Stefan Mileschin

Have you ever been annoyed by people who have distorted tastes with regards to desirable versus undesirable noise? When a Ferrari 458 Italia whizzes by you on the highway, the sound of that fire pumping, heart thumping 562hp 4.5L V8 is simply music to your ears. Who cares if it uses a lot of fuel -- this is all about engineering brilliance that takes mechanical and aural perfection to a completely different level of what we call "awesome". On the other hand, when a diesel powered Ram 2500 that makes more noise than speed weaves in and out of traffic like an idiot on a municipal road, sometimes you wonder whether or not there is any hope left in humanity. But while there is a fine line between mechanical brilliance that people want to hear, and disgusting noises only a redneck could love, in the computer world, there are no distinguishable elements between what is desirable and undesirable component noise. Have you heard about anyone describing how amazing their GTX 570 sounds? Unless they are referring to its lack thereof, I haven't; and being a silent computer enthusiast and all, this is where all the points are collected. Here at APH Networks, we have covered all the recent major chassis entries for quiet computing, including the NZXT H2, Cooler Master Silencio 550, and the Fractal Design Define XL. But what is missing on the list is the 'regular' ATX version of the Define XL, and that is the Define R3. So for those who want a case designed for quiet computing, but don't have the space for an eATX case, how well does the Define R3 fit the bill? With one sitting on my desk next to me, let's just say you will not be disappointed.

http://aphnetworks.com/reviews/fractal_design_define_r3