Gadgetory

this video is brought to you by NCI XCOM great technology selection and service hello everyone this is Dmitry with higher conducts and with the release of the definer for almost two years ago fractal design set the benchmark of how a silent PC case should be built we suggest to check out our view of the r4 just to get an idea of how far things have come with regards to the new design so meet the define our 5 fractal design is once again reaching out to set a new benchmark and redefine how we view silent oriented enclosures the r5 is released at $119 it will be available in titanium and white and yes windowed versions are also not forgotten for those who want to admire their hardware the exterior is a standard closed off case it looks practically identical to the r4 with steel side panels a little boring but I appreciate the modest approach you know everything you need and nothing in excess and everything on purpose well almost everything the optional fan mount unfortunately is not dust filtered so don't use it but each panel is covered in noise dampening material and they're really heavy because of it the left panel removes both the thumb screws and the latch mechanism for easier reinstallation while the thumb screws on the right panel stay attached so they the only way to lose them really if you were to lose the panel then the front panel has a matte finish with a really fine brushed plastic that only peeks through under specific lighting conditions the panel opens a little over 90 degrees with sound dampening material applied and the ability to swap the panel to open from the other side I love that companies are now starting to integrate this feature there are two optical bays along with a 3 speed 3 fan controller that's accessible yet sort of hidden below is a practical dust filter that's easily removable also this is the only spot on the exterior where we see any sort of fractal branding so they're really not afraid to stand behind what they build without splashing logos and branding all over the place now back to the dust filter notice the vents are angled down in order to channel any noise that might escape plus help with airflow and take and while it seems a little bit closed off there's plenty of spacing between the panel and the front fans for adequate air pressure to occur and this type of front panel design is almost a staple for the defined series and it has never failed there's only a single 140 member fan included and for the price I would have liked to see two but notice how open the hard drive design is to light a maximum amount of air without too much resistance of internal framing also with the panel open you get access to that massive dust filter at the bottom that spans the entire floor of the r5 but guess what it's removable from the front finally you no longer have to wiggle your computer away from the wall to remove the bottom filter huge thumbs up for fractal for finally implementing this and we hope this will become the norm while we are at the bottom the r5 stands on quality case feet to help your power supply and any other fan installation breathe the i/o ports are at the top I love this location with chrome plated audio jacks power and reset button with the power illuminated in dark blue with an activity light in the center and four USB ports two of which are USB 3 but with black internal housing instead of the standard blue thinking of that stealth approach I like it now the top is interesting here as the three plate cover allows the use of only those spots that are needed exposing less of the internals and thus minimizing the noise these monuments are removable with clips from the inside now I wish they were just magnetic for easier removal but they all covered in extra foam internally the r5 is plenty equipped at the top to handle any type of fan or radiator system you might throw in with up to or 420 millimeter radiator support at the top but you can see how you can you know close off one section if not used for maximum flexibility to the user and also minimizing on the noise now this wouldn't be fractal design case without the white accents on the fan blades of the 140 mm fan in the back that users can reposition thanks to the mounting strips instead of holes the seven PCI slots right below and the white metal drive caddies that brings a strange sense of cohesion and this is definitely a fractal design and looking at the internal structure fractal has kept an almost identical layout as with the r4 but with excellent refinements all around that make the r5 superior in every way first the vast array of configurable options of both drive cages that are secured with thumb screws let's stay with the cage really nice to see and also notice the redesigned less restrictive framing that exposes more of the hard drive for more effective cooling you can remove the top cage for installation of a 140 or 120 mm air radiator + GPU is up to 31 centimeters will fit until we hit the drive cage and of course longer compatibility with it removed with the cage rotated internally good luck handling all the wiring plus the limited spacing because of the drive caddies - about 27 centimeters with both cages removed 240 and 280 millimeter radiators will fit and the front now this also opens up spacing at the bottom for practically the same configuration but this is where the r5 really allows users to play around with the internal layout for SuperDuper flexibility for example relocating one of the drive cages away from the front panel to allow a front radiator support without totally getting rid of storage drives but keep in mind power supply clearance of 16 centimeters for this to work and any potential height clearance with an ATX board and the PCI card length limitations for the bottom three slots but then the optical cage is also removable allowing installation of either one or both drive cages so it can still have all the storage potential as of the default configuration and the bottom radiator mount for example and there's plenty of clearance between the bottom of the cage and the floor furthermore you can remove the mounting plate on the roof to have clearance for 360 or 420 member radiator so that the final 5 is fully equipped to handle any water cooling now let's take a quick look behind we first find dual SSD brackets removal with thumb screws that stay on with the caddy awesome to see this element once again there's over an inch of space to deal with any cable mess with a wide sleeve to tuck away any cables with cable type points directly on the floor as well for those needing total control plus we are starting to see velcro straps catching up after we first saw them on the end to primo that are so convenient to use with good strength to hold smaller cables and everything else and finally let's start with the assembly the extra-long middle motherboard standoff is starting to appear on many cases to help with that initial descent and the accessory pouch is nicely labeled with all the bits and screws the hard drive caddies are super sturdy of course being fully metal with flexible orientation all your drives depending on how you want to position the cage either facing the back or inside the case with these rubber grommets to prevent any vibrations and the caddies our SSD compatible showtime ok enough teasing let's take a look at the finished build normally I would mount radiator at the top but this time I didn't want to use the top panel for exhaust as that would open up the internals and I really wanted to focus on silencing that build so I mounted our x61 cooler at the front this is a two eighty moment radiator this means I needed to relocate the smaller cage for my mechanical storage closer to the power supply I am using the micro ATX board to avoid any difficult cabling work that might arise with the cage in there and so I mounted the fractal fan on the radiator as well for push-pull to deliver extra airflow for the GPU and the build looks really clean internally and I'm very happy with how much space we have left over at the front for thicker radiators in push-pull as wall coming around to the back it's so good to work with in the case that has cable management almost to perfection that large gap where all the cables exits from the power supply gets utilized immediately and there are so many cable tie points all over the place so you can spread all your cable work around without any heavy concentration at one place there's even one between the SSD brackets and in the top left corner where I nested that large 24 pin cable and look at just a flat I was able to arrange all of my cables this is what some patients of course but the r5 is ready to handle it and that's important now the only thing that I would ask to change is to enlarge the 8 pin CPU cut out and move it closer to the corner that would make it easier for wiring with any radiators installed at the top and one last thing before we do our silence test is I noticed the r5 was flexing a little bit at each corner this isn't part because I removed the drive cage assembly but not to worry once the solid side panels are in place the r5 returns to that robust feeling with zero flex finally listen for yourself exactly of how quiet the machine actually is and now let's turn it on partially we have to thank the side panels that do an outstanding job in blocking a lot of the noise but I have to praise fractal for designing such an outstanding front panel listen to just how much noise it blocks when closed and in conclusion I must admit the r5 may be the new king within the offerings of quiet computer cases and it does it while offering so much to the table with outstanding internal modularity for your drive gauge mounts to accommodate for intense water cooling options removable optical cage for clearance of 360 and 420 millimeter radiators the top module ants allow user flexibility for airflow without opening the other slots and simply perfect cable management design with bottom dust filter accessible from the front I love that feature the only few drawbacks is if you decide to install anything at the top slot or on the side panel dust filters are not included plus it no longer will be as silent but the define r5 without a doubt brings a serious list of upgrades over the previous r4 and we're giving it the Harbor Canucks damn good award for the enjoyable building experience and for the new level of silence I have on the desk now and that concludes this review would love to hear what you think of the new define r5 and make sure you subscribe to the channel to see a comparison video between the h4 40 and this when it finally rolls out as always thank you for watching like this video if you found it helpful and we'll see you in the next one you