Define R5 review

[Tzupy]

Possibly first review, at bit-tech:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/ ... 5-review/1

[antiatavist]

I'm not happy with any of the cooling results, the results from other reviews are pretty bad, making Carbide 330R still superior while offering the same or better level of noise reduction.

Do you think cooling could be drastically improved if you put two 140mm intake fans at the bottom and one 140mm exhaust fan at the rear, so 3 fans total?

Please someone test this!

I don't understand why are they still going this route, obviously the Silverstone Fortress FT05 is the right path to take. You can't change physics!

[Abula]

I don't understand why are they still going this route, obviously the Silverstone Fortress FT05 is the right path to take. You can't change physics!

The FT05 is almost twice as expensive.... and not for everybody, specially someone buidling for a quiet outcome has to undervolt the 180mm heavily. But its a good route as long as you chose good components to go with it, specially motherboard and gpus.

I see the R5 as fine revision, we always knew the case was restrictive, with the doors, filters and not super ideal airflow design, but for what it was design, it does it fine, i feel for $100 its one of the best offerings.

[antiatavist]

I just looked at some other reviews...be quiet! Silent Base 800 is a far superior case in both cooling and silence.

[Abula]

Tons of video reviews came out,

LinusTechTips Fractal Design Define R5
HardwareCanucks Fractal Design DEFINE R5 Review | Silent Case Perfected!
OC3D TV Fractal Designs Define R5 Including Window Review
Tek Syndicate Fractal Design Define R5 Overview - How Much Better Is It?
MNPCTECH Fractal Design Define R5 Case Review & Hardline Watercool Loop

[developer1]

Am I the only one who likes the R4 better?

[Potenza]

I just looked at some other reviews...be quiet! Silent Base 800 is a far superior case in both cooling and silence.

There aren't that much reviews about that case yet, and some are not that enthousiast. Userreviews are rather scarce for now, I think it's safer to wait a little longer before labelling the Silent Base 800 as superior. The design of the R5 will appeal more users as well, in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm happy to see a new Define. Most reviews (so far) tend to agree that it's a very natural evolution. That's good, obviously. I'm very happy with my R4 but the new features definitely appeal to me (flat fan slot covers for the top, SSD mounts, dual side mounting of the front door, better cable routing, gradual fan control,...)! And most of all: there's still a Titanium version! I loved the R2/R3 Silver Arrow, a shame that one got axed. I feared the R5 would be black/white only, luckily it's not.

I know what's on my wishlist for 2015!

[yakuman]

I'm not happy with any of the cooling results, the results from other reviews are pretty bad, making Carbide 330R still superior while offering the same or better level of noise reduction.

Do you think cooling could be drastically improved if you put two 140mm intake fans at the bottom and one 140mm exhaust fan at the rear, so 3 fans total?

The front bezel is gone and front filter and side slits are more open, which makes me think the only reason why the R4 beats R5 it in stock cooling is due to the change of 140mm fans to Fractal Design Dynamic GP14: those are supposedly more quiet, perhaps at the cost of less performance? I also wonder if removing the top 5.25" bays and covers will improve airflow at all. Looking forward to SPCR's review for confirmation.

And most of all: there's still a Titanium version! I loved the R2/R3 Silver Arrow, a shame that one got axed. I feared the R5 would be black/white only, luckily it's not.

I know what's on my wishlist for 2015!

+1 I have a preference for things silver

[CA_Steve]

I like how all of the cages can be removed/moved around, too. Reading thorugh a couple more reviews, my take-away is slightly warmer and slightly quieter than the R4. Stay tuned and we'll see what Mike and Lawrence get with the Gaming build transferred to the R5.

[Joxx]

I think this R5 is brilliantly designed, with lots of small yet important improvements like the non-restrictive HDD cages or the large grilled vents at the back.
I bet that a second intake fan bellow the included one would be sufficient to lower temps dramatically, creating positive pressure and exhausting warm air through the back vents.

[antiatavist]

I bet that a second intake fan bellow the included one would be sufficient to lower temps dramatically, creating positive pressure and exhausting warm air through the back vents.

Definitely post here when you see someone do that with exact measurements.

[xan_user]

nice case. great options.
but the fan vent on the side door kills it for me. i see no need to have that there, especially in such a well ventilated case. it makes a great looking case, look a bit cheap imo.

[MikeC]

It's not a full review of the R5, but close enough for silent purposes, and we did explore what happens with a second front intake fan. http://www.silentpcreview.com/Quiet_ATX ... R5_Version

[developer1]

That was fast! So it is actually quieter and provides better cooling removing the bottom frontal hdd cage.

The R4 is $69.99 at newegg blackfriday's sales. I'm trying to decide if getting that bargain or just waiting for the R5.
As you stated, its major sounding improvement is due to the new different fans and the less-restrictive intake grill. Comparing both cases after swapping the 3 case fans with 140mm TrueQuiets, will we have a difference? Mm maybe not, as the new verion 7 blades fan acoustic measurements were very similar to the Antec TrueQuiet 140

[MikeC]

That was fast! So it is actually quieter and provides better cooling removing the bottom frontal hdd cage.

The R4 is $69.99 at newegg blackfriday's sales. I'm trying to decide if getting that bargain or just waiting for the R5.
As you stated, its major sounding improvement is due to the new different fans and the less-restrictive intake grill. Comparing both cases after swapping the 3 case fans with 140mm TrueQuiets, will we have a difference? Mm maybe not, as the new verion 7 blades fan acoustic measurements were very similar to the Antec TrueQuiet 140

Wow! That's a great deal. They must be clearing stock for R5.

Hey, even with the stock fans we got 15 dBA@1m at idle, 19 dBA at full tilt. That's nothing to scoff at!

To get a similar level of unimpeded front venting, just remove the grill. This can be done by popping off the front bezel & unscrewing the hinges for the grill. It won't look as finished when the door is open so just keep the door closed.

[Abula]

Comparing both cases after swapping the 3 case fans with 140mm TrueQuiets, will we have a difference? Mm maybe not, as the new verion 7 blades fan acoustic measurements were very similar to the Antec TrueQuiet 140

I dont own the new fractal fans, that probably more for Mike or an owner to respond, but i can tell you True Quiets and Asus motherboard with FanXpert you can drop them very low, like 200rpms on CHA_FAN headers, where they will be inaudible no matter what, you can probably bump them to 400rpms and still be inaudible... will depend on the ambient noise, and how much cooling you need, etc, but for sure very good fans imo for $12, tonally better than the Fractals R2, not sure of this new ones.

[MikeC]

We're adopting it for our VGA test platform. Got it all ready this PM, doing a photoshoot of it right now. Removed all the drive cages, including the optical drive cage. Front area is now completely wide open, like what we did with the R3 -- but rivets had to be popped off for that. Just thumbscrews on the R5 -- except the 4 screws underneath for the bottom cage. The big advantage of this case is that we can use the front for radiators over 240mm long -- and there are mounting points for them. The top takes radiators almost as long as the case, though space for 1" fans along with a radiator is pretty tight. If the case was 2cm taller, this would not be a problem.That's probably one of the things Fractal might do for the next model.

Why all the thinking about radiators? Well, we just can't ignore them anymore, so if we're going to look at them in future, let's give ourselves a really flexible platform.

[Olaf van der Spek]

Why all the thinking about radiators? Well, we just can't ignore them anymore,

Why not?
Air cooling still works extremely well.

[antiatavist]

Why all the thinking about radiators? Well, we just can't ignore them anymore,

Why not?
Air cooling still works extremely well.

Yup, I will never switch to water cooling, I find it extremely primitive and cumbersome.

[MikeC]

For serious overclockers & gamers who like to stuff megawatts of SLI/Xfire into a single box, WC is a simple fact: They use it. The R5's design is dedicated in large part to them. (Just consider the section on Watercooling Compatibility at the bottom of Fractal's R5 page: http://www.fractal-design.com/home/definer5landingpage ) Case design has changed dramatically in the last couple of years as they are adopted for WC radiators; AIO coolers are mainstream. As you can see from recent forays into the Silent Gaming PC Building Guides, we're wading into that arena. We will be trying to bring the quiet approach to WC. It may ultimately fail for those seeking PC noise lower than ambient, but our input will surely be welcome by gamers & overclockers.

For SPCR diehards, the pump noise will probably always be too much of a compromise unless we can find effective ways to silence it. There's also the possibility that SPCR could stimulate new interest among brands & manufacturers to come up with quieter pump designs. Why not? We certainly helped accelerate the development of quieter fans, CPU coolers, PSUs & cases.

[Olaf van der Spek]

Case design has changed dramatically in the last couple of years as they are adopted for WC radiators; AIO coolers are mainstream.

Unfortunately, yes. Most cases have become bigger and bigger, while some of us are looking for more compact.
Compact mATX cases (< 18cm width, < 35cm depth) are still rare if they exist at all.

[Pappnaas]

AIO coolers are mainstream. As you can see from recent forays into the Silent Gaming PC Building Guides, we're wading into that arena. We will be trying to bring the quiet approach to WC. It may ultimately fail for those seeking PC noise lower than ambient, but our input will surely be welcome by gamers & overclockers.

I agree Mike, this is the way to go.

Nevertheless, if you watch the THG forums, there are tons of "experts" claiming 1000W PSU is a must if you use a single GTX9X0 and those "experts" also claim that AIO coolers are the best to get for everyone.

So still a lot of work to do for spcr to lobby the silent ways. May the force be with us

[developer1]

R5 side panel picture: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/ ... w_full.jpg

Is it just me or the R4 had way thicker sound dampening panels?

[Copyright]

I just looked at some other reviews...be quiet! Silent Base 800 is a far superior case in both cooling and silence.

It's also bigger and uglier. Reminds me of a Cosmos.

[mkygod]

While I love the case overall, I don't like how it is compromised to appeal to users of all types. This goes for many other cases on the market as well.

1. Appealing to power users that need ample cooling means compromises on quiet front (and also vice versa)
2. Appealing to watercooling users means that the case is unnecessarily large and bulky for buyers that only use air cooling.