The Fractal Design Define S certainly manages to pull off the looks when it comes to the exterior. It comes with the exact same front as all Define cases these days, but there is no need for a door to hide an external drive bay since it doesn't come with one. Instead, the entire cover protects a large dust filter behind which one could install up to three 140 mm fans or a 360 mm radiator, which should be enough of a hint to let you know that the Define S utilizes the space there differently than your usual mid-tower case. Instead of hard drive cages, you will find space and lots of it, all for that large reservoir in your liquid-cooling loop, and there are the mounting holes on the floor for DDC or D5 pumps.

This aspect is the fundamental reason for the Define S' existence. Intended as an enticing choice for those looking to put together their own liquid-cooling solution, it does also caters to pre-filled units as you may install up to a 360 mm radiator unit into the font or ceiling.

With no hard-drive cages, Fractal had to move the trays to a different area. Instead of the front, there are five mounting possibilities right behind the motherboard tray. While this should suffice for most, those who hoard data may find the Define S lacking and should instead turn their attention to the Define R5, even if it is a bit more expensive.

This bring us to the price. Clocking in at 80 US dollars excluding taxes for the solid version and 90 US dollars for the windowed version, it cannot be considered a cheap mid-tower case, but its build quality is great, and it is the perfect basis for those enthusiasts who really need it: builders with unique cooling solutions.