Fractal Design Define R5 Reviews

[Aikouka]

I've been on a bit of a crusade looking for a case for a gaming HTPC. I've tried a few HTPC-oriented cases, but honestly... I think you make too many concessions with these cases. The worst is probably cable management. I was trying to avoid getting a case that would get thrown behind my entertainment center, but I realized that I didn't have much of a choice.

The R5 just seems like a good choice overall. The only negative that I've read is that the side panel fan's filter isn't easily removable. However, I can put an aftermarket, magnetic filter on the outside instead.

 

[Rhezuss]

I've been on a bit of a crusade looking for a case for a gaming HTPC. I've tried a few HTPC-oriented cases, but honestly... I think you make too many concessions with these cases. The worst is probably cable management. I was trying to avoid getting a case that would get thrown behind my entertainment center, but I realized that I didn't have much of a choice.

The R5 just seems like a good choice overall. The only negative that I've read is that the side panel fan's filter isn't easily removable. However, I can put an aftermarket, magnetic filter on the outside instead.

Never knew fan filters existed, just ordered 2 - 140mm for my case.

 

[SithSolo1]

Just did a build for my brother in one of these:

Pros:
Build quality was very good
Lots of space to work in
Neat features like fully removable 3.5" and 5.25" drive bays, two hidden 2.5" sleds, reversible door
Access to both filters from the front
Front usb/audio ports on top of case
Velcro cable ties and plenty of rubber pass-throughs
Clean look when finished
Quietest case I've ever used

Cons(minor):
Fairly heavy though that goes back to build quality and I'm used to aluminium cases
No tool free 2.5/3.5" caddies and some of the thumb screws were incredibly tight
Only comes with two fans stock
No side or top filters but with the covers in place they are unneeded

Overall very pleased with the case and wouldn't hesitate to look at Fractal cases for future builds

 

[Aikouka]

two hidden 2.5" sleds

How easy are these to use? My only worry with those things are that it'll be hard to get the data and (especially the) power plugged in. Since I'm only using three drives (2x SSD, 1x HDD) , I'm tempted to just use the small drive cage with all three drives.

Only comes with two fans stock

Yeah, I ended up buying two more fans to go with it: one more for the front and one to go on the side.

No side or top filters but with the covers in place they are unneeded

Just to make sure... the side panel is all metal, right? I've seen some weird cases where they use plastic for the fan grill part, which would cause some problems with a magnetic fan filter.

 

[SithSolo1]

The sled was easy to use once I got the thumb screw out. Had to use a medium size flathead to get it loose. Drive is held to sled with 4 screws and there is a cutout on the sled where the cables plug in. There was plenty of room for the power cable between the tray and the door and the pass-throughs worked fine for routing.

As far as I can remember the door is all steel but I'll pull it off and double check tomorrow. These filters are magnetic but also come with a adhesive magnetic strip for non-steel applications: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...-_Black_-_Steel_Aluminum_Plastic_Chassis.html

 

[isekii]

is the R5 worth $30 more than the R4?

 

[lehtv]

is the R5 worth $30 more than the R4?

Of course not

 

[isekii]

Of course not

so if you had a choice of New R4 at 80 or New R5 at 110. you'd go R4?

 

[Rhezuss]

If money is not an issue get the R5...but if it is or you want to save 30 bucks get the R4 which is basically the same case just a few years older.

 

[Aikouka]

Personally, if $30 isn't really an issue, I'd just get the better case. At least from what I've seen/read, people consider the R5 to be better just not enough of a change over the R4.

So, I've started building in my R5, and ugh... I've already run into annoyances, and I haven't even started with the cable routing! There are a few things that I normally find grating when it comes to building PCs. I/O shields with tons of those flanges that push back on the motherboard? Why do we even have those flanges? I always have to fix their positioning to get the board to mount properly. Amusingly enough, it's always the simple/basic metallic I/O shields that never give me any problems (they're too basic to have a ton of flanges), but the fancy ones that you get with higher-end motherboards are always problematic.

Anyway... that's not really an issue with the R5 itself, but it was the first annoyance that I ran into. Now, in what's probably even more annoying than an I/O shield are crappy motherboard stand-offs. The biggest issue that I have with stand-offs are when they have a high tendency to cross-thread with the retaining screw. I ended up with four out of the eight stand-offs being cross-threaded. :\ After swearing a bit while pulling the board back out, I replaced them with some aftermarket stand-offs that I have, and I had no problems after that. I also had to use the aftermarket screws, which are actually just the same size as 3.5" drive retaining screws, because the R5's motherboard screws area different size.

Also, what's with the rear side panel being so difficult to put back on? The front side panel goes on easily, but I have trouble with the rear one every time. I'm thinking that the issue partly has to do with the lack of clips/slides, but the problem that I notice is that while the top of the side panel seems to go into place correctly, the bottom will not. There's nothing in the way, but I normally have to push it down and screw the thumbscrew in.

 

[SithSolo1]

Im right there with you on the crappy I/O plates.

As for the other two issues, I didnt notice any thing with the motherboard standoffs other than the i/o plate pushing the board out of place when I went to screw into them.

The rear door goes into place but I did have to press firmly on the bottom edge to get the screw in. I wonder if the sound dampenning is pressing into some cables.

I also noticed the main door latch doesnt slip all the way into place. The little pegs on the latch only slip in the first 1/4" of the slot so I decided to put the screws back in just incase.

 

[Rhezuss]

Glad I kept my CM 690 II Adv...the R5 look amazing though but replacing some fans for under $20 is better than a new case at $130.

Still if I was looking for a new case i'd definetely buy the R5.

 

[Aikouka]

I finished my build in the R5. Of course, I'm always going to have some inherent distaste for working in smaller cases. My main PC is in a 900D for Pete's sake -- one can tap dance in that thing! I do think that the R5 does a better job than most small cases at helping you organize cables. I only wish that they would've included some of those nice velcro ties for the 12V cable. They could also use a few more tie-off points for the 12V cable down near the bottom. Although, I need those because I chose not to use their small routing hole designed for the 12V cable. The reason is that it's just too close to the ATX motherboard and having to wrap the 12V cable around to reach it would obfuscate a bunch of the connectors on the bottom. So, I just sent it through the massive grommet at the bottom and sent it along the bottom of the case.

Also, I'm really not sure how anyone properly uses those 2.5" drive sleds. They're just so darn impractical! The issue goes back to the problem with small cases: cable management. Those drive sleds are so far off to the side that using one of those means that you probably will not be able to reach over to the 3.5" drive bays to power anything over there. I figured that I'd need to buy a SATA power extension cable and combine that with a SATA power y-cable just to make it work properly. That doesn't even include routing the data cables, which would probably need to be longer (not really an issue, I have 24" cables lying around! ) and route all the way around. So, I just left the SSDs with the HDD in the 3.5" area, and everything worked fine. In fact, it worked rather well since I used the fourth/last SATA power connector for the fan controller.

Although, I'm still musing over the PCI-E power cable. I have it properly routed through the back, but I think I could just let it stay out front. There isn't exactly much distance between the PSU and the GPU, and I don't think it would terribly impede the air flow.

Speaking of air flow, I have to say that the case is very quiet. I moved the second stock fan to the open spot in the front, and in the two open spots (rear, side panel), I installed my favorite fans: Enermax TB Silence 140. I like these fans, because unlike most, they are very silent by default. Sitting right beside the PC with both side panels removed, all I can hear is a slight hum. It also helps that the video card is designed to turn its fans off when it doesn't need them.

 

[smitbret]

so if you had a choice of New R4 at 80 or New R5 at 110. you'd go R4?

Just set up my new R4, moving up from the Define Mini.

Mounted the SSD for the OS and a 2.5" notebook drive for Scratch & Temp on the back of the motherboard tray. I can't see how the trays would be worth $30. Odds are that if I have to replace the SSD with the OS, then I will probably have bigger issues than the 20 minutes it will take to remove the motherboard. In fact, I really like how flat they lie so I can just wrap the SATA cable around the edge of the motherboard tray and click the right-angle SATA connector into the motherboard.

 

[mikemcc]

I did a build at Christmas time with a $69 (free shipping) R4. I thought about mounting my SSD on the back, behind the MB tray, but I couldn't imagine having to take the MB out just to take the screws out of the SSD if I need to replace it. That would be a nightmare, just to remove four screws. (It would take me A LOT more than 20 minutes, but I am OCD about cable routing.) So, I asked my wife to buy me a package of velcro that is about 3" wide. I trimmed it to just the right size and then applied one strip to the SSD and another to the back of the MB tray, where the SSD is designed to go and it worked perfectly. I don't move my machine around very much, but that SSD is NOT going anywhere with that velcro. But if I need to remove the SSD, I can do it just by taking off the side panel.

 

[Aikouka]

Sometimes I tend to be a bit neurotic when it comes to cable routing in cases. This usually leads me to doing an initial build, and then determining what sort of adapters I'll need to get the most effective build. I bring this up, because I originally just installed all of my drives in the 3.5" drive bays, but I decided to check out the 2.5" trays in the back. However, I quickly noticed that something wasn't lining up. I flipped the tray around and saw that the Samsung 850 EVO was not fitting properly in the tray. It looks like there's just a few millimeters difference between the two, but that's all it takes with a tight setup.

Has anyone else had this issue? I was really hoping to use those and remove the 5-bay cage, but I ended up leaving everything in. Although, on a positive note, I did end up with a super sweet cable setup using this power splitter. My only worry is that 2 SSDs, 2 HDDs, the fan controller (with the 2 stock fans) and an ODD might be too much for a single line. I was somewhat okay with it since SSDs use considerably less power than a HDD, but I'm still curious.

Oh, and speaking of tearing the case apart, one thing that bugged me is that the instructions didn't seem clear on the fact that you have to remove the middle (5-bay) cage before you can remove the bottom one.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I look forward to FINALLY moving my hardware into the R5.

Ordered it brand new from Amazon, but discovered the accessory box was missing. Fractal support promptly sent it to me. Got started working in the case only to find out none of the 3.5" hard drive grommets were included. The second package from support is now on its way.

I've been impressed with their tech support - both packages were shipped out the next day after opening a ticket.

 

[aman74]

I'm wondering if the 5.25 drive cage can fit in any of the other cage positions other than the top? Reason I ask is that I'm thinking of using it for 3.5" HDD's and using elastic to suspend them. Was also thinking that maybe I could ask them to send me another one if this is the case. Not sure why parts such as extra cages, etc. aren't more easily available and the cases in general aren't a bit more modular. These things aren't very complicated, but features and such are limited.

I don't mean Fractal or this case in particular, just in general.

Anyone have any issue with smells from the sound absorption material? It's actually made of Bitumen from what I know and I've seen concerns (and have them myself), over the off-gassing. This is an oil based product and with the heat, I'm wondering if there's cause for concern. I'm trying to find the data sheets for the stuff to see if I can gather any safety info.

How hot does a PC case get? I know the temps of the CPU and GPU's, but what about the actual interior? I'd imagine the area on the back of the MB and behind the CPU is the hottest area? How close is that to the side panel/Bitumen? I'd imagine that would be the area of most concern...if it's even a concern at all.

 

[Aikouka]

I'm wondering if the 5.25 drive cage can fit in any of the other cage positions other than the top?

I doubt it, because it's main purpose is completely nullified if it isn't at the top.

Not sure why parts such as extra cages, etc. aren't more easily available and the cases in general aren't a bit more modular. These things aren't very complicated, but features and such are limited.

I don't mean Fractal or this case in particular, just in general.

As much crap as I give them for their shoddy QC, Corsair sells extra parts on their site.

Anyone have any issue with smells from the sound absorption material?

No, but I haven't exactly sniffed it.

How hot does a PC case get?

It depends on the air temperature inside, the air flow and the case material. I wouldn't worry about the material, but if you're really worried, put a fan on top.

 

[aman74]

No, but I haven't exactly sniffed it.



It depends on the air temperature inside, the air flow and the case material. I wouldn't worry about the material, but if you're really worried, put a fan on top.

There were some reports about a smell from the R4, but I believe it turned out to be from a different part. I have heard people talk about smells with other cases and Bitumen though.

Putting another fan wouldn't cure the issue. Part of the problem would be that this is being blown into the air.

I'm not saying it is a problem, but trying to discern if it could be. When I first saw the concern I thought it might just be fear-mongering, but as I read more it seems worth investigating. Some of the chemicals in the making of it are carcinogenic, but probably safe in the solid matt form...however similar products in hot environments off-gas, so I'd like to know more. One data sheet had safe storage listed as 125F as the max...not all that hot really.

It's probably nothing, but I'd like to know for peace of mind.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Aikouka]

Putting another fan wouldn't cure the issue.

I mentioned adding a fan to help expunge the heated air from the case.

One data sheet had safe storage listed as 125F as the max...not all that hot really.

That's still 51C. As long as your airflow isn't ridiculously stagnant, the air in the case shouldn't reach that temperature. Sure, devices will get over that temperature (GPUs average 70C+ on high load), but the air doesn't usually.