Case Mod - In Progress Project: Reverse² [completed]

Reverse²

After my first project (Delerium) I started a new project, unfortunately that one never got finished due to it being in a fire. The complete case was made of MDF-board, and burned down.
I had been planning this mod for quite a while, basically ever since I saw the "Fractal Design Define R2" case in an online review.
So, I started to look for that case in all the shops in my area. But I seemed to have ran out of luck, I simply could not find the case in online nor offline shops.

So I started modding the case with Adobe Photoshop©, I’d like to call it photomodding. A few hours later I had finished 3 initial concepts. But none of those concepts seemed to have the "X-factor". So i let it rest for a few days, and started all over again.
This time the concept looked great, so I refined it once more and made it my final concept.

The final concept:

With this final concept made, it was time for the interior design. I created a same kind of moodboard for the interior (and some parts of the exterior).

I started reading loads of work logs, some of them I liked, some i didn't. I decided the interior should be just as clean as the exterior of the case.

The interiour concept:

With both of these concepts completed I started e-mailing with Fractal Design, the company that designed and produces the Define R2 case.
It didn't take very long before I received an answer, and after some more e-mail traffic I received the answer I had hoped for.

They had decided to sponsor me a case, the Fractal Design Define R2 Black Pearl. Yes, that’s quite a big name...
But damn, when the case arrived, it looked even better than i thought judging on the pictures.

The name:
With a new concept, one of the most difficult things to do is creating a name for it.
I decided I wanted something with my nickname, i changed nicknames a while ago from Agressions to Reverse.
I also wanted something along the lines of the original name of the case, so: Fractal Design Define R2 Black Pearl.
Now the nice thing of the original name, the R2 part, which could be explained as Reverse2. Making that look nicer will result in Reverse².

This project is being sponsored by:

Fractal Design has sent me a Fractal Design Define R2 Black Pearl, the backbone for this project.
Rasurbo has sent me a Power Supply GaminX & Power GAP767. A 750W power supply in orange.
Xilence will be sending me cooling attributes.
DeboLED has supplied me with the internal and external lightning material.
Thermolab has sent me a BARAM CPU cooler!
Cherry has sent me 2 Infinity keyboards!

Updates:
The case
Disassembling the case.
Sleeving the cables
2 HR pictures of my MDPC-X sleeving.
The window.
There's a hole in your frontpanel.
Cleaning up the frontpanel.
The sidepanel/window take 2.
Painted parts.
Xilence products arrived!
Lightning parts arrived!
Sleeving the remaining cables.
Finishing the window.
Painting the fans.
Finishing the fans.
Thermolab BARAM!
Fitting the BARAM!
The Cherry Infinity
The front panel LED's
The front panel filled!
PSU cover
Some full shots
Finished glamour shots!

 

Looks good! Ill follow this one!

 

Cool colour scheme and design!

I'm going to watch this...

 

I like the way you've presented what you plan to do with it Will be watching.

 

Loving your intro post. Very clean and well laid out.


Fractal Design needs to sell cases in the US!

 

Oh, orange and black! My high school colors and the colors of my 1969 Hemi Roadrunner.
I'll watch for sure.

john

 

nice concept and presentation. lucky break on getting the case sponsored.

 

Looks like a great plan! will tune in for updates

 

Good luck, it looks like it will be a nice clean design when completed

Stuart

 

Thanks for the comments guys, I really appreciate it =)

The Case
For this build, i have received a Define R2 from Fractal Design.
Fractal Design is a relative new company when it comes to cases and enclosures. They produce fans, PSU's, HTPC-RC's, Anti-noise kits and some other small stuff as well.

A new generation of style, Define R2:
The long awaited Define R2 case is reaching new heights in combining stylish, contemporary design with maximum functionality and noise absorbing features.
The minimalistic, yet stunning front panel design, fitted with noise absorbing material on the inside, creates an aura of exclusivity.
ModuVent™, 8 white painted HDD trays fitted with silicon mounts and a total of 7 fan slots are just some of the interesting features this case offers.
It's available in three different front panel colors:

• Define R2 - Black Pearl
• Define R2 - Titanium Grey
• Define R2 - Silver Arrow

For this build I received the Black Pearl edition, meaning the front panel has the same black finish as the rest of the case.
When first viewing the case, it reminds me of the Antec P180 series, and the Lian Li PC-A10. Which (to be honest) is not a bad thing.
Let's examine this thing, ok?

The Interior:
The front:
The front features a nice, glossy and stealthy door, the door can be opened by a small, hand-sized opening in the side of it.

The on/off button has been placed on top of the front panel.
Next to the e-SATA, soundjacks and USB ports.
The 2 optical-drives and 2 120mm fans+filters can be revealed when the door is opened.

The fan-filters will be explained later, it's so clever!

At this stage I realized it... There was only 1 fan included on the front panel, while there is room for 2.
Clever marketing from the guys at Fractal Design, they included 2 fans. There is room for a total of 7 fan slots (2x120mm in front, 2x 120/140mm in top, 1x120mm in back, 1x 120/140mm in side panel, 1x 120/140mm in bottom)!
So, if you want to use the same style of fans in the complete case, you will have to buy 5 extra fans, from Fractal Design. As I said, clever!

The top:
On top of the front panel we will find: 2x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA and Audio I/O.
The rest is pretty standard and clean. In the back we find 2 spots for 140/120mm fans. The spots are covered with a hexagonal pattern, really clean.
The top is riveted to the chassis, all the other panels are either screwed on or clipped on.

The back:
Once we got to the back of the case, we noticed the color scheme Fractal Design had in minds.

You see 7 PCI-slot brackets. Painted glossy white! (classy!), and we see the second included white fan. A 120mm fan to suck out the hot air from the case.

There are also several holes for water-cooling, I haven't tried those, since my setup will not be water-cooled.
You will also notice the PSU is placed in the bottom, it's been done a lot. And is not a bad thing at all!
The PSU-part is lined with silicon/rubber sound-absorbing stuff. Something that I like a LOT!


The side:
The side panels are attached with 2 black thumbscrews each.
The right side panel is simple, plain and nice. The left side panel however features the only awkward/strange part of the whole case. (don't mind the fingerprints please.)

Yeah, a hexagonal fan guard....... Too bad, without it the case would be perfect.

The interior:
When the side panel is removed, you will see the stealthy and classy look of the exterior has been continued on the interior.

The whole inside has been painted matte-black. And once again you will notice the color-scheme.
The 8(!) white painted HDD-trays have been fitted with silicone mounting. Once again you can see silence is a big deal for this case.
There is room for an atx-, matx or itx-motherboard, and there is a hole for the socket. We can also see several holes for cablemanagement, these holes have been fitted with a rubber/silicone part, so the cables will be held in place.
On the right we see two 5,25"-drivebays, of which one can be made into a 3,5"-drivebay. The 8 white HDD-trays are placed below the two 5,25"-drivebays.
They are very easy to use, they slide out really easy. Once you have the tray out, you can enter a HDD and screw in it's place. The screwholes are once again lined with silicone grommets.

The bottom:
The PSU will be placed in the bottom, and since most PSU's have a fan in the bottom or top, Fractal Design has made a hexagonalgrille placed in the bottom. With a dustfilter you can clean with ease.
Next to the PSU space, the R2 features a space for a 120mm fan, with once again a dustfilter.

Usefull information:
Key features:

• Stunning front panel design
• Patent pending ModuVent™ design, allowing the user to either have optimal silence or optimal airflow
• Pre-fitted with dense, noise absorbing bitumen
• 8(!) white painted HDD-trays, with silicone mounting
• A total of 7 fan slots (2x120mm in front, 2x 120/140mm in top, 1x120mm in back, 1x 120/140mm in side panel, 1x 120/140mm in bottom)
• 2x 120mm Fractal Design 120mm Silent Series 15dB fans included
• Fan controller for 3 fans included
• Easily removable front fan filters with clip-on holders for 120mm fans
• Supports graphic card lengths up to circa 290mm and CPU coolers with height of maximum circa 165mm
• Supports PSU's with a depth of maximum circa 170mm, when using bottom 120/140mm fan location. When not using the bottom 120/140mm fan location, the case supports also longer PSU's, typically 200-220mm.

Cooling system

• Fan controller for 3 fans included
• 1 rear Fractal Design 120mm Silent Series 15dB fan (included)
• 1 front Fractal Design 120mm Silent Series 15dB fan (included)
• 1 front 120mm fan (optional)
• 1 bottom 120mm/140mm fan (optional)
• 1 side panel 120mm/140mm fan (optional)
• top 120mm/140mm fan (optional)

Specifications

• 8x 3,5 inch HDD trays, compatible with SSD!
• 2x 5,25 inch bays, with 1x 5,25>3,5 inch converter included
• On top of front panel: 2x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA and Audio I/O
• No PSU included (removable filter below PSU)
• M/B compatibility: Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX
• 7x expansion slots with sleek white painted brackets
• Supports graphic card lengths up to circa 290mm and CPU coolers with height of maximum circa 165mm
• Supports PSU's with a depth of maximum circa 170mm, when using bottom 120/140mm fan location. When not using the bottom 120/140mm fan location, the case supports also longer PSU's, typically 200-220mm.
• Case size (WxHxD): 207.40x440x521.2mm
• Net weight: 12.50kg

 

looking good and really loving your log layout.. definatly one to watch

 

Update 3: Disassembling the case.

Disassembling the case:
The easy stuff:
Ok, so with the case viewed and reviewed it was time to disasseble it.
First thing anybody will notice: all the screws are coated black! Now that's what i call, attention to detail!

I started with removing the parts i could remove easily, so the 5,25">3,5" converter was first up:

Next up, the casefeet.
The 2 front feet are way bigger than the 2 in the back of the case.
It's plastic, but covered with a chrome-like finish. Looking good, but unfortunately it doesn't fit with my desired theme.

Then the 2fanfilters (1 fan included) in the front, it's all one piece. To remove or add a fan, you will have to unscrew the fanfilter and remove it. Then insert the fan into the bracket (no srews needed) and srew it all back in place.

The fan when taken out of the bracket:


The fan has a nice matte finish, but unfortunately only 2 are delivered with the case, therefor i will have to look for a fan-sponsor.
I will be needing:

• Two 120mm fans for the front.
• Two 140mm fans for the top.
• One 120mm fan for the backplate.
• One 140mm fan for the bottom

Let's move on to the hard drive bays, 7 in total. All white!


And one of those hard drive tray's was filled with a special, mystery box!


It was filled with motherboard-spacers, Velcro, a 3-way-fancontoller and more black screws.

Next up, the side panel... It was covered with a substance called "bitumen". It is a soundproofing material.
But... I heard there was room for a 120mm fan in the side panel, right?
Yep, they covered that 120mm hole with a piece of bitumen as well. So i removed that.
And it showed the hexagonal fan grill beneath it:

But damn, the part I removed... HEAVY! And.. well.. LARGE!

The front panel:
Yeah, the front panel eh... I was pleasantly surprised when i removed all the screws.

And here are the screws..


2 screws were hidden behind a rubber pad, so that had to be removed...


And I liked the way the panel is attached to the rest:


The front panel is connected to the rest with a plastic hinge, the hinging part is made out of 2 parts.

All apart:


Once again, i'd like to thank my sponsors:

 

The build quality looks great. How much does one of these cases go for?

 

Around 90 euros...So about £90 in real money, give or take a few quid.

Liking your idea and the colour scheme is awesome. Sub'd.

Pics are good quality also.

 

In Sweden for 750 SEK = 76 €. It's really a nice little case, and does a good job challenging the Antec P180-series... Also Fractal seems to be so far the only manufacturer to notice that I don't need multiple 5,25" bays. That said, the Xigmatek Midgard (which I reviewed) shares the same frame with different drive bay setup and it hardly impressed me on hands-on quality...

Looking forward on the project, good to see one of these cases get modified.

 

Indeed, I will infact be using one of these bays, but 2 is enough.

 

Very nice case!
I'm looking forward for the updates!

 

Thanks guys!

Sleeving the cables:
The sleeving:
Go big or go home, so I decided to go big with the sleeving. I ordered the best sleeving i could find. MurderMod sleeving from MDPC-X!


This is what I ordered, the orange and black are for this build, the blue (and some black) are for another build.
Also, this is so awesome: I HAVE ORDER #666!
Now came the time I had to wait for my stuff to arrive...

The sleeving was the first to arrive, I'm sure we've all seen it before (in a work log or in real-life), but it seems to be a tradition to show the little doodle-image Nils (DualBrain) draws on each package he sends.
So here's mine:


Now let's unwrap it! Actually, I unwrapped it before I photographed the doodle, I was way too curious!
The sleeving's quality is outstanding! And since I’ve seen some awesome close-up pictures of it in several work logs, I thought I should try it as well!


Oh, and Nils (DualBrain) from MDPC-X included a nice little gift in the package as well, a 0,5m piece of white SATA sleeving, Thanks dude!


That picture is actually straight off the camera, i only added the border. The colors are that vibrant in real life as well!

And a nice black and white shot of the black sleeving:


The PSU:
This project has been sponsored by Rasurbo with a 750W power supply.


The Power Supply GaminX & Power GAP767. The PSU passes all tests, is reliable and has one special feature; A "Green and Power safe mode". There are (of course) some downsides; The cables are not modular, and not all the cables are sleeved (just the 20pin's ATX cable is sleeved together).
These problems will have to be fixed or worked around, meaning i will have to sleeve the cables my self.
The PSU arrived shortly after the case, and I examined it.
The website sais this about the PSU:

• Stylish chassis colored in black and orange
• 750 Watts
• 20/4 pin ATX-connector
• ATX 12 V version 2.2
• S-ATA connector
• PCI-E connector
• Sleeved cable, ca. 47 cm long (only GAP 767)
• Green & Power safe mode
• 120 mm silent fan (17 dB/A)
• Thermo controlled fan sensor
• Power factor correction (PFC)
• Protection against overvoltage (OVP)
• Protection against capacity overload (OPP)
• Protection against short-circuit
• On-/ off switch
• Attractive retail box
• CE-certification
• 24 months guarantee
• Incl. power cable

So, I took it out of the box and put it in my little photo-booth. These pictures were the result:

An overview picture.


A picture of the back, I love the fact it has a power switch. I have missed that feature on my current PSU. Glad to have it back.


The part where the wires exit the PSU, you can see the wires are grouped with some cable-ties and the main 20pins ATX cable is sleeved.
All the wires will be sleeved, and grouped. I don't really mind it's not a modular PSU. most cables won't be visible at all anyway.


A nice dark sticker with the specs, most casemodder remove these kind of stickers. I might do it later on, but at this stage I’d like to keep them on.
It's a nice sticker, and I’m proud of my sponsors.


Ah yes... the wires...
Of course, I arranged them like this for the picture. They are not that chaotic in person, but it is a mess. As I said, this will be fixed/worked around with the MDPC-X sleeving.


And last but not least, a nice close-up photo of the fan+fanguard of the PSU!

Sleeving some cables:
SATA to Molex:
The first cable I decided to sleeve: The SATA-to-Molex-cable.


The original cable, with an ugly white connector... blech.
Started sleeving, orange first:


Aaaaaaaaand, DONE!


And a nice close-up photo of it.


SATA cable:
I also sleeved an SATA cable, orange looks so much better than red!


The camera has some problems capturing the orange in this picture…

Once again, i'd like to thank my sponsors:

 

There are some troubles with WB (white balance) in your camera. Try to use manual WB settings with the A4 sheet of paper

And where's the blue sleeving?

 

nice! ive subbed