Fractal Design Define R3: A Fan Favorite Keeps the Noise Down
by Dustin Sklavos on November 11, 2011 1:22 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- Fractal Design
Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock
My frame of reference for the Fractal Design Define R3's internal design may be Corsair's line, but for performance I'm actually more interested in seeing how it compares against Antec's elegantly silent Solo II and NZXT's 90%-of-the-way-there H2. The Solo II may have run hot, but it was also the quietest case we'd tested. Meanwhile, NZXT's enclosure suffered from the design flaw of having no real ventilation for the intake fans to pull air through. That was a concern I had with the R3, but the ventilation is definitely there.
Thermally the R3 isn't as big a winner as we'd really like, but it beats the Solo II and H2, and given its intended purpose a middle-of-the-road thermal performance isn't bad at all. And as I've mentioned before, if you're willing to sacrifice a little silence for more performance, there are plenty of ways to go about doing so.
The R3 winds up ranking among our quietest enclosures tested at both idle and load, beating NZXT's H2 and trading blows with the Antec Solo II while delivering superior thermal performance. If nothing else, Fractal Design has achieved a nice balance here and easily steals the show from the equivalently priced H2.
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ven - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
If anybody wants ever more silent PC take a look at the CM silencio 550.Great look i was stunned by the mirror finish front panel of that case(yes of course that means more prone to scratches and finger prints).Only thing it lacks the R3 is by the fan count but that is not the problem for those who need a Ultimate silent PC if anybody decided there preference is silence then silencio will be a great option.And for those who has trade-of between silence and performance go for the R3.They both have same price range(95-110$)
piroroadkill - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
Good call. Looks nice, and has a removable cage too, if you want a massive card.ven - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
Yes, that's a nice option i like the silencio especially for that.And also silhouetted holes at rear of the case for water cooling making this case a solution for small,silent gaming ring.Dustin, check this case immediately it's a great competitor for R3.
For more information:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/cooler-master-silenc...
Peskarik - Saturday, November 12, 2011 - link
I looked at this case when I was choosing, also at Thermaltake Element S.Silencio does not have enough cooling expansion capacity.
ven - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
sorry not front panel the front door i meant to refer.geniekid - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
SPCR.com gives the nod to the R3 and the H2 over the Silencio, but it does note that the Silencio is cheaper than both (about $70 vs $100).http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1210-page8.ht...
I certainly wouldn't mind AT reviewing it though :)
Dustin Sklavos - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
Cooler Master stuff is a bit harder to get in and honestly I wasn't impressed with the Silencio 550 when iBuyPower used it for their workstation, since it utterly failed to dampen hard drive noise.Peskarik - Saturday, November 12, 2011 - link
What about Thermaltake Element S? Especially the version with side fan?XiZeL - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
Would a corsair H100 Fit well in this and would perform well?thinking about this case with a i5.2500k with reference 6950(blowing air out)
slacr - Friday, November 11, 2011 - link
Fit, sortof.Fit well, no. I originally wanted to place a 2*120mm radiator in the roof of my case, but the top cutouts are 2*140 with fan mount holes for 120 in the middle of them. This results in a spacing between the two 120mm mounts being too far apart for standard radiator hole spacing. Trying to use a 2*140 radiator will place it too close to the motherboard. So in order to fit it properly in this case you have to make modifications.
They did adress the watercooling/H100 issue with a different case, the Arc, see link here: http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&pr...
I don't have any experience with that case though.