Question Define R5 - Cooling Performance for New System

[Dahak]

So I am about to do an upgrade and was wondering how the Define R5 holds up in terms of noise and cooling for newer systems.
Thinking on a mid to higher end system.
Thinking along the lines of the AMD 3700/3800 or the 5000 series equivalent / Intel 10600k/10700k
For Video thinking the RTX 3080 but more likley the 3070 one the reviews come in

Right now its pretty much stock, i did add some cheapo 120mm fan at the top as my current rig was getting a bit warm.
So I will know I probably will need some additional fans (going 140mm, can do at least 3 probably 5)

Or if its going to be bad, what similar sized case would work. Dont like any glass sided ones

 

[Heartbreaker]

Really nothing new has changed the case landscape significantly. Mesh front case are all the rage, but all you need do with an R5 to get mesh front performance is open the door.

IMO door cases are the best of both world. Close the door for optimal silence, or open it for optimal airflow.

 

[Aikouka]

I still use the Define R5 for two of my computers. They both have 1080 Ti video cards, and the CPUs are i7-6700k and R5 3600. I believe the Ryzen one has a Noctua D15 and an AIO cooler for the GPU, and I'm not sure what the other one is using (I know it has the stock setup for the ASUS Strix 1080 Ti. Anyway, the point of all that mumbo jumbo is that the two aforementioned computers run fine in the case.

To be fair, I don't stress them too hard, but I do also take advantage of one aspect of the Define R5... it has a side-panel fan mount. (Some video cards even provide a 4-pin header to attach a side panel fan.) I've found that removing the top panels introduces the most sound pollution, so I usually leave those on.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Per my research last year an R5 is a fine choice.
Personally I love my phantecs P600 has magnetic front & top panel, plus a nifty front filter. Cooling performance isn’t changed that much with either config.

 

[Dahak]

Ok good to hear.

 

[aigomorla]

Phantek makes excellent cases as well, but they are a bit on the heavy side as they are mostly steel.
They also have a few which do not have windows.

I honestly think Fractal is a bit old fashioned now.
Im sort of into some modest bling with temper glass windows, so i love cases like the Lian Li O11.
But seeing how your not into windows, id check out some Phantek cases as well as BeQuiet cases.

 

[Aikouka]

Im sort of into some modest bling with temper glass windows, so i love cases like the Lian Li O11.

I own both the O11 and O11 XL, and my biggest problem is the same with both... they're effectively cube cases. Wires seem to be designed to fit in standard vertical layouts, so they're always too long for cube cases. Also, in these O11 builds, I decided to have a little fun and "bling 'em up" a little bit. Trying to find space to mount the ridiculous number of adapters when you case lacks a lot of backpanel space is... not that easy.

Oh, and the O11 really should have active cooling on the hard drive bay. I cut into the XL's HDD bay's back panel and added a 40mm Noctua fan.

 

[UsandThem]

I honestly think Fractal is a bit old fashioned now.
Im sort of into some modest bling with temper glass windows, so i love cases like the Lian Li O11.
But seeing how your not into windows, id check out some Phantek cases as well as BeQuiet cases.

That is the market for Fractal Design cases.......they mostly are utilitarian. I like cases more along that style, rather than something that looks like a Gobot.

The one thing that I hate the route Fractal Design has gone with after they released the R5 is the top panel options. With the R5, you had the "Moduvents" and could open up individual openings for a fan. I found that only opening the very back one (along with adding a fan up there) offered the perfect balance of performance vs. quietness.

Beginning with the R6, they took away the individual vents, and if you want any fans / radiator up there, you have to open up the entire top, which allows a lot of noise to be heard. Until they offer something again other than opening the entire top, I personally wouldn't go with any more of their cases. I own two of the R5 cases, and they are still being used in both of my kid's computers.

vs.

 

[beginner99]

With the R5, you had the "Moduvents" and could open up individual openings for a fan. I found that only opening the very back one (along with adding a fan up there) offered the perfect balance of performance vs. quietness.

I still have an R2 and I also have the "back" top vent open with a 140mm fan Well I think about 10 years ago when I made my first build in this case I probably overdid it with the fans but haven't changed the layout since.
2 120mm Fractal fans that came with the case in the front, silentwings back+top and a noctua one as bottom intake (case is not on the floor, cheapo ikea desk with the "pc holder" attachment, IMHO this is pretty great option space and dust-wise).

Anyway I can't say the case is silent. You can clearly hear when the PC is turned on or not or when you start something more challenging and the fans ramp up (well i do still have a 290x so....)

 

[UsandThem]

I still have an R2 and I also have the "back" top vent open with a 140mm fan Well I think about 10 years ago when I made my first build in this case I probably overdid it with the fans but haven't changed the layout since.
2 120mm Fractal fans that came with the case in the front, silentwings back+top and a noctua one as bottom intake (case is not on the floor, cheapo ikea desk with the "pc holder" attachment, IMHO this is pretty great option space and dust-wise).

Anyway I can't say the case is silent. You can clearly hear when the PC is turned on or not or when you start something more challenging and the fans ramp up (well i do still have a 290x so....)

Yeah, the GPU fans in all the PCs I have built over the last 15 years or so have all been the noisiest component.

While I also wouldn't call the R5 silent, it was quieter with only one of those top vents opened. My current case, the Be Quiet Dark Base 900 is much better in the noise department, as they have small slits on the top of the case where a top fan can push air out, while being pretty surrounded by sound-deadening material. It does knock down the airflow quite a bit by using that design, but enough gets pushed out at the top so as to not have collect up there.

The Dark Base 900 is a huge and heavy case (and was a little bit of a PIA to build in at times), but I think it is my all-time favorite PC case I've ever purchased. I can have my PC on and walk into my home office, and forget that it's even running.