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Fractal Design, the same company that recently took a 12-gauge shotgun to its Define XL case to prove the sturdiness of the side panel structure, extends the Define line with the newly introduced Define R4. The Define R4 isn't built to take a shotgun blast to the gut (and neither was the Define XL, it just happened to be able to survive one), but it is intended to stomp out unwanted noise with panels that are fitted with dense, sound-absorbing material.
In addition to sound dampening material, the Define R4 features support for up to eight 3.5-inch hard drives (HDDs), all of which are compatible with solid state drives (SSDs), two 2.5-inch SSD stealth bays on the back of the motherboard tray, a pair of 5.25-inch bays, 7 + 1 expansion slots, and plenty of space for towering components, such as a CPU cooler up to 170mm, PSUs up to 270mm deep, and graphics cards up to 430mm in length.
Cooling chores are handled by up to seven case fans (two are included) and an integrated fan controller (also included) that hooks up to three fans. There are also cable routing cutouts to keep bundles of wires from obstructing airflow.
The Define R4 is available now for $110 in Black Pearl, Titanium Grey, and Arctic White.
Comments are closed on this article
kiaghi7
July 23, 2012 at 2:56pm
The caveat of course is that it's still a computer case, as such it can and does have holes...
As such, the ports for fans and the actual PSU are apparently not sound dampened when opened obviously, making the effort somewhat moot...
Also, one must consider the various perforations in the case, for ventilation and the like... If they can let in/out air, they can also let in/out noise directly from within the case rather than through impacting interior surfaces. Hence why it's often preferable to have much of the ventilation out the back and up from the bottom, since obviously those surfaces will face out and away from the user.
Forward, side, and top ventilation isn't bad, I have all three in my current case, but just as easily as it moves air it can even more easily allow noise to move through...
It's akin to building the very best stone fortification there ever was, and then putting in a screen door for easy access...
SilverSurferNHS
July 23, 2012 at 9:46am
mmmmm, looks like bird shot which makes me DGAF
but yeah, i went balls out on my last pc, so it was loud and hot as fuck, and im thinking going quiet cool n silent on a sandy bridge e upgrade cycle when they launch
Bean Bandit
July 23, 2012 at 7:55am
Would make for a cool server box but with that front door even though there's side vents there's just so much that's lost in airflow. But I guess it's better then nothing. If you went with all green drives I'm sure the heat wouldn't be so bad.
