by Dustin Sklavos on 7/20/2012 6:00:00 AM Posted in Cases/Cooling/PSUs , fractal design , mid-tower
Introducing the Fractal Design Define R4
Around November of last year we had a chance to take a look at one of the most popular enclosures from up-and-comer Fractal Design, the Define R3. Impressions were good if not absolutely amazing, but it was easy to see how the case had gotten so popular. A competitive price tag, solid acoustics, understated aesthetics, and fairly flexible design all conspired to produce a case that could conceivably be a silver bullet for a lot of users.
Today Fractal Design is launching their next revision of the Define, the R4. It's easy to mistake it for its predecessor, but as is often the case, the devil is in the details. Fractal Design hasn't radically tweaked the formula, but they've rounded some of the edges and added more value to their design without making very many sacrifices in the process. They've done a lot to improve the Define in the R4, but have they done enough?
Incremental evolution isn't altogether unheard of in the enclosure business, but I'm used to seeing vendors release outright new models or heavily revamp existing ones instead of steadily iterating like Fractal Design has done with the Define. I can see users being a bit underwhelmed by the changes Fractal Design has made to the Define with the R4, and I myself am a bit underwhelmed, but let's see if we can't unpack things and get to the heart of what they've done and haven't done.
Fractal Design Define R4 SpecificationsMotherboard Form FactorMini-ITX, Micro ATX, ATXDrive BaysExternal2x 5.25”Internal8x 2.5"/3.5", 2x 2.5"CoolingFront1x 140mm intake fan, 1x 120mm/140mm fan mountRear1x 140mm exhaust fanTop2x 120mm/140mm fan mountsSide1x 140mm fan mountBottom1x 120mm/140mm fan mountExpansion Slots7+1I/O Port2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x MicPower Supply SizeStandard ATXClearancesHSF170mmPSU170mm with bottom fan, 270mm withoutGPU11.6"/295mm with drive cage, 430mm withoutDimensions9.13" x 18.27" x 20.59"232mm x 464mm x 523mmWeight27.12 lbs. / 12.3kgSpecial FeaturesUSB 3.0 connectivity via internal headers
Removable drive cages
Integrated three-step fan controller
Support for 240mm radiator in top of enclosurePrice$109
The Define R4 is ever so slightly larger than the R3 and features essentially everything you already liked about the R3, making it a pretty direct replacement of its predecessor in much the same way as Antec's P182 obsoleted the P180. Fractal Design parted ways with eSATA in the I/O cluster in favor of a pair of USB 2.0 and a pair of USB 3.0 ports and it's a good transition. eSATA never seemed to quite catch fire; USB 3.0 offers most of the bandwidth with much easier connectivity and fewer hiccups. Meanwhile, I still don't think we're at the point where we can completely deprecate USB 2.0 in favor of 3.0, so having them both represented on the front of the case is appreciated.
In and Around the Fractal Design Define R4
Introducing the Fractal Design Define R4 In and Around the Fractal Design Define R4 Assembling the Fractal Design Define R4 Testing Methodology Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked Conclusion: Iterative, But Still Needs Work Print This Article 
39 Comments View All Comments Post a Comment A decent step on from the R3 by buildingblock on Friday, July 20, 2012 The move to 140mm fans for intake and exhaust is particularly welcomed, time to move on from the 120s. 
buildingblock Reply RE: A decent step on from the R3 by HisDivineOrder on Friday, July 20, 2012 I'll agree with you once all the PWM fan makers start making fans in 140mm varieties. Right now, for great fans you choose between PWM and 140mm. That's not a choice that you should have to make.You'd think Corsair would be on the forefront of fixing this, seeing as they just released a premium fan line AND have cases that could use said fans. But no, they in fact released NO PWM fans at all.
Until that day, 120mm needs to stay the standard.
HisDivineOrder Reply The top by btb on Friday, July 20, 2012 I have both and R2 and R3 and really like them. The only thing I wish they would improve on is getting rid of the ugly top of the case, it detracts significantly from an otherwise very nice looking case. How big a percentage of the buyers of these cases do actually use the top exhausts? I'm guessing below 5%. 
btb Reply RE: The top by Dustin Sklavos on Friday, July 20, 2012 Well, the idea is to make space for a 240mm radiator or a closed-loop like the Corsair H100, but the problem is that clearance for radiators there just isn't good. 
Dustin Sklavos Reply RE: The top by piroroadkill on Friday, July 20, 2012 Yeah, I think they need to use a Lian-Li style blanking plate, where it fits almost completely flush, leaving a smooth finish, but the user then has to supply a wire grill later. 
piroroadkill Reply RE: The top by beginner99 on Friday, July 20, 2012 I use it! make sense to have airflow from bottom/front to top as hot air flows up naturally anyway. 
beginner99 Reply Huh? by piroroadkill on Friday, July 20, 2012 This article has disappeared from the homepage! I can't read it anymore :( piroroadkill Reply RE: Huh? by piroroadkill on Friday, July 20, 2012 Ah, NDA, NDA, thought so. It's all good! piroroadkill Reply Can't read the article? by themossie on Friday, July 20, 2012 Neither the "next page" or menu to choose article pages is working - they both return me to the Anandtech.com page.Other articles work fine.
Is this just me, or is something wrong?
themossie Reply RE: Can't read the article? by Dustin Sklavos on Friday, July 20, 2012 I bunged the NDA time on the review and had to bounce it an hour, that's what happened. :| I've normally been great about NDAs but for some odd reason this one just confused me stupid. Dustin Sklavos Reply Subject Comment Post Comment 
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A lot has changed in the 30 months since the Incredible’s premier, but the family resemblance is hard to miss on the Droid Incredible 4G LTE. Released as the third iteration of the Incredible line, the Incredible 4G foregoes the new styling and philosophy of HTC’s One series, maintaining instead the classic Incredible styling of the past, advanced ever so incrementally. The back is defined by its odd hump made of soft-touch plastic, and now featuring a ribbed texture to improve grip. The red accents persist on the power button, front speaker grill and around the camera lens (and the superfluous Beats logo), but beneath that battery cover is just an expanse of matte black. The edge of the device is rimmed by black chromed plastic, and the now 4” display sits raised above the main body, and with a raised edge to protect it when laid face down. HTC has opted for dedicated capacitive buttons, in the now familiar ICS locations, and a large Verizon logo is planted above the screen. 
The bottom of the device is otherwise bare but for the voice mic, while the top has a second mic for noise cancellation and stereo audio recording, along with the power button and headphone port. The volume button is now on the right side (when viewing the screen in landscape), and isn’t quite as raised or distinguishable from the surrounding plastic as I’d like; the left side sports just a microUSB port. The battery cover retains the HTC legacy, being thick and laden with antennas; this in contrast to Samsung’s battery covers which tended to be almost terrifyingly flimsy. Beneath it you’ll find a microSD slot and the microSIM tray, and a respectable 1700 mAh battery. With the same power-sipping 28nm internals (and underclocked at that) of the One S, and One X for AT&T, that battery should do the Incredible 4G justice, but more on that later.Gallery: HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE Joining Verizon Wireless July 5 for $149
Physical Comparison Apple iPhone 4SHTC Droid Incredible 4G LTEHTC One SHTC One X (AT&T)Height115.2 mm (4.5")121.9 mm (4.8")130.9 mm (5.15")134.8 mm (5.31")Width58.6 mm (2.31")61.0 mm (2.4")65 mm (2.56")69.9 mm (2.75")Depth9.3 mm ( 0.37")11.7 mm (0.46")7.8 mm (0.31")8.9 mm (0.35")Weight140 g (4.9 oz)132 g (4.66 oz)119.5 (4.22 oz)129 g (4.6 oz)CPUApple A5 @ ~800MHz Dual Core Cortex A91.2 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM89601.5 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260A1.5 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960GPUPowerVR SGX 543MP2Adreno 225Adreno 225Adreno 225RAM512MB LPDDR2-8001 GB RAM1 GB LPDDR21 GB LPDDR2NAND16GB, 32GB or 64GB integrated8 GB NAND with up to 32 GB microSD16 GB NAND16 GB NANDCamera8 MP with LED Flash, Front Facing Camera8 MP AF/LED Flash, VGA front facing8 MP with AF/LED Flash, VGA front facing8 MP with AF/LED Flash, 1.3 MP front facingScreen3.5" 640 x 960 LED backlit LCD4.0" 960 x 540 Super LCD4.3" 960 x 540 Super AMOLED4.7" 1280 x 720 LCD-TFTBatteryInternal 5.3 WhrRemovable 6.46 WhrInternal 6.27 WhrInternal 6.66 Whr
aNYthing24 Reply Battery Life by Omega215D on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 Kind of strange how battery life differs from other reviews. So far only a couple have said subpar life while more have gotten good to very good usage time. Could it be a problem with the phone itself? Well, it's nice to know my Rezound isn't too bad but I do like the designs of both the Incredible and Rezound. 
Omega215D Reply do they have different hardware o_o by pikahatonjon on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 what is with the differences with the EVO 4G LTE & the Htc One X (att) in the contrast test.
pikahatonjon Reply Another screen mistake by Rockmandash12 on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 The One X has a Super LCD 2 display, not a TFT display. 
Rockmandash12 Reply Battery life by JimmiG on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 How many more years until Android phones can match the iPhone 4S in terms of 3G web browsing battery life?
JimmiG Reply RE: Battery life by zorxd on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 The iPhone has a small display. It consume a lot less. AMOLED displays are also not very efficient for displaying white backgrounds found on many web sites.
zorxd Reply RE: Battery life by lunarx3dfx on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 What zorx said. You can't compare the iPhone and most Android phones Apples to Apples because of design differences. I'd be willing to bet money that if you had identical devices, the only difference being that one has an A5 and one has an S4, the S4 would wipe the floor with the A5 in every category except for maybe GPU performance.
lunarx3dfx Reply RE: Battery life by Phasenoise on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 He indicated, as the article states, that the iphone has superior 3g web browsing battery life.
Phasenoise Reply RE: Battery life by lunarx3dfx on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 The reason I brought up performance, was to illustrate my point that Apple doesn't necessarily make a more efficient product as much as they use low power components. I'll admit that I did get a little lost in my own argument. Oops.