4.10.2016

The first part of this comes from the package review Amazon asks, thought I'd share it here too as it's all part of the product, right?Original package, the one that Fractal Design uses. It had transparent tape in the opening, well placed, uncut, good conditions. The cardboard box just had some peeling on the side and the original label (from UK) was blackened by the handling, wasn't a problem. The case inside had 2 EPS Foam at their sides in good shape, a nylon bag covering the case. I'm glad to see it was all good, no bends, no scratches nothing I could see.I bought the non-windowed version which seems sturdier, isolates more noise possibly because it has more noise dampening materials,even in their Moduvents (tm). Keep in mind window's acrylic might crack or scratch while shipping tho. The thumbscrews inside the case were really tight so you'll need a screwdriver to losen them, then you can use your fingers :P. bigger cutouts with rubber grommets made impossible to use L-shaped sata cables for HDD as there's no enough separation space between the HDD and the metal where they're placed, so get straight cables or as I saw someone do it: remove the grommets and try. I didn't want to do that and the L-shaped cable was warping so I used old sata1 cables since think they wont affect tranfer speeds since it's on HDD not SSD.The USB3 (blue tip) cable is hard as H, there're 2 thick cables, long enough to route behind mobo tray but still was difficult to properly route it as it applied force to the mobo itself, could bend or warp it a bit if you're not careful.It didn't help that the mobo I used (Asrck Z97M Pro4) has odd position for the mounting holes on the right side right where the RAM slot is, also the SUB3 and ATX power plug too, so any pushing will bend it and might damage your components if you're not careful or place a small non-conductive object between mobo and case so you can install and assemble your PC without fear breaking something.Of course that has nothing to do with the case, Fractal Design makes exquisite quality cases and even at this price range it's amazing what they deliver. Despite it's cost for me was roughly 3 times due to imports fees and taxes and whatnot, I still ordered it since you can't find the brand nor similar quality products here where I live so it was a no-brainer really :)The case includes 2 huge 140mm coolers which ARE NOT identical; the shape is slightly different, the front one has dented blades (near the axis) while the rear one does not. Both white & black, nice looking coolers that's for sure! Paint is pretty good, solid and scratch resistant. Also it doesn't get smudget easily with fingerprints, since it has a sand-like coating which helps and looks nice too. The front panel has a brushed aluminum look tho is plastic. There's no squicky noises, the case is solid even without their flap sides which btw are heavy compared to my previous case (CM 690 1st gen).It gets mostly everything I wanted in a pc case, it's sober as in no flashing lights, no blinding blue leds on the side either since I sleep at 6ft (2mts) and both humming noise and bright leds would bother me, Fractal Design Define S has what R5 has without the HDD cages and DVD room everyone removes anyways, I had a dvdrom in my previous case but since I only burn discs like once per month or every other month, so...Saw someone cut a hole in the back, there's a clean metal plate right below the rear cooler and above the 7 brackets for your devices, in a vertical fashion this guy cut the rectangle hole and placed the DVDrom there, very creative! :D I still don't want to "butcher" it so I just might buy an external USB dvdrom burner and just store in a drover somewhere, yeah that's extra $$$ aright, it depends how much you need it and how much it costs where you live.What else? hmm, I received it yesterday, at noon, spent the rest of the day assembling back the pc in the new case and I love it so far!Think I had a bent mounting hole in the mobo tray, since when I placed the small mobo one of the screws seemed to mismatch and didn't want to force it. Took all the screws and hammered it a bit, then re-placed the mobo again and this time another screw seemed to be slightly skewed... sight, then it MAY NOT be actually the case, huh? then again, top notch quality!Ah, yes, the Moduvent(tm), the 3 pieces of plastic with dampening material right on top of the case, these are tricky to take down and reveal a metal mesh, well, a honeycomb one nothing fancy, but man those plastic notches put up a hard fight! I'm surprised they were that resistant since I tried to pry them and they hold it just like a champ! I mean they just arched a bit but wouldn't give up haha. Turns out they only open from inside, you have to push just 2 latches and when they pop up you can just take them out easily, but until you release these plastic latches on their sides they wont come off! my figertips were sored for a while because I didn't researched or studied it a bit before trying to open them, in my defense, I was astonished, blindled by the beauty of this excellent new toy! :DYeah, I know, stock cooler, no expensive hardware, well, this is southamerica and I'm unemployed.. Want to laugh¿ go ahead, want to help? hit me up a line. Thanks Amazon, took like 2-3 weeks to get availability but once there was, it arrived before the expected date which was great!

31.1.2020

A reworked R5 case, in which they have removed the drive bays and opening door, to replace all that with five fixed vertical drive attachment points and a fixed front panel that is one large air filter. They have also disposed of the variable fan speed and now you are left to your own devices with the fans, two of which are provided. This is all good, provided you are either using water cooling and you dont have more than five drives – two 2.5” and an additional three 3.5/2.5, all of which are intended to have the drives mounted on the back, out of view. But you can use the three 3.5/2.5 on the front ( motherboard side ) if you are not using water cooling. The fans are adequate,but favour quiet instead of performance. They are white bladed fans though so they look pretty cool. Overall the case maintains the quality of the R5 for less money. It’s one of the widest cases I know of, so there is plenty of room for a big, traditional non water cooler.The original R5 case had a fan controller, this case does not. You many need a splitter to drive the fans then, depending on your motherboard.Fortunately the case is pretty much the same good solid construction as the R5 and they also kept the sound insulation which is a very good thing.Unfortunately they haven’t increased the headroom above the board so I would say this case if far more suited to a front mounted radiator. Not a big deal really, but it may upset your plans!I found the locations for the drives a little short on space. It was difficult to bend the SATA power and data cables correctly. In fact I used some older Molex to SATA power adapters because the way they are commonly constructed the SATA end is thinner than anything on a power supply and so far easier to fit in the limited space.All in all this is a fantastic update to a classic case. Well done Fractal!I bought one of these cases to upgrade an old PC, but now I have done that, I have another PC in an R5 and I am seriously considering upgrading that too.When you remember this is a pretty cheap case, then it's remarkable value for money. The bulk of the case is the original R5 and is very solid and heavy. The new front is a bit plasticy and light, but for me that wasn't a problem. Despite it's lightness it worked as well as any other case front and looked the part. My only consideration on that is that I might like to add some insulation to the front. Other than that one small issue, it's a fantastic case.Compared to other cases, the updates still leave some issues. Although the adverts proudly claim this case is for water cooling, well, that's not strictly true. The case is far better for front mounted water cooler radiators than the older R5 but there is still rather limited room for a top mounted radiator. Personally, I prefer front mounted, but if you prefer top mounted you may well choose a different case. Some other more recent cases have more room for top mounted radiators. Also, there is no provision for a vertically mounted graphics card. As such, to my mind, this case is far more suited for media computers, where bling is far less important to you. If you want a flashy pc with lights all over the place, then choose a different case.

18.12.2016

Oh my god what a breath of fresh air this case is...quite literally cause of dat airflow!Having recently become frustrated with needing to have my GPU fans blowing near full pelt to keep the thing in check inside the CiT Spectre case I decided to try something a little more widely reported to be a functional case. God I'm so glad I did! Building in this case was a very satisfying experience. I'd often find myself thinking "If only I could route my cables through...oh wait...I can!" It's an extremely well thought out case and has so many little highly attentive touches that it makes you feel like you're a great cable manager even with minimal effort. The aesthetic is simply stunning as well.

20.12.2016

Fractal Design Define S with a window. This case works wonders. It feels very well made, looks gorgeous and has a quality touch to it - that's my new furniture, mate, right on top of my desk.Don't get fooled, that's a huge case - not a mid tower, but a proper, full tower with a wonderful, clear view into your PC.The 'glass' is some sort of PCV or plastic, but remains ungresead, unscratched and clear so far - looks pretty with the leds in my PC as well.It's a silent case - in fact, it is so silent, I forgot to turn off my PC for two days. Apart for flashing GPU led, nothing indicated the desktop is running.I got lost at first, because I couldn't find manuals. These ware taped to the styrofoam,

2.5.2016

Very easy to build in, with plenty of roomTo some people the maximum of 3 HDD's and 2 SSD's may seem a little thin, and the lack of 5 1/4 bays an issue. However, with digital media becoming the norm, and larger HDD and NAS solutions becoming more of a common place, i dont see this being an issue for manyThe internal sound dampening is excellent and makes for a near silent build. With that being said, the windowed version doesnt have any dampening on the windowed side, nullifying this. If silence is your thing, I wouldn't recommend the non windowed side one at all, and instead say go with the R5 - basically the same but with more storage options (this case was made to produce beautiful computers,

1.6.2020

Went into my build with zero experience and the case was actually pretty helpful. The instructions weren't perfect but had sections for all the different parts and made things pretty easy. Seems to be a very sturdy case and looks very minimalist in design.The air flow seems really good and my temperatures never get too high. The fans are also relatively quiet. Compared to my ps4 they're significantly quieter which is great.The case also came with great cable management and plenty of straps and places to attach the cables to.All in all I'd definitely be happy recommending this case to anyone building their first pc,

11.6.2016

This is my second PC build and really happy with this case. I like the ability to strip out much of the interior to maximise space and make cable management a dream. The build quality seems good and the sound dampening foam does seem to make a difference. Currently I have a AIO processor cooler and air cooled GPU, but looking forward to updating to a custom loop in the next year and really make the most of this case and its radiator/fan mounting options.One warning though, I have a Asus Maximum VIII Hero Alpha mobo and the heatsinks mean that the 280mm radiator from my AIO only fits on a slant (in order to maximise screw points).

16.12.2015

Got this case about a month ago, and so far all is good. I switched from a CoolerMaster Storm Enforcer as I wanted something a little bit less angry:)This case is perfect, has lots of room for cable management and allows easy access to the front and rear dust filters. I swapped out the fans it came as I had some SP120s going spare.My only issue is that both USB ports when arrived were slightly miss shaped, like something had been rammed into them prior to me owning the case. Anyway they have now through use have formed the correct fittings.Overall 9/10

17.12.2018

Lots of fan slots, easily removable front fan filters, top moduvent covers, lots of cable management holes, lots of tie points in the back... what can I say. No-nonsense. Not even a PSU shroud - sure, it won't LOOK as neat, but it will be overall neater and you'll be thankful for the extra space to play around with. Plenty of space for a pump and radiators if that's your thing, and plenty of space to get creative with cable management. If you're into unconventional fan setups, Demciflex has you covered with custom-made filters for all sides.

3.2.2018

I bought this case to build a computer for recording audio (mainly singing and acoustic instruments) in the same room. To say I am delighted with the result is an understatement. The case if well sound dampened and there's plenty of space for virtually any combination of components you want to through at it. I used an Asus Prime H270 Pro motherboard, an Intel i3 processor and a Corsair VS550 ATX Power supply. The finished product is absolutely quiet. No sound interference detectable in the recordings.

10.11.2016

No complaints. It is a box, it is black, it is pretty (in a goth sort of way), it is quiet, unassuming, with acres of belly room. The usb ports on the front are a little tight, but work fine. I use mine for recording music; I barely know it is in the room. It winks at me from time to time with that awful bluish hue common to LEDs, so if you are sleeping in same room (as Keith Richards might say) paint it black.

5.3.2016

Amazingly good case at a very cheap price, lacks the front drive bays but I knew that when buying it. Would have been amazing if it could have fit E-ATX but it's not a deal breaker. It offers very nice cooling, looks and cable management at a very affordable price. Definitely a good case to look at in this price bracket and from what i've seen a very good case to watercool in as well without the huge price.

9.2.2017

Good build quality.A perfect case except:this case does not have disk trays at the front. it only has spaces for 3hdd & 2 ssd drives at the back.It is quite a wide case due to hdd space needed to store the hard disks on the back plate.Good points:back plate is sound proofed.get 2 large fans with the caseall screws needed for any part providedgood designlarge for any gpu card or cpu cooler

15.3.2016

fantastic case to build in. this is my 3rd case i have had and this case provided the most easiest installation process out of them all. fantastic cable management options and plenty of fan mounts for air/water cooling. this is a nice and quiet case and comes with all the stuff you need to install motherboard etc. would recomend this case to anyone

8.8.2016

I had the Design R4 & swopped to this case which was such a good choice!if you don't need a 5.4 bays or more than 3 3.5" HDD's (a adtional 2 2.5" drives can be installed on top of this) I would totally recomment this case! looks amazingly clean, has more than enough room for watercolling, big power supplies, multi GPU set ups!

Fractal Design Define S Window - Reviews

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