Interior and Build Notes
First we need to remove the side panels, and this is particularly easy as both sides are tool-free.
The case does ship with thumbscrews installed on both side panels, but these are for transport only as the panels do securely latch, and you simply pull out to release each side.
The rear panel is lined with noise damping material
With the panels off we see a different interior than the previous Define cases, and it’s quite clean.
The motherboard tray supports up to EATX, and there are plenty of grommeted cable routing openings to keep the build looking tidy. The right side of the component chamber is dominated by a metal partition, and with this removed we see the storage trays.
Each of these trays with hold either a 2.5 or 3.5-inch drive, and is accessed from the back as we will see next.
Turning the case around now we see that stack of storage on the left side, with the new PWM fan hub in the upper middle alongside the top of the velcro cable management strips, and then the two dedicated SSD mounts behind the motherboard tray.
Build Notes
There is sufficient space for easy installation of large air coolers and various liquid coolers (not to mention custom cooling – though I didn’t go down that road), and I tried a quick mount of my trusty 240 mm AiO system (Corsair H100i GTX) after I had the motherboard in place.
The top fan mounts in cases often provide less than ample room for a radiator and fans without clearance issues, but here – as with other Fractal Design cases I’ve reviewed – there were zero problems. With the cooler mounted there was a generous amount of room all around, making larger liquid cooler installs possible.
What about up front? If you need or want your radiator up on the front fan mounts that is certainly possible, and access is easy once the storage trays have been removed (and that front trim panel as well, if you need access from the component side).
There is support for bottom-mounted fans and radiators in addition to rear/top/front, making the Define R6 quite a flexible option for custom cooling.
The power supply install is easy thanks to a separate bracket that allows it to simply slide in and then connect via a pair of thumbscrews:
Storage is straightforward, beginning with the HDD/SSD trays.
The holes for HDD screws have rubber grommets to control vibration, and installing the mounted drive on its tray is easy with the captured thumbscrew. The back of the tray fits into place with a shaped plastic foot, and then it is secured against the case with the screw. I did notice a slight sag on the open side of the drive tray, but nothing serious.
SSD installs can be made with the same HDD trays using the alternate screw holes, or via dedicated SSD brackets behind the motherboard (the floor of the component side is another alternative for SSD mounting).
With the system together it’s time to check out case temps and noise levels.
Great review it was short &
Great review it was short & sweet and got right to the point without a lot of extra fluff.
I agree this is probably one of the best cases I have researched so far it has everything even us old timers want on a case such as some actual hard drive bays to support more than 1 SSD or 1 HDD this is great to see.
The only real complaint I have with it is the use of plastic trays for the 2.5 & 3.5 drives it seems like they could fail over time as the plastic ages and gets a bit brittle. It is nice that they do include the extra drive add ins mind you so I can let that plastic drive trays slide I guess.
This may be my next case if something better does not come along between now and the fall of 2018. It is time to retire my Antec 900 case that I have done a few mods to that really improves it’s cooling and air flow.
I forgot I actually had a
I forgot I actually had a question as well. What would you consider to be the best all around AIO water cooling setup that works well & is also cost effective. I am thinking of installing one into my current setup and then just moving it to my new case when I do my upgrades in the fall.
Corsair is always a safe bet
Corsair is always a safe bet for AiO liquid coolers – but there's a lot out there. Honestly, at it's current price the value of a Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 240 (my review here) is really hard to beat. Fractal Design's own 240 mm liquid cooler – the Celsius S24 (my review here) – is a really good value, too.
The drive trays are actually
The drive trays are actually metal. The plastic that Sebastian mentions is only a small portion of the tray that fits into the frame of the case.
Thanks! I am trying to keep
Thanks! I am trying to keep these case reviews concise since I generally have a lot of them to get through 🙂
All of the storage trays are metal, actually – though the 3.5/2.5 combo trays behind the partition have a plastic bracket on the back that holds them in place, with the thumbscrew holding most of the weight.
Overall I'm very impressed with the case. Fractal's Define cases are always good, and this did not disappoint!
No issues installing a full
No issues installing a full size GTX 1080ti ?
I guess the back end of the card would tuck under the drive trays ?
Not sure what that would look like ?
Full length reference-size
Full length reference-size GPUs (like the Radeon R9 290X I use for these reviews) don't reach the storage partition, but it is a little in front of the leading edge of the card so longer aftermarket cooler designs extend behind the partition (you just have to keep hard drives above/below the GPU – same configuration as shipped).
Good write up Sebastian the
Good write up Sebastian the fractal design cases are high quality and I would have no hesitation recommending them for a new system build. Excellent noise reduction built in too.
I will buy one when it’s
I will buy one when it’s actually in stock and they make the type c a standard i/o instead of making u buy one.
Is there a way to get Fractal
Is there a way to get Fractal Design to modify the define R5 side panel to work with the R6?
I would really want to get the R6 but also have a side panel fan that will provide direct airflow onto the VRM heatsinks on the motherboard.