Do you know Fractal Define Cases?

[nuffi]

In 2014 I built my new rig in a Fractal Define R5. I *love* it! Since then, they've released the Define R6.

Both are still available locally.

It is time for me to build a new rig, and I am good with all my other component choices, but I am still not decided on a case. It will include an SSD and 2 HDDs and an optical drive.

What I care the most about is quiet. Is the R6 an improvement on quiet over the r5? I've looked all over the net, and watched many reviews, but no-one seems to be able to categorically state one is quieter than the other...

In the meantime, other companies have released cases with quietness as a focus.

Given that making the PC silent is my primary focus, Should I choose the R6 or the R5? Or is there something better now?

TIA!

nuffi

 

[Oussebon]

Would you be using your existing R5 case, or buying a new R5 case?

What are you going to put in the case? What's the spec of the system? And what will it be used for?

Do you customise fan profiles?

Do you replace the case fans?

Quietness in PC can be a relatively complicated topic

 

[nuffi]

Thanks for the response!

I will be building a new system from scratch, and getting a new case. The old PC isn't dead yet, and I will repurpose it as a HTPC.

My thoughts on specs at the moment will be something like a Gigabyte Vision Mobo, a Crucial SSD, a pair of 6TB HDD, a 1660 Super GFX card, and my BluRay Drive.

It will be used for some light gaming, coding, running VMware labs, and a bunch of photo editing. And watching movies when the main screen is being used by the boss.

I tend not to overclock things. While I have replaced case fans (and CPU cooler fans!) in the past, the define R5 was the quietest case I'd ever had by a street with it's native fans, so I didn't feel the need last time around.

Thanks again,

Nuffi

 

[Oussebon]

To be honest, I'm not sure it's going to matter much. Especially if you were fine with the case's stock fans.

There's also the R7, just to note:

Fractal Define 7 Case Review: High Build Quality & Thermal Challenges | GamersNexus

stub We’ve been hot and cold on Fractal over the past couple years. Their whole lineup has had consistently high build quality, but our opinions have ranged from the highly-rated Meshify cases that have excellent cooling potential (with some aftermarket fans added in) down to the highly-priced...

www.gamersnexus.net

The R7 has a PWM fan controller, as does the R6, though the R7's is a newer model (not sure what the differences are)

Bigger considerations may be making sure the GPU has idle fan stop and/or isn't a particularly loud model of GPU (most GPUs in this class are relatively quiet, certainly versus some older GPUs) and CPU + cooler.