Fractal Design Define R4: First Look

First off let me start by saying I have not been a fan of too many mid tower cases that have come out lately. The reason why is now that most of our components are so large along with many of us doing custom loop water cooling, it is hard to find a case that caters to both. Either you have to sacrifice water cooling, cable management or even top end components. Fractal Design on the other hand has managed to design the Define R4 roomy enough to handle all aspects of a high end rig. The Fractal Design R4 can handle 2 way SLI, a custom loop, great cable management and extra components without cluttering your case. I was pretty shocked when I first unboxed the Define R4 to find the treasure that laid within.

Fractal Design Define R4 Features and Specifications

Listed below is the features and specifications from Fractal Design’s website so we can get all the technical stuff out of the way before we go on to what we thought about the Define R4 case.

Fractal Design Define R4 Case Design
Case Type:	ATX Mid Tower
Color:	Black
Case Material:	Steel
Motherboard Compatibility:	ATX, Micro ATX, ITX
Side Panel Window:	Option Available
Fractal Design Define R4 Expansion Bays
External 5.25″ Drives:	2
External 3.5″ Drives:	1
Internal 3.5″ Drives:	8
Fractal Design Define R4 Front Panel Input Ports
Front Panel Input Ports:	2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Audio
Fractal Design Define R4 Cooling Capabilities
Fans Included:	Yes, two 140mm Silent R2 Fans
Total Fan Mounts:	7
Max CPU Cooler Height:	170mm Tall (Without fan mounted on side panel)
Radiator Mountings:	Front can fit up to a 240mm radiator. Top can fit up to 240mm using a 2x120mm setup
Fractal Design Define R4 Other Features
Graphics Card Max Length:	Up to 295mm in length with the top HDD cage installed, with the top cage removed, graphics cards up to 430mm in length may be installed
PSU Compatibility:	170mm deep when using the bottom fan location, when not using this fan location longer PSUs (up to 270mm deep) can be used
Filters:	Filtered fan slots in the front and bottom
Cable Management Space	26 mm behind motherboard plate
Included in the Box:	Define R4 Case, Accessories box (screws, zip ties, ect), User Manual

 

Head over to the next page and we take a deeper look at the Define R4 Case.