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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.
Picking the right Fractal Design PC case
Fractal Design has done a fantastic job designing the Define R5, it is by far one of the highest quality cases we have reviewed thus far. First, Fractal-Design desperately needs to put another 140mm fan on the front to improve airflow. Picking PC cases can be tough, but it's easier if you know what you want. Fractal Design makes some great cases, and this list has the top options they have for your own PC build.
NZXT H510 Compact ATX Mid-Tower PC Gaming Case White/Black - New In Box S/N#0386
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.
Dual side mounted door
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.
It has been a good case, but I am wanting to get something new for my main build. So I would like to repurpose my R5 into a Plex/NAS server, but the stock HDD cage (with trays) only holds 3 3.5in drives (though I am planning to go all 2.5in SATA SSD). It has a centre screw hole that looks like additional cages could be screwed below the 5.25in bays, and another on the top of the stock cage. Searching for additional cages has been frustrating, as they either bring up stuff for R7 or other models from Fractal or they bring up forum posts from years ago with other people asking for them.
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.
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Case Red/White - includes rubber feet
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.
Exceptionally silent
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.
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.
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...
The R5 itself has “Designed in Sweden” stamped into its sheet metal, in case you weren’t getting the message. Quite honestly the positives outweigh that one negative like a cinder block on a scale with a feather at the other side. The cinder block being the great building accuracy and the engineered flow is a common thought while I built into this case. For enthusiasts looking for an extremely versatile chassis with a dual-layout interior, the Fractal Design Define 7 is a feature packed case with outstanding thermal and acoustic performance. The Define 7 is the latest pinnacle of the renowned Define series, setting a new standard for what you should expect from a mid-tower case when it comes to modularity, flexibility and ease of use. The buildAs I was expecting from its bevy of user-friendly features, the Define R5 is a pleasure to build a system in.
If the non-standard USB 3.0 port coloration might cause confusion, at least it’s hard to reset the R5 by mistake. A combination power and disk activity LED is nestled into the center of the front panel, as well. Fractal uses a blue LED here, though it’s mercifully not the eye-searing kind of blue that’s tainted so much hardware in recent years.
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.
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.
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