The grommets have held up fine so far.

I ran the molex chain that came with my modular (PC Power & Cooling MKIII Silencer manufactured by Seasonic) to connect the molex fan controller. I am going to to get a SATA to molex connector as it's up near the top bay where I installed my DVD burner. Of course I have a lot of the molex to SATA which I don't need. Then I can eliminate that whole molex cable chain which IIRC it has 3 or 4 bulky connectors plus a floppy. Way too much.

In fact, I have not had time to route the cables and I just shipped my GPU off today for an RMA. I may wait until I get it back as it uses 2 PCIe cables. Glad the PSU has one of those hard wired.

Another angle:

It really does seem a bit more plastic than necessary. But I'm not an engineer by any means.

anyone upgrade from the R3 to the R4? Wondering if it's worth the upgrade...

Do people really do stuff like that? That's like trading in your 2011 Camry for the 2012 model. Except it's a lot more work.

I disagree. There were several changes made to the R4 like being able to remove both drive cages that may make it worth it to an R3 owner.

R2->R3 was like that. R3->R4 is pretty big change, especially considering the removable HDD tray. If that bothered you in R3, it can be a deciding factor for upgrade.

Just checked on Amazon and it is showing as "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" and out of stock link
If I get it from NewEgg it will cost me about $15 more with local sales tax and their slightly higher price.

Yep, looks like Amazon and a some additional retailers have picked up the Fractal Design case line.

For western Europe, at least Alternate has them on stock.

could you measure the actual width of the case if you get a chance? the youtube review states that it's 222mm which would make sense given the additional measurements, however the listed specs state that it's 232 (which would make a difference where I plan to put it).

Thanks

Or, you could get the info from their website: Case dimensions (WxHxD): 232 x 464 x 523mm

that's where i got the listed specs.. however, unless he read the tape measure incorrectly or misspoke, 222 would make more sense give the new additions.

Measure away, but the specs should be correct since there is more room both behind the motherboard and for taller CPU coolers. An inch increassed witdh over the R3 seems just about right.

R4 has 26mm behind the motherboard compared to 16mm in the R3. It also has 5mm more CPU cooling room (170mm vs 165mm). So 208mm of the R3 + 10mm + 5mm would make 223mm which was apparently measured in the video and makes sense.

Btw, both drive cages are removable. To removed the bottom cage you have to turn it upside down to remove four screws and then remove the support arm by popping off the bezel to get to two small screws to remove it. The video does not mention the support bracket. I removed both cages.

Im considering buying this on the near future.

To anyone that owns it already: Is the problem of bad-toxic-like-smell from the dampening foam materials still a problem? I remember a lot of people complaining about it being intolerabe in earlier releases of the case.

The bad smell was solved already during the R2 version of the case. The bitumen in R3/R4 might leave some mild odor the first week but much less than other bitumen dampening material I've handled, probably in part thanks to the nice fabric that covers it. What could really stink in the earlier R2 revision of the case was the oil mixture in the cable routing grommets. That was fixed after some initial manufacturing batches. Perhaps the mix of the bitumen also varied over the R2 version, but I never found any of the dozen or so I've handled that smelt bad then either. Haven't "smelled the R4" yet but I see no reason for any problem to reappear.
Since the case comes packaged in a bag, one could do the unboxing outdoors to avoid venting any accumulated factory-fresh odors inside the home. Especially to avoid doing so nearby the "missus" or in the bedroom. Some even complain about those lovely fresh electronics bouquet that we yearn for.

Has anyone tested out the starting voltage for these Silent Series R2 140mm fans that comes with this case? Curious if they can get low at a safe starting voltage. Now they should start at 5V with that built in fan controller, but maybe someone has double checked?

Got me a white one today. Decided I needed to put together a secondary gaming system and couldn't find a cheap case nice enough, except for the Define R3 that my main system is in... No time to actually build today but a few things can be said already. First and foremost I'd like to thank the postal service for not kicking or doing anything else untowards this case as it arrived flawless.

Seriously though, the width of the case is as advertised and as usual Fractal Design have been careful not to guarantee too much when it comes to the height of the CPU cooler that can be fitted. Here in the R4 it won't be a problem at all with an 180mm cooler, as long as maybe nudging the foam on the side vent cover wouldn't be a problem. If there ever is a cooler that goes slightly beyond 180mm there's even room for that. So no worries there, and that Archon heatsink gets plenty of room to spare.

The fans look very promising. I haven't had them installed yet but they certainly don't tick or vibrate when sped up, and the shape is fairly similar to Scythe's Slip Stream. I'm putting the two fans that came with the case as intakes and hooked to the integrated fan controller. Should be great running on 5V pretty much all the time. Might end up regretting not having bought a third of these Silent Series R2 140mm for the exhaust, but I've got some fans to try there. I'm aiming on a single exhaust as well as taking advantage of this improved front air filter.

The drive cage is very sturdy in spite of being removable. So they definitely understood that this area could have become a problem if done carelessly. The individual trays also sit more tightly in their holders. Though I personally don't see myself mounting 7200 RPM 3,5" drives in my main system ever again, the fact that the drive grommets are also a millimeter or two thicker on each might be of some small help. The acessory bag also has twelve loose grommets in them, likely intended for fans, but usable pretty much anywhere you can put them.

If you do fit drives that vibrate a lot there might be a risk of the front fan filter "cover/pop-out door" to vibrate some. It's a big surface and does not sit precisely tight. Should be easy to fix with something stuck in there if it does occurr.

The front comes off smoothly with no need for brute force. Best be careful when carrying the case not to actually lift in the front so that it might come off.

Not a single source of bad smell even when taking the plastic bag off. And the routing hole grommets sit tightly so you'll have to really tug on them to get them loose, and then press on them a bit to get them back. I don't care for routing hole grommets in general so I might end up removing them all the same. There are no sharp edges behind them and the holes are nicely rounded.

Ask for measurements or detail pictures before it's too late.

Which fans are you considering for the exahust? Sadly I don't think just running the dual intakes is going to be enough.

The best bet 140mm fan I have is a Thermalright PWM that comes with the HR-02 Macho coolers. Since it has a PWM floor as high as 900RPM however, I'd then rig it with its own little FanMate voltage regulator to some slightly slower speed. The other option is a Slip Stream 140 500 RPM model that after some extra oiling runs at closer to 600 RPM at 12V, but it might not be enough and besides has a slight ticking noise.

I might end up having to cut away the rear stamped honeycomb fan grill to allow for higher fan speeds at a lower effective noise level. So I should make some sort of listening test with the grill left on before mounting the motherboard in there. I have some snips and a small grinder at hand so it's easy enough, but no good place to be at for doing such things right now. I've messed up the kitchen once to many times before.

The stock dual intakes was not enough in my case (so to speak ). I ended up getting a Corsair AF140 for the exhaust and on sale. You can add the white ring to it for a more customized look. But as mkk mentioned, the Thermalright TY-140 fan is very quiet. I have one that came with my HR-02 Macho.

http://www.corsair.com/cpu-cooling-kits ... m-fan.html

http://www.thermalright.com/products/in ... d=16&id=97

Congrats to you on your new R4

Both of the Silent Series R2 140mm fans that came with my case made ticking noises (very easy to hear side on) and so did a third Silent Series R2 140mm fan I had purchased for the side vent. I've sent the separate one back for a refund, and I've replaced all of them with Prolimatech Vortex 140mm fans, which are what I use for my CPU. I found it quite strange that every one of the Silent Series R2 140mm fans I got made such noises. Is it the case that all of these model fans have this problem? To clearly tell, place your head to the side of the fan, around 20cm away from it. I could also hear the ticking as they spun up. It may be advantageous to see what you think of the built in fans before purchasing any additional fans, of any brand, so you've got a better idea of what you might need to buy in the one transaction.

The Silent Series R2 has some bearing noise and is not as smooth sounding as a Scythe Slipstream, however they are good enough and the noise at 20cm is mainly turbulent noise with the side cover and the door closed. For me it is not worth spending $40+ on replacement fans. I think in your situation the noise is increased due to the placement on the side panel. If the fans are placed inside the dampening from the door and the bitumen mats get rid of the bearing noise.

I added a Corsair AF140 for the rear exhaust and it doesn't sound as smooth as a Slipstream either. It's still a good fan and like the Silent Series the bearing noise cannot be heard from 1 meter away.

On sale at NewEgg for $80 and free shipping with promo code EMCNAHN76.

Aaron over at missingremote reviews the R4.

After having run with it for a couple of days I concur with fyleow's experience with the fans. They have some extra noise but I can't hear it from behind the door, having two of them in the front at 5V through the fan controller. Probably won't get a third one for the rear exhaust though, especially since they aren't exactly inexpensive separately. They're just fine for being included fans.

Using a TY-140 for rear exhaust worked about as well as I could have hoped. It does run a smidgeon faster than ideal at around 700 RPM(seems new motherboard BIOS tweaks it down below its official PWM specs), but using four of the rubber spacers that come with the case to put a little distance between the fan and the grate I haven't felt the need to cut it away at least. Will eye some replacement fan with a lower PWM floor for true quietness(). Coolingwise the current setup is so good it's almost excessive.


Foam to be added later.

Those pics are nice. but are they too expensive to buy.

Yesterday I worked with Fractal Design R3 and I loved how the case looked in real life and how things were done in that case. I am now officially considering replicating my trusty old Antec Solo with R4. Why? Because I have become very big fan of positive pressure. Especially dusty environment where my current primary system is. Since R4 allows 3x 140/120mm filtered intakes and excessive fan places are covered I am seriously considering the case. Even I have to relinquish Antewc Solos wonderful HDD suspension it is my believe that R4's upper HDD cage is removable, allowing create space to make suspension?

I got whole bunch of 120mm Nexus and 140mm Yateloon 1000 RPM sleeve bearing fans + Blacksilent 140mm and other nice and quiet 140mm fans so I am seriously considering this case. 3 Nexus fans for intake or Yate Loons at 7v. Should do the trick and have more ideal cooling setting than my current 120mm slipstream and 2x 92mm Nexuses on Solo. + My Seasonic X-560W would have separate intake and not as currently in take would take case inside case.

Yep, it's removable.