Personally owning this case I am really unimpressed, Fractals attempt to reduce production cost churned out a case which feels flimsy and cheap. I own the Arctic white R3 and I absolutely love the design but I hate how cheap the case feels. The paint is chipping and peeling in some areas and the side panels feel wobbly and weak.
The front intake covers are so thin I don't think it will last if opened regularly (to even clean the dust filters). The rubber cable hide-aways fall out easily and don't stay in place.
The doors are a major pain to put on, and the rubber grommets for the hard drives are absolutely garbage.
I know Fractal is a relatively new company but still, my much cheaper Antec 300 is definitely a lot more solid and cost $55 (CAD) which is less than half what I paid for the white wobbler. :shadedshu
I would have "generously" given it a 6/10.
Pros
-Looks Great
-2 Included fans are sleeved and silent
-Dampening material makes case much quieter
-Easy installation
-Lots of places to hide cables
Cons
-Side panels are flimsy and cheaply constructed
-Front fan guards are poorly constructed (flimsy again)
-Paint peels/chips off easily (-VERY DISAPPOINTED-)
-Lack of USB 3.0
-Fan holes are to close together causing whining noises on higher CFM fans
-Rubber hide-aways for cables fall off easily
Next time you do a review, Id like you to be more critical in regards to build quality, Id hate to see a biased review to push a brand name.
LOL!
Sorry, I had the exact opposite experience. I used to own a Antec 300 case myself, I upgraded to the Fractal Design R3 Black Pearl because to me the Antec 300 was only a temporary since it didn't belong to me, but while using it I found the build quality to be mostly like the cons you got from your experience other than the issue with the paint.
When I got my R3 I was impressed as it felt like a massive upgrade with the build quality and airflow set-up I was able to do, but even I must admit there are a couple of flaws I found myself which I've already mentioned in this thread. As for the paint work on the Artic White R3 I heard someone saying it was superior to the paint work on all other models including my own yet I don't seem to have this paint peeling/ chipping issues, if anything my paint seems to be really scratch resistant which I noticed after a few stupid accidents I made with a screw driver (despite the accidents there were no visible scratches at all) when I was trying to correct the fan on my side panel since it was blowing out instead of in a it should have been.
Truth be told though I did like the Antec 300 case, but a much better version of it could be made with the panels being more solid than flimsy, the top panel having 2-3 slots for some 140mm fans as well as having a hole or two at the bottom. It could also be much better with other upgrades including the obvious on with having USB 3.0 ports and maybe a custom fan fitting for the front of the case. I would say a Lian Li version (I would like to exclude the overtall part though as a upgrade feature as I don't like it :shadedshu, although making the case a little taller, not by too much of course, might work out well) with the case being made mainly of aluminium with a black interior (like my R3 Black Pearl), along with my upgrade suggestions would be a even better upgrade of both the current case and maybe the R3 series completely.
But like that is going to happen.
Should receive the case next week ^^
