Almost exactly four years ago the Swedish company Fractal Design presented with the Define R3 their first midi tower. Now they launched the Define R5 which should be the next step in evolution of their Define series cases. Like the previous model, the new R5 uses sound-absorbing material and a well thought tool-less system. The Define R5 is a case suitable for ATX motherboards and there are quite a interesting features to this case.
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Today, we will be checking out the latest mid-tower PC case from Fractal Design, the new Define R5. Promising silent operation and made from high quality materials, the Define R5 is a serious contender in the mid-tower PC case market. Comparing to the old models like the R3 and the R4, the new R5 is slightly bigger.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Preview
Specifications
| Model | Define R5 |
| Case Type | Mid-tower |
| Dimensions | 521 x 232 x 451 mm, 11.2 Kg |
| Material | Steel, plastic |
| Color | Black |
| 5.25'' drive bay | 2 |
| 3.5'' drive bay | 8 |
| 2.5'' drive bay | 2 |
| Expansion slots | 7 |
| Form factors | ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX |
| Cooling | Front: 2x 120/140mm (1x Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 included) Rear: 1x 120/140mm (1x Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 included) Top: 3x 120/140mm Bottom: 2x 120/140mm Side: 1x 120/140mm |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Bundle
Overview |
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| The Define R5 box is pretty
simple. It is made out of cardboard and lists all the most important features of the
Define R5. Inside the box,
there is the case itself, protected by a plastic cover. To ensure that nothing is going to break during shipping, Fractal Design used two big pieces of plastic-sponge which is more than enough to protect the Define R5.
The bundle is quite simple but complete
as you get a user manual with colored pictures which explain how to use
all the Define R5 features, a great number of screws, standoffs and zip-ties. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Product overview
Overview |
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The Define R5 features a simple and
neat design, and is made of black metal and plastic of excellent quality. The front
door features a matte black panel which covers two 5.25" slots placed at the top of the case as well as the huge front dust filter. In the upper area, right behind the front door, you can find a switch with three differents steps, which allows you to control
the speed of up to a maximum of three fans. The bundle also includes two Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 140mm fans. The door itself, as
well as side panels, are equipped with sound-absorbing material of good quality and thickness,
which has become a trademark for most Fractal Design cases. The locking mechanism is sturdy and well-designed.
Unlike other models, Fractal Design has also implemented a system which allows
to switch the opening direction of the door. The I/O panel features two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0
ports, the power and reset buttons as well as the standard audio jacks. On both sides of the front panel there are few small openings that allow the front fans to
pull fresh air into the case. The side panels, even if they look quite simple, are actually the most important piece of the soundproofing system as they both
lined with soundproofing material, which is actually pretty heavy and should do a great job at blocking the noise. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Installation
Overview |
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| The inside
of the Define R5 clean and simple, and it features the most classic design, the same
one you find on 99% of the PC cases on the market. The Define R5 can fit up to two 5.25" devices, eight 3.5" HDD and two 2.5" SSD, all
with on white HDD sledges. Unlike many other manufacturers, Fractal Design didn't
make any mistake with the HDD cage, as infact, they are completely removable and you will be able to reconfigure the internal layout to your
liking. The motherboard tray is made out of solid steel, and it features a big opening behind the socket,
which allow the user to install aftermarket CPU coolers without taking the motherboard out. The tray features five openings with rubber groomets to create a neat cable management. Between the motherboard tray and the right panel there is enough space to hide
plenty of cables. The whole internal space, except for the back and bottom panels, is padded with soundproofing material to reduce the system noise. For our test, we used an ATX motherboard with a liquid cooling system with single 120 mm radiator. As you can see from the pictures there are plenty of slots for the fans and radiators. The Define R5 is able to accommodate a CPU cooler with a maximum height of 180 mm and graphics cards up to 310mm long. Despite the very generous dimension of our Club 3D R9 290X GPU, we have installed it successfully without any issues. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Ventilation options
Overview |
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| The Define R5 offers
plenty of places for fan installation and inside the package you will find two 140mm fans with white blades and black frame. Overall, the case is able to accommodate two 120/140mm fans
at the front, one 120/140mm at the rear and up to a maximum of three
fans at the top. Last but not least, Fractal Design provides a housing for a 120 mm fan on the side panel. If you are fan of liquid cooling systems you will be happy to know that the Define R5 is also perfect for that type of cooling as, thanks to the front modular cages and to the huge internal space available, you will be able to mount a 240/280mm radiator at the front and a 360/420mm at the top. Depending on the used power supply, there is also enough space for an additional 120/240mm radiator at the bottom of the Define R5. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| The Fractal Design Define R5 is a well though, mid-tower PC case which puts a lot of attention to the noise insulation features. At this point the engineers have really been thinking about how to reduce noise as efficiently as possible. Furthermore, we also liked the two removable hard drive cages as well as the possibility to place two SSDs on the backside of the motherboard tray. There even is a small fan controller where you can choose between 5, 7 and 12 volt settings. |
- Price
- Fan controller
- Design |
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| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics | + | - | |
| Overall, the build quality is on a very good level. Fractal Design didn't make the mistake to go for a super thin side panels in order to save weight. They used solid metal sheets which are paired up with noise isolation material which ended in a stable and reasonably stiff panels. Furthermore, hardware installation is quite simple and straightforward. We also quite appreciated the fact that there are several holes in the motherboard tray to route cables to the backside of the board. Fractal Design decided to make the case a bit wider, therefore, the cables, which have been routed to the backside, can be easily placed there. | - High quality materials
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| Design / Layout | + | - | |
| As far as the design is concerned, we think that nobody could ever say something negative about the Define R5, mainly because it features a simple look, and has no strange details nor aesthetic flaws. It is a simple case, with an elegant look that could fit in any kind of environment. Despite the classy and elegant design, the Define R5 features a very good aircooling setup and is also able to accomodate high-end liquid cooling systems. | - Design
- 2 pre-installed fans - Aircooling / Watercooling |
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| Recommendation | + | - | |
| We can recommend the Define R5 to anybody looking for a mid-tower PC case which features pre-installed acoustic insulation material as well as silent fans and a fan controller. With this case it is really easy to build a silent rig. The Fractal Design Define R5 is available on Geizhals for 89 Euro excluding shipping costs and is available also in both White and Titanium color options. In addition, the Define R5 is also available with a side panel window. |
- Silent-PC |
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| Rating | |||
| The Fractal Design Define R5 gets good 5 out of 5 stars. | |||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |