Fractal Design Define R3

[rob1]

I wanted to buy a Factal R3 but it seems only Newegg and AVADirect carries them in the USA, the latter at very high prices. Newegg does not have the Titanium in stock. Why is it so hard to get these cases? Are they going out of business?

 

[lehtv]

The Define R3 Titanium Grey that is deactivated on newegg is the older version with USB 2.0. Here's the USB 3.0 version: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352013. The Silver Arrow and Arctic White versions are a bit cheaper.

They are not going out of business, on the contrary I think they're doing quite well. It's a relatively new and small company from Sweden who expanded to the North American market only after releasing the first version of the Define R3, so less than a year ago.

 

[Arg Clin]

Plenty of availability here in Europe, so I doubt they're going out of business. Here (Denmark) the R3 sells for ~US$ 120 (including 25% sales tax)

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Plenty of availability here in Europe, so I doubt they're going out of business. Here (Denmark) the R3 sells for ~US$ 120 (including 25% sales tax)

25% sales tax?!

not 2.5?

 

[lehtv]

2.5% would be ridiculously low

 

[MrCrispy]

Newegg had these cases for $80 around Black Friday. I don't know if that was a one time thing but it may happen again. I bought the black version then.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

I wanted to buy a Factal R3 but it seems only Newegg and AVADirect carries them in the USA, the latter at very high prices. Newegg does not have the Titanium in stock. Why is it so hard to get these cases? Are they going out of business?

hard to get because of low supply and high enough demand, they're very new and not American based, thus very few etailers here even have them to sell

and considering how awesome their cases have been, particularly for right around the $100 mark, I'd wager they'll quickly catch on as a pretty significant player if they keep things up, perhaps even rivaling the likes of Corsair

 

[cantholdanymore]

In the US only newegg is an authorized dealer, and I think there's another authorized dealer in Canada

 

[lsv]

In the US only newegg is an authorized dealer, and I think there's another authorized dealer in Canada

NCIX for Canada.

 

[dbrons]

I got mine with a coupon or discount from http://www.chiefvalue.com/
I think they are connected with newegg

 

[vbuggy]

Have they sorted out the build quality issues?

I really like the buildability, features and styling, but was a tad disappointed - though to be fair it's the cheapest case I've built into in a while - that the front panel supports partially broke away so fast when being handled more or less normally, and I saw similar concerns regarding BQ a while back.

 

[lsv]

Have they sorted out the build quality issues?

I really like the buildability, features and styling, but was a tad disappointed - though to be fair it's the cheapest case I've built into in a while - that the front panel supports partially broke away so fast when being handled more or less normally, and I saw similar concerns regarding BQ a while back.

Quality is still a bit bad, I just switched to an R3 from a 650D and I can tell the difference in build quality. However the silence is worth it.

 

[Arg Clin]

25% sales tax?!

not 2.5?

25% (twentyfive) I really need to get out of this tax plagued country. :|

 

[lehtv]

if taxes were lower, wages would probably be end up being lower too

 

[T_Yamamoto]

still...25%

holy cow. thats high #af

(yes, i used a hashtag)

 

[mike2fix]

I recently acquired this case and have to agree with the quality statements, I was a bit disappointed in the overall build quality of this case. I will admit to being a bit biased having used Lian Li for a long time but still for the price of the R3, I would expect it to be a bit sturdier than it is. If this was a $40-$50.00 case, I could see it but for the approximate $100.00 price, I would expect a little more.

 

[lsv]

I recently acquired this case and have to agree with the quality statements, I was a bit disappointed in the overall build quality of this case. I will admit to being a bit biased having used Lian Li for a long time but still for the price of the R3, I would expect it to be a bit sturdier than it is. If this was a $40-$50.00 case, I could see it but for the approximate $100.00 price, I would expect a little more.

It's still a really nice case, if they make a more expensive version as sturdy as my old 650D id buy it instantly

 

[mv2devnull]

still...25%

holy cow. thats high #af

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_added_tax#The_Nordic_countries


Could be better, could be cheaper, but it is still acceptable. R3, I mean, not the taxes.:whiste:

 

[Arg Clin]

I recently acquired this case and have to agree with the quality statements, I was a bit disappointed in the overall build quality of this case.

Yes - build quality could indeed be better. For me though, I find that the design and quietness weighs out the lack in build quality.

But someone looking for a study case should forget the R3 for sure.

 

[lsv]

Yes - build quality could indeed be better. For me though, I find that the design and quietness weighs out the lack in build quality.

But someone looking for a study case should forget the R3 for sure.

How sturdy of a case though? I mean, my R3 had some standoffs off by .5-1mm or such and a few screws points off a bit but it's not leaning to one side right. It could def use some improvements but it's not like a wolf is going to come by and blow my case down

 

[Arg Clin]

How sturdy of a case though? I mean, my R3 had some standoffs off by .5-1mm or such and a few screws points off a bit but it's not leaning to one side right. It could def use some improvements but it's not like a wolf is going to come by and blow my case down

Kinda hard to define. Sturdy enough for me.

But different people has different opinions and needs on this.

The feet of my R3 hasn't taken well to being shifted around on a wooden floor. The thumbscrews for the sides dosn't go in straight anymore. The embedded fancontroller died after 6 months.

I love this case, but is really feels like some things break a little too easily on it.

 

[HeXen]

I got the define mini. mostly cause i'm sticking with micro atx boards. awesome case though i think they should have used a different sound dampening material like MLV or something

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Quality is still a bit bad, I just switched to an R3 from a 650D and I can tell the difference in build quality. However the silence is worth it.

No offense, but comparing a $100 R3 to a $150 650D is unreasonable at best and asinine at worst. That's like saying a $20,000 car isn't as nice as a $30,000 car - well, no shit...?

IMHO you simply can't beat the aesthetics, buildability, and objective metrics like thermals and acoustics that Fractal offers, including the R3 - for the $100 price point. Yes, the 650D is a better-built case, but it's sure as shit not 50% better as its cost would indicate.

 

[lsv]

No offense, but comparing a $100 R3 to a $150 650D is unreasonable at best and asinine at worst. That's like saying a $20,000 car isn't as nice as a $30,000 car - well, no shit...?

IMHO you simply can't beat the aesthetics, buildability, and objective metrics like thermals and acoustics that Fractal offers, including the R3 - for the $100 price point. Yes, the 650D is a better-built case, but it's sure as shit not 50% better as its cost would indicate.

Yep, and when I bought my 650D it was still around $200 with tax while the R3 was staying at $110~. Sigh.

Ah well, maybe in the future they'll make a high end case around $200 that's essentially an R3 with little tweaks and fixes to make it superawesome