Fractal Design Define R5, $79.95 FS Newegg

5

5icko

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Finally on sale.

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16811352050
 
Newegg sold out, now its up for $201.... lol
 
Got this case a little while ago for around 100, it's fantastic. Overall improvement from the R4. At $80 it's a great deal IMO.
 
I never heard of FD design before I bought my Arc mini r2. I really like it.
 
Just a heads up, if you can get an R4 ... get one. The R5 is a great case but they did cheapen it in a lot of areas. One thing that really pissed me off is they only include 1 fan now total with the R5. Yes I said 1 fan. And that's in the front. There is no 2nd front fan or rear fan. If you want to get a 2nd fan, from what I saw, they are $39 on their web site. It's a bait and switch type deal that sucks. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Some other area's is they took out the snap in feature of the fans. You have to screw them in now instead of them snapping in. They went to a newer ( different ) push in latch for the front plastic venting and it's not as sturdy / sharp. It's a spongy latch that doesn't always catch.

I use the R4 with client builds. Ive used the R4 case around 40 - 45 times. The R5 I just used for the first time and spotted all the corners they cut right away. Anyone else could tell you this as well. That being said, the R5 is still a better case than most other cases. I had to stop using Lian-Li because they starting cutting corner on aluminum thickness years ago.

The R4 is one of the best cases I've ever seen. The R5 has no new features, it's just a cheaper revision of the R4. In fact, Ive been reading that the R4 was such a good design that 2 companies out there just starting copying it. I;m sure the knock offs are cheapened.
 
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^ My R5 came with two fans. They change out very easily. (I put BEQuiets in mine.)

As far as "anyone" who is a R4 owner saying stay with it over the R5, you're the first.

There are many improvements in the new version, which every legit tech site reviewer on the net has covered. Universal agreement that the R5 is a better case in every way, especially the filter system.

Not sure what your game is. Would-be buyers: consider the sources.
 
They also have great RMA support. I think maybe they just forgot to put a second fan in yours. Just email them, I bet they will send you a new one.
 
^ Second that. Had a stiff usb port and they mailed me a new set right away.
 
I think I figured out what the problem is, but not sure.

First, I can assure you I will never troll anyone, lie or bs about a situation with a case fan. Never.

I've bought several, so it's not a single occurrence. The packaging even said 1 fan included.

I think what it might be is a special SKU just for Microcenter. I've seen this before. I am going to look into it further. Walmart does this and a lot of other chains seek out better pricing for a popular product but have slight changes made to reduce cost.

The are both great cases with some differences between the two.
 
why is this case priced too much? is this made out of unobtanium or something?
probably a custom case would cost this much, not a mass manufactured case.
Sorry guys
 
^ Show me one priced lower that performs as well.

There's one in every crowd, folks.
 
Just got my windowed r5 for $100 a month or so ago, great case and came with two fairly good fans but are being quickly replaced by Noctua nf-a14 pmw's.

Seems to take a lot more fans to keep this case cool compared to my old silverstone tj08b-e but it's so much nicer to work in than the tj08b.

Got the r5 for sli'ing 780's but now just have a single 980ti in it, get another one when the prices come back down to earth.

R5 definitely has some odd things about, ...ie having to screw in front fans with proprietary long and tiny screws (doesn't work with fans that are slightly thicker...have sounds pads attached on corners, the fans that came with the Cooler master Nepton 140xl will not work/fit but Noctua nf-a14's do)

I also have a Silverstone sg13 to balance everything out...ha
 
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From someone who has built many R4 builds and now just did an R5 I'll agree that they made many design improvements with the R5 but they did lower the overall quality of it. The door is flimsy-er, there are more plastics used, the sound proofing is cheaper quality imo, etc. It's still a wonderful case for the money though but if I had to pick between the R4 or R5 it would be a hard choice.
 
Never used the R4, but I love my R5.

Have also been impressed with Fractal's service. First time, some hard drive screws were left out of the original package. Second, the front I/O port developed issues with the USB 3.0 ports. In both cases, support asked no questions and the parts were shipped out quickly.
 
I got an Arc Midi R2 and I absolutely love it. I don't see myself upgrading for a while except maybe a Case Labs.

Customer support is also fantastic.
 
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