Fractal Design Node 804 review
Table Of Content
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The Node Series stylishly integrates the full-featured PC into the modern home. With the flexibility to serve as media hubs, gaming stations, or file servers, the Node brings the full PC experience into the common space with style. There aren’t much cube type micro ATX cases in the market today, since it targets a very specific niche or a certain community who are into this kind of form factor. But all I can say is, so far this is the best looking cube type micro ATX case I’ve seen, not to mention the flexibility and options that it offers. The Node 804 deserves The PC Enthusiast’s Editor’s Choice award.
Fractal Design Node 804 Case Build
So long as you’re planning to install such an array of hard drives, this case could be the ideal pick. This showcases how the inside of the Fractal Design Node 804 is sectioned as we’ll get into shortly. The left-side panel has an acrylic window and underneath the chassis, you’ll locate two additional dust filters. With all fans installed, the case will have negative pressure. There are actually several things that I like about the Fractal Design Node 804.
Number of PCI slots
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AnandTech has reviewed several Fractal Design cases in the past, from ITX cases to super-tower behemoths. A loyal reader would find it hard not to notice the striking visual similarity between the Node 304 and the Node 804, but these two cases however are nothing alike. The Node 804 is designed to house a powerful Micro-ATX gaming system, placing it in direct confrontation with cases such as the Corsair Carbide 240 Air. Is the Swedish minimalistic design that retails for $92 capable of facing the competition in the North American market? The Fractal Design Node 804 retails for about $125, which is a fair price to pay for a premium setup. The chassis may show its age in areas, being almost a decade old (hence the availability of a CD ROM bay), but it’s still worth considering even in 2022.
So if you're wanting to create your own server at home (or for the office), read on to find out why I recommend you purchase one of these for your next build.
Above are photos of the front (with the front panel removed) and rear view of the case. Both left and right chambers are protected by dust filters in front of the case. On the rear side, the rear exhaust of the storage/PSU chamber supports 120mm or 140mm fans, while the other chamber only supports 120mm fan exhaust. This isn't a super-compact chassis, measuring in at 307mm x 344mm x 389mm with an internal volume of 40 liters. This does allow one to install plenty of hard drives, which will be immediately apparent as soon as the side window panel is removed.
Water cooling
It supports up to 10 fans, watercooling systems and features a separate dual chamber design. The bundle is frugal as well, limited to just the hardware necessary to install components inside the case, a few small cable ties, and a manual. All of the provided screws are black and the manual is very well written. Many European companies that manufacture PC hardware were founded during the past few years, and the vast majority are basing their business model on European quality and design prowess. The Swedish manufacturer of cases, cooling, and power supply products quickly became globally known for their minimalistic, simple, and functional designs.
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It’s secured, but thankfully Fractal opted not to use those pesky plugs often found in older (or more affordable cases) that can be a real pain. At the end of the day, a PC case like the Node 804 is really a matter of personal preference and will also depend on the type of setup that you want to build. There’s no “one size fits all” in terms of PC case and you can’t benchmark it like a graphics card or solid state drive. But when it comes to cube type cases that are currently in the market, I would definitely choose the Node 804. The dust filter underneath the motherboard area is easy to remove, since you only need to pull it towards the rear.
Fractal launches biggest Node ever with the 804 @ Cebit - KitGuru
Fractal launches biggest Node ever with the 804 @ Cebit.
Posted: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 07:00:00 GMT [source]
These are excellent for holding up to eight hard drives (four in each), but there's no support for hot-swapping. To remove a hard drive, you need to extract the bracket as a whole. The front panel can be easily removed by pulling it away from the main chassis to reveal the four fan mounts and dual dust filter setup. The two side panels are secured to the Node 804 using screws, and once those are extracted, you have unobstructed access to pretty much everywhere inside the case. You might be wondering why those two SSDs are installed in a vertical position. Well, you can install two SSD or HDD on the base of the motherboard chamber.
You can install a motherboard up to a Micro ATX size, and Fractal Design includes pretty much everything you’ll need to install everything. Moving onto the interior of Node 804 and there’s plenty of space to use for building your dream NAS. Like the outer shell of the case, all inside panels and components are painted black for a sleek finish.
The top cover is removable and it also acts as exhaust ventilation. Between the mesh and those “angled air vent blades” is a foam-like filter that prevents dust from coming in. Or I could be wrong, and it’s actually a noise dampening foam that keeps the system nice and quiet. The Node 804 features a clean and elegant looking aluminum brushed front cover with mesh for air ventilation at the lower portion. Only the motherboard chamber is windowed, I wish they also made the storage/PSU chamber windowed as well.
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