Fractal's largest chassis gets
another revision, but for better or worse?
Full tower cases optimized for quietness
aren't all that common in the case market, because those who need such a case
are likely to fill it with hardware requiring lots of noisy air cooling.
Fractal's Define series, however, is renowned for its ability to keep systems
quiet, but the original XL missed the mark a little due to some odd design
quirks and its relatively expensive price.
This second revision has simply been dubbed
the Define XL R2 and comes in at under £100, which is very tolerable for a case
of its size. The classic, minimalist and understated styling returns once again
in this plain black, flat exterior with white highlights on the PCI brackets
and fan blades, while the build quality is superb. The case has a reassuring
weight to it, as well as plenty of clearance and grip thanks to the feet.
Fractal
Design Define XL R2 Case
The XL R2's sleek front door is lined on
the inside with noise dampening foam. It covers the case's four external
optical drive bays as well as the lower pair of 140mm fan mounts, the top one
of which is filled with an intake fan. The dual fan caddy clips out from the
front for easy installation and maintenance and is also protected by dust
filtering material.
A second 140mm fan is found in the rear
exhaust slot along with a third that sits, rather unusually, as an intake in
the bottom. This fan, along with the PSU, is covered by a slide out dust
filter. There's also an extra side fan mount and two roof mounts, with these
three empty ones blocked out by ModuVent blanking plates. The three included
fans can all be toggled between three speeds using the fan control switch
behind the door, although it's unable to support any extra fans. Each of the
fan mounts can also hold 120mm fans too.
Fractal
Design Define XL R2
The case's front panel is a fairly standard
affair with a pair of USB 3 and the same number of USB 2 ports. It won't win
any awards for innovation, therefore, but functionally it has the basics. The
hinged side panels are easy to take off and put on and are lined with more
dense noise absorbing material. The build quality of the inside of the chassis
is as good as that of the outside. The interior is no longer divided into
sections as it was with the first Define XL, and is more spacious as a result,
with E-ATX and XL-ATX motherboards both supported. The large rubber spikes and
foam around the PSU, area as well as anti-vibration pads on the hard drive
trays, demonstrates Fractal's attention to detail when it comes to reducing
noise output.
Installing your hardware is painless, and a
plethora of cable routing holes, hooks and zip ties makes keeping your system
tidy simple. All drives require screws, as this provides the tightest fit and
ensures that the vibrations and noise emanating from your hardware is kept to a
minimum. The top hard drive cage, which holds four of the eight internal
drives, can be removed to make room for longer graphics cards, or rotated to
align drives with the airflow from the front fan.
Fractal's
own Define R4 case is quieter and naturally high airflow cases will produce
better temperatures, but the Define XL R2 strikes a delicate balance between
noise and cooling performance nonetheless
The lower drive cage can be moved further
back into the case, thus freeing up room for a full-size 240mm radiator with
fans, although doing so blocks out the lower fan mounts. There's also room for
a half height 240mm or 280mm radiator in the roof with fans, although for a
case this size there should really be room here for a full height model, as
water-cooling is often a reason people opt for larger cases.
Fractal's own Define R4 case is quieter and
naturally high airflow cases will produce better temperatures, but the Define
XL R2 strikes a delicate balance between noise and cooling performance
nonetheless. The best setting is the medium fan speed setting, as high speed
produces a noticeable hum and low speed results in slightly too high
temperatures. Removing the top drive cage is also beneficial to temperatures of
both the CPU and GPU.
Compared to the original Define XL, the XL
R2 is superior in numerous ways, although there's still room for improvement.
Nevertheless, if you want a powerful but quiet system, this case should really
be on your shortlist, as the £100 price tag is fair as well. That said, if
you're seeking low noise, you should only choose this case over the smaller
Define R4 if you truly need the extra space in the XL R2, as the R4 provides
almost identical functionality, even with regards to water-cooling, but is
around $32 less.
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Details
§ Price:
$149.9
§ Manufacturer:
Fractal Design
§ Website:
www.fractal-design.com
§ Required
spec: E-ATX, XL-ATX, ATX, micro-ATX or mini-ITX motherboard
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