Fractal Design Define XL Black Pearl

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According to Legit Reviews, the Fractal Design Define XL Black Pearl is just the case for those of you looking for an enclosure with great sound deadening capabilities.

We love seeing new companies come in an disrupt a market with fresh ideas and innovative solutions. Fractal Design's attempt at a large mid tower case does focus on some of this but in a quirky confusing way. I don't think we have reviewed a case that made us say "hmmm, that's interesting" more times than with the Define XL. The thought put into the sound deadening design is fantastic and will force you to check the power button light to make sure it is running.
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I really like everything about this case except for the door. I wish they would release a version of this case with a door-less front bezel.
 
That is a slick looking case. I guess eventually I should replace my Antec 900, but it does well for me for now.

Price is a little high, though.
 
What's the point of even doing a review on a case like that if they don't provide sound and temp measurements? I'm intrigued by the case, but it could be a piece of shit (performance wise) for all we know.
 
Ultima99 said:
For those of you interested:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1655043
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NOT the same case! The one you posted is for the R3. This is what you are looking for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352017

BTW I have an Antec 900 v1 that is about 5 years old and I was thinking of replacing it with this but I really don't want a case that large or pay quite that much. The R3 is a good alternative but it won't work for me as my CPU cooler just won't have enough room (I need about 170mm clearance with my best estimate as the edge of my fan is resting on the window panel of the 900, yes my CPU cooler is large and the fan is sitting on top of ram heatsinks).
The next closest thing to the R3 is the NZXT H2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146072
lowest price is at Tigerdirect.com for $30 less ($70) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=322925&CatId=1509
It is also available at Microcenter for the same price as Newegg. http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361306

BTW here is an article that contains both the Fractal Design Define XL and the NZXT H2, as well as four other cases considered to be low noise: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/rv02-e-lian-li-sonata-iv,2946.html
 
Not interested in this case solely because of the name. If you have to use 6 words to name a computer case, you are putting waaay too much emphasis on marketing.
 
jfreund said:
Not interested in this case solely because of the name. If you have to use 6 words to name a computer case, you are putting waaay too much emphasis on marketing.
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Actually the case name has only two words: Define XL. The two before are the company name and the two after are to tell you what the color it is as there is another color to chose from, Titanium Grey. The R3 has 4 colors ;P

WorldExclusive said:
Cases with doors....ewww.
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What is wrong with doors? How often do you use your DVD drive anyway? I use mine like 3-4 times a year. I actually like it, keeps the case looking clean.
 
yeah since the headphone ports / usb ports and power switch are up top (not behind door


who cares about the door I'd have to open it like once or twice every couple months.
 
The main drawback for me is amount of plastic used in that case. To be clear: front panel brushed aluminium alike door, are plastic. It is just imitation of aluminium.
Also case feet, that look like solid alu/stainless steel, are plastic, like some kind of cheap toy.
This also explains price of the case.
 
aerial- said:
The main drawback for me is amount of plastic used in that case. To be clear: front panel brushed aluminium alike door, are plastic. It is just imitation of aluminium.
Also case feet, that look like solid alu/stainless steel, are plastic, like some kind of cheap toy.
This also explains price of the case.
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I've got this case and it is not as cheaply made as you make it out to be. It's by far one of my favorite cases that I have owned so far. My goal when buying this case what silence, no resonance, plenty of airflow, with room for growth. The other case I was considering when I bought this was the Corsair Obsidian 800D. Price, better sound dampening, and slight smaller dimensions made me choose the Fractal Design case.

All but the most expensive cases have I seen use something other than plastic for the front door. Even some of the cheaper cases with "metal" doors is just a thin piece of laminate. Adding metal to the door would just add weight to a hinged item with no other benefit. And other than saying you have a metal door, what benefit does it bring to the case? The plastic door and front panel on this doesn't give the appearance of cheap and if you open it up you will notice that it has sound deadening material added to the inside of the door. It also stays shut via a magnet, so there are no push clips you have to worry about breaking.

As for the feet. Again, even though they are plastic they are well made and are dampened with a nice grippy bottom. It's more than what some cases come with, which are just rubber feet glued to the bottom of the case that shift or fall off over time. The feet provide ample height to allow the vent on the bottom of the case to be functional. Again, there is no functional improvement in having metal feet. Metal can be more durable, but how often are you moving or kicking your case around, in particular the bottom, where you are at risk of breaking off a foot? In my case, very low. Again, you would be just adding weight and unnecessary costs to the already heavy case.

From outside visual appearances, this case isn't going to win any innovation awards. It's very clean in appearance, very monolithic like. It doesn't call attention to itself, which I like. But the case is very solid (and heavy!) and thoughtfully laid out on the inside. Airflow is great and the sound dampening on the panels, front door, and other areas (P/S, HDDs, etc.) really make for a very quiet case despite having 1 120mm, 5 140mm, and 1 180mm fans (not including the video cards). There is no buzzing or odd resonance and all the cable port cutouts makes it easy to have a clean case. I also like how all the front panel ports are on the top instead of behind the door, making it easy to plug in and leave items plugged in while keeping the door shut.

My only gripes I have with my case is my X-Fi 5.25" bay front panel won't fit behind the door (no biggy, only used it for headphones), I wish the front panel door would open left to right instead of right to left, and lastly that the fan filter on the front panel doesn't come out as easily I would like. I end up cleaning it by wiping it down or blowing it out with canned air. All very minor in my opinion.

Oh, I almost forgot: I don't think this is to be assumed that it is with every one of these cases, but the motherboard standoffs that mine came with were too short by about 1/8th of an inch. This was easily fixed by using some very small brass washers to put under the standoffs. They had plenty of threading to allow them to be raised via the washers and still secure tightly to the base. I've never had this happen before and I only read of one other case where the owner of this exact case had the same issue.

Paul
 
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