Fractal Design Define R4 Case Review

The Front Panel

The Fractal Design Define R4 comes with a front door. While many users don’t like doors, on cases targeted to silent computing they are a necessity, as they carry a sheet of foam to reduce the noise produced by the PC.

Luckily, the buttons and connectors from the case are not behind the door. This was a mistake made by several manufacturers in the past, as you would need to open the door to press the power button. To install devices on the USB ports you also would need to keep the door open, which is counterproductive.

Figure 4: The front door

The case has two external 5.25” bays and comes with a 140 mm hydraulic-bearing fan (Fractal Design Silent Series R2, 1,000 rpm). On its default configuration, this fan cools down the top hard drive cage. You can move it down if you want to cool down the bottom hard drive cage, or you can install a second fan, which can be either a 120 mm or a 140 mm model. The installation of a second 140 mm fan can be done without the use of screws or tools, thanks to the tool-less mechanism available. There is an air filter for these fans. Optionally, you can remove the front fans to install a 240 mm radiator.

Figure 5: The front panel

Figure 6: The front panel

The case has a three-speed fan controller on the upper-right corner of the front panel, which allows the connection of up to three fans.

Figure 7: The three-speed fan controller