Fractal Design Define S airflow ?

[meidan321]

I'm thinking about getting the Define S for my new build, i just like the clean classic look of it with the window it just looks great, and was wondering how is the airflow in it ?
i get that it's great for water cooling, but i'm only gonna put fans in it.

or maybe you have any other suggestions, for a good airflow clean looking case ?

 

[meidan321]

anyone ?

 

[ausch42]

The Define S is not only great for water cooling, it also has amazing air cooling potential. Most notably, by removing the optical and hard drive bays there is an enormous reduction in resistance which improves air cross flow.

Additionally, they've crammed a crazy amount of fan spaces into a mid tower with 8x 140mm fan spots (3 front, 3 top, 1 bottom, 1 rear). The overall strategy would be 4 intake fans for the front/bottom which have dust screens, and venting hot air out of the back and top. The bottom dust screen also extends to cover the PSU which is a nice attention to detail, and the top spaces can be covered with a sound insulated cap if you don't need that much cooling.

This is all great for overall air flow but another important feature for the air cooling is the fact that the Define S can support CPU coolers up to 180mm in height. This makes behemoths like the Coolermaster V8 or Noctura NH-U12P compatible.

This case would also provide you with some incredible water cooling support if you ever get the urge, and I think hiding the SSD/HDD behind the motherboard tray to allow a large open window provides great aesthetics. The only downside is the case might look a little empty without a reservoir or something else filling in the front area, but otherwise this open design allows the Define S to be one of the best air and water cooled cases for its size (and price).