Fractal Design R2 Case Review

Results Analysis

Oh dear. After we’d been so impressed by the Define R2’s build quality and noise reduction features its thermal performance is nothing short of a huge disappointment, but it’s not unexpected. Idle performance is dreadful, with a record idle CPU and GPU delta T for our test kit of 14°C and 27°C. CPU load performance is equally rubbish in comparison to the competition, with a delta T of 29°C and GPU load performance is even worse, with our passive graphics card hitting a worrying 62°C above room temperature.

As the Define R2’s cooling performance was so obviously poor we decided to see if removing the bitumen plated grill covers would have any sort of impact on dropping the internal temperature by letting the hot air out. While CPU temperatures were improved by a couple of degrees across the board this still leaves the Define R2 a long way behind the competition and GPU load temperatures, mainly dependant on airflow into the case, were unchanged.

Of course, with five unused fan mounts (two in the roof, one in the front panel, one in the floor and one in the left hand side panel) there’s plenty of room to upgrade the Define R2’s lacklustre cooling on your own budget, but out of the box it’s difficult to see the case’s performance as anything other than a starting point. If you seriously want to use the case for anything along the lines of performance and gaming then you will need more airflow, there’s no question about it.

While the Define R2 is a bit of a failure when it comes to cooling though, it utterly excels when it comes to noise levels. With all the bitumen plating fitted the noise from our standard HSF was noticeably lower and the noise from the 900rpm case fans was barely audible. The hard drive vibration deadening also works very well, resulting in a case that was impressively stealthy and very quiet. Unfortunately once again we have the mutual exclusivity of noise and performance and Fractal Design clearly aimed for minimising the former at the cost of the latter.

Final Thoughts

The Define R2’s minimalist and straight forward styling will be very appealing to many – particularly the old school PC builders who enjoy clean cut looks instead of a UFO on their desk. The choice to include multiple 3.5”/2.5” drive bays over 5.25” is sensible and forward looking, build quality throughout is solid and the array of noise reduction features throughout is superb - the case really is wonderfully quiet.

In fact there’s really not a lot to find fault with here. Cable routing is well catered for, removable dust filters abound (although you’ll need a screwdriver to remove those fitted in the front of the case), the bitumen plating makes an audible difference and you even get plenty of spare screws and fittings included too. Lovely!

While the poor thermal performance is impossible to overlook, to its credit though there is at least plenty of room for you to upgrade the cooling, although this will obviously add significantly to the £82 price tag – the included Fractal Design 120mm Silent Series fans are £10 a pop. For the same sort of money there’s plenty of competition at this price range with cases like the excellent Coolermaster 922 available for around £80, but those looking for similar styling and noise deadening features will have to look to the much more expensive £120 Antec P183, which sports fewer drive bays, fewer fan mounts and a more cramped interior. Fractal Design seems to beat Antec at its own game here!

We can’t help but like the Define R2. The use of removable vent covers is something we expect to see quickly adopted by the competition, and the array of noise reduction features at this price tag is sure to appeal to those who value the path to silence over lower temperatures – although be wary of our results when considering your own built: it’s certainly not a case we’d ever recommend for overclocking or multiple GPUs out of the box. If it does tick all the right boxes though, you’d be hard pressed to find a better chassis at this price.

• Features
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• x
• x
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• -
• 9/10

• Build Quality
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• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 6/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Overall
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• x
• x
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• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

Score Guide

Addendum

Following the huge amount of interest shown in this case by the ladies and gents in the bit-tech forums, we've since re-tested this case with a couple of extra fans installed. The results were, predictably, very good - who would have thought that if you add extra cooling to case, it's able to cool better? Anyway, skip over to Harry's blog post to read more!