Fractal Design Define R4 Full-Tower PC Chassis Review

This is the first time I’ve reviewed a Fractal Design chassis and I have to say, first impressions here have made a big impact on me, the build quality on this chassis is second to none, thanks to their use of thick cut panels that provide both strength and reliability, while also helping reduce noise from the chassis, yet every panel and clip fits with perfect precision and ease.

The styling of the chassis is a big selling point here two, the front panel manages to be both sleek and stylish yet understated at the same time, with its clean front panel cover nicely hiding away the very functional front cover and helping to reduce noise from the chassis while also keeping things safe and looking tidy. Inside of the chassis looks fantastic too, the mixture of a high quality paint job throughout, high quality sound proof padding and the brilliant white contrasting drive trays and expansion slot covers really make this chassis stand out from almost every angle, I just really wish we had the windowed side panel on our review sample as this chassis would have looked fantastic when fitted with some case lighting.

The addition of being able to move the drive bays further left within the chassis is a really good idea too, especially if your looking to water cool your system as this allows for a radiator in the front of the chassis, not a setup you see very often, but as some of you now, having a radiator mounted on an air intake can (but not always of course) improve system temperatures

The only thing thats missing on this chassis is a few cutouts on the rear for either cable or water cooling loops, but thats not really what this chassis is about, it is perfectly to provide superb air cooling and keep noise to a minimum, plus with the addition of a 3 channel fan speed controller tucked away under the front panel cover, should you need to kick all your fans into hurricane mode on a hot summers day, you can do so with ease, or of course if your wanting to keep it whisper quiet while watching a movie, you’re just a flick of a switch away.

I’m really lost on what else to say about this chassis, it delivers in every way that Fractal said it would, its style, performance, build quality and features are all superb, but its because of its careful attention to detail in its sound proofing and features like its removable padded fan mount covers are a great idea to help keep noise to a minimum, all of which is more than worthy of our Innovation Award, but since it ticks all the right boxes it will happily walk away today with our Editor’s Choice Award, I highly recommend this chassis, just get one with a side window so you can appreciate all of the design features.