Fractal Design Define R4 Titanium Grey Silent ATX Mid Tower Case

Pros: This is a solid, well built case. Noise reduction is very good, ease of build also very good. I'm having no heat problems at all.

Cons: Power switch and USB ports are on the top of the case. I have 3 different R4 cases right now. One (XL) would fit under my desk completely, except that I would have difficulty inserting and removing flash drives. To get at those, I need to leave the case projecting a little. The other cases are beside desks. Our cats, when jumping up, hit the power switches with uncanny accuracy. Being cats they're probably delighted with this, but it does provoke expressions of rage from the computer users as their machines shut off in the middle of things. The power switches need only a very light touch. I've also found that the upwards facing USB ports collect cat vomit and dust quite well, requiring careful cleaning. I prefer forward facing switches and ports, preferably near the top where I can get at them easily. Few quiet cases seem to be designed that way.

Pros: This case is made of high quality materials, so its very sturdy. It is quite heavy, however (see Cons).

It is also extremely quiet (the quietest I have ever seen). Noise was a big factor for me because I have accidentally built obnoxiously loud PC's before that got my girlfriend quiet angry. Even with a latest-gen cpu/gpu the pc is very quiet.

The case is also well-labelled and marked. The screws come in separate bags depending on their function.

Finally, it is great that you can take out or put in extra parts easily. I had no need for the extra HD carrier so I took it out of the case to create more room.

Cons: The case is expensive. You can get something much cheaper. So this is a high-benefit, high-cost case. The price is worth it if noise is an important factor for you.

The case is heavy. This will be a pain to move from apartment to apartment or home to home. The shipping weight of the case + all the components inside is roughly 50 pounds.

The case is also fairly big. This is not a sleek-looking or easily hideable case. It is more android than iphone: big and powerful rather than sleek and lightweight.

Pros: High quality (heavy) construction. Enclosed case with good sound dampening, no mesh. Included fan covers with dampening to close off unused fans (like the bottom when on a rug). Plenty of fan/ cooling options. Air filters. 140mm front fans click in and install/ remove quickly. Center removable HD cage. Very good cable management if that matters to you. Impressed with included fans, move more air than the aftermarket Xigmatek ones I bought. Adjustable front switch fan speed control is great to quiet down when not gaming. Gaming temperatures are very good with 5 fans installed. Hard drive, fan and PSU rubber vibration buffers. Plenty of hardware. All HDD bays fit SSD’s.

Cons: Major components did not fit well into this case; mobo has blocked usb slots since it didn’t line up, video card- I had to bend the bracket to fit in PCI screw and power supply also did not line up well. Dust filters are not very “fine.” Air flow seems improved with front door open. Additional vertical PCI type slot for adjustable fan knob is too deep and I can barely turn the knob. Ridiculously wide.

Other Thoughts: Only the front door is silver for this case option, why not the whole case? Who actually needs eight hard drives?

Pros: Quiet, cool, sleek design, plenty of room.

Cons: A bit wide and heavy, but I knew that when I bought it.

Other Thoughts: My wife liked mine so much she asked for one for her computer!

Pros: Nice cable management. Plenty of room for all your cabling and the HDD rack, while not tool-less, is still great with you have multiple systems with these rails. Swapping drives around is a breeze.

Cons: Will kill your motherboard if you use the case fan controller. Front door is not easily removed, and needs to be open for air flow. Should have come with a top case fine like some of their other models.

Other Thoughts: Case is good. The three eggs off because the fan controller is a complete joke, and it suddenly died without warning. There was no way to tell, and by the time I discovered the issue it was too late... after several crashes that I attributed to a HDD that needed replacing I discovered the real reason. Massive heat build up destroying the main board. Hopefully the bulldozer survived the torture.

DO NOT USE THE FAN CONTROLLER WITH THESE CASES.

Pros: I was really impressed with this case. the build quality is excellent. Cable management is made easy by ample space behind the MB tray and plenty of tie down points.

Cons: this is specific to silverstone fhp-141 but the top fan mounts dont quite line up due to the 120mm mounting points not being centered

Other Thoughts: make sure you use the little install tool for the MB standoffs, I didnt find it till afterthefact.

Pros: The design is simple but beautiful. VERY spacious and sturdy. Weighs ~26lbs empty, so you know it's quality.

Cons: I had done a lot of searching before buying this case and must have mixed up a few features between different cases. The R4 does not have the external grommets on the back that the R3 did. Don't know if that will affect anything for me in the future, just surprised me as I assumed it would have them.

Other Thoughts: This is the first part of my *piece together as I have the money* build so I have not fully tested its capacity. Threw the guts from an old hp pavilion in just to test that the fans and buttons, lights, usb, etc. on the top worked, and it all checked out!

Pros: I bought this case in Black Pearl and would recommend it to anyone looking for a mid-tower case. The case it sleek, very well made and has a ton of room for parts. The included fans are near-silent at 5V and 7V (I have to put my ear next to them to hear it) and at 12V it's all the air they move that makes the most sound.

Cons: The screw holes on a Seasonic SS-660XP would not align with those on the case because the rivets on the back under the PSU mounting point where taller than the case stand-offs for the PSU. The back of the PSU would rest on these rivets and it would get pushed up enough that I could not get the screws for securing the PSU in. I had to cut the rivets to get the PSU to fit which was quite hard because of the rivet's location in the case.

The SSD mounting points behind the motherboard required the MB to be removed to use.

Other Thoughts: Other than my installing my Seasonic this case is of VERY high quality. No one front panel LED (either power or HDD activity) Also the power button feels great to press.

Pros: Very Quiet (for 6 140mm fans running)
Solid Construction
No Blood loss from sharp edges
Good Wire management
Fan filters all around
Great Airflow
Quiet supplied fans
Small but can fit just about anything in it by rearranging the 3.5 drive bays

Cons: Only 2 5.25 drive bays
Front end can be confusing when installing fans.

Other Thoughts: Can't say enough about this case. Its very well built with sound deadening on all panels. All I can hear is the whoosh of air from my 6 fans while the computer is running. The fans I installed were Cougar 140mm and Phanteks 140mm fans and I used the stock case fans as well. You can feel the airflow quite well.

System:
p5q pro mono
q9300 quad OC 3.3ghz (2.5 stock)
55c idle 65c load.
ATI 4850 512MB
4Gb Corsair Dominator RAM
Seasonic 660 platinum

Pros: Solidly built case with heavy gauge aluminum and sound dampening built in. Comes with the tool you need to screw the motherboard pegs in. Also a couple of extra zip ties.

Cons: Only 2 fans. Heavy.

Other Thoughts: The plastic piece that holds the front fan in was loose and rattled a bit. Since I was putting in another fan there I removed the hard drive cages and discovered it has popped out of place. It was simple to put it back into place. It seems a little loose still but it doesn't rattle or make noise.