Fractal Design R5 vs R6 vs R7: Selecting Best One!

Fractal Design has continued its Define series for a long time. Their Define R5, Define R6 and Define 7 are some of the best PC cases. Although they’re from the same series, they aren’t exactly the same. 

So, what are the differences between Fractal Design R5 vs R6 vs R7? 

Fractal Design’s Define R5 is the cheapest of all three. But due to its age, it falls short when it comes to features. But the Define R6 makes up for almost all the shortcomings at the expense of a high price. Then there’s Define 7 which is the perfect middle ground as it’s cheaper.

Anyway, that was just the summary of the entire comparison. Now, let’s start with the focused discussion!

Fractal Design Define R5 vs R6 vs R7: Notable Differences

One of the hardest parts of building a PC is choosing a PC case. However, This is easier than choosing between Ncase M1 vs NZXT H1. 

While they’re all great ITX cases, some of the attributes are different. Those later become big reasons behind choosing or not choosing a PC case.

Here are the comparative differences between these PC cases-

After going through the table, which Fractal Design case do you like the most? 

Fractal Design Define R5 vs R6 vs R7: Detailed Comparison

We have compared all 3 Define cases in multiple categories and given our verdicts. Simply go through the categories one by one, and you’ll be at a conclusion in no time. 

Price Range: 

When buying a PC case, the first thing you worry about is the price range. After all, you don’t want to spend too much on a PC case alone. 

Because spending too much may limit your choices in other component categories, Furthermore, if you’re on a tight budget, price is the most important factor. 

The Fractal Design R5 price range seems to be the best choice under budget. The price of Fractal Design Define ranges between $140 to $160. 

It’s a great PC case if you want something around $150. 

Then there’s Fractal Design’s Define R6 version. This is the successor of the Define R5 and it’s very expensive. 

The Fractal Design Define R6 price range is between $270 and $290. As you can see, the price has doubled compared to the Define R5. 

The Define R6 has a lot of benefits, which we’ll discuss later in the comparison. But price-wise, the Define R6 looks really bad when compared to the Define R5.

Then there’s the Fractal Design’s Define 7 version. The Fractal Design Define 7 price is around $200 to $220. This is great pricing considering the upgrades and the features it has. 

For this reason, the Fractal Design Define 7 seems to be a great middle ground. 

Winner: The Fractal Design Define R5 wins this round. But the Fractal Design Define 7 must be considered since it has more features.

Speaking of Fractal Design cases, don’t you wanna know about the exact prices? You can find the details here-

You can choose any option you like more and start building your PC!

Dimensions:

The Fractal Design Define R5 is the smallest ATX PC case on this list. It has a length of 20.5 inches and a width of 9.1 inches. Since it lacks width, it limits the CPU cooler choices. 

Not only that, but it also has a height of 17.76 inches. For this reason, you can only fit 240 mm radiators. To fit a 360 mm radiator, you’ll need to remove the drive bays. 

On the contrary, the Fractal Design Define R6 is the biggest ATX case in this comparison. It has a length of 21 inches and a width of 13 inches. The Define R6 has the highest width in this list. 

The Define R6 also has an enormous height of 25 inches, which helps a lot. Especially when it comes to mounting radiators.

Then there’s the Fractal Design Define 7 which, like before, stays in the middle. The Define 7’s length is 21.5 inches and its width is 9.45 inches. 

The Define 7 is also shorter than the Define R6 when it comes to height. 

Winner: The Define R6 is the biggest case, which allows more choices in components.

CPU Cooler Support:

Pairing your PC with a good CPU cooler is fundamental to a great build. And choosing between air and AIO coolers often cause debates among users. 

The CPU cooler height indicates how beefy a cooler you can fit into a PC. Basically, the higher the clearance, the bigger the cooler you can fit. Without a doubt, that results in better cooling of your PC. 

The Fractal Design Define R5 has a CPU cooler height support of 180 mm. Needless to say, this is enough to fit most air coolers.

Then there’s the Fractal Design Define R6, which has more width. Thanks to that, you can enjoy 185 mm of CPU cooler height support in the Define R6. 

Even if some air coolers that won’t fit in the Define R5 will fit in this case. 

Last but not least, the CPU cooler clearance of the Define 7 is 185 mm. It’s a tie with the Fractal Design Define R6. 

Winner: The Fractal Design Define R6 and Define 7 win this round.

Radiator Support:

If you’re considering AIO cooling methods, then this section is for you. AIO cooling has nothing to do with case width. Rather, it’s dependent on a case’s height or length. 

Let’s start with the Fractal Design Define R5 first. The maximum radiator support in the Define R5 is 240 mm. However, you can increase this to 280 mm or 360 mm by removing the drive bays. 

The Define R5 can also support 360 mm radiators if all drive bays are removed.

The Define R6 radiator support is significantly better than the R5. You don’t have to do anything, and the R6 will easily support 360mm radiators. 

The best part is that you have 360 mm of radiator support on both the front and top. This makes the R6 perfect if you want to have AIO cooling.

Lastly, there’s the Fractal Design Define 7 which also has 360 mm of radiator support. But aside from that, it can also support 280mm radiators by default. 

The Define R6 can’t do this in its standard layout. For 280mm support, you’ll need to follow the open layout, which can be a hassle. 

Winner: The Fractal Design Define 7 has the best out-of-the-box radiator support.

GPU Clearance:

If you know about the recently launched GPUs, you know that they’re huge. This goes for both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs. For this reason, GPU clearance is a more important factor than ever. 

The Fractal Design Define R5 GPU clearance is 310 mm. This is more than enough to support dual-fan GPUs. But recent triple-fan GPUs may not fit in this case. 

For instance, MSI’s 3080 Suprim X has a length of 314 mm. And there are other GPUS that are longer than 310 mm. For this reason, it’s not a good idea to buy the Define R5. 

But this is not a problem in Define R6 and Define 7. The maximum GPU clearance of the Define R6 is 440 mm. This will let you insert any GPU you want with a lot of headroom. 

The Fractal Design team decided to push even further with their Define 7. The GPU clearance on the Define 7 is 445 mm. 

Like Define R6, there’s a lot of headroom for cable management and airflow. 

Winner: The Define R6 and the Define 7 have better GPU clearance. 

Final Verdict: Which Fractal Design Case Should You Buy?

If you still haven’t made a choice yet, don’t worry. Here, we’ve summarized the discussion so far and given our own verdicts. 

The Fractal Design Define R5 is the cheapest option out of the three. But it’s old and has smaller radiator support unless you remove the drive bays. 

The Define R5 also falls short when it comes to GPU clearance. Other than that, it has no side panel, which is a common thing nowadays. 

The Define R6 has all the solutions to these problems. However, they’re very expensive as they’re around the $280 price range.

This leaves the Fractal Design Define 7 as the final contender. Luckily, the Define 7 has a great CPU cooler and GPU clearance. Most importantly, it’s about $80 cheaper than the Define R6 and also newer than the R6. 

All things considered, you should pick the Fractal Design Define 7 without any doubt. But both Define R6 and Define 7 offer PC case mods. So, you don’t have to worry about that!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where are Fractal Design cases made?

Fractal Design cases are made in Sweden as it’s a Swedish company. Fractal Design specializes in computer cases, CPU coolers, and power supplies. The Fractal Design was established in 2007 and since then, they’ve been active. All Fractal Design products are engineered and manufactured by them.

What is an ATX case?

ATX cases are PC cases with the support of ATX motherboards. Since motherboards are the backbone of a computer, cases are named after this factor. Some ATX PC cases can also support E-ATX motherboards depending on the price. ATX is also used as a term to determine power supply size as well. 

How many fans can a mid-tower case fit?

Mid-tower cases nowadays can fit up to 9 case fans. But the number totally depends on the product. The price range is also another important factor. Usually, almost any mid-tower case can fit 6 fans pretty easily. That would be 3, 2, and 1 fan in the front, top, and rear respectively. 

Take Away

That was everything we could deliver on Fractal Design R5 vs R6 vs R7. 

If you’re still confused you can check different PC builds on YouTube featuring these cases. You can also seek expert opinions from PC builders in computer shops. 

Finally, have a nice day, and happy gaming!