We revisit Fractal Design's funky Define R2 case.
Fractal Design are a relatively new manufacturer in the market, whose products are all designed in their Swedish headquarters and design philosophy is certainly quite unique.
We first saw the Define R2 case last year, used in the Scorptec Redback gaming computer, and were quite impressed with it at the time - but we've grabbed the full version of the case.
Styled similarly to an Antec case, the Fractal Design Define R2 (which is also a mouthful to say) boasts some decent cooling fans and expandability, but also comes with sound-deadening panels.
The panels themselves, as we learned earlier, are made from bitumen:
The material is bitumen, which is about the same as asphalt. This material is quite commonly used as the bottom part of "regular" noise absorbing mats, widely available in the market.
At a price of roughly $165 the Define R2 sits in a nice spot in the market, though its 12.5kg weight does preclude it from serious LAN duty.
Jump into the gallery of photos to see more of the case, and keep your eyes open for an upcoming Issue where we put this case through its paces.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012