Test – Fractal Design R5 : Specs | CPU | Hashrate | Review | Config

Hi everyone!

We continue the tests of cases from Fractal Design with this time the spearhead of the brand, I named the R5! Silent oriented, it has the heavy task of succeeding the R4 which is an excellent case and which has been awarded many times for its excellent quality / price / performance / silence ratio. The beast is available in 3 colors, black, titanium or white and in a version with or without window.
Offered at a recommended price of 104.90 € without window and 114.90 € with window, it is about 20 € more than the R4, let’s see if it is still interesting!

The Fractal Design R5 is a mid-tower case equipped with 2 5.25 ″ bays, 3 3.5 ″ / 2.5 ″ slots, and 2 dedicated 2.5 ″ slots, this little world is removable to make room for more ventilation or water cooling radiators. The size of the rather generous without being excessive with its 53.1 cm in length, 46.2 cm in height and 23.1 cm in width, a priori there will be enough to put a good small configuration inside without being limited. Speaking of limits, the graphics card can reach a length of 31 cm leaving the hard drive cages, 44 cm without and at the level of the CPU cooler we are entitled to 18 cm, so there is what it takes to install at just about every component available on the market!
Ventilation has clearly not been set aside also with the possibility of installing 9 fans, 2 x 12/14 cm at the front, 1 x 12/14 cm at the rear, 3 x 12/14 cm at the top, 2 x 12/14 cm at the bottom as well as a 12/14 cm location on the side panel. Of the 9 available slots 2 fans are delivered as standard, GP14 models of the brand therefore 14 cm rotating at a maximum speed of 1000 RPM, 1 in front and 1 behind, a pity not to have 2 fans in the front covering the full HDD cages :). Despite the possibility of installing all these small fans, Fractal Design has not abandoned the silent side by putting on each hole a removable cover equipped with sound-absorbing foam. Speaking of soundproofing, each side panel is fitted with a layer of noise-reduction / anti-vibration materials, a must these days in any enclosure with a silent vocation.
For the rest it’s classic, 7 expansion slots, a front panel equipped with 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports as well as the eternal 3.5mm jacks. Offered at 104.90 € in its non-windowed version and 114.90 € for the windowed version it is sure that the Fractal Design R5 does not lack advantages on paper, let’s see what it really is!

A box in the spirit of Fractal Design, sober and very classic. On one side we have an exploded view of the beast with a listing detailing all the features as well as the make and model. Here marketing is reduced to the maximum, and that’s good!

2 handles are present in order to facilitate transport, a listing of the technical specifications is present (dimensions, heatsink compatibility, power supply and graphics card as well as a detail of the fans supplied, everything is there!).
The cardboard is quite strong and should therefore survive transport without problems, a good point!

When opening the box we find the R5 packed in its plastic bag and between 2 polystyrene molds, we do not say no to protections and with that it should arrive in one piece!

In addition to the manual, the bundle naturally includes all the screws necessary for the correct fixing of all the components, and all the screws are black!

Here is the beast! We can say that the sobriety is clearly there. The R5 is dressed all in black, the front panel is equipped with a door stripped of all artifice, not even any visible logo! Let’s go for the owner’s turn.

As I just said, the front panel could not be more stripped down, only the power-up LED at the top breaks this harmony.

The plastic door is covered with a hard noise-reducing material, the build quality is good and the whole thing does not look “cheap”.

Behind the door we find a large dust filter as well as the 2 5.25 ″ slots, note that the 5.25 ″ covers will be very easy to remove thanks to a system of clips, no need to remove it all through the interior, a little extra always nice.

Under the filter the locations for the 12 or 14 cm fans, the preinstalled fan is located at the top, as I said it is a shame not to have included 2 fans here.

Next to the power-on LED is the 3-speed rheobus, a small feature which is always very appreciable, in addition to being useful, the whole is very discreet.

Above we are entitled to caches allowing to add or not fans, a very good idea for those looking for more performance. Each cover is removable and it will therefore be possible to install up to 3 fans.

1, 2 or 3 fans, the choice is yours!

Each cover is covered with noise-canceling foam.

A big power button in the middle, the connections on both sides of the latter, sobriety is still in the spotlight here with USB 3.0 ports which are not blue for once so as not to distort the whole.

Underneath there is a dust filter, and he is not small the guy! It covers almost the entire length, namely the power supply and the 2 optional fans.

From the honeycomb grid do you want some here, the fans can also be shifted as needed.

The feet are made of plastic equipped with a rubber pad, the quality is very good and the vibrations will not wait for the surface on which the case is placed.

The side panel, still very sober and equipped with a cover that can be removed to install a fan.

Inside the panel there is a very condensed noise-canceling material, a bit like the one present on the P280, or the 652S silencio, note that the whole is rather heavy! The door is also very easy to install and remove, the build quality is really very good.

At the rear nothing exceptional to report, the 14cm fan is behind a honeycomb grid, it will be possible to move it a few centimeters up or down as needed. The white squares are perforated to prevent air stagnation at this level. Note that the side panel on the side of the motherboard has thumbscrews which remain attached to the panel, so impossible to lose them!