Fractal Designs R4 Review

[tinytomlogan]

The replacement for the ever popular R3 has finally been released. But will the R4 be as good in our eyes as its older brother?


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[Yeren]

Tissues at the ready lol

[Josh Weston]

Two months after I buy the R3...$£%*&!!!

[Yeren]

and to think tomorrow i was going to purchase a R3, haven't heard a release date yet so think i may have to wait

[VulgarDisplay88]

They have basically taken the Midi, slapped a door on it and added some noise dampening material but removed the best feature of the Midi - THE FAN HOLE LOCATIONS.

If they had placed them offset like the Midi then you could fit a H100 and other rads and I would have bought one.

[dipzy]

Originally Posted by Yeren

and to think tomorrow i was going to purchase a R3, haven't heard a release date yet so think i may have to wait

Same here, i too was about to purchase a r3, i think I'll wait for a white r4

[Saltire35]

My views after watching Toms review:

Silence - Buy the R4
Gaming - Buy the Arc Midi

I really think if they made the R4 slightly higher and fan mounts to accommodate a 240 radiator or a H100 they'd have nailed it.

I also find it a bit weird just weeks after announcing an optional window panel for the R3 they then release the R4... and its obvious from the review that the window panel for the R3 won't fit on the R4

What really baffles me is though... Fractal Design have no intention of releasing a window panel for the Arc Midi, which is basically designed for gaming yet they released a window panel for the R3 which is designed for silence. That doesn't make sense to me.

[dugdiamond]

Noice

[airdeano]

im kind of a Fractal Design fanboy. and this was a good case, but not the cutting edge case it
could have been. with R3 sales, i'm sure it was a high demand case, as when the shelves
were thining, customers were fearing discontinuation. i'd thought Fractal would have turned
the volume up on features a bit more. Fractal taughts a host of features (fan control,
upgraded 140mm fans [R2], wider, SSD mounts on mobo tray and front filter bay enhancement.

MEAH... at best. the R3 was a great case and this follows the mold, but not making forward
progress in design. doesn't make me wanna buy the R4, today.

to buy the R4.5 or R5 i'd want it to be taller (500mm+), water cooling compatible,
4 USB 3.0 (with 2.0 pigtails) and convertible opti bay to use that area for HDD inline with
the other cages and fix that friggin' door to open WIDER or hinge at the bottom or reversable!
just let me access the fan area easier. make the front fan cartrige less clumbsy and more
adaptable than the clip-on fan clips (that break) use fan attachment bosses (brass
preferably) for more fan selection (140mm fan market is not as selectable as the 120mm
are at this time). just make thin metal brackets to attach to the back of mobo to secure
the SSD drives, they dont weigh any amount of mass to worry about ripping away from
the tray (optional placement). and please, please stop making the public cry for a
windowed-side panel. state it on release that a panel will be available, PERIOD! instead
of waiting for public opinion to scream for it (the XL got one...).
get it close to this and my dollars will be your dollars Fractal Design. till then i'll stay with
my Arc Midi (R4 without a door).

[VulgarDisplay88]

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