Fractal Design Define R4 Case Review: Evolution, Not Revolution
by Dustin Sklavos on July 20, 2012 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- Fractal Design
Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock
For testing the Fractal Design Define R4, I made a decision that's probably going to seem a little controversial: I elected to remove the middle drive cage. My rationale is consistent with a decision I made when I decided to revise our testing methodology, which is to test cases the way they would most likely be assembled with our testbed. I suspect the R4's middle drive cage is going to be removed by the vast majority of users, as they simply won't need it when the case already supports two 2.5" drive mounts behind the motherboard tray and three drive trays in the bottom cage. So unless you have a great need to load up the R4 with drives, odds are that cage isn't staying in.
I also tested the case with all three fan settings to give an idea of how well the fan control works and what the ideal setting might be for most users. It's easy to forget, though, that if you need an extra kick of cooling performance it's very easy to just bump the R4 up to the 12V setting and then switch it back down when you're not running as heavy a load.
Ambient temperatures during testing hovered around ~24C.
At the risk of spoiling the rest of the review results, I will tell you the fan controller's 7V setting is easily the best balance between performance and acoustics. While all three settings are below 30dB, the 7V setting is virtually impossible to distinguish from the 5V. Our major competitor for the R4 is going to be the Corsair Obsidian 550D, but keep in mind the 550D is also at least $30 more expensive.
Fan speeds are all basically comparable and competitive with very little notable variation. What's interesting is the remarkably even spread between the three fan controller settings (keeping in mind that the CPU fan and GPU fan are governed not by the case fan controller but by the motherboard and graphics card respectively). It'll be interesting to see if this even spread remains consistent under our overclocked testing.
There are a couple of vital points to make here. First is that because our sound meter doesn't register below 30dB, the chart doesn't tell the whole story. Noise at idle between 5V and 7V fan controller settings is nigh indistinguishable, but the 12V setting does produce a noticeable increase. It's still very quiet, but there's a low-pitched whooshing that becomes audible.
The second point is something I've become very keen to point out whenever possible: running fans too low can actually result in higher noise levels than finding a more optimal fan speed might. When the case's cooling system isn't producing adequate airflow, the cooling on the graphics card and CPU has to pick up the slack, and that's how you wind up with test results where the middle fan setting is actually quieter than the low fan setting. This is something I've experienced even with my personal desktop, and it's absolutely worth keeping in mind on any build.
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piroroadkill - Monday, July 23, 2012 - link
Completely disgree on the door - I have a Fractal Design Define R3, and closing the (foam padded) door makes a HUGE difference to the noise you perceive from the front of the case. Using my phone and a ghetto app, we're talking a few decibels different.piroroadkill - Monday, July 23, 2012 - link
Just in case I wasn't clear, I mean I absolutely DO want the door. Cleans up the look, massively reduces noise.Grok42 - Sunday, August 12, 2012 - link
My current case has a door and it too reduces noise a lot. There isn't anything magically about putting a hinge on a solid panel that stops noise, it's the fact that it's a solid panel and no noise doesn't leak through the small openings around the bay ports.dj44 - Thursday, July 26, 2012 - link
After reading I may have missed this, but is there any mention of dust filters under the PSU and on the fan mount just in front of it? I can't remember if the R3 had these either. :PRegarding the top fan mounts, I must be one of the 5%ers as I love 'em - I currently have the CM Centurion 590, and use both top 140mm mounts at the top, theoretically, with good fans it should help with overclocking on air - heat will always rise more easily than go sideways.
dj44 - Thursday, July 26, 2012 - link
Apologies, I just went back through the pics and saw that a filter covers both.Another question though, would anyone be able to please tell me what the total wattage the fan controller can handle?
vanwazltoff - Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - link
no reviews emphasize that the bottom hard drive cage can be moved back to accommodate a 240mm rad in the front and that bottom cage can be moved anywhere in the case because it has the same bolt pattern as a 120mm fan. that is a substantial difference between the r3 and r4.I actually sent fractal a long email about how they can improve apon the r3 and they used 90% of the ideas I gave them, its nice to sea that a company that listens to its customers. one of the many ideas I sent was an option between windowed and non windows versions and a window upgrade kit for the r3
chloroprocaine - Sunday, August 5, 2012 - link
Great article, Dustin. Really helpful as I've been waiting for the R4 for quite some time now.Quick question, in your closing statement, you say:
"...while the Corsair 550D is a generally better performer, it also has more trouble spots that give me some pause in regards to its longevity"
Could you elaborate on this point? 550D seems like a great, albeit more expensive, alternative to the R4, but it would be horrible if it wasn't as nicely built.
chrislue - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Does it have a HDD led?tigersty1e - Thursday, October 4, 2012 - link
going forward, it would help to keep the cpu and gpu fan constant. that way, we can compare the temps and decibal ratings with apples to apples.some cases give great cooling to cpu, but are poor for gpu cooling. and a few percentage points for the gpu fan can really throw the db ratings much higher.
ifdefmoose - Tuesday, December 4, 2012 - link
The lack of a hard drive activity indicator makes this case a non-starter for me, which is really unfortunate. Other than that, it looks like a great design.Does anyone else feel that this is a critical omission?