Take advantage of a modular layout and easy access with the Define R5 Mid-Tower Case in black from Fractal Design. Featuring ample space for components and convenient entry via the side and front of the case, the Define R5 is intended to provide a computer case that fits your build. Two removable, external 5.25″ drive bays sit behind the hinged front panel. Inside the case, there are eight bays accommodating 2.5 or 3.5″ drives, as well as two mounting positions behind the motherboard specifically for 2.5″ SSDs. Seven expansion slots are also present, so you can install plenty of adapter cards, including a GPU up to 12.20″ when the case is in its default configuration. However, by removing the top HDD cage, users can install graphics cards up to 17.32″. CPU coolers up to 7.09″ are also supported, as are PSUs up to 11.81″ in the default configuration. However, PSU size is limited to 6.69 or 7.48″ when a 140 or 120mm fan is installed in the bottom of the case.
The Fractal Design Define R5 comes with two preinstalled Dynamic GP14 140mm fans, including one at the front and one at the rear of the case. In addition to these fans, users can install up to three fans at the top of the case, up to two on the bottom, and additional fans on the side and front of the case. Or, if you prefer water cooling, you can install radiators instead. Radiators up to 360mm can be installed at the front of the case when users remove drive bays. Similarly, the top of the case can accept radiators up to 420mm when the 5.25″ drive bay cage is removed. However, with the drive bay in place, you can still fit radiators up to 280mm. When installing a 420, 280, or 140mm radiator and fan at the top of the case, total thickness should not exceed 2.16″. Both 120 and 140mm radiators can be installed at the rear and bottom of the case, though using radiators at the bottom of the case limits PSU size to 6.49″.
Featuring a quick-release locking mechanism on the left-side panel, the Fractal Design Define R5 also sports a right side panel with captive thumb screws, allowing for easy access. Additionally, users can open the hinged front panel to access the front fan, external 5.25″ drive bays, and dust filters. The hinged panel can also be configured to open from either direction. Complementing this accessible design, the Define R5 also features sound dampening and ModuVent covers, allowing users to cover unused fan vents and decrease operational noise. A three-speed fan controller is built into the case and provides control for up to three fans, while a front I/O panel provides you with two USB 3.1 Gen 1 and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports. Separate 3.5mm ports for audio input and output are also present, as are power and reset buttons and a drive activity LED indicator.
Mireya Wintheiser (verified owner) –
I got this case for a home server. It is extremely quiet-oriented (there are sound paddings inside the case. It has a lot of room for 3.5 hard drives and you can fit a lot of fans if you so choose.
Chadrick Ziemann (verified owner) –
Don’t bother with this called fractal cust service and case is discontinued
Elisha Mosciski (verified owner) –
Overall I like this case. I really like the left-hand side vent that allows installation of 120 or 140mm fan to exhaust air right next to the GPU. The cable guides allow easy routing of cables behind the mother board. I like the configurable set up for 3.5/5 drive bays and optical drive slots. There are two fans that can be mounted in the front to draw air in. The mounting with my motherboard was good but not perfect – the hole alignment with my MSI B660 board was not quite aligned on one hole, but it was not an important screw so I felt fine leaving it off. The case did cut me at one point, so I would wish for a little more finish on the case, but overall it’s not a vicious case – most finish is quite safe. The case has good sound insulation on many of the surfaces. The key benefits: great airflow and quiet. These two things are hard to get together. The main idea is that I was able to install a lot of fans and run all those fans at very low speed (which is quiet) and still get good airflow. Playing a modern game, my CPU temps never exceeded 65C. The two provided case fans are not PWM, so I removed them. They were not too loud. I was able to fit a Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU cooler into the case (it’s a very big cooler but it fits fine). I would not recommend this cooler though – pick something else. But this case is big enough to fit even this monster.
Jayme Schmeler (verified owner) –
Building in this case is a dream compared to other cheaper cases, you get tons of room for fans, hard drives, and a nice bit of room in the back for cable management. Everything feels high quality, and was easy to put together.
Jana Schneider (verified owner) –
This a very good computer case, excellent quality and very quiet. I use it to build my workstation. You can put up to 8 hard drives in it, that means I can use this case to build my NAS late, if I find another smaller case for my workstation.
Flavio Schumm (verified owner) –
Superior build quality. Capacious internal space for a server build. The material also dampens the fan noise to some degree. Tool-less install/uninstall across all. Numerous slots for SSD/HDs–12 total I guess?
Harry Cummerata (verified owner) –
The finish is excellent. Seems to be very durable, and the sound deadening is a very welcome addition. No sharp edges waiting to slice your fingers. Perfect fitment, and everything comes apart easily, and the flexibility they designed in is really incredible. Wish I’d gotten this years ago! Fully packed with eight 3.5 drives and 2 2.5 SSDs, and is very quiet. Ordered the extra fan for the front lower spot, as well as for the left side (have LSI Logic disk controller card that tends to run hot). The only issue I had is that it seems like they didn’t account for the nice coat of paint on the SSD trays: none of the four brands I have would lie flush in the trays, so they couldn’t be screwed to the trays. I had to mount the SSDs to one side of the 5.25 bays.