Thoughts on the Fractal Define R5

[NelizMastr]

Right, story time.

 

When I built my current system two years ago, I laid my eyes on a Phanteks Eclipse P400, in white. It's a nice case, that's for sure, but I feel that

my taste has changed somewhat and I prefer a more sleek and quiet case over a windowed "gamery" aesthetic. My system is fine otherwise,

no upgrades planned for now, maybe a GPU upgrade down the road, so a case swap is the first thing to do.

 

I've ordered a Define R5 because of the decent reviews and noise cancelling properties. More quiet fans will be ordered later if need be.

What are your thoughts on the R5 in terms of building in it and how quiet it is with "normal", as in not optimised for noise, hardware?

 

Thanks!

 

P.S.

 

My system specs in case you don't want to check my profile:

 

Intel Xeon E3-1245v3 CPU - cooled by CM Hyper TX3 Evo

16GB DDR3-1600 generic Crucial RAM

Asus GTX1060 6GB Dual OC

Cooler Master G650M PSU

Gigabyte H97-HD3 mobo

Kingston UV400 240GB, Crucial M550 512GB and Intenso 120GB SSDs.

[191x7]

I have a Define R5 Blackout. It's a great case to build systems inside (layout, cable management options, spacing, overall design) and it's great for silence.

But it also has some issues, more like nuisances than real issues, they are worth mentioning.

- The bottom fan filter (under the case, keeps the PSU and bottom fan clean from dust) can experience vibrations that make a strange rattling noise (almost like a dying fan). It took me months to diagnose what's causing it and some googling showed that I'm not the only one with the issue - it's fairly common - and it's easy to fix once you know what it is.

- The 5.25" bay isn't needed and it can be removed (like I did) but the space can't be populated with fans or similar.

- The drive cages are great, but you can't mount the smaller one (for 3 drives) on top of the case where the 5.25" bay was like you can with the one for 5 drives.

- The spacing of the SSD (2.5") holders on the motherboard tray is wide enough to prevent the drives from using two SATA power connectors that are next to each other on the SATA power cable - means you either have to use a cable with 3 SATA power connectors (without using the middle one) or SATA power extensions.

- The fan places on the top (with ModuVent covers) aren't really useful unless populating them with 140mm fans and dust filters. Limited space for a wide water cooling rad.

- Overall build less stable than on the Define R4.

 

The Define S might be a better option. Or the Define C.

[A Silver]

I really like Fractal Design's cases due to the easy cable management and the Define r5 is no exception. I was planning on getting the Meshify C which is similar but I chose the 460X just because I liked the tempered glass on the front (but cable management was a literal nightmare) but I digress. I don't know much about the noise dampening but if you like the look of the r5, I would go for it!

[quiffghtyu]

I don't have the case, but I like it a lot. However I do think it is a little overpriced.

[NelizMastr]

16 minutes ago, DiscoDuck101 said:

I don't have the case, but I like it a lot. However I do think it is a little overpriced.

Hah, thanks for the input anyway  I got €20 off the current pricing, so it was a good deal for me.

 

17 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

I have a Define R5 Blackout. It's a great case to build systems inside (layout, cable management options, spacing, overall design) and it's great for silence.

But it also has some issues, more like nuisances than real issues, they are worth mentioning.

- The bottom fan filter (under the case, keeps the PSU and bottom fan clean from dust) can experience vibrations that make a strange rattling noise (almost like a dying fan). It took me months to diagnose what's causing it and some googling showed that I'm not the only one with the issue - it's fairly common - and it's easy to fix once you know what it is.

- The 5.25" bay isn't needed and it can be removed (like I did) but the space can't be populated with fans or similar.

- The drive cages are great, but you can't mount the smaller one (for 3 drives) on top of the case where the 5.25" bay was like you can with the one for 5 drives.

- The spacing of the SSD (2.5") holders on the motherboard tray is wide enough to prevent the drives from using two SATA power connectors that are next to each other on the SATA power cable - means you either have to use a cable with 3 SATA power connectors (without using the middle one) or SATA power extensions.

- The fan places on the top (with ModuVent covers) aren't really useful unless populating them with 140mm fans and dust filters. Limited space for a wide water cooling rad.

- Overall build less stable than on the Define R4.

 

The Define S might be a better option. Or the Define C.

Thanks for your input. Very thorough! 

 

- Thanks for the tip regarding the fan filter. I'll keep an eye on it.

- I plan on using the 5,25" bays if they're there, so that won't be an issue. I occasionally burn discs (mostly CD-RWs for old/retro PCs) so they'll come in handy every now and then.

- The SSD mount spacing is an issue on my current case as well, so I suppose that's something case manufacturers can't seem to solve hah  

- Water cooling support is irrelevant to me, so no issues there either. I will invest in some better fans to improve airflow without sacrificing noise.

 

The Define S and C have caught my eye as well, but the C is a bit too small for my liking and the S seems to get generally worse reviews than the R5, not bad by any means, but worse, hence my choice for the R5. I'll take a look when it arrives tonight and if I end up not liking it, I'll send it back and order the S instead  

[GER_T4IGA]

I have an R4 and built in an R5 for a friend. The front door is a little bit more flimsy and less rigid but other than that it is a beast. Quality feel, good fan options imo, good included fans, well built(no sharp edges), well layed out. I would consider other cases at this pricepoint today though. 
SImple alternative would be the Define S

[191x7]

50 minutes ago, NelizMastr said:

 

- I plan on using the 5,25" bays if they're there, so that won't be an issue. I occasionally burn discs (mostly CD-RWs for old/retro PCs) so they'll come in handy every now and then.

 

 

Get an external DVD writer or a simple SATA to USB adapter (which you can use with hard drives and cde/dvd drives) and use the DVD-RW outside the case. Having it inside only makes the aesthetics worse.

[NelizMastr]

3 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Get an external DVD writer or a simple SATA to USB adapter (which you can use with hard drives and cde/dvd drives) and use the DVD-RW outside the case. Having it inside only makes the aesthetics worse.

Building in a case without a side window won't hurt aesthetics. I have a black Asus DVD-RW drive to use, so it'll blend well enough with the black case.

having some drives dangling off the side is what hurts aesthetics, at least in my opinion.

[191x7]

2 minutes ago, NelizMastr said:

Building in a case without a side window won't hurt aesthetics. I have a black Asus DVD-RW drive to use, so it'll blend well enough with the black case.

having some drives dangling off the side is what hurts aesthetics, at least in my opinion.

I have an external DVD writer, use it only per-need basis. CD-s and DVD-s are going the way of the dinosaurs.

[NelizMastr]

Just now, 191x7 said:

I have an external DVD writer, use it only per-need basis. CD-s and DVD-s are going the way of the dinosaurs.

Perhaps, but I am a retro tech enthusiast and require the ability to write CDs. Paying another €30 for functionality I already have seems wasteful.

[191x7]

A SATA to USB3.0 adapter is maybe 3€, not 30€. And the drive could then be used with laptops, different PC-s, it even works with smartphones/tablets that support OTG.

[NelizMastr]

1 hour ago, 191x7 said:

A SATA to USB3.0 adapter is maybe 3€, not 30€. And the drive could then be used with laptops, different PC-s, it even works with smartphones/tablets that support OTG.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind. If I end up not liking the build with the optical drive installed, I'll definitely grab one