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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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?