.) For further jaunts, the city’s metro system allows for easy transfers between districts—although taking a boat from neighborhood to neighborhood is an even better way to see the sights.Where to eat, drink, and stayThe UNESCO World Capital of Architecture is the living heart of Scandi chic, so you might as well stay at a historic MCM landmark: Arne Jacobsen’s 1956 SAS Royal, said to be the world’s first design hotel and refreshed in 2018 by Space Copenhagen as the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh’s Nobis Hotel is an elegant respite just off of Tivoli Gardens, and the freshly renovated Villa Copenhagen emits quintessential Danish ease within the city’s former Central Post & Telegraph Head Office.For cozier surrounds, check into Hotel Sanders, an antique-layered retreat by Brit firm Lind + Almond. Or for a bit more future-focused, try the houseboat hotel Kaj, floating just minutes from the Opera House.Foodwise, start your day with the city’s beloved bakeri culture. Brave the crowds for an early-morning cardamom bun at the landmark Juno the Bakery and the crisp kouign-amann at Andersen & Milland. Come lunchtime, score a sandwich at Lille, which slices up a revelatory rye bread fit for a picnic Smørrebrød feast on the water, or stop by Selma, where the menu changes with the season. Then top off your evening with a glass or two at natural-wine hot spot Pompette.Design happenings not to missOut and aboutMikkel Karstad, pictured, will be chefing it up in the Kvadrat showroom (Pakhus 48, Klubiensvej 22) throughout 3 Days. Photography courtesy of KvadratOne of Heather Chontos’s new rugs for Layered, which will be showcasing at Copenghagen’s Kismet Café. Photography courtesy of LayeredThe 3 Days of Design 2025 design festival celebrations will begin on June 16, at Frama’s chic Bar Vitrine aperitivo. The following evening Copenhagen-based label Louise Roe will preview new products, including a wall lamp, blown-glass vase, and stone table, at an alfresco cocktail party in its courtyard. On June 18, 3 Days of Design officially kicks off at the Vipp Garage HQ, where the studio will unveil a guesthouse installation and line of limited-edition products, both designed in collaboration with AD100 Studio KO. From there, make like a local and take a quick bicycle ride to Louis Poulsen’s showroom for a special light installation by Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov. That evening, Kvadrat and Vitra’s joint launch party at the former’s showroom in Nordhavn will fete new textile launches, including an attractive, high-performance acoustic curtain. Afterwards, stop by Audo House—the private residence, concept shop, restaurant, and garden, all decorated by furniture company Audo—to see it freshly renovated at the hands of local talent Norm Architects. The house is open June 18 through 20—and Audo is hosting an evening soirée there on June 19. Meanwhile, Swedish brand Svenskt Tenn’s 3 Days of Design debut at a private apartment in Christianshavn will also be a must-see, especially for Josef Frank aficionados.

Got a project that’s too bold to build? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards! The Main Entry deadline of June 6th is fast approach — submit your work today. Architectural visualization has gone from a technical exercise to a creative discipline in its own right. Once treated as a (more or less) behind-the-scenes tool for client approval, rendering is now front and center, circulating online, shaping public perception, and winning awards of its own. There are many reasons for this shift. More powerful software, changing client expectations, and a deeper understanding of what visualizations can actually do have all contributed to it. As a result, photorealism has definitely reached staggering levels of clarity, but that’s just one part of the story. In this new era of rendering, visualizations also have a role in exploring what a building or a space could represent, evoke or question. This conceit is precisely why the Architizer’s Vision Awards were created. With categories for every style and approach, the program highlights the artists, studios and images pushing architectural rendering forward. With that in mind, take a closer look at what defines this new era and explore the Vision Awards categories we’ve selected to help you find where your work belongs. Rendering Is Now Part of the Design Process New Smyril Line headquarters, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands by ELEMENT, Studio Winner, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Photorealistic Visualization For years, renderings were treated as the final step in the process. Once the design was complete, someone would generate a few polished visuals to help sell the concept. They weren’t exactly part of the design conversation, but rather, a way to illustrate it after the fact. That’s no longer the case, however. The best rendering artists are involved early, helping shape how a project is perceived and even how it develops. This results in visualizations that don’t just represent architecture, but influence it, affecting crucial decisions in the process. Through framing, atmosphere and visual tone, renderings can set the emotional register of an entire design, meaning that rendering artists have a much bigger role to play than before. Image by Lunas Visualization, Special Mention, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Architectural Visualizer Of The Year Recognizing this shift in studio culture and design thinking, the Vision Awards treats rendering as its own form of architectural authorship, capable of shaping how buildings are imagined, remembered and understood. To reflect that sentiment, the program includes categories that celebrate mood, meaning and precision alike: Photorealistic Rendering – For visuals that bring spatial clarity and technical realism to life. Artistic Rendering – For painterly, stylized or interpretive representations. Architecture & Atmosphere – For renderings that evoke emotion through light, weather or tone. Technology Expanded the Medium Image by iddqd Studio, Special Mention, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Architectural Visualizer Of The Year Rendering used to be a time-consuming process with limited flexibility. Now, however, entire scenes can be generated, re-lit, re-textured and even redesigned in mere minutes. Want to see a project at dawn, dusk and golden hour? You can. Want to swap out a concrete façade for charred timber without starting from scratch? That’s part of the workflow. But these new capabilities are not limited to speed or polish. They open the door to new kinds of creativity where rendering becomes a tool for exploration, not just presentation. What if a building had no fixed scale? What if its context was imagined, not real? Silk & Stone by Mohammad Qasim Iqbal, Student Winner, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, AI Assisted Visualization And then, of course, there’s AI. Whether used to generate inspiration or build fully composed environments, AI-assisted rendering is pushing authorship into uncharted territory. The results are sometimes surreal, sometimes speculative, but they speak to a medium that’s still expanding its identity. The Vision Awards recognizes these new roles of visualizations, offering categories for rendering artists that focus on experimenting with tools, tone or technique, including: AI-assisted Rendering – For images that push the boundaries of representation using generative tools. Artistic Rendering – For stylized visuals that embrace abstraction, mood, or imagination. Context Became a Key Part of the Picture Image by BINYAN Studios, Special Mention, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Architectural Visualizer Of The Year Architecture doesn’t exist in isolation and, increasingly, neither do the renderings that represent it. By showing how a design sits within its surroundings (whether it’s a busy street, a lakeside, or a forest) visualization becomes a way of understanding context, not just composition. In this new era of visualization, renderings show where people gather, how light travels across a building, or what it feels like to approach it through trees, traffic or rain. Movement, interaction and use-cases are highlighted, allowing viewers to grasp the idea that architecture is more than a single object, but rather, a part of a bigger picture. Image by Lunas Visualization, Special Mention, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Architectural Visualizer Of The Year That shift comes from a growing awareness that design is experienced, not just observed. A rendering can communicate density or calm, movement or pause, the rhythm of a city or the quiet of a field. It can reveal how a project sits in its environment or how it reshapes it. The Vision Awards includes several categories that speak directly to this expanded role of rendering, including: Architecture & Urban Life — For renderings that depict street-level energy, crowds, or civic scale. Architecture & Environment — For visuals grounded in landscape, terrain, or ecosystem. Exterior Rendering — For exteriors that communicate architectural form through environment, setting and scale. Architecture & People — For moments that highlight human presence, interaction, or use. Details Tell the Story Natura Veritas by David Scott Martin, Special Mention, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Photorealistic Visualization New tools have made it easier to render with nuance by highlighting texture, light and atmosphere in ways that feel specific rather than generic. With real-time engines, expanded material libraries and refined lighting controls, rendering artists are spending more time on the parts of a project that might once have gone unnoticed. Image by ELEMENT, Studio Winner, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, Architectural Visualizer Of The Year This shift reflects changing priorities in architectural storytelling. Material choices, interior qualities and subtle transitions are becoming central to how a space is communicated. Whether it’s the grain of unfinished timber or the glow of morning light across a tiled floor, these moments give architecture its tone. The Vision Awards includes categories that reward this level of focus, recognizing renderings that carry weight through surface, rhythm and mood: Exterior Rendering — For close-up visuals that highlight the materials, textures, and design details of a building’s outer skin. Interior Rendering — For immersive representations of interior space. Architecture & Materiality — For images that showcase texture, depth and construction logic. Rendering Is Architecture’s Visual Language — and the Vision Awards are Here to Celebrate It Cloud Peak Hotel above the Rainforest Mist by FTG Studio / Zhiwei Liu, Xianfang Liu, Special Mention, 2023 Architizer Vision Awards, AI Assisted Visualization Architectural rendering is no longer a supporting act. It’s a growing creative field with its own voice, influence and momentum. As visualization continues to shape how projects are developed, discussed and shared, it’s clear that the people creating these images deserve recognition for their role in the architectural process. The Vision Awards were built to recognize exactly this. By highlighting both the artistic, technical and conceptual strength of architectural imagery, the program gives visualization the space it’s earned — alongside architecture itself. If you’re an Arch Viz artist, you can explore multiple categories that reflect the challenges, innovations and opportunities of this new era of rendering—from photorealism to abstraction, mood to material. And if your work reflects a strong point of view across multiple images, the Rendering Artist of the Year accolade was created with you in mind. Winners are featured across Architizer’s global platforms, published in print, included in the Visionary 100 and celebrated by a jury of industry leaders. Winning means visibility, credibility and long-term recognition at a global scale. So if your work helps shape how architecture is seen and understood, this is your platform to share it (and, hopefully, your time to shine!). Enter the Vision Awards Got a project that’s too bold to build? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards! The Main Entry deadline of June 6th is fast approach — submit your work today. The post Is Rendering Is the New Sketch? The Rise of Visualization in Architecture Today appeared first on Journal.

Cases News Noctua Has Competition: HAVN Performance Fans, BF360 Case, & Engineering DataMay 23, 2025Last Updated: 2025-05-23We take an early look at HAVN’s new BF360 case and the company’s new unique fans at Computex 2025The HighlightsFor its new products, HAVN has put a heavy emphasis on thermal performance and acousticsHAVN’s upcoming BF360 case brings in new fans in the 180mm, 140mm, and 120mm categoriesHAVN’s 180mm fan uses a 40mm thick frame and special shaping on the hub for what HAVN claims will improve pressure performance across the hub Visit our Patreon page to contribute a few dollars toward this website's operation (or consider a direct donation or buying something from our GN Store!) Additionally, when you purchase through links to retailers on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.We visited HAVN’s lab in Taiwan during our Computex 2025 trip. We saw that they were experimenting with a 52mm thick fan for a case it was showing off. The company didn’t end up using that for its case and instead used a new fan design that we’ll discuss in this article.Editor's note: This was originally published on May 17, 2025 as a video. This content has been adapted to written format for this article and is unchanged from the original publication.CreditsHost, WritingSteve BurkeCamera, EditingVitalii MakhnovetsMike GaglioneWriting, Web EditingJimmy ThangDuring our visit, the company showed off its new BF360 case, which follows up their HS 420.  Taking a closer look at the company’s new fan design, you can see some careful shaping to the fan’s hub, which is supposed to help with guiding air flow. We’ll have to see how it performs in our testing, but the idea is taking a thicker fan approach and thickening it even more. The company ended up using a 40mm-thick fan, which should help with pressure.    The company also uses 2x180mm fans mounted to the front of the case.  While we were there, HAVN prepared some CFD simulations for the flow and some simulations for mechanical stresses, on the panel for example, which is pretty interesting.Taking a look at the BF360, the front panel pops out with a tug as it uses magnets to attach itself to the front of the case and has 3 plastic feet that help it snap in at the bottom. The interior of the case’s front panel has a removable fan tray. Its design is somewhat typical but refined from what we’ve seen. HAVN has done a lot of iterations on it. The top panel pulls off and its design is familiar to the HS 420 with its structural design. Once you remove the top panel, it exposes the case’s top fan/radiatory tray, which has rubber bumpers and a slide mechanism that lets you pull it out of the case, providing full access to the top of the chassis and should help with ease of installation. A lot of the steel on the case is either .8mm thick and there’s some that’s 1.0mm, which is thick by today’s standards. Taking a look at the backside of the case, we can see that it has marked cable management pathways, much like the HAVN HS 420 (read our review). This was kind of a nice thing for brand new system builders. Whereas the HS 420 used stickers, the BF360 incorporates it into the molding. Our understanding is that they may refine its design to try and get more light reflection so it’s easier to see. This is a nice attention to detail that adds to the ease of installation. HAVN learned from the HS 420 on the 3 and ½-inch drive support and improved its implementation. There are 2 bays on the back side of the case for those drives and they can be removed. HAVN also changed how it handles the grommets with the case. The string-like material in between is the same but there’s now a little rubber tab that helps to prevent it from popping out by accident once it’s filled with cables. The point here is that HAVN is trying to learn from what they’ve done with the HS 420 and to refine their designs. Taking a look at the BF360’s front panel, it’s supposed to look like stone, but is made of plastic as stone would be extremely heavy. Behind the front panel in the unit we saw are 2x180mm fans. HAVN has shoved a piece of steel at the top, which is supposed to prevent recirculation. This was a huge issue in old BitFenix cases, where due to the company’s design, it would recirculate hot air back into its fans. This design can improve performance in big ways.HAVN tells us that the best setup for the BF360 is to have the top front fan be intake and the top back fan be exhaust, providing you’re using 180mm fans on the top. This matches our testing for other cases in the past. We’ve also found that if you’re populated the top slots, doing intake in front of an air cooler works better because otherwise air gets in the front and would get stolen by an exhaust fan out of the top. The case we looked at had 4x180mm fans (2 in the front and 2 on top) and 1x140mm in the rear.   HAVN tried different types of power supply shroud designs. One had an angled scoop to bring in air from the front bottom 180mm fan. One design had what we’re calling a “toilet-bowl” design, but that ultimately didn’t go through. The next design we looked at featured a more cylindrical/conical design. We asked one of the company’s thermal engineers why that design didn’t work better as it looks like it would project air towards the GPU, which would be a hot spot, and the rep told us that going with a wider design ended up performing thermally better. HAVN provided us some numbers for that, which we’ll take a look at below, but we’ll eventually do our own testing if we can get an early sample. Taking a look at the first mock-up of the case, we can see some rails for the front fans. This design did not progress into the final. It uses a rail system and we’ve seen it in other cases. Corsair has implemented it and has a trademark for it which they call the “InfiniRail.”Looking at the second mock-up, the company moved to vertical rails coupled with horizontal slats. HAVN ended up ditching that design altogether and moved to a tray design, which is sort of moving to a tried-and-true approach. The company incorporated another change where they’ve stamped and folded the tooling. Then we took a look at a design that was closer to final, which has its full corner covered. HAVN showed us 3 different prototypes for the front panel of the case. The first one we looked at featured a wood panel design, which we’ve seen on a lot of cases lately. Wood has certain manufacturing challenges to consider. The white panel you see above is made of aluminum, which is very expensive.The last thing that HAVN is working on that they showed off are fans. There’s been a lot of fan development in the last few years. One of the big marketing phrases you hear a lot these days is LCP (liquid crystal polymer), which is something we talked a lot about at the last Computex. One of the benefits of LCP fans (which HAVN isn’t using here) is that you can get the blades way closer to the interior of the frame. The downside is that it’s incredibly expensive. We have an interview with Noctua’s Jakob Dellinger from 2 years ago that delves into how the company wanted to avoid using LCP for a long time but determined it was necessary to get the performance they wanted. HAVN isn’t using LCP but has designed a fan that has some “teeth” cut out on its blades, which is something we’ve seen before. The company has also shaped its fan hub to be able to scoop air in more. HAVN tells us that having the hub protrude out like a little mountain would offer the best performance but this presents clearance/compatibility issues, especially if you want to put a radiator up against it. Taking a look at the 180mm fan, there’s a 2.0mm distance from the blade to the frame of the fan. We asked if HAVN tried to get it closer and were provided with a lot of data. The company showed us 3 revisions. 1 had a 1.8mm spacing, another had 2.0mm of spacing, and the third had 2.2mm. What they ended up seeing for pressure in mmH2O, is that a 2.0mm spacing ran at 2.19. The 1.8mm fan ran at 2.23, which is an improvement. The CFM (cubic feet per minute) for both was nearly indistinguishable at around 165. The 2.2mm spacing, however, had a big drop off, which is a design they didn’t go with. It had a 2.21 mmH2O pressure, which is more or less within error of the others, but the 159.9 is where that drop off occurs in the CFM. Comparing the 1.8 vs the 2.0mm spacings, they are basically hitting diminishing returns. Seeing this information is nice. We imagine that the benefits here weren’t worth the yields and costs because getting the blades closer to the inner frame could lead to a bad yield during manufacturing or might have the blades expand and hit the frame as it ages with time. This is what happened with a lot of Enermax fans in the past.  Grab a GN15 Large Anti-Static Modmat to celebrate our 15th Anniversary and for a high-quality PC building work surface. The Modmat features useful PC building diagrams and is anti-static conductive. Purchases directly fund our work! (or consider a direct donation or a Patreon contribution!)Now we’re going to go over HAVN’s first-part numbers, but we plan to do our own performance review of the case and fans once they’re available. First-party data should be looked at with some reasonable care. Thermal comparisons should only be made against their own results here, not against ours, as the benches are different. The flat, typical shroud style was comparable to the rectangular type in result, with the rectangular type slightly better. We think this will see a larger impact in our testing, but we'd need the three types to know for sure. The important comparison is against the cylindrical type, where HAVN saw worse results by a measurable amount. Performance worsened by 1-2 degrees on the CPU and about 2 degrees on the GPU. That's a large GPU temperature increase.In their next test slide, HAVN tested various fan configurations with the flat shroud. The results were mostly as expected: CPU performance is hurt drastically by having only a bottom intake fan, to no surprise.More interestingly, the ramp type shroud makes comparisons in "B" with a fan level with the top of it and "A" with a fan sunken to the floor of the ramp. The sunken approach resulted in marginally worse CPU thermals in A as compared to B, with GPU thermals mostly unchanged.This slide shows CFD simulation and flow mapping for ramp angles at 120 and 135 degrees. HAVN has drawn a few highlights around areas of re-circulation or heat accumulation, particularly marked at "1" where the 120-degree ramp angle shows worse areas of heat build-up. HAVN tested this in 5-degree increments from 120 to 140, finding that 135 was a good balance when noise normalized.In the above image, they show the fan spacing again, with a 20mm height increase benefiting performance.HAVN didn't shy away from competitive comparisons. The company says its BF 360 with its final front panel, shown above in light blue, had competitive performance against the H6. They also suggest significant reductions in flow resistance (which is a good thing) versus the Lancool 3, with the HS 420 also making some appearances here.HAVN began studying its slot spacing and porosity of the ventilation slots in the panels next. The company found that a ratio of length divided by depth being ideally about equal to 6 was optimal for minimizing flow resistance, with the only downside being potential structural challenges. These charts show their flow performance with different slot sizes.As shown in this set of images, the point is that HAVN is really mocking up a ton of different styles of panels, from the shrouds to the slot spacing, to try and determine the thermal performance and optimize for it. This is a major progression for them. It’s a lot of work to do all of this, which is cool to see. Of course, we have to test the product to see how it came together, but the CFM performance of type 4, as they called it, was the best, but we're ultimately looking at tiny differences here. Still, all of those small differences across the case will add up in theory.This image was cool: After all of this thermal testing, HAVN next did mechanical stress simulation for torsional forces against the panel, which allowed them to dial-in the thickness and makeup of the plastics.That continued in this image, where the so-called "type 4" gets another highlight.HAVN highlighted "Design C" for having a 0.8mm metal thickness with the chosen hole sizing.By shaping the fan hub itself to guide flow, HAVN claims that it can better maintain pressure across the hub of the fan and along the inner wall of the blades. This is the area of worst performance in every fan, so optimizing here can also help minimize dead zones behind the hub. HAVN says that the molded flow guide in the hub benefited its noise significantly. The company claims its flow rate also improved significantly for the guided hub.The image above is really cool. Referencing whale-fin evolution, HAVN used tooth-like leading edges on the fan to improve its thermal performance. We've seen this plenty of times in the past, but it never seems to stick around and we're not sure why. In this simulation though, HAVN suggests that the air stream is more uniform along the wavy blade design.Using a 30% glass fiber composite, HAVN saw performance with the new design slightly improve in CFM but largely improve in static pressure, going from 2.21 to 2.40 mmH2O.There's a ton more that HAVN did. The P/Q chart above shows the mock-up performance, including the stall region centrally. We'll save all this discussion for the review, though.HAVN had about 41 pages of this technical presentation, which is actually greatly appreciated. A lot of what remains will be covered in our review, so we'll leave that for now.The bearings are also interesting to talk about. These are called FDBs (Fluid Dynamic Bearings), depending on how you want to define that. We looked at one that was designed for the company’s 180mm fan. It was a 15mm-tall FDB.  One of the things with fans, in terms of the support, is how the fan’s rod seats into the bearing. As we’re told, the longer the bearing is, the more it will help with the wobble of the blades. Internally looking at the 15mm-tall bearing for the 180mm fan, you can see 3 grooved channels. In our bearings-factory tour, we learned that the grooves are part of the mechanism that allows the fluid to circulate to keep that pressure even across the bearing. That’s supposed to be what's special here but we don’t test bearings individually, but the idea is that 3 channels are supposed to help with the stability of the fluids across the bearing. For the 120mm fans, HAVN is going for roughly a 12mm tall bearing. The company claims that most are between 9-11mm tall for 120mm fans. HAVN allowed us to look at the company’s thermal chamber. There are pros and cons to HAVN’s solution. The pro is that it’s supposed to help control the thermal environment as it circulates the air. The downside to the chamber is that we found it can influence the results, though it depends on the chamber. We found that for our testing specifically, having a larger, open-room environment works better. It is very environment-specific. The company also had a flow-rate tester, which is similar to ours, that can do PQ charts, which the company used to test its new fans. It has a throttle control and a laser tachometer, which provides a reading of the speed of the fan. On one side of the flow-rate tester, there are tubes for the counter blower, which our system also has. Their flow-rate tester also has an air compressor, which is used for actuating some of the nozzles inside the system. We also saw that their flow-rate tester also came with an inexpensive desktop OEM computer (in this case, a ThinkCentre PC running an i5-12400).HAVN also has an acoustic chamber, which has a pass-through on the outside coupled with a noise meter, which collects noise levels. One thing we liked seeing once we looked inside the chamber is that we saw a mechanical rigging for the fan, which allows it to be free flowing. They put their microphone in the corner, which we used to do when we had a chamber of a similar size. Putting the mic here allows you to maximize the distance of the chamber by going diagonal, providing maybe a half a meter of space. They also have a foam floor as well, which makes it closer to an anechoic chamber as opposed to something like our hemi-anechoic chamber. Grab a GN Tear-Down Toolkit to support our AD-FREE reviews and IN-DEPTH testing while also getting a high-quality, highly portable 10-piece toolkit that was custom designed for use with video cards for repasting and water block installation. Includes a portable roll bag, hook hangers for pegboards, a storage compartment, and instructional GPU disassembly cards.HAVN is targeting a launch around September for its new products at which point we aim to run our own benchmarks to see how it all performs.

2022 on-device mobile advertising overview and 2023 trendsWith new app sectors, device models, and marketing techniques shaping 2022, it’s crucial to stay up to date on the next big opportunities in on-device advertising. As 2023 begins, let’s explore what worked this past year and what will continue to be important.The smartphone industry in numbersLet’s first look at the state of the mobile ecosystem in 2022.- Worldwide smartphone shipments in 2022 were around 1.2 billion (1)- Samsung held 22% of the market share in 2022, maintaining the No. 1 position (1)- Total shipments of 5G-enabled smartphones were expected to reach 650 million units by the end of 2022 (2) - Android maintained its position as the leading mobile operating system worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2022 with a close to 71.8% share (3)- Trends in the market- The amount of devices sold and the technology they’re equipped with has a huge impact on what is possible with on-device advertising.Incorporating CTV into your on-device advertising strategyCTV, connected TV advertising, is expected to receive huge advertising investments in 2023, growing at a rate of 27% according to MarketingDive, making it a great time to consider how you can incorporate CTV advertising into your on-device advertising strategy.First, with a seemingly unlimited number of streaming services available today, it’s becoming harder for users to keep up with paid subscriptions. To create a more sustainable revenue stream, many platforms are working on offering less expensive plans with an ad-supported option.Second, as it stands, 95% of TV ad spend comes from Fortune 500 companies focused on branding, but these companies only represent 33% of US business revenue. With TV bigger than any other social network, the channel needs to be accessible to all kinds of advertisers. CTV advertising, a performance marketing channel (WiFi has a static IP, which allows advertisers to link every device in a household), makes that possible all while delivering 900K impressions per second in the US alone.On top of that, CTV can work in conjunction with your existing on-device advertising strategy, when the app is already on the phone, to increase engagement and retention. For example, CTV advertising can be used as a form of push notifications to encourage users to open your app for the first time or recommend a new way to engage with the app’s features. As the technology continues to evolve, more opportunities will unfold, such as opening the app directly from the CTV ad to start interacting immediately. With CTV advertising, your on-device advertising efforts could have an even greater impact.Listen to our podcast with Vibe, an all-in-one TV ad platform.Using AI to create more efficient on-device advertising experiencesIn the current macroeconomic climate, it’s even more critical to find ways to stand out on channels you’re already using, like on-device advertising. How? Utilizing innovative technology such as AI to make your efficient channels more efficient.AI will create better advertisements by writing headlines and creating ads - you can use generative AI to create text and images for your on-device advertising notifications and full-screen offer campaigns. AI can also enable predictive analytics - discovering insights, making predictions, and unifying your data - when it comes to on-device advertising, these tools can help you determine which audiences you should be reaching and how that audience is engaging on their devices.Most interestingly, however, is the opportunity to improve interactivity with users through creatives. For instance, a full screen on-device ad for an eCommerce app could allow users to try on various items to see which looks best. A full screen ad for a food delivery app could allow you to take a virtual tour from a nearby restaurant to your home to get a feel for how fast delivery can be.Today, AI is well equipped to help you drive productivity and creativity across your media mix.Growing smartphone brandsSamsungAs of January 2023, Samsung has a market cap of $335.28 billion according to Companies Market Cap. On top of that, Samsung’s brand value was evaluated at $87.7 billion in 2022, which represents 17% growth compared to $74.6 billion in 2021, ranking the company in 5th for three years in a row on Interbrand's Best Global Brands of 2022.Samsung’s Galaxy Z series, where their foldable phones live, are the market leaders in the foldable space. In fact, from January to October 2022, the number of foldable smartphones Samsung contracted to enterprise customers increased by 105% compared to the same period in 2021 according to Samsung. At CES 2023, Samsung announced a new technology for foldable phones, Flex Hybrid.Samsung also recently unveiled the Galaxy S23 series. The main upgrade on these devices is the 200-megapixel main camera, along with the use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which will allow for better AI performance and power efficiency.On top of that, while many large chip manufacturers have begun scaling back their chip production due to external concerns, Samsung will increase chip production in 2023, especially at its largest semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek. This prepares them to take a big portion of market share as demand for chips returns to normal levels.Learn more about Samsung in 2023.GoogleWith the release of Google’s revolutionary Pixel 6, housing Google’s first Tensor chip, at the latter end of 2021, Google saw massive sales growth in the first half of 2022. According to Canalys, Google sales in North America were up 380% in Q1 2022 year over year and 280% in Q2 2022 year over year. For reference, leaders in market share only saw 1-4% annual growth.In 2022, Google iterated on the Pixel 6 with the Pixel 7, which is powered by the next-generation Google Tensor G2 processor. First of all, Pixel 7 is “sleek, sophisticated and durable” and the regular size is more compact than Pixel 6. The Pixel 7 is also being shipped with Android 13, the best Android experience yet.So, what’s expected in 2023? According to rumors, it might be the best year for Pixels yet, marked by the company carving its own way rather than following others. One new innovation in 2023 includes the Pixel fold, otherwise known as the Pixel notepad. With the release of this device, Google will have beaten Apple to the foldable space. Google also plans to release the Pixel Tablet, which means they’re beginning to challenge the Apple dominant tablet market. Along with new innovations that push the envelope, Google will also improve on their already high-performing devices. We can expect Google to release the Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, and 8 Pro throughout 2023. These are phones that will continue to appeal to the masses and keep Google in the spotlight.Top 5 app categories using on-device advertising in 2023It’s also important to have an idea of which app categories are on the rise, so you can learn how and why advertisers are finding success through this channel.1. Brands with apps are investing in on-device advertisingAs marketing teams face budget cuts, brands are rethinking their spend and focusing on channels where consumers are most active - mobile.In fact, according to Oberlo, mobile advertising spend in the US in 2023 is expected to reach $355.1 billion, surpassing $300 billion for the first time. Ultimately, now that mobile has a larger audience, higher usage levels, and is more reputable, big brands are beginning to look beyond traditional channels, to on-device advertising, to get in front of new, quality users through their phone screens.McDonald’s Spain achieves 64% app launch rate and drives over 34K installs with Aura2. Food and rapid delivery apps are continuing to growCOVID-19 accelerated the shift to ordering in from delivery apps rather than eating out. Since then, many other factors have continued to drive the food delivery app industry forward - convenience, increased demand, safety, etc. In fact, the entire food delivery app industry is expected to reach $320 billion market size by 2029 according to Business of Apps. Ultimately, with more delivery riders and route optimizations technologies, delivery is faster and cheaper than ever, driving incremental growth despite diminishing COVID-19 protocols.Glovo increased Aura installs by 5x and decreased CAC by 60%Rapid delivery apps, or apps that deliver groceries within 10-30 minutes of app order, are also attracting millions of users and big name investors. Rapid delivery apps are largely operating out of major cities across the UK, US, and Europe, with a few first movers leading the market in these areas - Getir, Flink, Gorillas, Gopuff, Weezy, Dija, Jiffy, Fancy and Snappy are all notable names.Read more about rapid delivery apps3. Classified apps are allowing users to buy and sell wherever they areAs the economy faces uncertainty, people are spending time sifting through their belongings and making decisions about what to keep and sell. Now classified platforms, especially on mobile, represent a major opportunity for growth.eBay Kleinanzeigen (Classifieds) boosts installs with AuraSubito looked to Aura to boost engagement 4x, grow scale, and diversify their user acquisition strategyMilanuncios reduces cost per lead 47% with Aura4. News apps are users go-to to stay updated on current eventsThe share of US consumers reading online news on a smartphone more than doubled between 2013 and 2022 according to Statista. “News on the go” through mobile devices has become the norm. This means that news apps are no longer an add-on to people’s typical news source, but the main character - encouraging news apps to focus on their app discovery and user acquisition strategies. We’ve seen a similar trend in Europe as well over the last year.SmartNews drives 35 million installs and meets retention goals with AuraHow Le Figaro reduced costs 70% and reached retention goals in 3 months with Aura5. eCommerce apps are making it easier to shop from your phoneSimilarly to news apps, eCommerce apps have also seen immense growth, creating a more competitive environment - more than half of all internet traffic comes from a mobile device. This is most likely due to the effects of COVID-19, which turned people away from brick and mortar. In 2023, smartphone retail eCommerce sales are expected to pass $432 billion, up from $148 billion in 2018 according to Statista.OTTO sees over 100% MoM growth and significantly increased ROI for their ironSource Aura volumeAliExpress Russia drives over 400K installs and exceeds their KPI goals with ironSource AuraOzon drives over 900K installs and exceeds KPI goals with ironSource AuraOverall, the state of the smartphone industry, key trends in the Android market, and the growing app categories, all have had an impact on the success of ironSource Aura. With on-device advertising becoming more prevalent, Aura saw a record year in 2022.The growth of AuraIn 2022, the team at ironSource Aura focused on expanding the on-device channel’s available touchpoints so advertisers like you can continue to drive value and meet valuable users at scale. New placements - such as the Discovery Widget that offers new apps to users directly from their device’s +1 screen on a daily basis - use contextual information to reach users in the right ways and at the best times for maximum, long-term engagement.ironSource Aura also expanded to new carrier and telco partners in 2022 beyond our current partnerships with Samsung, Vodafone, Orange, and Boost - announcing our Samsung partnership in MENA.It’s been an incredibly successful year thanks to both our advertiser and telco partners. Looking forward to continued success in 2023!Full list of Aura’s on-device advertising content from 2022Case StudiesFugoVery/DentsuInspired SquareDish Retail Wireless engages its 8M customers with AuraBlogsLaunching a new report "5G: The consumer perspective"4 ways advertisers can optimize their 5G on-device advertising strategyThe mobile advertising ecosystem in SpainHow agencies can drive incremental growth through mobile on-device campaignsHow to leverage on-device advertising to create a frictionless install experience7 questions to ask yourself when evaluating a new user acquisition channelThe first 30 days of an on-device campaignLooking to boost your game’s LTV? Try an on-device advertising campaignNo guts, no glory: MAD//Fest 2022 with ironSource AuraThe 3 most important KPIs running an on-device acquisition campaignAn inside look at the Japanese mobile economyThe what, why and how of web-to-app acquisition campaignsArticlesHospitality Tech | Four Ways Hospitality Marketers Can Innovate in the Post-Pandemic Future via a Mobile AppRCR Wireless News | The new device experience: How mobile carriers successfully ‘get in’ on the app economyTotalRetail | How to Leverage Your App to Get More CustomersPodcastsAdam Hadi, Current | How to deeply integrate influencer marketing into your productJean-François Grang, Purchasely | How to succeed with a subscription monetization model for your appDave Edwards, Audiomack | Bridging the knowledge gap between music creators and the app economyAndre Kempe, Admiral Media | Back to the basics: How will performance marketing survive?Tobias Boerner, Fastic | The real people behind your app: community-based apps and the growth loopPeter Fodor, AppAgent | Storytelling and mobile apps: a tale as old as timeKaran Bhavnani, Tripledot | Growth trends: team structure and experimentation in a high growth environmentGreg Turtle, What3Words | Gaining a growth edge with media for equity dealsAdrienne Rice & Sarah Chafer, M&C Saatchi Performance | What consumers want from brands this holiday seasonThomas Petit | How to optimize your subscription app today to grow tomorrowResearchBack to school shopping trends for your app or brand in 2022Travel is back in-style: 6 trends advertisers should keep in mind in 20228 key findings to help you master your holiday advertising strategyWebinarBuilding your 3 pronged holiday UA strategy: Creatives, offerwall, and on-device advertisingReports5G: The Consumer PerspectiveOn-device advertising 101: A report by Singular and ironSource AuraThe 2022 modern mobile consumer: app discovery and monetizationThe mobile marketers’ guide to mastering the holiday seasonResourcesCanalys QualcommStatista

Cases A New Best: Fractal Meshify 3 Case Review, Thermal Benchmarks, & NoiseMay 15, 2025Last Updated: 2025-05-15We analyze the Fractal Design Meshify 3’s design, specs, build quality, LEDs, and thermalsThe HighlightsThe Meshify 3 comes with 3 fans and focuses on looksAt its price category, there’s a lot of stiff competitionOverall, we like the caseOriginal MSRP: $140 to $220Release Date: May 2025Table of ContentsAutoTOC Our fully custom 3D Emblem Glasses celebrate our 15th Anniversary! We hand-assemble these on the East Coast in the US with a metal badge, strong adhesive, and high-quality pint glass. They pair excellently with our 3D 'Debug' Drink Coasters. Purchases keep us ad-free and directly support our consumer-focused reviews!IntroToday we’re reviewing the Fractal Meshify 3. It ranges from $140 to $220 depending on the level of “integrated atmospheric lighting” you want, but to be fair to Fractal, it does look good with the angular mesh front panel. The good news upfront with this review is that we actually like the case overall.Editor's note: This was originally published on May 15, 2025 as a video. This content has been adapted to written format for this article and is unchanged from the original publication.CreditsTest Lead, Host, WritingSteve BurkeTesting, WritingPatrick LathanCamera, Video EditingVitalii MakhnovetsCameraTim PhetdaraAndrew ColemanWriting, Web EditingJimmy ThangFractal's has added some interesting new features: an air guide in front of the PSU shroud that genuinely helps GPU thermals in our testing, excellent cable aligner clips, and a bizarre PSU filter that blends seamlessly into the side of the case.This case was going to launch months ago, but was quietly pulled from shelves by Fractal at the last minute because the PCIe slots were too tight. Multiple reviewers, including us, noticed that these PCIe slots were too tight for GPUs to slot properly, an issue we had recorded in our notes for the review and were about to film when Fractal sent an email that it was halting the launch. Fractal manually reworked this, meaning someone went through all the cases and shaved them down.Originally, Fractal would have launched just before the worst of the tariffs, but now is launching into a far more expensive import situation. Fractal says that, for now, its MSRP is unchanged.But we’re here to review the case. We have a 3-hour documentary about the tariffs’ impact.The case comes with 3 fans and clearly has a focus on looks with its lighting and front panel design, but also manages to make a number of mechanical choices that affect cooling.Let’s get into the Meshify 3 review.Meshify 3 Ambience Pro RGB OverviewThis is Fractal's third generation of Meshify cases, starting with the Meshify 3 and the larger Meshify 3 XL. We're reviewing the shallow front-to-back Meshify 3 today, which is the size equivalent of the first generation's Meshify C and the second generation's Meshify 2 Compact (watch our review). The Meshify C (watch our review) was $90 at launch in 2017, followed later by the Meshify 2 (watch our review) at $110.The Meshify 3 is launching from $140-$220 (depending on SKU). It’s not distant from Fractal’s Torrent case. We liked that case. It’s priced at around $190 to $230. The increased Meshify series cost goes towards new features.The flashiest new feature is the "integrated atmospheric lighting" in the top-tier Ambience Pro RGB SKU. Fractal also has committed to proprietary connectors for these cases, which we’re not thrilled about. Fractal additionally has a web tool for the new Adjust Pro fan and RGB hub.The cases are sold at $140 for 3x 140mm fans without LEDs, $160 for 3x 14mm RGB fans using proprietary connectors, and $220 for 3x RGB fans with a lighting control hub and additional case lighting around the front panel, shroud, and power button.Meshify 3 Ambience Pro RGB SpecsMeshify 3 TG3.5"/2.5" mountsUp to 2x HDD or 4x SSDDedicated 2.5" mounts2 (6 total)5.25" drive bays0Expansion slots7Motherboard compatibilityE-ATX (max 277 mm), ATX, mATX, Mini-ITXPower supply typeATXFront interface1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C 20Gbps2x USB 3.0 5Gbps1x Combined Mic/AudioTotal fan mounts6x 120 mm or 5x 140 mm + 1x 120mmFront fan mounts3x 120/140 mm (3x Momentum 140 mm PWM/RGB Included)Top fan mounts2x 120/140 mmRear fan mounts1x 120 mmSide fan mountsN/ABottom fan mountsN/ADust filtersPSUFront radiatorUp to 280/360 mm (max 155 mm width)Top radiatorUp to 280/240 mm (max 148 mm width)Rear radiator120 mm (max 128 mm width)Bottom radiatorN/APSU max length180 mmGPU max length349 mmGPU max height176 mm (7 slot) including cablesCPU cooler max height173 mmCable routing space34.5 mmCable coverYesCable organizers3x Cable Aligners, 3x Internal Straps, 3x Rear External StrapsCaptive thumbscrewsTop Rad. Bracket, PSU BracketTool-less push-to-lockSide Panels, Bottom Filter, Front Panel, Top Panel, PSU BracketCase MaterialSteelLeft side panelTempered GlassRight side panelIndustrial SteelCase dimensions (LxWxH)423 x 229 x 507 mmCase dimensions w/o feet/protrusions/screws423 x 229 x 483 mmNet weight8.0 kgPackage dimensions (LxWxH)596 x 350 x 550 mmGross weight10.3 kgSpecs copied from manufacturer materials, please read review for our own measurements and opinionsThe BuildLet’s get into the build quality and features.Some of the exterior is similar to the Torrent, especially the way the top panel slides off. Unlike the Torrent, the top panel is mesh in the Meshify 3, although only the central portion is actually open due to the thick plastic frame underneath. The front panel pops off from the bottom like the North cases, and the top edge (in the Ambience Pro RGB) has pogo pins to connect the ambient front panel lighting.There are three plastic "cable aligners" that can be snapped over the main cable channel. We found them to be well-placed and surprisingly sturdy even with large bundles of power supply cables wedged behind them. Our only complaint is that they're keyed for no discernible reason other than preventing users from flipping the Fractal logo upside-down. The cable management space behind the motherboard is a uniform depth at just over 3cm across the entire case. There's a massive cutout above the motherboard that runs its entire length, although the cutout at the bottom is undersized and difficult to use when an ATX board is installed. Overall, cable management is above average thanks to the cable aligners and the amount of space, with some velcro straps on the back for exterior cable management. The PSU shroud terminates in a plastic "air guide" angled up towards the GPU. It reminds us a little of the NZXT toilet bowl fan from the 2022 H5 Flow (watch our review), but more so the extremely similar "PSU optional cover plate" from Corsair's old 5000D Airflow (watch our review). The 5000D Airflow's single intake fan wasn't positioned to make that part matter, though, whereas the Meshify 3's intake-heavy configuration will actually benefit.The only discrete dust filter in the case is for the PSU. It ejects from the side, which is always a plus for ease of removal, but it's also built into the leg of the case so that there's no externally visible handle. This is completely unnecessary, but it's one of those small features that shows the care that was put into the case's appearance and great attention to detail.Drives can be mounted to a set of adjustable brackets behind the motherboard tray; Fractal has provided a complicated compatibility matrix, but basically, you can either fit up to 2x 3.5" drives or 4x 2.5" drives. An additional 2x 2.5" drives can be attached directly to the floor of the case underneath the air guide, but if you use those slots, you may want to leave the air guide out to make cables accessible.The front of the case can fit either 3x 120mm fans or 3x 140mm fans. The rails rotate to switch between the two sizes and there are cutouts at specific heights for each individual fan, which means the rails don't obstruct the fans at all, but also there's little freedom to reposition fans or mix and match different sizes. All Meshify 3 SKUs ship with three front fans preinstalled, so this is less of an issue than it would be on a bare chassis. When fans are installed on the rails, the fans and rails can be removed as a single unit by undoing two screws, which is awesome.The removable top bracket is extremely easy to work with and fits radiators up to 280mm with plenty of room. Simultaneously installing a 360mm radiator at the front of the case would technically be possible using standard 30mm thick rads, but without much room left for fittings, fans, or thicker radiators, so we don't recommend it. Fractal notes that the front mount is compatible with 360mm (3x120) radiators of up to 420mm total length with the air guide or 445mm without it. Critically though, this does not mean support for 420mm (3x140) radiators.If any radiators are installed at the front of the case, the cable bar has to be shifted back, which makes it harder to route power cables. In addition, maximum GPU length in the Meshify 3 is already only 349mm, and installing a front radiator directly eats that clearance. We recommend relying on the top radiator slot or moving up to the Meshify 3 XL if you really need space for liquid cooling and especially for longer cards.Along the same lines, Fractal claims compatibility with so-called E-ATX boards up to 277mm wide, but that describes the maximum size that can be installed without completely blocking cable cutouts. Realistically, if you want to install anything even slightly larger than ATX, you should be looking at the Meshify 3 XL instead. Even with a normal ATX board, we shifted the cable bar all the way forward to leave space for the 24-pin power cable.As a finer detail point, we’re happy to see that Fractal has finally compromised by adding screw holes to the plastic tabs on the side panels. If you want to add some extra security while moving your case, you can put screws through the tabs to lock them down.The fans and LEDs are complicated and confusing, so that’ll require a whole section -- but we’ll get into the thermal testing first.Meshify 3 Ambience Pro RGB Thermals Grab a GN15 Large Anti-Static Modmat to celebrate our 15th Anniversary and for a high-quality PC building work surface. The Modmat features useful PC building diagrams and is anti-static conductive. Purchases directly fund our work! (or consider a direct donation or a Patreon contribution!)Fractal's review guide claims that the RGB fans are quieter, lower CFM, but higher static pressure (at max speed) than the non-RGB versions of the same fans. Our thermal results with the stock fans are representative of the RGB case SKUs, though any major physical reasons for performance would still be reflected. The standardized fan test is representative of the Meshify 3 in general.For reasons we’ll explain in the fan control section, we had no way to skip the fan hub and connect the fans directly to the motherboard as we usually would for testing. We validated that the fans reached their rated max speed of 1,800RPM +/- 10% with a laser tachometer. However, the tach signal sent back by the Fractal Adjust Pro hub doesn't line up with standard 4-pole fan behavior: HWiNFO misreports 2295 RPM when the fans are really spinning at just over 1,800 RPM in reality. Fractal's software accounts for this and reports RPM accurately.As for comparison cases, we’ll mostly focus on the Antec C8 ARGB (read our review) and Antec Flux Pro (read our review) as close matches. The closest match in appearance and function may be Fractal's own Torrent Compact RGB. We haven't added the Torrent Compact back to our charts since our testing overhaul, but in our review, it performed similarly to the larger original Torrent. That is in our charts, so we can use that as a rough equivalent.We have plenty of other cases on the charts for your own comparisons. Let’s get into the data.CPU Full Load Thermals - Noise-NormalizedWe’ll start with noise-normalized thermals. We use our hemi-anechoic chamber that we spent $250,000 building for validating the noise levels, which allows us to heavily control the noise floor and get super accurate capture.This is the chart. The Fractal Meshify 3 dominates here, planting itself as the new chart leader and within error of the prior leaders. The Meshify 3's all-core average of 40 degrees Celsius over ambient and 44 degrees for the P-cores is significantly better than previous efforts from the Meshify 2 Compact (watch our review) at 48 degrees average and the Meshify C at 54. Those two cases shared a basic design. The Meshify 3 is more of a departure; Fractal has added an airflow guide to the bottom of the case, the stock fans are higher performance, and all three stock fans are installed in the front of the case. That's an arrangement that's worked well for CPU cooling in the North XL (read our review) and Torrent using our test bench, and evidently it works extremely well in the Meshify 3, which is now the coolest case on the chart. The Torrent was a little warmer than the Meshify 3 at 42 degrees above ambient, while the Meshify 3 is instead tied with the previous best results from the Lian Li Lancool 216 (watch our review) and Lancool 207 (read our review). The Antec Flux Pro is a case that Fractal is likely specifically targeting for competition and, like the Lian Li cases, it's within one degree of the Meshify 3. This test is a weak point for the Antec C8 ARGB, which averaged 50 degrees due to its bottom intake layout.GPU Full Load Thermals - Noise-NormalizedHere’s the chart for GPU thermals when noise-normalized.GPU cooling performance in the Meshify 3 was also strong. The equivalent cases from the previous Meshify generations didn't have particularly strong stock performance, with the Meshify 2 Compact averaging 52 degrees above ambient for the GPU and the Meshify C averaging 57. This is still noise-normalized, so it's not purely a matter of more powerful fans in the Meshify 3, which averaged 43 degrees for the GPU and 46 for the GPU memory. Judging by the performance of the North XL and the Torrent here, it seems possible that the Meshify 3's air guide actually does do something. The North XL and its conventional (although ventilated) full-length PSU shroud averaged 44-45 degrees for the GPU depending on the chosen side panel, while the Torrent with its top-mounted PSU and complete lack of a shroud at the bottom of the case averaged 40 degrees. The Meshify 3 with its shroud and air guide averaged 43 degrees, right in the middle. There are more variables at work here, though, so we need another test to know for sure.As for the other highlighted competitors, the Antec C8 ARGB averaged 42 degrees and the Flux Pro averaged 41. Technically they both beat the Meshify 3's 43 degree average, but they're all among the best performing results on this chart.GPU Full Load Thermals - Full SpeedAs part of our full speed testing, we ran a test pass with a cardboard box extension taped onto the end of the PSU shroud to bring it up flush with the front intake fans. This test is at full speed case fans and controlled CPU and GPU fans.Without this extension, the GPU in the Meshify 3 averaged 41 degrees above ambient versus 45 degrees with it. That's a significant increase with the extension, and it shows that it made sense to shorten the shroud and angle it up like a skate ramp. Adding the extension also raised noise levels from a baseline of 37.5 dBA to 38.7 dBA, which we can only really confidently state is a real difference because of our investments in the hemi-anechoic chamber and our test equipment. This is a real change. Although hardly a detectable difference to the human ear, it is a real one and some people might notice it. Fractal’s new shroud design is superior to a square-edge one both thermally and acoustically.Since we've already seen that the Meshify 3 outperforms its predecessors when noise-normalized, it's no surprise at all that it outperforms them when its 1,800 RPM stock fans are maxed out. 37.5 dBA for the Meshify 3 is definitely louder than the 31-32 dBA levels from the Meshify C and Meshify 2 Compact, but thermal performance isn't even close, with the Meshify C only able to maintain GPU temperatures at 56 degrees above ambient. The C8 ARGB tied the Meshify 3's GPU temperature in this test, which is impressive for the Meshify 3 given that the C8 ARGB has bottom intake fans pointed directly into the GPU. The stock Flux Pro and Torrent remain chart toppers at 38 degrees and 39 degrees respectively thanks to their overkill stock fans; this is also evident from the noise levels, with the Torrent's powerful fans pushing it to a maximum of 42.3 dBA to the stock Meshify 3's 37.5 dBA.GPU Full Load Thermals - Standardized FansStandardized fan testing is next.All of the Meshify 3 SKUs ship with fans, so we're just going to use the standardized fan test as an opportunity to compare directly against the previous Meshify generations when they have the same loadout. The Meshify 3 has three defined 140mm fan mounting locations at the front, so rather than sticking our two 140mm intake fans somewhere in the middle, we were forced to pick either the upper two slots or the lower two.The Meshify C and Meshify 2 Compact both had GPU averages of 47 degrees above ambient, while the Meshify 3 literally bookended the chart at 41 degrees with the fans in the lower slots and 53 degrees in the upper ones. If you alter the stock fan configuration, be sure to at least keep one fan in the bottom slot at the front of the case.CPU Full Load Thermals - Standardized FansOn to CPU thermals while using standardized fans: There wasn't much difference in CPU thermals between the upper and lower slot tests; although the upper slot technically did better with an all-core average of 39 degrees, the lower slot arrangement is preferable due to the GPU thermals we just discussed. The Meshify C and Meshify 2 Compact tied at 41 degrees all-core, not that far from the Meshify 3's 40 degree average.VRM & RAM Full Load Thermals - Noise-NormalizedReturning to the noise-normalized results, the Meshify 3 tied the Flux Pro for the best VRM temperature on the chart at 27 degrees above ambient. That's significantly better than its predecessors at 35 degrees for the Meshify 2 Compact and 39 for the Meshify C. The Torrent averaged 29 degrees and the C8 ARGB with its bottom intake layout averaged 33. The ventilated case roof and airflow definitely help here.The SPD hub (or the RAM temperature average) was better, with the Meshify 3's average of 20 degrees above ambient beating all other stock case results on the chart. The Torrent at 21 degrees and Flux Pro at 22 were also high performers, while the C8 ARGB's more GPU-focused cooling left it with a warmer 24 degree average.Fans and LEDsAnd now we’re back to the topic of fans and LEDs.The Momentum RGB fans connect through daisy-chained USB Type-C connectors. Fractal describes the connector as "Proprietary USB-C," meaning that the connectors are just USB-shaped out of convenience; the fans are NOT USB devices. This part confused us, so here's a breakdown:The regular Meshify 3's fans use regular 4-pin PWM fan connectorsThe Meshify 3 RGB's fans use Fractal proprietary connectors, but they're pre-routed with an adapter that terminates in a regular 4-pin fan connector and a 3-pin ARGB connector, so the fans can be connected to a normal motherboard out-of-the-boxThe Meshify 3 Ambience Pro RGB has the same fans as the other RGB SKU, but they're pre-routed to Fractal's Adjust Pro hub. A "legacy splitter" cable is included for OUTput so that regular ARGB devices can be daisy-chained onto Fractal's devices, but the INput adapter cable from the Meshify 3 RGB is not included. In other words, if you get the Ambience Pro RGB, you're using the hub (or waiting for Fractal to sell an adapter cable separately)The Adjust Pro Hub can be controlled through a web tool or Microsoft's Dynamic Lighting feature. Fractal can get away with using a simple web app because the Pro Hub is just a USB device, so it doesn't need low-level access to control the motherboard's fan and RGB headers. There’s no launch-on-startup bloatware and the settings are saved locally to the hub. Currently, the app claims to be fully compatible with Chrome, Opera, and Edge (but not Firefox). A sustained internet connection isn't required for this. We were glad to see Dynamic Lighting compatibility, even if it's not perfect. For instance, if you enable Dynamic Lighting, it breaks Fractal's tool, and if you haven't activated Windows then you can't disable Dynamic Lighting without editing the registry.Fractal's software has a selection of prefab lighting patterns to show off the gen 2 lighting, but the default Northern Lights pattern may be our favorite. The indirect lighting around the edges of the front panel and across the PSU shroud are mostly striking in a dark room. It's unfortunate that such a big part of the case's appeal is limited to the $220 version.Meshify 3 Ambience Pro RGB Conclusion Visit our Patreon page to contribute a few dollars toward this website's operation (or consider a direct donation or buying something from our GN Store!) Additionally, when you purchase through links to retailers on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.We like the Meshify 3 overall, but we're torn on several points. As an immediate positive, as reviewers who don’t normally comment a whole lot about looks, we do think they did well to pull off the LEDs and front panel on the Meshify 3. Fractal has consistently done well to execute on this style.As for the more difficult points: First off, the Meshify C launched at $90 and the Meshify 2 Compact at $110. Those weren't the lowest prices in context. The Meshify C, however, was on the affordable end of the scale even for that time. Given that Fractal picked the Meshify 3 MSRPs well before the new tariffs, we believe there's a good chance they'll go up. The Meshify 3 isn't in the medium-budget tier you might assume based on the history of the series. If you're looking for cases in that vein, Lian Li has options like the Lancool 217 (watch our coverage), while Antec has some equivalents to the Meshify 3 RGB like the C8 ARGB and Flux Pro.That's not to say that the Meshify 3 isn't worth the money, just that it’s embattled on all sides. There are a lot of options in this price category, which is good for consumers. The build quality is on par with what we expect from Fractal based on the last few years' worth of cases like the North (watch our review) and Torrent. It’s built well. Thermal performance was extremely good, and although the specs are different for the non-RGB fans as we've explained, we can assume that the performance is also extremely good for the non-RGB case variants. Based on that, the $140 and $160 options are the most competitive.As for the $220 Ambience Pro RGB, it's basically a $60-$80 upcharge for lighting, but we really like that lighting. That is, however, a big price jump. If you're considering the Ambience Pro RGB with the extra cost for the lighting, you should be comparing it to other flagship showy cases like the HAVN HS420 (read our review) or HYTE Y70 (read our review) (if you can buy one as they can be difficult to find in the US due to the tariffs). You should also look through Fractal's documentation carefully to make sure you like the RGB ecosystem of software and connectors before you commit.You can check out the competition like the Flux Pro, C8, and Corsair’s FRAME 4000D (read our review). We have more reviews coming up, but overall, we like Fractal’s new case.