Fractal Design Define R4 Mid-Tower Chassis Review

Hell yes! This case has it all.

On the outside, the clean, subdued look is a hit with me and I love the fact that the door was made to look like brushed aluminum instead of being left as a boring chunk of shiny plastic. It really takes a low cost item and makes it look richer. The basic, uncluttered front I/O looks great as well with just enough flash in the form of the illuminated ring around the power button and accent in front of it.

On the inside there are enough features to keep everybody happy. There’s loads of room for hard drives, enough space behind the motherboard tray to neatly tuck meters worth of cables, support for large radiators, and sound-dampening material in just about every location to keep noise to a minimum.

The fact that this material is thinner and denser than the typical foam commonly used means that less warm air is trapped within it, which can drive temperatures up.

Aside from the clearance issue with top 3.5″ bay, the fit and finish was perfect. I’m not sure if the screws being too long is an isolated occurrence, but it’s something that Fractal Design should have a look at because it’s such an easy fix.

Of course, we have touch on the price-point, which is about on par for what you get. One popular online retailer has the windowed model listed for $119 US, while the non-windowed version is going for $109. Shopping around a little, I found the model that we received on sale for $99 CDN, so for a case like this to break the sub-$100 mark is a real steal.

The Define R4 would be a top candidate if I were in the market for a new case so it’s certainly worth a look if you are.

Pros

• High build quality
• Understated look (if you’re into that sort of thing)
• Lots of room for expandability
• Keeps a system as quiet as possible

Cons

• Clearance issue with the top 3.5″ drive bay

Fractal Design Define R4