1. Introducing Fractal Design Define S22. Working with the Define S23. Testing and Closing Thoughts4. View All Pages

Fractal Design Define S2 is a variant on the Define R6 that is aimed squarely at water cooling enthusiasts. We admired the Define R6 and were pleased it ended 2017 on a high note. The two cases share so many features that it would be a good idea to take a look at our review to refresh your mind. In addition you can see Leo’s personal build in the Define R6 featured HERE.

The Define S2 is the same size and shape as the R6 and comes in the same four colour options we have come to expect from Fractal Design: Black, White, Blackout and Gunmetal Grey, and all have a tempered glass panel that covers the whole side of the case. Our sample is the Blackout model, and certainly the Define S2 looks nicely understated – cosmetically this case is very appealing.

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Key Features

• Modular open-layout design
• Seamless tempered glass side panel
• Anodized aluminium front cover
• High density industrial sound dampening
• USB 3.1 Gen. 2 Type-C
• Massive water cooling support
• Dedicated fill port location
• Adjustable reservoir brackets included
• Full length PSU shroud
• Nexus+ PWM Smart Hub
• 3x Dynamic X2 140mm fans included
• 9x 120mm/140mm fan positions
• Five concealed drive mounts
• SATA power extension cable included

You have to get up close and personal with the Define S2 to spot the external changes. Fractal Design has since added an option for USB Type-C to the R6, so while that feature has appeared since we did our review, it isn’t a clear indicator which case you have in front of you. Having said that, Fractal Design’s inclusion of USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 ports is welcome as that covers all three types of header that you find on motherboards.

It may seem like an obvious step to provide 4x USB 3.0 however many motherboards do not have two mid-board headers. The provision of I/O is a case of chicken and egg that causes confusion for motherboard makers and case builders, as well as the end user.

The most obvious change with Define S2 is the fixed front panel, in place of the door that was part of the R6. The reason for this change is that the S2 does not have an optical drive bay so there is no need for a door to cover the non-existent DVD drive. When you remove the various panels you can see the open interior of the chassis that is just waiting for a liquid cooling configuration.

Define R6 had a number of panels that supported drive bays that could be removed to open up the interior. Define S2 looks like a big, open box, however you do get 3x HDD drive bays and 2x SSD bays on the back of the mid-plate so there are more options for storage than you might first think.

As you will see in our video, we were less impressed by minor features such as the reservoir mounts on the mid-plate. We also had problems with the perforated floor of the case as the screws we used to secure a pump interfered with the full length dust filter. One point that is frustrating is that the 3 included fans – 140mm Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 1,000rpm models – are not PWM, despite the the PWM version of the same fan only costing just an extra £1 at retail here in the UK.

Specification:
Motherboard support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.
Expansion slots: 7+2 vertical.
Included fans: 2x 140mm Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 front intake, 1x 140mm Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 rear exhaust.
Fan mounts: 3x 120mm/140mm front, 3x 120/140mm roof, 1x 120mm/140mm rear, 2x 120mm/140mm floor.
120mm radiator mounts: 120mm/240mm/360mm front, 120mm/240mm/360mm roof, 120mm rear, 120mm/240mm floor.
140mm radiator mounts: 140mm/280mm front (Max width 147mm), 140mm/280mm/420mm roof, 140mm/280mm floor.
5.25-inch drive bays: None.
Internal drive bays: 3x 3.5-inch/2.5-inch, 2×2.5-inch.
Dimensions: 465mm H x 543mm D x 233mm W.

Cooling Performance.

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core i9-7920X, RTX 2080 Founders Edition and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Fractal Design Define S2‘s cooling capabilities.

For stress testing we use AIDA64 to create the maximum amount of load our CPU and GPU are ever likely to see.

Test System:

Processor: Intel Core i9-7920X 12 cores/24 threads 2.9GHz
Motherboard: ASRock X299 Fatal1ty Professional Gaming i9
CPU block: Alphacool Eisblock XPX
Radiator: Alphacool NexXxos ST30 280mm
Pump/reservoir: EKWB XRES 140 Revo D5 PWM
Fittings: Alphacool 16mm/10mm
Coolant: Mayhems Aurora Blue
Memory: 32GB G.Skill TridentZ DDR4-3200MHz
Graphics card: Nvidia RTX 2080 8GB
Power supply: Seasonic Prime Titanium 1000W
Storage drive: Intel 760P 1TB M.2 SSD
OS: Windows 10

Cooling Performance Overview.

The 240mm custom loop had no trouble cooling our Skylake X CPU and the temperature of the air cooled RTX 2080 graphics card was also right where we expected it to be. We could have easily added another fan at the front of the case and either two or three fans in the roof so the options for cooling are extensive and would surely drive temperatures even lower.

Acoustics Performance.

The open nature of the Define S2 means this can be a fairly noisy case if you run the fans at speed. The Dynamic X2 GP-14 are only rated at 1,000rpm so they never get ear-shattering but nonetheless they are clearly audible.

Closing Thoughts.

Fractal Design has a clever strategy of delivering a particular case and then six months later following it up with a Micro-ATX variant, or by delivering some other feature such as tempered glass or USB Type C. This strategy has enabled Fractal Design to deliver a series of cases that work well, tick the various boxes for features and also to win them a shelf of awards.

The problem here is that it has taken nine months to deliver Define S2 which is a subtle variant of Define R6, and feels like it could have been produced in a fraction of that time. The list of new and innovative features is non-existent so while your reviewer is happy to recommend Define S2 to potential customers who want to build water cooled PCs, there is nothing here to get excited about.

 

There has been steady evolution in cases during 2018, in particular when it comes to RGB lighting and clever cable management, but these points play no part with Define S2. At one level you can live with that as new features generally bump up the price, and we all have to make allowances. Balanced against that it would cost a tiny amount to supply PWM fans in place of the three 140mm 3-pin units. That decision just looks mean.

Define S2 works well for a conventional water cooled build but goes slightly off the rails if you start to get adventurous with the location of your various components. We have little doubt you will want to add some lighting to give it some visual appeal and the end result will be very effective.

The Fractal Design Define S2 will set you back £136.99. We will update this review with a buy link when we have one.

Pros:

• Good air flow and cooling.
• USB 3.1 Gen. 2 Type C on the I/O panel.
• Nexus+ PWM Smart Hub
• Full length dust filters on all the intakes.

Cons:

• Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 should be upgraded to the PWM model.
• Some may be disappointed in lack of RGB.
• With the Moduvent panel open the case can get noisy.
• Cable management is uninspired.
• Vertical GPU mount requires some work.

KitGuru says: Define S2 is loaded with features for water cooling but brings nothing new to the party.

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