The Defined XL R2 Case Review: A Comprehensive Look at its Features and Design

The Defined XL R2 case is a comprehensive and well-integrated enclosure that offers a mix of features, including excellent airflow options, silent operation, and support for water cooling. The case's design is quite impressive, with a modular cage system that allows for easy upgrades and customization.

One of the standout features of the Defined XL R2 is its venting system. The sides of the case are covered, but the venting strips allow for air flow to enter the door, ensuring optimal airflow throughout the case. However, the magnetic attachment of the door still doesn't open wide enough, nor can it be switched to be opened from the other side. Additionally, the sound-dampening foam installed in the case will reduce the cooling potential.

The Optical Bay covers are another notable feature of the Defined XL R2. These four covers can easily be removed from the front below, providing additional airflow and allowing for easy access to the fan bracket. The fan setup is also quite impressive, with a removable fan bracket that makes cleaning and maintenance a breeze. Both 120mm and 140mm fan mounts are available, as well as a bonus fan included in the case.

One common flaw found on many cases is the limited spacing available for airflow through the hard drive cage. However, the Defined XL R2 addresses this issue with its rotating cage feature, which allows for optimal airflow without cables sticking out. The front panel of the case also features a three-speed fan controller with three fan headers, all located at the top for easy access.

The connections on the front panel are another notable aspect of the case's design. While they may cause some clearance issues, the power and reset buttons, audio jacks, and USB ports provide plenty of connectivity options. The two mounts available for the top supporting both 120mm and 140mm fans are covered with sound-dampening panels but should be replaced with exhaust fans for optimal cooling.

The case also supports standard settings, including a removable dust filter at the bottom that covers both the power supply and the bottom intake fan. This feature is particularly appealing to water cooling enthusiasts who can install dual radiators in this area. Additionally, the drive brackets have not changed, but the Grabber grommets help reduce noise from spinning drives, while SSDs are also supported.

The back of the case features many rubber grommets placed around the motherboard tray, providing plenty of cable management options. The motherboard tray itself has many cable tie points and a large gap between the panel and the motherboard tray, making it easy to set up cabling without any concerns. However, one minor issue that really bothers me is the power supply being raised by these tall rubber feet. These can easily be removed or moved but there's nothing at the back of the case to support the power supply.

A little platform would have been better for this purpose, making it easier to install the power supply and ensuring optimal airflow around it. However, even with the long 180mm power supply installed and a 13-inch graphics card in place, there is still plenty of clearance available. The side panels are surprisingly heavy and covered in high-density material that helps reduce noise.

In conclusion, the Defined XL R2 case offers excellent value, whether you opt for complete silence or more dominant airflow options. However, the middle ground between air flow and silence can be somewhat limiting due to restrictive front airflow options. Overall, this case is a well-integrated mix of features and design, making it a great choice for those looking for a comprehensive and customizable enclosure.

The case also supports two dual radiators, larger motherboards, and graphics cards, which are very appealing options. The modular cage options provide plenty of drive storage, making this case a great choice for those who want to build a powerful PC with plenty of storage options. In addition, the cable management options make it easy to set up a clean build without any stress.

Overall, the Defined XL R2 case is a solid choice for those looking for a comprehensive and customizable enclosure that offers excellent airflow options, silent operation, and support for water cooling. Its design is well-integrated, with plenty of features and options to suit different builds and preferences.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys welcome back to another har conu review we're very excited to check out another case from fractal design as they have really been on top their game which shows just how committed they are at setting themselves apart from the competition so this new case is sort of a mix between the defined XL and the R4 so mixing in Enthusiast friendly features from the R4 and the silent design from the XL and it is released at a very appealing price so let's take a look and starting with the outside this looks and feels practically identical to the defined XL we have full steel construction except for the plastic front panel we have a hint of aluminum on that elegant reflective surface and the case is really solid throughout now it is designed to be a silent chassis but like with most cases in its category you will have to choose between maximum air flow or complete silence or of course working something out in between the two options the front intake is completely covered so the venting strips on the sides will allow for the air flow to enter the door is magnetically attached but it still doesn't open wide enough nor can it be switched to be opened from the other side sound ding foam is installed but it will definitely reduce the cooling potential we also have four Optical Bay covers that can easily be removed from the front below which is another cover for the fan bracket and now I really like the fan setup the bracket removes easily from the case and you can clean the Dust filters uh replace the fans and both 120 and 140 mil mounts are available also a bonus a fan is already included however I would suggest occupying that second slot for optimal front intake now one common flaw that is found on pretty much every single case is the available spacing for the airflow to pass through the hard drive cage now this should be the next Innovative solution for optimal airf flow of course rotating the cage is available but let's face that none of us want those cables sticking out now one neat feature on the front is this three-speed fan controller with three fan headers all the connections are located at the top we have our power and reset buttons audio jacks and USB ports of course we all know top connections are not always ideal and may cause some clearance issues and moving on we have two mounts available for the top supporting both 120 and 140 mil fans initially they are covered with sound dampening panels but for good cooling you should install exhaust fans and of course for all your water cooling lovers dual rers are supported at the back standard settings here with exhaust fan IO area power supply Mount and nine PCI slots meaning extended ATX and XL ATX motherboards are supported and of course it wouldn't be complete without a removable dust filter at the bottom which covers both the power supply and the bottom intake fan all right so let's finally look inside the four Optical bays are not Tess unfortunately so you will need to use screws the two hard drive cages below are fully modular meaning both can be repositioned or removed if needed now for the top cug two thumb screws is all it takes a very simple solution that works really well the process for the bottom cage is a bit different for one the bottom intake fan must be removed and several other screws in order to unmount the bottom cage uh it then can be relocated further away from the front for installation of a dual radiator so this makes the silent chassis even more appealing as water cooling support is integrated pretty well into the design now the drive brackets have not changed included the Grabber grommets help to reduce noise from spinning drives and of course ssds are supported brackets can further be secured with screws for safe shipping and looking in the back we have many rubber grommets placed appropriately around the motherboard tray plenty of cable TI notches are spread around as well so setting up your cabling should not be a concern especially with a large gap between the panel and the motherboard tray now there is one little thing that really bothers me and I'm surprised it has been overlooked now the power supply is raised by these uh tall rubber feet which is good since it allows for extra breathing room but they can easily be removed moved and there's nothing at the back of the case to support the power supply a little platform would have been better which would make the installation on the power supply slightly easier and also we are working with our long 180 mm power supply which still has clearance for the modular cables with the bottom intake installed and putting in our 11 1/2 in graphics card absolutely no problem and the case supports up to 13 in with a top cage in place now one thing I'd like to mention before we conclude are the side panels they are surprisingly heavy so careful not to scratch the floor when taking them off they are completely covered in high density material that helps to reduce the overall noise and we also have an optional fan mount for cooling the internals now working within such a large enclosure provides a lot of Headroom for cable management so you don't stress about the clean build as it just happens naturally now we have support for two dual radiators larger motherboards and graphics cards is very appealing along with lots of drive storage with excellent modular cage options now when it comes to the price whether you opt in for complete silence or a more dominant airf flow the XLR 2 offers excellent value the middle ground however between airf flow and silence is somewhat limiting with restrictive front airf flow also the power supply standoffs really should be redesigned and instead offer a more stable platform but overall the defined XL R2 is a well integrated mix between the new R4 and the earlier version of the defined XL it is functional full of great features and deserves the hard conu damn good award so thanks guys for watching I hope you enjoy the review I'll see you in the next onehey guys welcome back to another har conu review we're very excited to check out another case from fractal design as they have really been on top their game which shows just how committed they are at setting themselves apart from the competition so this new case is sort of a mix between the defined XL and the R4 so mixing in Enthusiast friendly features from the R4 and the silent design from the XL and it is released at a very appealing price so let's take a look and starting with the outside this looks and feels practically identical to the defined XL we have full steel construction except for the plastic front panel we have a hint of aluminum on that elegant reflective surface and the case is really solid throughout now it is designed to be a silent chassis but like with most cases in its category you will have to choose between maximum air flow or complete silence or of course working something out in between the two options the front intake is completely covered so the venting strips on the sides will allow for the air flow to enter the door is magnetically attached but it still doesn't open wide enough nor can it be switched to be opened from the other side sound ding foam is installed but it will definitely reduce the cooling potential we also have four Optical Bay covers that can easily be removed from the front below which is another cover for the fan bracket and now I really like the fan setup the bracket removes easily from the case and you can clean the Dust filters uh replace the fans and both 120 and 140 mil mounts are available also a bonus a fan is already included however I would suggest occupying that second slot for optimal front intake now one common flaw that is found on pretty much every single case is the available spacing for the airflow to pass through the hard drive cage now this should be the next Innovative solution for optimal airf flow of course rotating the cage is available but let's face that none of us want those cables sticking out now one neat feature on the front is this three-speed fan controller with three fan headers all the connections are located at the top we have our power and reset buttons audio jacks and USB ports of course we all know top connections are not always ideal and may cause some clearance issues and moving on we have two mounts available for the top supporting both 120 and 140 mil fans initially they are covered with sound dampening panels but for good cooling you should install exhaust fans and of course for all your water cooling lovers dual rers are supported at the back standard settings here with exhaust fan IO area power supply Mount and nine PCI slots meaning extended ATX and XL ATX motherboards are supported and of course it wouldn't be complete without a removable dust filter at the bottom which covers both the power supply and the bottom intake fan all right so let's finally look inside the four Optical bays are not Tess unfortunately so you will need to use screws the two hard drive cages below are fully modular meaning both can be repositioned or removed if needed now for the top cug two thumb screws is all it takes a very simple solution that works really well the process for the bottom cage is a bit different for one the bottom intake fan must be removed and several other screws in order to unmount the bottom cage uh it then can be relocated further away from the front for installation of a dual radiator so this makes the silent chassis even more appealing as water cooling support is integrated pretty well into the design now the drive brackets have not changed included the Grabber grommets help to reduce noise from spinning drives and of course ssds are supported brackets can further be secured with screws for safe shipping and looking in the back we have many rubber grommets placed appropriately around the motherboard tray plenty of cable TI notches are spread around as well so setting up your cabling should not be a concern especially with a large gap between the panel and the motherboard tray now there is one little thing that really bothers me and I'm surprised it has been overlooked now the power supply is raised by these uh tall rubber feet which is good since it allows for extra breathing room but they can easily be removed moved and there's nothing at the back of the case to support the power supply a little platform would have been better which would make the installation on the power supply slightly easier and also we are working with our long 180 mm power supply which still has clearance for the modular cables with the bottom intake installed and putting in our 11 1/2 in graphics card absolutely no problem and the case supports up to 13 in with a top cage in place now one thing I'd like to mention before we conclude are the side panels they are surprisingly heavy so careful not to scratch the floor when taking them off they are completely covered in high density material that helps to reduce the overall noise and we also have an optional fan mount for cooling the internals now working within such a large enclosure provides a lot of Headroom for cable management so you don't stress about the clean build as it just happens naturally now we have support for two dual radiators larger motherboards and graphics cards is very appealing along with lots of drive storage with excellent modular cage options now when it comes to the price whether you opt in for complete silence or a more dominant airf flow the XLR 2 offers excellent value the middle ground however between airf flow and silence is somewhat limiting with restrictive front airf flow also the power supply standoffs really should be redesigned and instead offer a more stable platform but overall the defined XL R2 is a well integrated mix between the new R4 and the earlier version of the defined XL it is functional full of great features and deserves the hard conu damn good award so thanks guys for watching I hope you enjoy the review I'll see you in the next one\n"