Define R3 White Case Discontinued | |
Define R3 Titanium Case, USB3 Version Discontinued | |
Define R3 Black Case, USB3 Version Discontinued | |
Define R3 Silver Case, USB3 Version Discontinued | |
More variations available Show |
Fractal Design Define R3 Computer Cases Ultra
Define R3 – the successor to the best selling Define R2! Now available with a bunch of improvements, including improved cable routing, air flow and bigger hole in motherboard plate for mounting CPU coolers.
The hugely popular Define R2 case has just been improved! The Define R3 reaches new heights in combining stylish, contemporary design with maximum functionality and noise absorbing features. The minimalistic, yet stunning front panel design, fitted with noise absorbing material on the inside, creates an aura of exclusivity.
Features
- Improved model over Define R2
- Stunning front panel design
- Patent pending ModuVent™ design - removable vents!
- Pre-fitted with dense, noise absorbing material
- Motherboard tray cut-out, allows easy access to rear of motherboard
- Eight HDD-trays, with silicone mounting
- Can accommodate up to seven 120/140mm fans, two supplied
- PCI fan controller for 3 fans included
- Easily removable front fan filters with clip-on holders for 120mm fans
The patent pending feature ModuVent™ allows you to choose whether to have side and top air vents open or not. This makes the case appealing for users seeking optimal silence, as well as the performance hungry ones.
The sleek interior is matched with pre-fitted dense noise absorbing material on the side panels, efficiently absorbing noise and vibrations. You can fit an astonishing total of eight 3.5” hard drives into this case, using the user friendly HDD-trays. All HDDs are mounted using black silicone mounts to reduce vibrations. The PSU is mounted in the bottom of the case, where it rests on four rubber pads. There is also a convenient pull-out air filter beneath the PSU which filters the air that comes into the PSU, assuming you are using a power supply with a 120mm fan.
Are you one of those users who always ends up with a case full of tangled cables? Not any more - the Define R3 offers a convenient and good looking way of hiding them away. The motherboard tray has rubber lined holes through which you can easily route the cables behind the motherboard, keeping things nice and tidy. There is also a cut-out on the motherboard tray. This is ideal if you are a user that changes their CPU cooler often. The cut-out will allow you to change CPU cooler brackets without having to remove the motherboard from the system. This hole has been increased in size compared to the Define R2, providing greater accessibility.
At the front of the case you will find space for two 120mm fans, with one 120mm fan supplied. Both fans have air filters and are designed to introduce cooler air into the case as well as to aid cooling of the hard drives. You’ll also notice that the inside of the door is coated in noise reducing foam. The only downside to this is that due to space restrictions, the Define R2 can not accommodate a fan controller that fits into a 5.25” drive bay. But that should not be a problem because Fractal Design have supplied a very handy little fan controller that fits in one PCI slot, and can control up to three fans!
Improvements over Define R2
- Improved air flow with updated fans
- Improved noise absorbing material
- Bigger hole in M/B plate for mounting of CPU Coolers
- Improved cable routing possibilities
- Reset button, located behind the front panel door
- Many small quality improvements, including improved scratch resistant coating
Graphics card and CPU cooler compatibility
The Define cases are very roomy, which means they can accommodate some of the largest graphics cards and CPU coolers available. Graphic cards up to 290mm in length are compatible. As for CPU coolers, the maximum height is 165mm. This means virtually all of our CPU coolers will be compatible with this chassis.
Gallery
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![Image showing case with a system installed](/images/products/fd-definer2-5.jpg)
Image showing case with a system installed
Reviews
Overclock3D.net
The layout of the R3 is superior not just for the fact it looks so much tidier, but also the fact that you can fit larger graphics cards and most importantly: even though it comes fitted with one less fan in the front, it still performs a significant amount better thermally as well.
Computer Shopper
It’s undeniably stylish and one of the quietest air-cooled PC cases we’ve seen. There are very few alternatives that balance noise, cooling and style as well as the R3.
ZDNet
Photo Walkthrough: Building a Sandy Bridge PC using the Fractal Design Define R3 computer case
bit-tech.net
We love it when new companies arrive on the scene with a great, innovative product, which is exactly what Fractal Design managed with its Define R2. With its sleek, clean, ‘looks-like-a-fridge’ looks and focus on low noise computing cooling performance it was quick to gain a following in the forums, and the follow-up Define R3 was even better, improving on the original’s lacklustre cooling while tweaking some design and build quality aspects. The result is an extremely flexible, quiet and well made case.
Specifications | Define R3 Black | Define R3 Silver | Define R3 Titanium | Define R3 White |
---|---|---|---|---|
Model Number | FD-CA-DEF-R3-BL | FD-CA-DEF-R3-SI | FD-CA-DEF-R3-TI | FD-CA-DEF-R3-WH |
Dimensions | 207.40 x 440 x 521.2mm (WxHxD) | 207.40 x 440 x 521.2mm (WxHxD) | 207.40 x 440 x 521.2mm (WxHxD) | 207.40 x 440 x 521.2mm (WxHxD) |
Weight | 12.5 Kg | 12.5 Kg | 12.5 Kg | 12.5 Kg |
Motherboard Compatibility | Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX | Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX | Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX | Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX |
Power Supply Compatibility | Standard ATX, can accommodate long PSUs | Standard ATX, can accommodate long PSUs | Standard ATX, can accommodate long PSUs | Standard ATX, can accommodate long PSUs |
PCI/AGP Card Compatibility | Full size (up to 290 mm long) | Full size (up to 290 mm long) | Full size (up to 290 mm long) | Full size (up to 290 mm long) |
3.5” Drive Bays | 8, all SSD compatible | 8, all SSD compatible | 8, all SSD compatible | 8, all SSD compatible |
5.25” Drive Bays | 2, one bay converts to 3.5” for floppy or card reader | 2, one bay converts to 3.5” for floppy or card reader | 2, one bay converts to 3.5” for floppy or card reader | 2, one bay converts to 3.5” for floppy or card reader |
Roof Cooling Fans | Space for two 120/140mm, none supplied | Space for two 120/140mm, none supplied | Space for two 120/140mm, none supplied | Space for two 120/140mm, none supplied |
Rear/Side Cooling Fans | Rear - space for one 120mm fan, supplied; Side - space for 140 or 120mm fan not supplied | Rear - space for one 120mm fan, supplied; Side - space for 140 or 120mm fan not supplied | Rear - space for one 120mm fan, supplied; Side - space for 140 or 120mm fan not supplied | Rear - space for one 120mm fan, supplied; Side - space for 140 or 120mm fan not supplied |
Front/Floor Cooling Fans | Front - space for two 120mm fans (both with filters), one supplied; Floor - space for one 120/140mm fan (with filter), not supplied | Front - space for two 120mm fans (both with filters), one supplied; Floor - space for one 120/140mm fan (with filter), not supplied | Front - space for two 120mm fans (both with filters), one supplied; Floor - space for one 120/140mm fan (with filter), not supplied | Front - space for two 120mm fans (both with filters), one supplied; Floor - space for one 120/140mm fan (with filter), not supplied |
Expansion Card Slots | 7, with sleek white painted brackets | 7, with sleek white painted brackets | 7, with sleek white painted brackets | 7, with sleek white painted brackets |
Front I/O Ports | 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 and Audio I/O | 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 and Audio I/O | 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 and Audio I/O | 2x USB 2.0 and Audio I/O |
Accessories | PCI fan controller, controllers up to 3 fans | PCI fan controller, controllers up to 3 fans | PCI fan controller, controllers up to 3 fans | PCI fan controller, controllers up to 3 fans |
Warranty | 24 months | 24 months | 24 months | 24 months |
EAN barcode | 7350041080442 | 7350041080459 | 7350041080466 | 7350041080473 |
Specifications | Define R3 Black | Define R3 Silver | Define R3 Titanium | Define R3 White |
---|---|---|---|---|
Model Number | FD-CA-DEF-R3-BL | FD-CA-DEF-R3-SI | FD-CA-DEF-R3-TI | FD-CA-DEF-R3-WH |
Dimensions | 207.40 x 440 x 521.2mm (WxHxD) | |||
Weight | 12.5 Kg | |||
Motherboard Compatibility | Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX | |||
Power Supply Compatibility | Standard ATX, can accommodate long PSUs | |||
PCI/AGP Card Compatibility | Full size (up to 290 mm long) | |||
3.5” Drive Bays | 8, all SSD compatible | |||
5.25” Drive Bays | 2, one bay converts to 3.5” for floppy or card reader | |||
Roof Cooling Fans | Space for two 120/140mm, none supplied | |||
Rear/Side Cooling Fans | Rear - space for one 120mm fan, supplied; Side - space for 140 or 120mm fan not supplied | |||
Front/Floor Cooling Fans | Front - space for two 120mm fans (both with filters), one supplied; Floor - space for one 120/140mm fan (with filter), not supplied | |||
Expansion Card Slots | 7, with sleek white painted brackets | |||
Front I/O Ports | 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 and Audio I/O | 2x USB 2.0 and Audio I/O | ||
Accessories | PCI fan controller, controllers up to 3 fans | |||
Warranty | 24 months | |||
EAN barcode | 7350041080442 | 7350041080459 | 7350041080466 | 7350041080473 |
Customer Reviews
Great case
Installed my kit into this case last night and it was a pleasure to work with, the design of the case makes it easy to install components and cable manage for a clean un-cluttered look. The Case itself is very quiet in operation and I have added 2 fans to the build, it also has great airflow as it keeps everything as cool as my old case (a HAF 932). Service from Quiet PC was first class and this is my first time of using, so will defo be back in future. The best thing was the price here was cheapest on the net and you get the USB 3 upgrade free so why shop else where?
Great case , great service , and great price!
Gorgeous design and quality!
This case has a substantial weight due to the sound proofing material steel gauge and I guess the thick powder coating on main surfaces, it looks and feels substantial. It sits securely on my glass desk and is so beautiful.
The cost in my opinion is quite amazing for what you’re getting. No sharp edges easy install caddies for the hard drives with rubber vibration insulating grommets. The doors hiding the two 140mm front fan holders and the smooth white front door make the case look so clean and uncluttered.
The cable management is fantastic with plenty of attachments for cable ties enabling very clean securing of all the power, data and fan cables behind the motherboard mounting board. The fans supplied are silent and even with my additional two 140mm fans the sound dampening renders the case so quiet, it sits next to me on my desk only giving a gentle rushing noise from my hard drives, cpu and gpu fans.
Very pleased with Fractal Design build quality and Quiet PC service!
Would Recommend
Fantastic looking case and well built. Hard disk caddies look a great idea but weren’t as effective as I expected. I ended up disabling one as there was an annoying vibration that could be heard downstairs. Good sound proofing otherwise and included fans aren’t too bad if speeds are kept low.
Smart Case
I bought the case for a home project recording studio to reduce noise in the room when mixing. It does the job perfectly in that respect. It only took me a couple of hours to swap all my hardware from my old case and add a new psu. There’s plenty of room for more hdd, cards, fans etc as and when I want/need them.
My main aim was to be able to leave the pc in the room as i record with mics but I still here (very slight) noise from my cpu fan. I always intended to replace it in the future and after the main re-build but I’m just nit picking as its pretty dam quiet now! I’m very pleased with the case its a great difference to my old noisy lump of metal.
It’s well built and good quality and I’m glad I made the change from my old case.
Wow
I’ve had a cooler master full tower case for coming on 10 years which I’ve been swapping the content for every few years via upgrades. The cooler master was the top end when I got it with 4x80mm case fans but was pretty noisy.
This case is amazing in comparison, took me less than an hour to swap all the components across (3xHDD, 2xGPU, 1xPCI, M/B with AMD quad 2.6Ghz/8Gb, PSU, Bluray, etc). It’s now very quiet, the only problem is that it enhances the noise coming from my cheap 16port/gigabit switch. Lucky I purchased a ‘silent’ 40mm fan to plug into that, that’s my next job.
One challenge I’m still trying to figure out is the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 I also purchased, it seems I can only point the fan direction up or down (not front to back) so I can’t get the air flow perfect. Still with it blowing top to both (which I’m probably switch to bottom to top) it still got my temps down to 45-50c (up to 55-57c while gaming).
Matt
Good Product - needs better documentation
I’d recommend you find your way round the case before fitting anything, the manual is very poor e.g. how to remove dust filters. Even after an e-mail I’m still not clear how to clear the second external bay to fit a second 3.5 device. Otherwise it’s easy to work in, nice set of screws with grommets but the velcro ties had been replaced with cheap plastic ones. The applied sound deadening was fine, easy to fit a heatsink with CPU cutout.
Plenty of room even for the huge Mugen 2 heatsink. Sides easy to remove with thumbscrews. Would have preferred a front cover that opened 270 degrees not just 180. I do miss not having a disk activity light. I added an extra front fan for more HD cooling, again no problem fitting once I’d found my way round. The bottom placement for the Power Supply is a major plus. Overall runs very quiet and cool when using good quality components inside. Not tried cutting the sound deadening material to use more fan mounts.
Define R3 Silver
A superb quality case overall. Plenty of room for full ATX mainboard and space around it with holes in the chassis for cable routing. Bottom mounted PSU (not sure of the real benefit of this idea) but everything works and the cables reach fine. The HDD racks work really well. I have this fitted with a Scythe Mugen 2 Rev B cooler. Idle temp (Core i5 760, not overclocked) of 27 with just the cooler fan running. Doesn’t even need the case fans connected. If they are used the idle temp drops to 22 with only marginal increase in noise. Its big for an ATX case, but that’s not a bad thing. Loads of room to work and lots of clearance all round inside. I’ve dropped just one point on the rating as the motherboard back panel sits in a kind of recess in the back of the case. Some people might have issues with large connectors for this, although unlikely.
Excellent service from Quiet PC as usual.
Nice plain case with a few surprises
This is an upgrade from an Antec Sonata2. Case is very well designed, with just those extra high feet to ensure airflow to the PSU (don’t sit it on carpet), folded edges so no cut fingers, plenty of screws and things, black to match the interior of the case, couple of good fans (although the rear one on my case made a few noises when first turned on, but this has gone away for now). Despite the manual indicating that the acoustic sheeting is installed, the main access panel did not have it installed, instead it was folded in half in the case. I had to separate the ends with a Stanley knife (it is quite sticky and a bit like tar), unfold, which if done too quickly will put cracks or breaks in the sticky sheeting. Then to get it on the panel and actually make it stick requires compression, so I carefully laid it out and stood on it for a while. Other than that, a good quality case. Very happy with my quiet PC.
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