Fractal Design R5 cooling upgrades and alternatives

[Cern]

I recently did a new build for a family member using the Fractal Design R5 Black Pearl. I found it was a really nice case to work with and seems to be well sound-proofed. I'm soon going to build a new PC for myself and have considered the R5 but have a couple of concerns.

Firstly the R5 comes with only two fans as standard. I know I can fit more, but this pushes the cost up and more importantly might push the noise up. The room my PC is in gets very hot in summer, so good cooling is important. But so is sound proofing, I don't want some fan-whirring beast. What's the R5 like with stock cooling when the ambient temperature gets high, and does it stay pretty quiet if you fit extra fans? I plan on using a Noctua CPU cooler and likely will use a single GPU (GTX 660 for now, Pascal later).

Secondly, the R5 has way too many HDD trays and 5.25" bays and only two SSD mounts on the back of the tray. I know the HDD cages can be removed for better airflow. But it seems a rather old-fashioned setup. I need to house 2 or 3 SSDs and 2 or 3 HDDs. I'll likely switch to an external DVD-RW so no need for 5.25". Are there any more elegant solutions than the R5? I looked at the Define S but this seems to have even less options.

Are there any alternatives to the R5, where the emphasis is on sound proofing while still having good cooling and tidy well-mounted storage? Ideally at same price point at the R5, but can stretch the budget up to about £120 if necessary.

 

[Mercutio]

Have a look at the define S. It's the R5 with specifically less drive bays and more options in the direction of water cooling. I think the later (R4+) have the ability to remove a couple of thumb screws and take all the extra cages out so... either works I guess. I'd imagine the S series would be cheaper though.

Edit: reading a quick review, if you want quiet, the R5 minus drive bays would likely be a bit quieter. Depends on the number of (spinning) hard drives in use as a lot of the noise comments were specifically about the S being better at removing the usual sympathetic hum/resonance cases have with drive motors.

R5 with cages removed and SSD's would probably be the best option all round for noise and cooling. Get some velcro pads etc mounted to the walls about where the sleds are on the S and you've got a better setup if it's only SSD's.

 

[LiamJ]

Unfortunately, levels of noise and airflow are directly proportional. More of one means more of the other.

And if you don't want to pay too much, you'll struggle to get both.

My choice would probably be the Define S. Outstanding case for the price point. Fits 3 3.5" and 2 2.5" drives, and you could probably fit some more SSDs somewhere else if necessary.

That will set you back £70, leaving you plenty to get some nice quiet fans.

The Define S has an open designs that means you don't need massive airflow from your fans, as there is little restriction or turbulence, and therefore you can opt for lower noise, and still get decent cooling.

 

[Cern]

Thanks for the advice. I will give the Define S another look.

I must admit I wasn't sure about mounting HDDs behind the motherboard tray on the Define S, mostly because of vibration and keeping them cool. But I can see how it helps with the overall airflow and the HDD trays on the R5 aren't that well damped anyway because they're quite flimsy and loose fitting.

When I did the previous R5 build I stripped out all but one of the drive cages and it does create plenty of room for airflow in that case too.

I don't really need space for more than 5 drives (a mix of SSD and HDD) so either case should be fine. Seems the R5 has better sound proofing, the Define S has better cooling options.

 

[Bantu]

I've recently bought the R5 (white) along with a noctua cpu cooler and a single R9 380. While i have a "spare" noctua case fan lying around i haven't felt it necessary to install in the case yet, the 2 stock case fans that came with the R5 have been quiet enough and powerful enough to keep ambient temperatures down in the last month. When i say quiet enough i mean that it's inaudible in a london flat unless under heavy load (like 3d mark) when i can hear the GPU spinning up and blowing.

As mentioned above all the drive cages are removable. In my particular use case i have 2 SSD, 1 HDD in the case, so have mounted the SSD's behind the booard and removed all but the top HDD tray.

I was struggling between the S and the R5, but ultimately was swayed by the desire to have 2 extra USB 2.0 ports on the front, easier to remove dust filters, the built in fan speed adjuster (only 3 way though, low medium high, most of the time it stays on low) and the fact it was available in white (while the S was not).