Fractal Design Define R2 Review 19

Fractal Design Define R2 Review

(19 Comments) »

Value and Conclusion

  • The Fractal Design Define R2 sells for around 85-90€ in various eShops.
  • Unique set of features
  • Sound dampening installed everywhere
  • Space for eight hard drives
  • Excellent cable routing possibilities
  • Plenty of areas to hide cables
  • Ready for 2.5" hard drives
  • Fan controller for three fans included
  • Black interior
  • Water cooling ready
  • White accents look excellent
  • Bottom mounted PSU bay
  • Thumb screws for the expansion slots
  • Dust filter for all intake fans
  • Two fans included
  • Very smooth paint job
  • Some quality issues
  • Graphic cards beyond 29 - 30 cm may not fit
  • Packaging seems too compact for safe transportation
  • No eSATA connectivity
  • Rather heavy
The Fractal Design Define R2 is a great case with a few unusual issues. Luckily, while I still have to mention them, most of these are probably just present in my sample. This goes for the loose mainboard tray and the bent case. Besides these issues, the guys have managed to fill the case with plenty of very useful features, while steering clear of useless marketing gimmicks like plastic locks. The sound dampening material along with the sealed off air intakes which are unused and the fan controller all make for a great feature set. Fractal Design seems to have a thing for offering cases which can hold a lot of hard drives, as the Define R2 can hold a eight disks, which is even above average for enclosures much larger than this one. This comes at a price, as the unit can only accept graphics cards with 29 - 30 cm length - and there are larger ones out there. If Fractal Designs makes an eATX version of this case, makes sure that the quality is top notch and keeps the price below 100 Euros they would have a perfect case of that price point. That said, the Define R2 is an excellent contender for the mid-range case market and we look forward what else comes from Fractal Design in the future.
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Nov 6th, 2024 06:23 EST change timezone

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