14 DAY TRIAL // The Define XL was Fractal Design's proof that it can make PCs tough enough to shrug off multiple shotgun blasts. The company is now tackling a different issue but as part of the same product line.
The product we will look at today is called Define R4 and would pass up as a regular case (inasmuch as a high-end case can be regular), if not for a certain factor: the sound-dampening material that the side and front panels are made of.
Up to seven fans can operate within at any one time (two included by default), not counting the CPU and VGA card spinners, and yet little, if any, noise escapes.
As if that alone was not enough, Fractal Design even tossed in an integrated fan controller that can connect to up to three.
As for the specs, Define R4 has space for up to eight 3.5-inch HDDs/SSDs, two 2.5-inch SSD stealth bays (behind the motherboard tray, of all places) and two 5.25-inch PDD bays.
Finally, the chassis gets 7+1 expansion slots and room for large coolers (up to 170mm / 6.69 inches height) and long graphics cards (430 mm / 16.92 inches).
Sales are already underway, for $110 / 90.87 Euro, in three colors: Black Pearl, Titanium Grey, and Arctic White.
