Should I pull the trigger on the Define R4 now?

[DSF]

The Fractal Design Define R4 is currently $80 with free shipping at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352020

I'm almost certain that this is the case I want for my next build. The problem is that build could happen any time between Christmas and next April depending on how quickly I can save up the money to pay for it guilt-free and debt-free.

If I win my fantasy football league and get around $200 for Christmas I can build before December is over. If not I would need 2-4 months to save up that amount.

Is the price good enough to justify buying the case now, even though I might not end up putting the machine together for a couple months? To be clear, I know that I will be happy with it (i.e. buyer's remorse is not a factor) and storing it is not a problem. I just wouldn't want to buy now only to a) discover a defect during a build two months later or b) see it on sale for an even lower price later.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I haven't seen it this low yet (the MSRP is around $100, I believe). Admittedly, I've only been looking at case prices for half a year now, but I'm fairly sure that this is a good deal.

 

[It's Not Lupus]

That's a great price imo.

I ordered one earlier this month from Amazon for $95. It was also back-ordered, but is finally arriving tomorrow.

 

[tracerbullet]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2290152

If you like the case, yes, seems like a good time to get it. It's a gamble of course, as you may know - once you buy a computer part, don't look back. It'll *always* be cheaper eventually.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

If you're in the market for a silent case in the price range of less than $150 then YES! Definitely do pull the trigger. I have an R4 myself, and It's my favorite case of all the one's I have worked with so far.

 

[DSF]

Yeah thanks for the input everyone. I'm about 80% sure I'll be able to build by January at the latest, so I went ahead and bought it.

 

[lehtv]

Good pick!

 

[TOMM3KE]

Perhaps off topic, but does the R4 still have decent airflow from the front? (curious wiht the front panel)

 

[lehtv]

There's only one 140mm fan on the front by default. Adding another one will improve the front airflow.

But even with one 140mm fan, the airflow is quite good when the hard drive bay is removed. One 140mm fan should be about as good as two 120mm fans in the older Define R3 which has a non-removable hard drive bay.

 

[MoInSTL]

I put both stock fans in the front, removed both drive cages and added a quiet rear fan. Also have a 140mm fan on the HR-02 Macho. My 2.5" drives are stacked on the bottom floor in a drive tray with Velcro on the bottom of the tray. Plenty of air with the door closed and running included fan controller at 7v. EDIT: Ambient temp is 70F/20C and Real Temp reports cores 22-32 degrees.

OP, the fan controller uses a molex connector. 🙄 I picked up a short molex to SATA connector for $3 or $4 and eliminated the molex cable and tucked it in the back. It is not the same adapter cable that comes with graphics cards for example. The molex needed is male.