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Fractal Design Node Computer Case Review

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Very good

Revainrating 4.5 out of 5  
Rating 
4.3
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Details

BrandFractal Design
ColorBlack
MaterialAluminum
Cooling MethodAir
Motherboard CompatabilityMini DTX
Item Weight4.9 Kilograms
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Description of Fractal Design Node Computer Case

FD-CA-NODE-304-BL

Reviews

Global ratings 23
  • 5
    13
  • 4
    6
  • 3
    3
  • 2
    0
  • 1
    1

Type of review

Revainrating 5 out of 5

The right product for me, there were no problems.

This case is already more than 10 years old and it still remains the only option for building a miniature home server. Of the worthy alternatives, I can only remember Jonsbo N1. But the N1 has a limitation of supported components (coolers limited to 70 mm and an SFX power supply) and the price is higher by an average of 3-5 thousand.

Pros
  • 1. Holds 6 3.5 inch hard drives, but there is a caveat. It's exactly what people still buy it for, the perfect home server case. The corps is already more than 10 years old, and during this time worthy analogues have not appeared. 2. Supports ATX power supplies. This is also a huge plus, ATX blocks are still quieter and cheaper than standard mini-ITX SFX blocks. 3. Build quality. The case has no functional "chips", it is simple and reliable. 4. Comes with decent fans. The fans are quiet, but unfortunately without PWM. Silent at minimum and medium speeds, tolerable at maximum (not very loud, but at night they are clearly audible). 5. Noctua NH-D15 can fit into the case (if you remove 2 HDD bays) and a large 3-fan video card (provided you remove the rightmost HDD bay, for illustration I attached a photo from INNO3D GeForce GTX 1070 Ti X4 - length 302 mm)
Cons
  • All the disadvantages are the costs of the mini-ITX form factor - that is, the lack of space. 1. When installing 6 hard drives, blowing is reduced to zero. I checked it on my own skin, when installing 6 disks, their temperature soared to 50 degrees, and the processor began to warm up behind them. In an attempt to cool this misunderstanding, the fans began to thresh at 100% and there was no trace of the "silent NAS". If your NAS is in a bedroom, it's best to use a maximum of 3 3.5" drives (1 for each rack). 2. It is better to use the power supply as short as possible, there is not much space for extra wires. Also, if the power supply is modular, a long video card may not fit. 3. Cable management no. So that the cables from the PSU and hard drives do not interfere with cooling (and do not climb into the fans), more or less neatly lay and safely forget. Clean assembly in this case is almost impossible. 4. In white, it successfully mimics a microwave.

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I am one hundred percent satisfied with the purchase, I recommend this product to everyone.

I took this case in February 2022 for a home media server / NAS. Assembly is not difficult. Only since I installed a rather large tower cooler did I have to tinker a bit with laying and connecting cables, especially to drives. A flat cable on the PSU will come in handy here. Nevertheless, there was enough space to screw an adapter for a 3.5" bay to two HDD / SSD 2.5" with an edge to the back wall. As a result, we got 8 disks - exactly for the ASR-5805 RAID controller. By the way, the 60x60 fan…

Pros
  • well thought out in terms of layout and ventilation; surprisingly capacious; good quiet fans in the kit and a three-position regulator of their speed; dust filters; accommodates a standard power supply; nice, sleek look.
Cons
  • too low rubber feet; unreliable start of complete fans at the minimum position of the regulator; bounce of disk baskets and the top cover of the case is possible (resolved); due to its compactness, the cooler needs to be selected more carefully, and the laying and connection of cables is somewhat troublesome; few USB ports on the front panel

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Everything in the product suited me, the price is generally perfect.

Prior to this, HP Microserver Gen8 was used as a home NAS/Lab server - an ideal product in terms of compactness, performance and convenience. But the server had been working for 8 years, it was old, and one night he wrote a letter that he was tired and it turned off and did not turn on again. New HP Microserver was not pleasant. Gen 10 - soldered braking AMD, and Gen 10 Plus - an external PSU and a seemingly noisy fan at a cost of under 70k. It was decided to collect white box. I needed a case…

Pros
  • Compact Mini-ITX with room for 6 drives. If you need a case for NAS - there are no alternatives to it.
Cons
  • The power cable extension is L-shaped, so for some PSUs it will be very tight to insert and rest against the wall.

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I was surprised by the quality for this price.

I'm satisfied! Looks solid! Some guests saw their computers caught fire in the same case to assemble. The case is quiet, in a simple, light rustling is barely audible. There is a turntable speed control on the back wall. Removable consoles for discs are the best solution for building a powerful media center with the ability to evaluate the latest innovations in the gaming world. Dark Rock 4 is installed, four disks (2 HDD + 2 SSD) are hanging and a two-slot MSI 1660 Super Gaming X 250mm long…

Pros
  • Silence (with cooler speed control). Ventilation - well ventilated with two 80's and one 140's. A wide window with a filter in front of the video card. Multitasking - 6 HDD or SSD drives, or 2-4 drives and a long video card. Capacity - fits a large tower cooler.
Cons
  • White color looks like a refrigerator)) I will order vinyl, graffiti painting or aquaprint. Not for super long and thick graphics cards like 2060-3090.

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Second-rate product, won't buy it again.

The quality of painting on the top three, sometimes clots. 4 holes are covered with paint where the holding screws are screwed in, where the motherboard is attached. Accordingly, it is very difficult to screw in, without an adapter for a screwdriver it would be impossible. (It took about 20 minutes) And you need to collect 20. It's terrible. I've built over 200 computers, cheap and expensive. But I've never seen such insanity. + there is not enough space inside and this complicates the…

Pros
  • Compact
Cons
  • Quality of materials, thin metal (walls bend) The build quality is terrible (I will explain in the comments) Building inside the body Noisy 3 fans (RPM switch has almost no effect) Could make a removable platform for the motherboard, the height allows. The cover can be completely removed like computers from the 90s Inconvenient location of USB outputs. Overpriced

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good quality product, I rate this purchase excellent.

The best case for m-ITX, which also fits 6 hard drives by 3.5. Icomllected NAS in it, put it on the shelf - and the eye rejoices. All fans on Low start normally. With the boxedcomoler from Celeron, there are no problems with placing the rest of the hardware in the case. It is a little expensive, but there are no alternatives in terms of size / capacity ratio, a very good layout. There is no sound insulation on the walls, as on large FD cases, but there is little space for it and the dimensions…

Pros
  • Great NAS case, sturdy, easy to assemble, compact, full size ATX power supply.
Cons
  • There are small flaws in the gaps, tight screws at first.

Revainrating 4 out of 5

I am satisfied with everything, both price and quality, I advise you to buy.

I did not wait here, I dragged him from Ukraine. First impression: it is wider than it seems in the pictures. I started to disemble it - many screws sit very hard, including those with a knurled head, apparently, these screws cut the thread when screwing in, so you can’t do without a screwdriver. When you set the fan speed control to the "Low" position and turn on the computer, one of the front fans does not start :( We start it either from the "pusher" (which is not applicable for the embled…

Pros
  • Small and beautiful. Carefully embled. 3 quiet coolers. Cool indicators: power - blue (it can be seen in the photo), and HDD - white shines under the case. Removable dust filters.
Cons
  • Price. Glitchy fan controller (or such fans? ). Frail and sometimes uncomfortable internal wire 220V. Tight screws.

Revainrating 5 out of 5

The best purchase in my life, I will definitely buy it again.

I got excited about the idea of ​​​​assembling a strong and at the same time compact computer and started everything with the choice of a case. At first I thought about taking the AeroCool Dead Silence Cube White Edition, but then I changed my mind in favor of this case, because it is smaller and the price is slightly lower. My configuration was as follows: MSI B85I motherboard, INTEL Core i5 4690 processor, Crucial CT51264BA160BJ 2pcs RAM, MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC graphics card, OCZ OCZ500MXSP…

Pros
  • Compact, beautiful and well-designed mini-ITX case
Cons
  • Almost not

Revainrating 3 out of 5

I'm not particularly happy, but basically everything is fine.

I recommend the case, it is not easy to find the same form factor on the market. Place the power supply no more than 150 mm deep, or 160 mm if the cables are fixed. Video cards fit long without problems, but they all rest on the power supply cable. So short BP is the key to success. Yes, and if you have an sfx power supply, then there will be nowhere to screw it, except perhaps for one bolt. You need a full-fledged PSU. Also, horizontal coolers that go beyond the RAM will not work, they will…

Pros
  • High-quality metal, much better than the metal of cheap cases for 2-3 A very good form factor, you can put a full-fledged power supply and a high cooler. It's cool for the size.
Cons
  • Terrible hole quality. I could not screw the legs-bolts for the motherboard into the case. Need pasatizh. It is necessary to tighten the bolts by force, the thread may break. I had a hard time getting 3 bolts in. And the fourth one turned around. It turned out that the hole was not drilled to the end. So now the motherboard weighs on three bolts. The fourth is forever buried in an undrilled hole. In fact, this is a marriage and it is necessary to return the case to the store. It is better to check it on the spot in the store, well, you yourself will not thread the case or drag a healthy box back to the store. At first I thought maybe they put the wrong bolts, but I have a dime a dozen of them and none of them are screwed in.

Revainrating 4 out of 5

The product is completely satisfied, performs its functions.

All the shortcomings are outweighed by the ability to assemble an excellent gaming computer in such a crumb, without dodging with SFX power supplies and with low-profile coolers. Almost anything will fit in this box! Its pros: Beautiful, especially when turned on (the power is blue, the disk is white). Three fans included. With a very modest size, a tower cooler fits on a percent and an ATX power supply! Some cons: Thin iron, the bottom wall bends. When assembling, be patient and use pliers

Revainrating 3 out of 5

It has some flaws but the product is usable.

But seriously, the case disappointed. I can't even believe that this is a fractal design. I liked only the metal case. Otherwise, it is not clear why there are more than six thousand? It really looks like a microwave oven, which only the lazy one did not remind me of. But at least you can put up with it and laugh. Then assembly begins, and all this coating crumbles in places where the screws are unscrewed. Thank you! Actually, there are no complaints about the assembly itself, since I did not…

Pros
  • - compact: much smaller than other microwave ovens - modern design - heats food well - trusted brand
Cons
  • - there is no way to set a warm-up timer, you have to control it yourself

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Cool product, happy with the purchase, maybe Ill buy it again.

Has some pros: Very small. Allows you to organize a full blown powerful processor. There are 3 good coolers in stock. Different cons: A bit outdated. In 2022, 6 slots for 3.5 ssds are redundant. Noctua d15 with two coolers will fit only if you remove the PSU mounting frame. Really bright light bulbs.

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good quality product, I rate this purchase excellent.

In fact, the case inside is really a work of art. in all seriousness about it. In such a small box, you can stick a huge tower cooler (for example, I stuck a deep cool assassin 3). placement of everything that is possible - I would say ideal. Cables don't interfere with airflow. such a baby can really be very cold. I ran an OCCT test on this tower. which in an hour heated it to only 50 degrees. Yes, of course, on the top tower and with liquid metal. But I thought it would be very deplorable, so

Pros
  • what can you say. this is really a top small case.
Cons
  • you can grumble a little that because of the power supply, large video cards do not fit

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Average quality of the product, especially for the money.

the basket with hards is not very convenient. nothing prevented making the hards deeper or the possibility of modifying them with a 90 turn. It's a trite situation - you can poke a taver - but it may not stand up in width because of the baskets. i. E. meaning then in such a height? not very convenient to assemble and lay cables. there is no way to install a normal water block (although again they could think a little and do it by removing the baskets) there is no reset button. again in terms of

Cons
  • I died a complete cooler for 140 in a year

Revainrating 4 out of 5

I recommend to buy, the product is of high quality.

I purchased this case for file storage (NAS), which works 24/7. The selection criterion was compactness with the ability to install 6 HDDs. I will not repeat myself, comrade evgenij-bi wrote a very good review. From myself I will add: there is very little space after installing 6 HDDs. Accordingly, it is important to think about high-quality laying of wires. I recommend a modular power supply, as well as clip-on SATA cables. The blowing fan does not have a safety net, be sure to take this into

Pros
  • - Compact case for 6 HDD - Good cooling (2 fans in the front, one fan in the back) - Fan speed switch. Total 3 positions - Nice appearance
Cons
  • - High cost compared to full-fledged cases from Fractal Design - When starting the computer, one of the fans does not start in the low and medium speed mode (judging by the reviews, the disease of these cases) - Lack of a safety net in front of the exhaust fan - Lack of sound insulation (as in older models)

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I really like the product, it fully meets my expectations.

Due to the compactness of the case, it is necessary to figure out in advance which cooler to take for the processor. It is also important to carefully lay the cables, since there is very little free space. I have already assembled 2 computers in this case. I don’t use the built-in speed controller - I change the rear fan to PWM, put a casing between it and the processor heatsink tower, removing the standard fan from the heatsink. I connect the rear fan as a processor fan, the front ones as case

Pros
  • Everything is well thought out, very compact body, the appearance is beautiful. Fits 4 drives with a full-sized video card or 6 drives without it.
Cons
  • if not every day something in it to change - there are no shortcomings.

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I'm very happy, it really is worth buying.

I wanted to build a super small yet powerful PC in style. This is what I did, albeit with difficulty. Just putting the board on racks is another quest, since all the space is extremely limited. And then I remembered about M.2 on the back of the mother and I had to disassemble everything. If you don't have a modular power supply (I have an XFX), then the extra wires will interfere and spoil the bow. A big plus is the cooperative connector for 3 coolers, which allows you to cut power and adjust…

Pros
  • Swedish minimalism in the spirit of IKEA Quality thoughtfulness Equipment
Cons
  • In fact, there are none, but if you really find fault: Price - took for 5k, slightly overpriced against the background of courses, etc. Weight (Heavy thing, for such a small body, although this can hardly be called a minus) The complexity of the assembly - yes, my hands are not small, but the space is small, I had to squirm.

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Good product, more pros than cons.

If you take a 140 mm PSU, there will be no problems with the vidyuhi, the Noctua NH-U14S tower cooler on the i7 9700F fits perfectly, in this combination the CPU does not heat up above 60 g at 100 loads for several hours. Mother ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-I. I put 2 ssd M2 and the computer is almost inaudible even if you listen. Many write about the difficulty of assembling - I had no problems, everything was screwed in easily. For racks under the mother there is a device for screwing.

Pros
  • Small and roomy, good location of the PSU, almost silent
Cons
  • a bit heavy

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Great quality, did not expect at all for the price.

It is advisable to install a modular power supply unit in this case, because if the built-in video is used, the VGA power wires that are unnecessary in this case will allow you not to waste space on them without use. Similarly, you can remove all other unused wires and make the assembly "cleaner". If you really want neat cable management, you will have to use non-starter cables and mounts that are found in some reviews or are used when modding. At a minimum, in addition to the modular PSU, it…

Pros
  • This case is one of the units of available cases for mini-ITX boards with more than 4 full-sized places for 3.5-inch drives - this is its main and main advantage that there are six of them, only because of this the case is almost ideal for NAS , to which full-size discs "outdated" for regular PCs are sent. Disk "baskets" allow you to mount disks either one by one or in pairs. Despite the fact that they are not hot-pluggable, in general it is much more convenient than hard shelves in the case itself. Rubber dampers under the screws are also present. A tower cooler is placed in the case (at least a stock Wraith Prism from Ryzen of the third generation, while leaving a “reserve” in place). Good ventilation - air is taken from the front panel by two small "turntables", a large 140 mm cooler on the rear panel, plus additionally there are holes with meshes on the sides of the case. The frame and shell of the case are good, if not excellent, there is no backlash or creaking, there are no sharp edges, the thickness of the metal is adequate, everything is painted over, you can take a fully loaded case by the frame and not be afraid that it will fall apart or something will bend. The front panel can be easily removed for cleaning. The design is a little outdated, but still minimalistic and the white color still looks quite aesthetically pleasing (black grids on the sides - subjectively, do not interfere with the overall look).
Cons
  • Ill-conceived cable management, it is almost absent in the design - it will not work to carefully lay the wires when even 1.5-2 disk cages are occupied without a lot of cable ties, also if the main ATX connector is located "far away" on the board, then a healthy "snake" of wires will interfere everything else. It is likely that in such a compact case, convenient wiring simply cannot be done due to the size in principle, however, it is still worth bearing in mind. The blue disk usage indicator LED is incredibly bright and at night, even when the system is idle, it gives a feeling of "useless color music". Since the usefulness of the disk usage information itself is near zero, it can simply not be connected to the MP. The body screws and basket screws (end screws) are screwed "on the paint", so it is extremely difficult to unscrew and tighten them without a screwdriver (at least until the paint on the threads comes off). The same applies to the landing "legs" for the MP itself. The case fan speed controller is more useless than useful, the noise level practically does not change, there is practically no difference between the first and second levels. However, it does not interfere, apart from a certain number of wires.