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, Overclocked
Our overclocked testing can be remarkably brutal for many systems, and a lot of the time we wind up hitting not just the thermal limits of the enclosure, but also its acoustic limits. Incidentally this is also a point where cases engineered for silent operation sink or swim, since they oftentimes have to get by on the merits of their acoustic optimizations instead of raw thermal performance. It will be interesting to see how well the Fractal Design Define R4 performs here.
Thermal performance in the Fractal Design Define R4 is actually a little disappointing. The competing Corsair 550D isn't a particularly stellar performer, and I figured the open intake area should've given the R4 a bigger edge. Unfortunately things just don't seem to be working out that way.
As expected we're also pretty much at the limits of our thermal headroom with the R4, too. Our medium fan setting, the 7V, was a big winner at stock but under overclocks seems to have a harder time justifying itself.
And this is where it gets really interesting. The Corsair Obsidian 550D did a much better job of muffling the noise it generated and ran cooler in the process. Meanwhile the R4 actually seems a bit starved for air; our 12V fan setting, though anecdotally (just not immediately measurably) louder at idle, actually runs quieter at load as it's able to do a better job of keeping the internal heatsinks fed.
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buildingblock - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
The move to 140mm fans for intake and exhaust is particularly welcomed, time to move on from the 120s.HisDivineOrder - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I'll agree with you once all the PWM fan makers start making fans in 140mm varieties. Right now, for great fans you choose between PWM and 140mm. That's not a choice that you should have to make.You'd think Corsair would be on the forefront of fixing this, seeing as they just released a premium fan line AND have cases that could use said fans. But no, they in fact released NO PWM fans at all.
Until that day, 120mm needs to stay the standard.
prophet001 - Friday, August 10, 2012 - link
Here is a link to some 140mm PWM fans. I just used the Akasa Vipers in my build and they're great fans. They can move as much air as your need or they can throttle to very quiet levels. I highly recommend them.http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g36/c365/s1507/lis...
btb - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I have both and R2 and R3 and really like them. The only thing I wish they would improve on is getting rid of the ugly top of the case, it detracts significantly from an otherwise very nice looking case. How big a percentage of the buyers of these cases do actually use the top exhausts? I'm guessing below 5%.Dustin Sklavos - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
Well, the idea is to make space for a 240mm radiator or a closed-loop like the Corsair H100, but the problem is that clearance for radiators there just isn't good.piroroadkill - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
Yeah, I think they need to use a Lian-Li style blanking plate, where it fits almost completely flush, leaving a smooth finish, but the user then has to supply a wire grill later.beginner99 - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I use it! make sense to have airflow from bottom/front to top as hot air flows up naturally anyway.piroroadkill - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
This article has disappeared from the homepage! I can't read it anymore :(piroroadkill - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
Ah, NDA, NDA, thought so. It's all good!themossie - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
Neither the "next page" or menu to choose article pages is working - they both return me to the Anandtech.com page.Other articles work fine.
Is this just me, or is something wrong?