Fractal Design R4 or Bitfenix Prodigy

Hardware Hub Cases / Chassis
1

Hi,

I'm just curious, I really like both of these cases but don't know which one to choose or why? I like silent cases with decent airflow. I am also planning on adding a CPU cooler including a couple fans. I want to make the right decision since I only build a rig about every three years.

 

Thanks.

2

Well, if you go with the Prodigy, you have an ITX case. This means you only have 1 PCI-e slot for your video card and no extras for anything at all. The Prodigy is a nice case, but I would use it as a portable rig for going over to friends house and junk. The Fractal Design R4 however is an ATX-mid tower, which means more expansion slots for more junk. An example would be dual 7970 CF or in 6 years you want to turn the old machine into a router.

To sum it up.

Prodigy gives you portability but does not have as many features as an ATX-mid tower case.

Fractal Design R4 gives you all the features you want, but not as much portability. 

3

Thanks for your input Nova, I'll take that into consideration.

4

It depends on what you want. Like Novasty said the prodigy is an Itx which means really limited space but you get really nice portability. I've built a prodigy for my friend (was actually my first build). It was a pain when you realize you've forgotten to plug something something in and have to take parts out to to reach. If you want silence the R4 is the way to go I'm using an XL R2 myself which is the larger version of the R4 and it's extremely quiet but it's heavy.

5

I like both chassis, and I have done a build using a Prodigy. It would be easy to lean toward the Fractal, it allows for more modularity. However, if you get a decent ITX motherboard, and a decent GPU, that's all you need for a 1080p gaming setup.

So, although I've "defended" the Prodigy a little bit, I think your best option would be the Fractal, for the reason stated. If you wanted a little more choice of products and upgrades, that is what you should go with.

6

Thanks a lot people! I guess I'll go with the R4 because of its silence and furthermore I don't plan on bringing my PC anywhere since I'm probably going to get a laptop anyways.