









Limited time offer, ends 07/09 By Tcvnd
Make informed decisions with expert advice. Learn More
The Fractal Design Define R5 is the next evolution in the widely popular Define Series. Packed with Inteligently designed enthusiast-oriented features delivering a silent case with powerful and expansive air and liquid cooling support, presented in a stunning Scandinavian inspired construction.
The Define R5 case reaches the hightest level of silent computing through strategically placed dense sound-absorbing material, ModuVent™ fan vent covers and finely tuned Dynamic Series fans.
The Define R5 was designed with configurability in mind, accommodating up to 8 hard drives and all modem graphics card. Should you wish to expand your system with water cooling components or more fans the layout can easily be configured to meet your demand.
Optimally designed for silent computing with high density noise-reducing material throughout the case for maximum sound absorption, while not compromising on air-flow and cooling capabilities.
The ODD cage can easily be removed to gain additional interior space; the area can be freed up to allow for increased airflow, to provide a new place for HDD cage mounting or to make more room for water cooling components.
Maintaining a dust-free interior with the help of dust filters that cover front and bottom air intakes that are easy to access from the front on the case.
The ModuVent feature has been revamped for the Define R5. ModuVent™ fan slot covers allow the user to Install more fans if desired or keep fan slots covered for maximum sound absorption. New to the ModuVent plates found in the R5 is the tool less design feature, and a solid, fluid look on the outside of the ModuVent plate. The 3 ModuVents on the top of the case can be removed one by one and are wider than ever in order to accommodate space for water-cooling should you wish to go that route.
Highlighting 2 dedicated SSD mounts cleanly placed behind the motherboard tray that feature innovative new brackets delivering a tool-free installation and removal.
The new and innovative Quick Release System on the left side of the case provides secure mounting of the left side panel, yet grants quick and easy access to the system.
Newly configured front door offers dual side mounting to better fit your work space and now features the same dense xound absorption material as found on the sides of the case for maximum silent computing.
The R5 can house radiators up to 420mm in the top, 360mm in the front, as well as radiators up to 240mm and 140mm in the bottom and rear positions, repectively. And now with 9 fan slots in total, it has never been easier to keep your system as cool and silent at the same time.
Pros: Minimalistic design Roomy interior Heavy steel panels (if you like that sort of thing) Deadly silent fans. I find these fans more quiet than premium fans. For them to be included as case fans is crazy awesome. I'd buy these fans separately any day. Removeable fan filter for the bottom of the case is well designed and easy to remove and insert without warping. A heck of a lot of fan and radiator mounting options. As interior radiator mounting goes, this case has the most options I've seen. The front door can open to the left or right and switching the sides on which it hinges is rather painless and simple. Cable management is a breeze with this case thanks in part to the built in velcro straps
Cons: This case is lauded as a nearly "silent" case but I seriously question anyone who says that. Because it's not. Not by a long shot. Not if you actually use it to its fullest potential. The fans are nearly silent, yes, but this case has SERIOUS vibration and noise amplification issues. All my HDDs are modern and normally quiet (being either NAS or Black drives) in any case I've tested but in this case they are banshees. You can pick your poison in two ways: Remove the top ODD cage and put the main HDD cage there and the vibration will be a rattle due to the fact that the HDD cage isn't secure. Only one out of two screws can mount and the cage basically hangs there. Leave the cages as stock and you'll have one heck of a very loud, deep vibration noise because all the cages interlock (which is also INCREDIBLY annoying when you want to remove a cage because to remove one you need to remove them all). I find this to be an extremely critical flaw since outside of using more than one graphics card or expansion cards the entire point to having a large case is because you plan on having a lot of drives... So, it's rather curious of Fractal Design to be so thoughtless in designing the HDD cages. The other problem is that if you do have a fan that has an audible audio signature it will be amplified in this case. My PSU fan, which was quiet in any other case, is the loudest fan now. (Both my CPU and GPU heatsinks are massive and passive) Which I find curious since I figured that since the PSU mount in the case has decent spacers that this would be useful in dampening of sound since it can breathe better. While I don't fault this case for making my PSU fan audible I do fault it for how it amplifies it. The included fan controller is also pretty bad. You have three settings with nothing in between and you can't turn them off. You have far more control just hooking up the fans to your motherboard. Which basically negates the purpose of a useful fan controller since even on medium it turns the normally quiet fans into loud, obnoxious fans. The "sound dampening material" does nothing but weigh the panels down and add costs. Purely a marketing gimmick.
Overall Review: Continued CONS list (the first time I ran out of space for cons here...) The top and side fan covers are easily the dumbest covers I've come across on a "premium" case. The top ones clip in and the side panel one screws in... Which seems ok enough until you realize that some people don't always want a one and done situation. Some have their auxiliary fans off/disconnected for most of the time and only use them when they need to. So, it's hard enough removing them without a fan attached but with a fan attached? Good luck. Almost every other premium case uses clips that can be removed from outside the case (while still looking flush) or a simple push to open mechanism. In this case you have to pinch the tabs from the inside and if your case is loaded when you need to do this it becomes even more annoying. Then, from a purely aesthetic point of view, these covers are hideous and truly stick out in normal lighting. They look like the plastic they are and while the finish is ALMOST THERE to that of the metal paint job on the rest of the case, it isn't and it sticks out like a sore thumb. The paint job on the entire case is also extremely susceptible to smudges and marring. My side panel came slightly warped in the top back corner. This makes it truly annoying to mount it back flush whenever I access it. What was supposed to be a hassle-free design now becomes a major headache due to minor warping. At the end of the day you have a mid tier case masquerading as a premium case, which at first blush seems valid. But then every little detail comes out and this case becomes a small nightmare the more you use it. This is also the first case that I truly wish I could return considering the money I paid for it. I know this review will be mindlessly down-voted simply because fans don't want to hear anything negative and others might think I'm being too critical but these are the facts about this case and a case is only supposed to do so much, it's not exactly complex. The more you use this case, the more flaws come out. Almost any case can be silent if you use the supplied case fans from this case (which are truly awesome) and only have one mechanical HDD, if that, in it. This case presented itself as a silent case for power users, or at the very least a quieter case, and it is anything but that.