Question 1

Does this come with fans?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the fractal case comes with 2 fans that are virtually silent when operated normal speeds. Even with sides off I can barely hear them. It is an excellent case in build quality and features. I added a third Fractal fan in the front to ensure extra cool air intake because I am doing a modest amount of overclocking. It is a great buy.

Question 2

Can I not connect the blue LED light and still have power/ functionality in the front of the case? I hate super bright LEDs (especially blue).

Accepted Answer

The wires to the front panel are all individual (and labeled), so if you just don't connect the LED, it will not light, and all other connections can still be made.  I have it hooked up as power, and you are right, it is blue, and it is bright.

Question 3

I really like the clever totally groovy SSD mounting points on the back of the CPU plate!

But then I started thinking...  wouldn't there be like absolutely ZERO airflow back there?

Is lack of airflow a problem?  Or do SSDs simply run so cool that it doesn't matter?

I have never owned an SSD before but if I buy this R4 case then I will buy one of those popular, large Samsung SSD drives to mount in that secret spot.  Please keep in mind it will be my C: drive and will be running 24 hours a day 365 days a year.   The computer will idle 12 hours a day and the other 12 hours will see normal use web browsing, compiling, etc.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Accepted Answer

Hi James,
   You are correct that there is likely limited airflow in this location.  I have a Samsung ssd as main drive, but have it in one of the regular HDD bays.  I think they run so cool that it is not really an issue, and there may be a little flow from the front fan.  Nothing else back there to make much heat.  Only worry would be vibration (CPU/GPU fans), but since ssd is not mechanical likely not a huge issue and the case is pretty stout so would not worry about too much transfer.  I would say if you need to put it there than it should not be a problem.  However, I prefer to have it right up front next to the case fan just in case.  If I find a way to fill all the regular HDD bays, then I will transfer it to the back.  FYI, I have all stock fans (including CPU i3750/GPU HD7950) and no extra case fans slots still covered and do not have temp problems.  Case is still quite-I actually bought a second I use for an HTPC! Only note, make sure to get SATA cables with 2 flat ends.  SSD will sit flat and 90 degree connectors on SSD or MOBO will be a little tight.  If that is the worst thing to worry about...

Best of luck, a great case and ssd is awesome!

Question 4

Is the front panel cover also made of metal, or is it just plastic with a brushed metal effect?

Accepted Answer

It is plastic, but very sturdy and it looks good.  It is also 1/2 inch insulated inside, and solid.  The vents are just past the front panel on each side of the case.
THis is my second R4 case.  Only complaint is no handle grab in front, and whole front section (about 1.5 inches) which is plastic can come off if lifted from front edge of bottom.  If not moved around much, no problem.  I installed 6 Noctua 140mm case fans plus a 140mm Noctua cpu cooler + fan.  runs at low rpms, everything is very quiet and very cool temp ( i7CPU @ 74F). using 2 Zotac passive graphics cards (83F) to run 4 monitors.

Question 5

Can the front door be mounted on either right or left side?

Accepted Answer

Facing the computer front, the door is hinged on the left.  The machine should therefore sit on the left side of your workplace.

I removed my door. I can see no functional purpose for it. I am less concerned about appearance than functionality, and the door was just something to get in my way when it's open.  I'm not a neatnik, so I don't care much about appearances.

The two hinge pivots are part of the front panel (not the cover) and project out to the edge of the front panel, which is recessed about a half inch from its edge (the edge is what contacts the door so "seal" it).  They could be easily removed.

But- without the door, the case will not really look "finished" to some.

I really like this case. It's well made with some attention paid to details.  And it's inexpensive for what it is.  It's large enough to hold several 3-1/2" drives and a couple of SSD's mounted to the 3-1/2" removable drive trays. The back plane is such that you can hide a lot of excess wiring behind it.  And - it's rectangular with flat surfaces, not some flashy screwball shape.  So it's easy to mount a liquid CPU cooler radiator in several places.

I have my (single fan) radiator on the back.  I cut away the mesh grill on the back so the radiator airflow is now unimpeded.  I use the front fans to blow air out.  I have four 140 mm quiet fans mounted on the removable side of the case that pressurize it and blow outside air directly on the motherboard and the hard drive bays (the drives are mounted with their ends facing sideways).

You asked for it!

The Fractal people sent me a minor missing part with no hassle at all!

Question 6

Will the Cooler master Hyper 212 Evo fit in this?

Accepted Answer

Yes, I have that installed on my mobo, it fits fine, and you'll still have room for the side fan if you wish to install one.

Question 7

does this include any internal fans?

Accepted Answer

It does include two fans in the front behind the door, and one in the back. Front sucks air in, back sucks air out. Has opening for roof mounted fans if wanted.

Question 8

How many extra fans can you add to this and what size? And what size fans and how many are already in it?

Accepted Answer

Hi Aidan S,

The fractal design R4 comes with two quiet 140mm black fans with white fan blades. The case can hold seven 140mm fans or 120mm fans if you wish. It has holes drilled for both. Two intake fans can be mounted in the front behind the front door and one intake fan on the bottom between the power supply and the hard drive cages. You can mount your PSU upside down and intake air from the bottom as there are cutouts for that. All the intake fan mounts have removable dust filters, including the PSU mount, but not the side door mount. You can mount one exhaust fan in the back and two on the top.

I would recommend using the two included fans as intake in the front and buy two more, one for the back exhaust and one for the bottom intake. This gives you a very strong positive pressure build, which cuts down on dust build up, as well as keeping your parts cool. To use a 140mm  fan on the bottom you must use a PSU that is less than 170mm in length. I would keep in mind that the included fan controller can only allocate three fans, so plan accordingly. With my fan setup I bought a Corsair h90 closed loop liquid cooler. I mounted the radiator on the rear exhaust with a Noctua NF-A14 140mm PWM fan controlled by the motherboard running at 800 rpm. My case fans, two in the front and one on the bottom, I have running at 5v with the included fan controller. With this set up my i7 4930k idles at around 21c - 32c and around 30c - 45c when gaming, even with a MSI Gaming N780 TF 3GD5/OC GTX 780 exhausting into the case. With the bottom fan in place my GPU idles at around 25c -27c and around 29c - 32c when gaming. My room temperature is 21c. Raising the RPM on the exhaust fan may lower temperatures more during gaming or heavy usage; however, I prefer a silent machine over optimal performance.

I hope this helps.

Question 9

Can this case fit a 12in video card?

Accepted Answer

I have a Gigabyte HD 7950 that is 11 1/2 inches long installed in mine.  
If you don't need the middle HDD rack (which is detachable), you could conceivably put in a card 13 or 14" long. I have never had a case with this much space. 
i put a Corsair H90 140 mm radiator & fan in the top. I don't know if you could get the double radiator 140mm fan model up there without a shoe horn, but a dual 120mm radiator would easily fit. 
I have 3 other 140mm fractal fans installed and combined with the three fans on the HD 7950 even under full load (my AMD FX-6300 is overclocked by Gigabyte software from 3.5 to 4.4 and never overheats) it is the quietest rig I have owned. The sound deadening material really works.
Also there is so much space for cable maintenance  behind the motherboard that you can easily hide your extra power cables (if you don't have a modular power supply).
I like this case so much I purchased a second ( the first is "black pearl", the second is "titanium grey"). I can't say much more for these cases than that.

Question 10

Are the fans daisy-chained? I only have one 4pin on my mobo.

Accepted Answer

they are not.  you'd need fan power "Y" splitters for that and i would only use 2 fans per motherboard header to be safe.  good luck!

Questions & Answers