**A Deep Dive into the Fractal Design Define R6 Case**

The Fractal Design Define R6 case is a modular design that satisfies both enthusiasts who want optical drive support and those who want to hide hard drives from view. This unique feature makes it an attractive option for builders who value customization and flexibility. The case's modular design also appeals to those who prefer open-air cases, providing ample space for custom loops.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Define R6 is its ability to be mounted on either side or back of the case, depending on personal preference. This feature was not widely highlighted by other tech reviewers, which may have contributed to the initial skepticism surrounding this design aspect. However, as demonstrated in this review, moving the case to the back panel offers a sleek and modern aesthetic that is perfect for most builders.

The reviewer's planned build, which features an overkill cooling setup with multiple radiators and fans, showcases the Define R6's capabilities. The modular design allows for easy upgrades and modifications, making it an ideal choice for power users who demand maximum performance from their systems. The case also features a reservoir attachment point, making it straightforward to integrate additional components.

A notable feature of the Define R6 is its unique "basement" area, which is designed to resemble a small enclosure or "cove." This design element adds a touch of personality to the case and provides ample space for fans, radiators, or other components. The reviewer appreciates this unique design feature, which sets the Define R6 apart from other cases.

One potential drawback of the Define R6 is its air flow limitations. While not as efficient as some competing cases, it still offers adequate ventilation for most users' needs. However, builders who plan to use high-performance cooling systems or install radiators behind fans may need to take extra precautions to ensure optimal airflow.

In terms of front IO ports, the Define R6 is relatively average, lacking some features seen in other top-tier cases from 2017 and 2018. The reviewer notes that the absence of USB 3.1, fan control levers, or dedicated reset switches may be a drawback for some users. However, the inclusion of dedicated USB 2.0 ports and USB 3.0 ports makes up for these omissions.

Finally, the reviewer concludes by highlighting the case's potential as a flagship build opportunity. With its modular design, ample space for custom loops, and unique "basement" area, the Define R6 is poised to become a staple in many builders' arsenals. By showcasing this case in action, the reviewer demonstrates its capabilities and solidifies its position as a top contender in the market.

**Innovative Design Features**

The Fractal Design Define R6 case boasts several innovative design features that set it apart from other cases on the market. Its modular design allows for easy customization and flexibility, making it an attractive option for builders who value these qualities. The case's ability to be mounted on either side or back of the case provides a unique aesthetic that is perfect for most users.

**Air Flow and Cooling**

While not as efficient as some competing cases, the Define R6 still offers adequate ventilation for most users' needs. However, builders who plan to use high-performance cooling systems or install radiators behind fans may need to take extra precautions to ensure optimal airflow. The reviewer notes that keeping fans behind their mounting brackets allows for a full inch of clearance, making it easier to maintain good air flow.

**Front IO Ports**

The Define R6's front IO ports are relatively average, lacking some features seen in other top-tier cases from 2017 and 2018. While the absence of USB 3.1, fan control levers, or dedicated reset switches may be a drawback for some users, the inclusion of dedicated USB 2.0 ports and USB 3.0 ports makes up for these omissions.

**Basement Area**

The Define R6's "basement" area is designed to resemble a small enclosure or "cove." This unique design element adds a touch of personality to the case and provides ample space for fans, radiators, or other components. The reviewer appreciates this feature, which sets the Define R6 apart from other cases.

**Conclusion**

The Fractal Design Define R6 case is a modular design that satisfies both enthusiasts who want optical drive support and those who want to hide hard drives from view. Its unique feature of being mountable on either side or back of the case provides a sleek and modern aesthetic that is perfect for most builders. While not as efficient as some competing cases, it still offers adequate ventilation for most users' needs. With its innovative design features, ample space for custom loops, and unique "basement" area, the Define R6 is poised to become a staple in many builders' arsenals.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's going on everyone we have a few days left to go until CES coverage begins and you're all flooded with basically the same content just from different perspectives I totally get that we'll try to spice things up a bit but I want to squeeze in this define our six review because I have a really really cool idea for this bill I'm actually gonna try to put together the most powerful build I've ever put together ever on the channel ever in my life and I'm gonna throw it into the defying r6 now this case has loads of options it is a great value and it does have plenty of water cooling support so obviously you know where this is going so I've got the camera swung around here and I just want to give you a first-person perspective of everything that I have in here so far and what I plan to do in the future also point out again some of those key features that make the define six a very unique case and one that you should consider buying fear next mid sized ATX build so I'm gonna start up front first this door swings open originally swings up and with hinges on this side but I swapped it to that side because it just makes a bit more sense that way a sound damping material up front which is nice there are two 140 millimeter fractal fans included up front there's also a third at the rear so you get three fans include with this case which is really cool and these aren't trashy fans these fans are actually pretty decent given their rpms and their size now they do come with the white blades so that might conflict with your color scheme they do have the same white PCI slot covers they've been using for the past three or four years I still don't know why they do that the mesh if I see had black ones go back to that fractal please now I'm gonna get a bit critical with this front mounting system only because I have tried to build up front I tried to put the 360 ml right I have a top now up front because it's just a bit more optimal for what we're going for I wanted to have the tubes kind of pop out down below that way it'd be easier to drain but that didn't happen and the reason why it didn't happen is because the r6 actually includes an optical drive base so my plan was to have a 360 ml rat run all the way down but because this whole section here is just kind of wasted you can't really raise the radiator up anymore you only have like an exact fit for one 360 ML rad and you can't flip it upside down at least this particular rad because the the port openings basically extend too far down you can see that where the bottom of the mounting point is for the 360 ml rad there's not much more space to go I mean there's there's maybe half an inch so maybe a centimeter and a half two centimeters worth and that's about it so the radiator would have had to have had its ports up top and I'm just really like that idea so I think we're gonna stick with a 240 ml rad up front which I'll include later and then we'll have the 360 ml rad up top there's plenty of space for that something I do want to point out there is a modular top to this case and it is actually you can just release it with a single button right here pretty sweet can pop that thing off have access to your mounting positions up top now you can move this radiator all the way forward which is what I've done so you have plenty of space back here for your 8-pin EPS and for running fans and whatnot just make sure you do all that before you install your radiator because it's it gets it gets pretty crammed back there and you can't really see it or you can move the radiator back just a bit more if you want to put something has like a 140 Miller 280 mil up top you could also do that and have the space for it now if you don't plan on mounting anything up top in this case you do get a plastic cover that kind of just clips in with this and that'll that'll make everything kind of flush with the rest of the top of the case so you want to see these vents here I'm keeping the vents because I do have a right up top now another first for fractal they've included vertical graphics cards support these two slots that are turn sideways I don't recommend this under most circumstances for air cooled cards unless you're just going purely for aesthetics here because it's gonna be choking the airflow like you're gonna be pressed against the tempered glass the left side panel here and that's not optimal I do usually advocate for the cooler master brackets that kind of stick this way but then you're cutting into the PCIe brackets at the back so it's just like you know it's catch-22 I recommend this mainly for custom cooled graphics cards so with the super cool get and see the fluid moves through through your card if it's turned sideways and it doesn't need any dedicated air supply a few other things I noted at least building to this point here I love the large rubber grounded cutouts there are two one is like perfectly centered with most 24 pins and the motherboard so it's a pet peeve when like you know the cutouts don't align with that 24 pin cable or the 24 pin port on the motherboard but this one is so big it really doesn't matter what motherboard you're using and then you also have a huge port down here for mainly SATA cables you could probably find some other uses for this as well but it's nice that you have two large ones here with really uninterrupted cable management Headroom there's also a single large one down here which is where I expect you'll have your front I Oh connected to your motherboard also may be USB 2.0 and I don't know fans whatever else you can find use for there's also a dedicated cutout on the bottom left side just below the HD audio port I'm sure you can guess what that's for and now with the case flip around you can see we have two more cutouts here these are reprimanded as well one dedicated for primarily EPS cable and the other for fan connections and the like there's also a dedicated fan hub included with the r6 this one has it looks like six voltage controlled fan connectors and three PWM controlled fan connectors and then you have a dedicated four pin cable that runs directly into a four pin header on your motherboard so you can control all the fans directly from one header which is really cool and then this I believe is just a power cable or maybe it's reversed but you get the point now as a result of the fan hub being here we no longer have the SSD tray that was kind of like you know you could remove the whole thing and mount like two or three SSDs up top here behind the motherboard cutout that's not included in the r6 it was included in the mesh if I see and the define see that was a really cool idea it's been scrapped for the r6 but that's ok we still have two more dedicated SSD trays down below now if you're worried about three and a half inch hard disk drives you get several bays that you can remove I moved this front panel to the back I'll talk more about that in a second but you could still stick to hard disk drives down here if you want to move this panel to to the back you just won't be able to run a 360 ml rad down here or a few fans or a pump if you choose to include two hard drives down below now you can see the cable management in this PC was a breeze and you have these included velcro straps which is nice those keep things nice and tidy and you have about an inch to an inch and a half of clearance about the rear four centimeters worth at the rear of the case or on the right side of the case I guess you could say you have a little more space here and then you have maybe an inch or so on this side which is plenty for a penny PS your 24-pin and the like and then of course if you're using like a modular semi modular power supply you can stuff any extra cables down here you have about two inches worth of clearance between the left side of the power supply when looking at it from the rear and the right side panel so you can just stuff extra cables right here as I've done and still have plenty of room for either a pump or hard drives on the left side as for the rear of the case pretty standard stuff the PSU install bracket is here from previous cases only utilizes two captive thumb screws which is really nice so you can unscrew these and they just kind of dangle you have to worry about losing them although I'm not sure why they didn't include captive thumb screws with the right side panel it's a bit weird these aren't captive on the panel but they're captive on the on the install bracket which is I don't know put captive everywhere also further up you'll find of course the rear i/o cutout for your motherboard and support for either a single 140 or single 120mm fan with a bit of vertical breathing room now let's talk about this panel right here I'm sure in some other YouTube reviews you've seen this thing placed up front which makes it a bit more indicative of previous are cases like the define r4 and the define r5 you could stack like drive base here or basically run a bunch of tubing and stuff and have your pump and res here but hidden from view at least from the left side panel in this case it's actually modular which is really cool it satisfies both those who want optical drive support and plenty of hard drives to be hidden from the public and those who want the open air case feel for custom loops this is a genius idea I'm a little confused as to why the other tech tubers didn't like at least mention that you could move this to the back because that seems to be a huge selling point right now that open-air design but you can do that I mean I'm showing it right now I think this is how the case should be for most people I think people buying the define r6 are either water cooling enthusiasts or they do have a ton of hard drives so fractal has satisfied both of those potential markets by including this modular design here so I've got it secured to the back I planned for the overkill like most powerful build of mine ever is to have another 240 mo rad up front to complement 360 up top I'll replace these 140 ml of fractal fans with 120 that I have from the defined C and then I'm gonna put the reservoir here attached to the radiator up front and I think the pump is gonna be a separate pump just down below in the basement speaking of the basement there is no fractal logo like there was on on the define C and the mesh if I see it's actually up on that bracket back there so I I don't know I think it's pretty cool I actually was a fan of having the fractal logo on the basement because this is like a unique little indention here like how it curves back and I think that having something here other than keeping it just bland actually spices things up a bit so frankly don't be afraid to put your logo somewhere else you know somewhere on the basement I think it's actually a pretty cool touch and it's not overkill I mean it's just like a slight indention that's all this cutout on the power supply is huge so you could put a really thick rad like super big road right here and you could put some some fans and then probably still have room for either tubes to run up from the basement or to have like a reservoir kind of extend this way and I don't know have to running down or up so you get the idea right there's plenty of space here the one thing I'd like to see added which we saw in the define see I'm not sure why frankly didn't pull all of those details over to this case because the define C tempered glass edition is my favorite case of all time point blank I talked about in this video here but they didn't include one of those little basement covers for those who want the open-air feel right but don't want to utilize anything down here and who also don't want the random empty space if especially for not using hard drives where's the cover for this thing like we need we need a modular cover that would be the icing on the cake for the interior design now the last couple things I want to talk about the front IO is is average it's not exceptional we don't have USB 3.1 we don't have like a fan control lever or anything like we saw in competing cases at the end of 2017 we just have a typical headphone and microphone jack a dedicated reset switch a power button that's that's more tactile it's not spring-loaded I actually like the spring-loaded one a bit better dedicated USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 ports now in terms of air flow which I have to bring up because like all of a sudden it's a big deal in 2017 2018 this case is not the best it's not the best for air flow at least from the front and this has been indicative of fractal cases for a long time now it wouldn't seem to have complained about it until recently so I'm gonna go ahead and bring it up air flow comes in from the side makes a 90-degree turn which is pretty inefficient and loud at that do not put a fan's between the front panel and the mounting bracket not smart at all I've actually done that and it literally chokes your PC for air especially you got a radiator which is also restrictive right behind those fans so keep the fans like they are stock behind that bracket so that you have at least an inch of clearance for that air to turn and be pulled into your case so whatever folks I hope you enjoyed the makeshift review of sorts I am looking forward to finishing this build very soon that's the microwave lunch time anyway we'll catch you in CES and CES anyway we'll catch you in Vegas next week for the start of CES for now stay tuned for the rest of the define r6 build this is science studio thanks for learning with us youwhat's going on everyone we have a few days left to go until CES coverage begins and you're all flooded with basically the same content just from different perspectives I totally get that we'll try to spice things up a bit but I want to squeeze in this define our six review because I have a really really cool idea for this bill I'm actually gonna try to put together the most powerful build I've ever put together ever on the channel ever in my life and I'm gonna throw it into the defying r6 now this case has loads of options it is a great value and it does have plenty of water cooling support so obviously you know where this is going so I've got the camera swung around here and I just want to give you a first-person perspective of everything that I have in here so far and what I plan to do in the future also point out again some of those key features that make the define six a very unique case and one that you should consider buying fear next mid sized ATX build so I'm gonna start up front first this door swings open originally swings up and with hinges on this side but I swapped it to that side because it just makes a bit more sense that way a sound damping material up front which is nice there are two 140 millimeter fractal fans included up front there's also a third at the rear so you get three fans include with this case which is really cool and these aren't trashy fans these fans are actually pretty decent given their rpms and their size now they do come with the white blades so that might conflict with your color scheme they do have the same white PCI slot covers they've been using for the past three or four years I still don't know why they do that the mesh if I see had black ones go back to that fractal please now I'm gonna get a bit critical with this front mounting system only because I have tried to build up front I tried to put the 360 ml right I have a top now up front because it's just a bit more optimal for what we're going for I wanted to have the tubes kind of pop out down below that way it'd be easier to drain but that didn't happen and the reason why it didn't happen is because the r6 actually includes an optical drive base so my plan was to have a 360 ml rat run all the way down but because this whole section here is just kind of wasted you can't really raise the radiator up anymore you only have like an exact fit for one 360 ML rad and you can't flip it upside down at least this particular rad because the the port openings basically extend too far down you can see that where the bottom of the mounting point is for the 360 ml rad there's not much more space to go I mean there's there's maybe half an inch so maybe a centimeter and a half two centimeters worth and that's about it so the radiator would have had to have had its ports up top and I'm just really like that idea so I think we're gonna stick with a 240 ml rad up front which I'll include later and then we'll have the 360 ml rad up top there's plenty of space for that something I do want to point out there is a modular top to this case and it is actually you can just release it with a single button right here pretty sweet can pop that thing off have access to your mounting positions up top now you can move this radiator all the way forward which is what I've done so you have plenty of space back here for your 8-pin EPS and for running fans and whatnot just make sure you do all that before you install your radiator because it's it gets it gets pretty crammed back there and you can't really see it or you can move the radiator back just a bit more if you want to put something has like a 140 Miller 280 mil up top you could also do that and have the space for it now if you don't plan on mounting anything up top in this case you do get a plastic cover that kind of just clips in with this and that'll that'll make everything kind of flush with the rest of the top of the case so you want to see these vents here I'm keeping the vents because I do have a right up top now another first for fractal they've included vertical graphics cards support these two slots that are turn sideways I don't recommend this under most circumstances for air cooled cards unless you're just going purely for aesthetics here because it's gonna be choking the airflow like you're gonna be pressed against the tempered glass the left side panel here and that's not optimal I do usually advocate for the cooler master brackets that kind of stick this way but then you're cutting into the PCIe brackets at the back so it's just like you know it's catch-22 I recommend this mainly for custom cooled graphics cards so with the super cool get and see the fluid moves through through your card if it's turned sideways and it doesn't need any dedicated air supply a few other things I noted at least building to this point here I love the large rubber grounded cutouts there are two one is like perfectly centered with most 24 pins and the motherboard so it's a pet peeve when like you know the cutouts don't align with that 24 pin cable or the 24 pin port on the motherboard but this one is so big it really doesn't matter what motherboard you're using and then you also have a huge port down here for mainly SATA cables you could probably find some other uses for this as well but it's nice that you have two large ones here with really uninterrupted cable management Headroom there's also a single large one down here which is where I expect you'll have your front I Oh connected to your motherboard also may be USB 2.0 and I don't know fans whatever else you can find use for there's also a dedicated cutout on the bottom left side just below the HD audio port I'm sure you can guess what that's for and now with the case flip around you can see we have two more cutouts here these are reprimanded as well one dedicated for primarily EPS cable and the other for fan connections and the like there's also a dedicated fan hub included with the r6 this one has it looks like six voltage controlled fan connectors and three PWM controlled fan connectors and then you have a dedicated four pin cable that runs directly into a four pin header on your motherboard so you can control all the fans directly from one header which is really cool and then this I believe is just a power cable or maybe it's reversed but you get the point now as a result of the fan hub being here we no longer have the SSD tray that was kind of like you know you could remove the whole thing and mount like two or three SSDs up top here behind the motherboard cutout that's not included in the r6 it was included in the mesh if I see and the define see that was a really cool idea it's been scrapped for the r6 but that's ok we still have two more dedicated SSD trays down below now if you're worried about three and a half inch hard disk drives you get several bays that you can remove I moved this front panel to the back I'll talk more about that in a second but you could still stick to hard disk drives down here if you want to move this panel to to the back you just won't be able to run a 360 ml rad down here or a few fans or a pump if you choose to include two hard drives down below now you can see the cable management in this PC was a breeze and you have these included velcro straps which is nice those keep things nice and tidy and you have about an inch to an inch and a half of clearance about the rear four centimeters worth at the rear of the case or on the right side of the case I guess you could say you have a little more space here and then you have maybe an inch or so on this side which is plenty for a penny PS your 24-pin and the like and then of course if you're using like a modular semi modular power supply you can stuff any extra cables down here you have about two inches worth of clearance between the left side of the power supply when looking at it from the rear and the right side panel so you can just stuff extra cables right here as I've done and still have plenty of room for either a pump or hard drives on the left side as for the rear of the case pretty standard stuff the PSU install bracket is here from previous cases only utilizes two captive thumb screws which is really nice so you can unscrew these and they just kind of dangle you have to worry about losing them although I'm not sure why they didn't include captive thumb screws with the right side panel it's a bit weird these aren't captive on the panel but they're captive on the on the install bracket which is I don't know put captive everywhere also further up you'll find of course the rear i/o cutout for your motherboard and support for either a single 140 or single 120mm fan with a bit of vertical breathing room now let's talk about this panel right here I'm sure in some other YouTube reviews you've seen this thing placed up front which makes it a bit more indicative of previous are cases like the define r4 and the define r5 you could stack like drive base here or basically run a bunch of tubing and stuff and have your pump and res here but hidden from view at least from the left side panel in this case it's actually modular which is really cool it satisfies both those who want optical drive support and plenty of hard drives to be hidden from the public and those who want the open air case feel for custom loops this is a genius idea I'm a little confused as to why the other tech tubers didn't like at least mention that you could move this to the back because that seems to be a huge selling point right now that open-air design but you can do that I mean I'm showing it right now I think this is how the case should be for most people I think people buying the define r6 are either water cooling enthusiasts or they do have a ton of hard drives so fractal has satisfied both of those potential markets by including this modular design here so I've got it secured to the back I planned for the overkill like most powerful build of mine ever is to have another 240 mo rad up front to complement 360 up top I'll replace these 140 ml of fractal fans with 120 that I have from the defined C and then I'm gonna put the reservoir here attached to the radiator up front and I think the pump is gonna be a separate pump just down below in the basement speaking of the basement there is no fractal logo like there was on on the define C and the mesh if I see it's actually up on that bracket back there so I I don't know I think it's pretty cool I actually was a fan of having the fractal logo on the basement because this is like a unique little indention here like how it curves back and I think that having something here other than keeping it just bland actually spices things up a bit so frankly don't be afraid to put your logo somewhere else you know somewhere on the basement I think it's actually a pretty cool touch and it's not overkill I mean it's just like a slight indention that's all this cutout on the power supply is huge so you could put a really thick rad like super big road right here and you could put some some fans and then probably still have room for either tubes to run up from the basement or to have like a reservoir kind of extend this way and I don't know have to running down or up so you get the idea right there's plenty of space here the one thing I'd like to see added which we saw in the define see I'm not sure why frankly didn't pull all of those details over to this case because the define C tempered glass edition is my favorite case of all time point blank I talked about in this video here but they didn't include one of those little basement covers for those who want the open-air feel right but don't want to utilize anything down here and who also don't want the random empty space if especially for not using hard drives where's the cover for this thing like we need we need a modular cover that would be the icing on the cake for the interior design now the last couple things I want to talk about the front IO is is average it's not exceptional we don't have USB 3.1 we don't have like a fan control lever or anything like we saw in competing cases at the end of 2017 we just have a typical headphone and microphone jack a dedicated reset switch a power button that's that's more tactile it's not spring-loaded I actually like the spring-loaded one a bit better dedicated USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 ports now in terms of air flow which I have to bring up because like all of a sudden it's a big deal in 2017 2018 this case is not the best it's not the best for air flow at least from the front and this has been indicative of fractal cases for a long time now it wouldn't seem to have complained about it until recently so I'm gonna go ahead and bring it up air flow comes in from the side makes a 90-degree turn which is pretty inefficient and loud at that do not put a fan's between the front panel and the mounting bracket not smart at all I've actually done that and it literally chokes your PC for air especially you got a radiator which is also restrictive right behind those fans so keep the fans like they are stock behind that bracket so that you have at least an inch of clearance for that air to turn and be pulled into your case so whatever folks I hope you enjoyed the makeshift review of sorts I am looking forward to finishing this build very soon that's the microwave lunch time anyway we'll catch you in CES and CES anyway we'll catch you in Vegas next week for the start of CES for now stay tuned for the rest of the define r6 build this is science studio thanks for learning with us you\n"