Fractal designs R2 available in NA!

I bought NCIX's last black one at richmond retail :D

It's pretty good, but do note:
- the front door is plastic, and not the good kind. the kind that feels really, really cheap. The door itself is sturdy though, but it only swings 90 degrees.
- the case is pretty sturdy
- get a psu that isn't too long, and has cables that are ong enough
- the rubber grommets SUCK. the U border that holds them to the case is not large enough, so if you push a cable through them, expect them to come off.
- The damping material is very effective. It's also not very well applied, so it is peeling at the corners. It's more than strong enough to stay put, though.
- included fan controller that actually works
- damping material between the psu and the case actually kills some vibrations too, but the difficulty in mounting the psu with the included short screws, ugh
 
IronRuler said:
Anyone think it's feasable to window the side panel?
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I've got a window in mine. It's a bit annoying to remove all the bitumen though. Mine was quite the opposite to what Bbq described. Very well stuck on, even in the corners.
 
Bbq said:
- damping material between the psu and the case actually kills some vibrations too, but the difficulty in mounting the psu with the included short screws, ugh
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You'll need long screws for the PSU. I have a silicon vibration grommet around my PSU and short screws can't grip the threads.
 
Is it just me or this case reminds me of the Antec P182?
 
dC0m said:
Is it just me or this case reminds me of the Antec P182?
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I think it's going for the sleek Lian Li look of the older models but with design cues of the Antec (side vents and front of the case when you open the door). Meh, it sounded great on paper, but it seems the Fractal isn't that great.
 
Dev1ant said:
I think it's going for the sleek Lian Li look of the older models but with design cues of the Antec (side vents and front of the case when you open the door). Meh, it sounded great on paper, but it seems the Fractal isn't that great.
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Yeah, it looks nice but I think I rather go with Antec for that price..
 
I would go with this Fractal case over any Antec P18x case because of the space of the internals and the venting improvements.
 
I'm not sure about this case. The look was taken from the Antec P180/2 series, and the side panels just seem cheap from mnpctech's video. I'll pass on this one.
 
Build quality seems sub-par when compared with Lian Li, and even Antec. Big disappointment to me; I was impressed when I first saw this case.
 
Spare-Flair said:
You'll need long screws for the PSU. I have a silicon vibration grommet around my PSU and short screws can't grip the threads.
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I ended up using short screws, i really had to push the psu at the damping material, but it worked.

Build quality is pretty nice, actually; no sharp edges, decent amount of space, and pretty well designed. There are some minor issues, but it's still a pretty nice case.
 
Dev1ant said:
I think it's going for the sleek Lian Li look of the older models but with design cues of the Antec (side vents and front of the case when you open the door). Meh, it sounded great on paper, but it seems the Fractal isn't that great.
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dC0m said:
Yeah, it looks nice but I think I rather go with Antec for that price..
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The thing to remember about the Fractal is that it's something of a blank slate. Out of the box, it's merely mediocre at being silent or cooling. But if you prefer to lean one way or the other, you can change out the fans (the stock fans in nearly all cases suck... badly), then make another tweak or two, and suddenly the Fractal becomes a damn good case for the price/vs its competition. Whether you're an OCer or silent computing kinda guy, check the EU forums and you'll see more solid info on this aspect of the case. It's kinda like how Corsair's 800d out the box isn't perfect at any one thing, but it does many things well if you just put a little effort (and money) into it.

Regarding the Fractal R2's Lian Li-ish/Antec p1xx-ish vents, those are likely to become more popular. Done properly (meaning not only the vents, but what lies behind it), the design does a great job of minimizing sound leakage while still providing a very good amount of intake airflow. Check reviews of Lian Li's b25f (the newer ones, not the ole' b25). Despite the b25f not having an open front panel (like the Antec 900 or Cooler Master Haf) that allows lots of airflow yet also leaks virtually ALL computer chassis noise, the LL b25f still manages very good cooling numbers w/ low dB output. It's not the best cooling case, but it's a helluva lot quieter than the ones that are.

Definitely check the earlier thread and in particular, Calum's comments since he's had lots of experience with multiple computers using the R2 chassis. Mostly similar comments are echoed over in the European forums where this case has become pretty popular.
 
There are tons of great pics of this case in the rate my cables thread. I'm too lazy to search for them and crosspost them here right now :)
 
Let's be honest though, as far as we know the wiring issue has happened once. It's not exactly a massive quality problem. I wouldn't make the decision not to buy the case just because the USB wiring was wrong in a single case out of thousands.
 
I've been anticipating a NA release of this case since I first saw it reviewed at bit-tech., but I'm thinking I'll wait for another etailer to carry it before I pull the trigger. Paying $50+ for ground shipping on a ~$100 case is not my idea of fun. Ideally Fractal will be able to get it into Amazon's warehouses and get it Prime-elligible or it makes its way to Frys.

I'm very tempted, but for now, I'm waiting.
 
phide said:
I've been anticipating a NA release of this case since I first saw it reviewed at bit-tech., but I'm thinking I'll wait for another etailer to carry it before I pull the trigger. Paying $50+ for ground shipping on a ~$100 case is not my idea of fun. Ideally Fractal will be able to get it into Amazon's warehouses and get it Prime-elligible or it makes its way to Frys.

I'm very tempted, but for now, I'm waiting.
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me too. It's either this or the new Lian Li 7-fnxw.
 
Cursed said:
Let's be honest though, as far as we know the wiring issue has happened once. It's not exactly a massive quality problem. I wouldn't make the decision not to buy the case just because the USB wiring was wrong in a single case out of thousands.
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It wasn't a single one...it was a batch.

I've replicated the error with this case internally.

Right now I can't confirm whether the titanium and silver colours are affected, but it looks like the batch of black cases is impacted across the board by this problem.

I will be releasing a video guide on how to fix the problem shortly, but for now I appreciate your patience.
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Pretty bad QC if you ask me...I don't hate the company. I like it. I wouldn't mind getting it for its looks and quietness. I just hope the company improves upon its errors.
 
Did NCIX pull their listings? Neither link showed anything beyond accessories.
 
rflcptr said:
Did NCIX pull their listings? Neither link showed anything beyond accessories.
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Yup. Linus is uploading a DIY video as to how to fix it. But here's a quote:

I will be doing a video guide to assist customers who want to "DIY" a solution to this problem themselves.

Fractal Design has stepped up to the plate on this one and they will be shipping us 1 replacement front USB cable set for every case we have in stock. We will be shipping these replacement cables free of charge to anyone who has already received one of the affected cases.

Please post in this thread with any questions that you have about the situation as I will be monitoring it going forward.

I plan to have the cases shipping again as soon as possible. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
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So, it's good to see them stepping up.
 
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