Fractal Design Define S Full-Tower Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 10 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Fractal Design Define S will be available very soon from all major retailers for around $79.99 for the none windowed version and $89.99 for the windowed version I reviewed today. In the UK, prices are expected to be £64.99 and £69.99, while the rest of Europe can expect prices of €89.99 and €99.99. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise this is a very good price, especially given the quality and capabilities of this chassis.

Overview

I’m simply blown away by the latest chassis from Fractal Design. The Define S promised support for high-end hardware and the premium quality we’ve come to know and love from Fractal Designs and it hasn’t disappointed one bit.

Build quality is very good overall, the front panel is plastic, but it’s very nicely finished and there’s enough extra touches that help define this as a premium grade products. Magnetic and washable dust filters on every intake, removable covers on the top panel, two high-quality fans pre-installed, cable routing grommets and velcro fittings; all small things in their own way, but they all add extra value to the chassis.

Attention to detail is great, this is the first big chassis I’ve seen that only has stealth mounted hard drives, with room for up to five drives in a chassis, without having to sacrifice on cooling configuration is simply staggering and the enthusiast water cooling crowd are going to be falling over themselves to get a Define S.

Support for huge graphics card, extra-long PSUs, tall CPU coolers, massive radiators in the top and front, as well as extra thick-style radiators in the bottom and back, sound dampening material, a side panel window edition, even little details such as the black USB 3.0 ports; there’s really nothing that Fractal Design haven’t thought about here.

I really was expecting the price to be over £100, the fact that Fractal Design have made such a great product at such a competitive price is very impressive.

Pros

Great build quality
Support for extreme water cooling setups
Stealth-mounted hard drive bays
Side panel window
Sound dampening material
Long GPU support
Excellent cable management
ModuVent covers
Magnetic dust filters
Competitive price

Cons

None

“Fractal Desing have really made something special here. From the exterior, it’s as stylish and bold as any other Fractal Design chassis, but the interior is a breath of fresh air. If your next build is going to feature high-end water cooling, this is the perfect chassis for the job.”