Introduction

I would like to thank Fractal Design for providing the review sample.

Most of you may not know Fractal Design, but the company has been making a splash with their unique enclosures at a competitive price. The company also sells power supplies, case fans, and a few accessories on top of that.

Not much else to say really, but this is their official vision:

Our vision is to have a constant, healthy growth together with our partners worldwide. Our goal is to be widely recognized for our designed products and to have them available in all major market regions within EU and US. We should be a good alternative to the already established retail brands of today. It's of great importance for us that our partners understand the values of Fractal Design, therefore we are putting great effort into choosing the right partners from the start. We will work actively to maintain sales territories and profitable business for our partners.

We are taking a look at the Define XL today, which is available in two different colors. Fractal Design sent us the all black variant for review. They were also kind enough to send us the Define R1 and Define R2 - check out the reviews! Fractal does not go out and release a new case under a new name, but actually improves on the existing designs and calls it R1, R2, R3 and so on. They are also planning a Core series of budget cases along with an Arc series for those looking for a traditional, ventilated case with the usual Fractal Design touches.

Specifications

Cooling system

• 2x 140mm fans (one 140mm included, one optional) with removable and washable filters, in the front. Recommended for intake of air.
• 1x 120mm fan optional with removable and washable filter, in the front. Recommended for intake of air.
• 1x 180mm fan included in the top of the case. Recommended for exhaust of air.
• 1x 140mm fan included in the rear of the case. Recommended for exhaust of air.
• 1x 120/140mm fan optional in the side of the case. Recommended for intake of air.

Specifications

• 4x 5,25” bays, 1x 5,25” to 3,5” converter included
• Mini-itx, micro ATX, ATX and E-ATX motherboards
• 10x HDD trays. 4x HDD trays in the HDD cage in the main chamber. This HDD cage is removable and rotatable. (Space ~330mm with HDD Cage and without ~480mm) 6x HDD trays in the lower HDD chamber. These HDD cages are fixed.
• A total of two 140mm fans and one 180mm fan included. Front 140mm fans are mounted with removable, washable filter. A fan controller is included, for mounting in one of the rear expansion slots.
• Pre-fitted with dense noise absorbing material in both side panels.
• ModuVent™ feature, allowing the user to choose between an optimal low noise level, having the cover mounted or optimal airflow by removing the cover and mounting a fan for intake.
• On top of front panel: 4x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA and Audio I/O
• Case size (WxHxD): 232 x 560 x 561.3 mm
• Net weight: 17.95kg