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
Testing Methodology
For testing Micro-ATX and full ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in stock and overclocked configurations to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise.
| ATX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-2700K (95W TDP, tested at stock speed and overclocked to 4.3GHz @ 1.38V) |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 |
| Graphics Card |
ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DCII TOP (tested at stock speed and overclocked to 1GHz/overvolted to 1.13V) |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives |
Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD Samsung 5.25" BD-ROM/DVDRW Drive |
| Accessories | Corsair Link |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Plus 750W 80 Plus Silver |
Each case is tested in a stock configuration and an overclocked configuration that generates substantially more heat (and thus may produce more noise). The system is powered on and left idle for fifteen minutes, the thermal and acoustic results recorded, and then stressed by running seven threads in Prime95 (in-place large FFTs) on the CPU and OC Scanner (maximum load) on the GPU. At the end of fiteen minutes, thermal and acoustic results are recorded. This is done for the stock settings and for the overclock, and if the enclosure has a fan controller, these tests are repeated for each setting. Ambient temperature is also measured after the fifteen idle minutes but before the stress test and used to calculate the final reported results.
Thank You!
Before moving on, we'd like to thank the following vendors for providing us with the hardware used in our testbed.
- Thank you to Puget Systems for providing us with the Intel Core i7-2700K.
- Thank you to Gigabyte for providing us with the GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 motherboard.
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory.
- Thank you to Corsair for providing us with the Corsair Link kit.
- Thank you to Cooler Master for providing us with the Hyper 212 Evo heatsink and fan unit.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- Thank you to CyberPower for providing us with the Samsung BD-ROM/DVD+/-RW drive.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply.
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Dustin Sklavos - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I bunged the NDA time on the review and had to bounce it an hour, that's what happened. :| I've normally been great about NDAs but for some odd reason this one just confused me stupid.themossie - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
Thanks, it happens :-)Olaf van der Spek - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
The case is huge, especially for the used motherboard. When do we get reduced depth cases? An unnecessarily big case seems bad for airflow, as the air has to travel farther.BTW, how's ports on top a compromise for cases on the desktop? It can't get worse than that.
Spivonious - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I can't be the only one here who has more than 2 drives.DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
X-Fi bay
Card Reader (3.5")
The rest of this case looks very nice, but I won't be able to use it.
Death666Angel - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I don't have more than 2 drives:- slim line optical drive with 2.5" bay and 2 USB ports
- 6x2.5" bays
And I only have those because I hadn't anything better to put in there. If you need more, buy a different case. Most people I know don't even need those 2. :)
Olaf van der Spek - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
Not every case has to suit every build, has it? I for one wouldn't mind seeing one less 5.25" bay.What do you need both a DVD-ROM and a DVD-RW for though?
piroroadkill - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
My monitor (Dell U2410) has a card reader built in, I don't have an x-fi bay, and I infact only have one 5.25" device in my Fractal Design Define R3: An LG HD-DVD/Blu-ray drive (rare now, glad to have one).Grok42 - Sunday, July 22, 2012 - link
I think you are unusual in your need for so many 5.25" bays. The good news is that most mid-tower cases have four 5.25" bays with the next most popular being three bay configurations. You shouldn't have trouble finding a really good case that meets your needs. Those who would prefer to have better cooling, more 3.5" bays, more 2.5" bays or smaller cases are completely out of luck. This case is very unusual only having two bays and there are almost none with only a single bay. There are exactly two cases on the market with none.That said, you could easily go down to two bays. Not sure what the point of two DVD drives are unless you are copying a lot of one off DVDs. The best card readers are the USB stick converter ones. Much easier to deal with because you can insert the card much more easily. The X-Fi bay is a personal thing. I prefer my sound controls in a closer and more accessible place like on a remote beside my keyboard. My computer is on the floor and using a front panel for volume and headphones there would be awkward even if it was on my desk.
casteve - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
..Especially for trying out all three fan speeds. I liked the R3. Glad to see Fractal evolving the design.tribbles - Friday, July 20, 2012 - link
I have an Antec P280 and would love to be able to (cleanly) block the top vents like Fractal has done with the R4. Does anybody make a standard 120mm fan mount cover? I've Googled it and haven't had much luck.