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Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White Silent ATX Mid Tower Case

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#1 ·
Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White Silent ATX Mid Tower Case

Description:
The Define R4 is the latest in the Define series of silent computer cases. Building upon the award -winning foundation of the Define R3, the R4 retains minimalistic yet elegant styling with extraordinary performance, noise reduction features (including ModuVent), premium build quality and unparalleled value in this price range while adding a suite of innovative new features. The Define R4 offers support for multi-radiator liquid cooling, an integrated fan controller behind the front panel as well as the ability to discretely mount up to two SSD's behind the motherboard plate, effectively mitigating visible cable clutter. This mid-tower case is a great choice for everything from gaming/enthusiast systems to silent home theater and corporate applications.

Details:
DetailValue
BindingPersonal Computers
BrandFractal Design
EAN0817301011037
FeatureWindowed side panel allows you to show off your gear
Pre-fitted with dense noise absorbing material
Top fan positions now allow slim 240/280mm radiators to be mounted
Two SSDs can be installed on the back of the motherboard plate
Top HDD cage (5 HDD) can be rotated 90 degrees or removed for additional airflow
A wider case body allows for much improved cable routing capability behind the motherboard, now 26 mm (8mm wider)
Fan controller is integrated in the front panel and supports up to 3 fans
Select slim radiators can be mounted in front fan holder (requires the bottom HDD cage to change position)
LabelFractal Design
ManufacturerFractal Design
ModelFD-CA-DEF-R4-WH-W
MPNFD-CA-DEF-R4-WH-W
PublisherFractal Design
StudioFractal Design
TitleFractal Design Define R4 Cases, Arctic White (FD-CA-DEF-R4-WH-W)
UPC817301011037
ColorArctic white
CatalogNumberList - CatalogNumberListElementFDCADEFR4WHW
Item Height18.3 inches
Item Length20.6 inches
Item Width9.1 inches
NumberOfItems1
Package Height12.6 inches
Package Length25.6 inches
Package Weight32.95 pounds
Package Width21.3 inches
PackageQuantity1
PartNumberFD-CA-DEF-R4-WH-W
ProductGroupPersonal Computer
ProductTypeNameSYSTEM_CABINET
UPCList - UPCListElement817301011037
Item Weight27 pounds
 

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#2 ·
Elite Mid Tower ATX Case

review by azanimefan

Ok, well i've had my eye on the Define R4 for over a year now, with the R5 coming out recently i was able to snag one up from walmart for $79.99 with free in store pickup. I am coming from another ATX Mid Tower in the old Antec 902. The 902 i've reviewed in the past an is a case i had a lot of respect for. It wasn't built for what i put in it, and it was showing it's age, so i figured when the R4 came up for sale to take a flier on it. I have to say i'm impressed on every level with this case.

-The airflow is fantastic. I live in Phoenix AZ. Good airflow is vital for me, especially in the summer. My 902 was great at moving air, i went a whole summer with an overclocked phenom II x4 965be at 3.7ghz without AC. Sure i stuck a bunch of fans into the case suspended with dentleflass to make it work, but it was a veritable windtunnel. That said this case has it beat. temps dropped 5C across the board with the move into the r4. Which surprised me. I was certain temps would go up, not down. But it seems the superior cable management and better fan placement makes a lot of difference in eliminating hot spots on the motherboard. In the 902 i had a 120mm fan positioned over the VRMs on my sabertooth to keep board temps down. In the r4 temps on the VRMs are lower and there are no fans over them.

the hard drive bays can twist 90 degrees to aid airflow as well, here is a picture showing you.



-plenty of space. You can remove the hard drive bays if you want to give you more space, I don't want to, or need to. The nice thing about the drive bays is they're all hot swap style, and facing the side of the case you'd access them from. It's a nice touch. here is the type of space i have inside my case, it's not like i have small parts either.



here is a look at the drive bays



it's not easy to tell in the photos but i have an h100 installed in this case. This case could actually fit a h110.



this case has space for up to 6 fans (if you don't have the windowed case you can get an 7th), it has a fan controller on the front panel that can control 3 fans. I have it wired to my rear exhaust fan and two front intakes, my bottom intake is wired to the motherboard. the fan controller is inside the front panel, to the top right of this picture, to the right and above the dvd player. It allows 5v 7v and 12v operation. I've found 7V is plenty, the fans are pretty much dead quiet at that speed and air moves well in the case



now onto my least favorite part of this case. The fans. Fractal Design made everything about this class high end. Except for the fans. I purchased 2 more to match the 2 that came with the case before i got the case. and immediately regretted the purchase of the other two. The Silent Series R2 case fans don't move a lot of air... worse once they get up around 800 rp they become "audible" and by the time they hit their top speed of 1000-1100 rpm they sound quite loud. Which makes me wonder why even put a 12V option on the front panel case switch if these fans will be so obnoxiously loud at that speed. It defeats the purpose of a "silent" case to stick sorta obnoxiously loud and POOR case fans into it.

After xmas sometime i'll be replacing these fans with something better

now then some conclusions. This is an excellent case for both closed loop water and big air. the internal airflow is excellent it's very roomy for a "mid tower case" the build quality is out of this world, as is the rigidity of the construction. this is a stout case with plenty of noise reducing materials and sound dampening efforts shoved into this case. That said it's not without a flaw. the fans it comes with are poor, no where near the quality of the rest of the case.

Overall you can't go wrong with this case

ProsCons
High quality, quiet, fantastic airflow, lots of room, lots of build options, affordablethe fans

Ratings
Overall5
 
#3 ·
Elite Mid Tower ATX Case

review by azanimefan
Looks like you saved $35-40 bucks. Way to go! I looked at a review of this on Amazon by a pro guy w/ 6 builds under his belt and he loved it. You prob. saw it, but check it out if not; good, long review. I just bought a Corsair (Arctic White) Carbide Air 540 Cube-seems to have many functional things in common. You got me on the price though. Enjoy yr Fractal R4!
 
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