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Fractal Design Define XL

Darksaber

Senior Editor & Case Reviewer
Staff member
Joined
Jul 8, 2005
Messages
3,109 (0.43/day)
Location
Victoria, BC, Canada
System Name Corsair 2000D Silent Gaming Rig
Processor Intel Core i5-14600K
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix Z790-i Gaming Wifi
Cooling Corsair iCUE H150i Black
Memory Corsair 64 GB 6000 MHz DDR5
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phoenix GS
Storage TeamGroup 1TB NVMe SSD
Display(s) Gigabyte 32" M32U
Case Corsair 2000D
Power Supply Corsair 850 W SFX
Mouse Logitech MX
Keyboard Sharkoon PureWriter TKL
Fractal Design has enlarged the Define R3 to a full tower with additional features, calling it the Define XL. We tear it apart, fill it with hardware and see if we still have room to breath or if it is all nothing but wasted space

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Last edited by a moderator:
Mr Know-it-all would like to point out the following:

Typing error:
Introduction: "They were also kind enough to send us the Define R2 and Define R2 - check out the reviews!"

Contradicting:
Introduction: "1x 180mm fan included in the top of the case. Recommended for exhaust of air."
Value and Conclusion: "Top 230 mm fan angled for better sound encapsulation"
A Closer Look - Inside: "... but Fractal Design has also included an angled 230 mm unit blowing air out the rear vent I mentioned before."

18 kg, my Define R2 almost seems lightweight now.. :D
 
It could be just me, but I think some of the inside shots are quite dark making it hard to see the details.
 
It could be just me, but I think some of the inside shots are quite dark making it hard to see the details.

Agreed, even though they have gone through post-production after being shot, a few reviews in the last 3-4 months were created during my move from one country to another at a temporary location. I apologize for any badly lit images. If you have any questions do not hesitate to let me know!

The next case reviews will have much much better images then ever before from me :D and they will get even better after that if I have it my way ;)

cheers
DS
 
Mr Know-it-all would like to point out the following:

Typing error:
Introduction: "They were also kind enough to send us the Define R2 and Define R2 - check out the reviews!"

Contradicting:
Introduction: "1x 180mm fan included in the top of the case. Recommended for exhaust of air."
Value and Conclusion: "Top 230 mm fan angled for better sound encapsulation"
A Closer Look - Inside: "... but Fractal Design has also included an angled 230 mm unit blowing air out the rear vent I mentioned before."

18 kg, my Define R2 almost seems lightweight now.. :D

fixed! it is a 180 mm fan! :) thanks for the keen eye (and for actually reading the review ^^)!
 
I love the cases they make, they are so darn sexy and pretty cheap at that. Thanks for the review, great as always!
 
Apart from the temperatures of the components in my Define R3 even with 4 fans, I love it. What used to be 36C idle CPU in Antec 900 is now 40C. But the sound isolation, thumbscrew PCI-E slots, HDD installation, cable management and stylishness are all big +++
 
Reminds me of this case in some respects -->
3392P180_q_r.jpg
 
I feel that for the price its a great case, of course it wont be able to compete with the 800 or 700d from corsair, however those cases are ?40%? more expensive. It should be expected, but I find this a fine case overall for the user that wants quality, features and decent performance at a lower price point.

That being said, I do not think this case has the airflow capabilities for a air over clocker and I also believe that a sli/xfire set up of the higher end skus won't do very well in this case, but watercooling will be dandy and quiet :)
 
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