Every 5 years I configure and then outsource the build of a new PC for my office work. I always plan on high speck components so they will give me the longevity. It's a bit expensive at the front end, by pays off in year 4 and 5.

Brought this case last week after reading reviews and looking on youtube, finally got round to building it. Case quality is good feels sturdy, I have a 240mm Rad attached to the roof and cant fit the 2 out of the 3 roof covers back on due to the screws being in the same spot as where the covers...

I was hesitant to buy a case with a door as I felt it would inhibit air circulation but have found this not to be a problem. My last case my hard drives were always hovered around 40 degrees centigrade as I live in a hot climate.

Available in black, white and titanium silver, the fifth iteration of Fractal Design's noise absorbing Define mid-tower is another delightful exercise in understated design - whichever colour you choose. The R5 is an evolution of previous Define models, and looks almost identical to the outgoing R4.

In most ways the Define R5 feels like a very natural evolution of the Define R4. The launch price is effectively the same, so we have few complaints here. The ￡90 price tag for the windowed version does look a little steep (and you'd lose a fan mount), but equally adding a window yourself would be...

Awesome case! Very solid. Modularity is great: bays can be retrieved / moved inside the case to suit your cooling configuration (which can be fixed at the top of front sides). Some lids can be removed to add extra vents.

All in all a quality case at a very good price, not overstated or too flashy. It arrived well-packaged too, with styrofoam surround and very sturdy box.

There is tons of room, the convertible front opening door, Moduvents, sound dampening material, SSD drives hidden behind motherboard, 3 speed fan controller is another bonus; Not to mention price matching on the case, which saved me almost $50. Blacker than black.

Moduvent tabs are extremely easy to break. Titanium version was out of stock. All steel construction; so it's not as cool as the Lian Li's I'm used to; but it's very good quality for the money. Front door hinges were a bit of an task to swap; due mostly to my large hands and fingers.

The Define R5 is as close to silent as it gets without ditching case fans altogether, but the monolithic design is looking a little dated

Since I am building a new PC for use in my university research lab, I am going to demonstrate a completely new build in this review, unlike most of the case reviews we do here at APH Networks.

Fractal Design is best known for its silent chassis, whose bitumen-based audio-damping material may add weight to its cases, but boy does it work. The R5 is the latest in this popular series.