Fractal Design Define R4 Midi any good?

RedTop89

RedTop89

RedTop89

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10 Sep 2011
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Location
North East England.
I have a 600T currently and first off it is quite simply rubbish. i was looking at getting a Silverstone FT02 but i have an Antec 620 CPU cooler and with the case only having 1 exhaust fan its put me off as i think it could restrict airflow a tad. Im desperately in need of a new case preferbly one that cools well and that is smaller than the 600t but it doesn't have to be.

Ive been looking at the Fractal and have fallen in love. does it perform well with cooling when the fron't cover is shut? i know it has vents at the side that intakes the air but i don't know how well it will perform. i am also wanting the case because it has sound proofing materials.

My 600T is falling to bits and i will order a case this week. ive also been looking at a haf x but nearly gone blind with the horrendous looks. i understand it cools well but its just not my cup of tea.

Any ideas welcome. My specs are in my rig so an ATX case is a must. cheers
 
lol yeh haf x :(

comparing ft02 and r4 little unfair, well over twice price etc
i personally think the ft02 is overpriced for a steel case and a little cheeky
ft02 cools good tho, those huge fans at the bottom, would be much better temperatures than a r4

i dont like the silly hdd cage in ft02 or the lots of pointless optical
but then ur needs may differ^^

the r4 is one of the quietest you will find


YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone Fortress FT02 USB3.0 Case - Silver (SST-FT02S USB 3.0) £167.99
Total : £181.49 (includes shipping : £11.25).



does look nice in silver tho :p and a little cheaper than i thought
 
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yeah i know comparing is unfair. i may just go for the FT02 but i like the R4 because its small and stylish
 
I find that the Fractal case is a very good one. You can get good airflow in through the front, even with the door shut. I personally use both top, both front, and the rear with fractal fans running slowly, with almost 0 noise. And I also use a low rpm fan next to the PSU. This keeps a GTX560ti at 60-62c, even with ambient temps of about 26-27c!

The r4 also has a better layout, so it is much easier to do the cable management. With having a deeper rear, for even the fattest cables to fit behind the motherboard tray with ease.

The Silverstone does look very nice, but its a lot extra to pay for slightly better looks! But the fractal is solid, VERY solid, and is very quiet too, and i'd definitely recommend it :)
 
R4 with another fan in bottom, raising case so you have 50mm bottom clearance for airflow and remove unused HDD rack will have plenty of cooling ability.

My R2 does a great job on 2x 120mm & 1x 140mm intake fans with 8x HDDs in the rack. ;)
mysideTY-143-1.jpg
 
doyll said:
R4 with another fan in bottom, raising case so you have 50mm bottom clearance for airflow and remove unused HDD rack will have plenty of cooling ability.

My R2 does a great job on 2x 120mm & 1x 140mm intake fans with 8x HDDs in the rack. ;)
Click to expand...


What kind of wheel-rack is that?
 
Made of Baltic birch 10mm plywood (7ply solid birch 9mm thick) 30mm wide pieces. 2x the length of case and 2x the width. End pieces are under side pieces so filter can be slid in and out. Added 10mm thick right angle triangle blocks on inside side corners for looks. Added 10mm thick right angle triangle blocks to index Silverstone 140mm magnetic filter for bottom intake. Silicone door/drawer silencers on it as little "feet" for case to set on.

Remove stock feet and set case on base.

I could make similar for any case. Problem is having access to case to measure up. Is bottom flat, how many and what size fans, removal of filters, etc. are all part of details. Suppose it could be done with pictures and measurements... but more chance of problems. I've made many... 4 for R2/R3 case and only 2 are the same.. 2 of the R2/R3 ones.

Pic of older caster base
DefineR2casterbase2.jpg


caster base under R2
Side23612charcoal.jpg
 
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