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The understated look and feel allows for a natural fit into your home or office while never compromising on quality, performance of configurability. /r/buildapc is a community-driven subreddit dedicated to custom PC assembly. Anyone is welcome to seek the input of our helpful community as they piece together their desktop. My only wish is that the cable grommets at the top of the case were a bit bigger.
ASUS TUF Gaming ATX Motherboard, Black - GT301TUFGAMCASE
The Define also dampened the sound of the Casewarmer’s Cooler Master Hyper D92 quite well. I noticed barely any change in system noise during the CPU load phase of my tests. Another nifty modular feature is the trio of “ModuVent” covers at the top of the case. These foam-backed plastic panels can pop out if you want to mount fans or a radiator to the R5’s ceiling, or they can be left in place for maximum silencing power.
Dual side mounted door
The Define R5’s motherboard tray is pretty conventional by modern standards, with the requisite set of rubber grommets ringing its border. Interestingly, the motherboard tray is recessed a little bit, which helps to explain the R5’s ability to swallow 180-mm-tall CPU coolers. The motherboard tray also features an enormous cutout to facilitate the installation of CPU cooler backplates. Users looking to install a liquid cooler or two in the Define R5 will find that tradeoffs are in order. Removing the ModuVent panels up top allows more noise to escape from the R5, as demonstrated by the slightly higher top-of-case noise numbers at idle. Despite the lower noise numbers under load, the radiator-equipped Define R5 also seems to let more GPU whine escape from its top vent while stressed.
Best Fractal Design PC Cases
The modular insides can be easily adapted to suit different builds, and the R5 is a quiet runner, too. For such a competent case, one would expect a BMW-esque price, but the Define R5 is a great value at only $109.99-$119.99. The Define’s foam-covered side panels seem to insulate the SSD mounts on the back of the motherboard tray. While the R5’S SSD temperatures aren’t bad, the uninsulated Obsidian 450D keeps our SSD a fair bit cooler with the drive in a similar location.
Nexus+ 2 fan hub
I am fine with completely removing the stock 3 bay cage with one that has 6 bays, or something that can attach to the stock cage or the bottom of the 5.25in bay frame/cage. While I would like 6 total 3.5in bays, I am also open to even something that adds just 2. It's a little expensive, but as I said, you're paying a premium for the tremendous build quality and Fractal Design has packed in a lot of cool features too. Plus, if you need to tweak the features, you can get additional HDD trays, SSD trays, a HDD...
Price: $267
After I removed two of the modular top panels, installing the 240M was a snap. The radiator mount is offset significantly from the motherboard, so there was plenty of room to connect the Nepton’s fans to the twin CPU headers on my Asus Crossblade Ranger mobo. Builders willing to push their luck probably have enough room to mount push-pull fans on slim radiators like the Nepton 240M’s, though doing so would obstruct the rear fan considerably.
Around back, there’s another 140-mm spinner, seven expansion slots, and a mount for the power supply at the bottom of the case. To paraphrase a Steve Jobs-ism, however, it’s important to remember that design isn’t just about how something looks, but also how it works. Companies can pay as much lip service as they like to the idea of good design, but the rubber has to hit the road at some point. Let’s see whether Fractal Design’s Scandinavian approach has produced an enclosure that measures up.
Key features
The Define R5 also has plentiful slots for zip ties in this area, if the Velcro straps aren’t enough. The three fan headers and SATA power connector for the built-in fan controller reside here, as well, along with two 2.5″ drive trays. If you care about system noise, using the Define’s built-in fan controller isn’t a set-and-forget process. With the fan controller on high, load noise levels are about the same, but the larger, more pleasant-sounding Fractal Design fans are doing more of the work. Accordingly, it pays to switch the fan controller between its high and low settings as needed.
There’s also generous room for SATA power and data cables behind the drive cages—much more than in my Obsidian 450D or the Cooler Master Silencio 652S. The spacious cable area means that the side panel slides back on effortlessly, and the panel doesn’t bow out at all, even with the added thickness of the noise-deadening foam. There’s plenty of space for cable routing behind the motherboard tray, plus some thoughtful touches. Fractal includes three Velcro straps in the R5, which are used to route the front-panel cables by default.
That said, the rubber grommets are soft and thick, so maybe the extra effort will pay off with lower noise and vibration levels. While the drive cages are ostensibly tool-free, the thumbscrews used to secure them are super-tight out of the box, so a screwdriver is a must here, too. With all of the drive cages removed, the R5 can accept radiators up to 360 mm in length behind the front fan mounts, as well as extra fans or radiators at the bottom of the case.
The Define R5 case reaches the highest level of silent computing through strategically placed dense sound-dampening material, ModuVent™ fan vent covers and finely tuned Dynamic Series fans. Should you wish to expand your system with water cooling components or more fans, the layout can easily be configured to meet your demand. The Define R5’s cable routing features are some of the best I’ve used, too.
I also wish Fractal had made the R5’s drive trays tool-free, and I was let down a little by the case’s occasional hard-drive-related buzziness. As for the effectiveness of the foam-lined side panels, the results are somewhat mixed. The Define didn’t dampen their song completely, but it did cut down on the whine enough to make them only mildly distracting.
With the 5.25″ bays removed, one can mount three 120- or 140-mm fans, or radiators up to 420 mm in length, at the top of the R5. Some radiator sizes are subject to a 55-mm height limit here, however, so be sure to check the manual for compatibility. The R5’s PSU emplacement is similar to that of other cases I’ve tested recently, which is a good thing. The power supply rests on four wide, rubber feet to prevent vibration from traveling into other parts of the R5’s frame. The panels are a neat idea, but I wish Fractal had made their retaining clips more finger-friendly. It also would have been really slick if Fractal had included a matching magnetic filter for each ModuVent panel, since the top vent is unfiltered when these panels are removed.
The Meshify C is for those looking for a huge case with a ton of features packed in, all while carrying a price tag that isn't too high. If you want a full-tower PC case from Fractal Design, look no further. A community for links to products that are on sale at various websites.
The Fractal Design Define Nano S is the best ITX case that the company makes. Just like the Define 7, Fractal Design has made a lot of effort to get around the disadvantages of the form factor with this one. The Define Nano S can take full-sized components and has an ATX-like layout. The case also gets sound dampening, making it a good fit for a quiet ITX build. When it comes to compact cases, it can be tough to pick the right one.
I doubt the R5’s higher temps are anything to worry about, but they are worth pointing out. The omission of a top filter is also strange considering Fractal includes a full-length filter at the bottom of the case. While some builders might put a fan or radiator down here, I think top-mounted fans or radiators are a far more common choice. For those who do wish to add bottom-mounted cooling, removing the drive cages makes room for a pair of 120- or 140-mm fans—or a radiator up to 240 mm in length.
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