Fractal Design Node 304 review

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Small, smaller .... gosh it's small !

We review the Fractal Design Node 304, an all black all cool and all silent PC housing for Mini ITX and DTX motherboard. For this Mini-ITX ready chassis can you'll be surprised about storage, style, USB 3.0 options and an integrated three-speed fan controller. It's cute, tiny and probably the best looking Mini-ITX chassis we have tested to date.

The Node 304 is a new and very compact PC chassis from Fractal Design. Though you may only house small mini ITX form factor motherboards it offers space for a good six 2.5"/3.5" HDDs. It can house normal sized ATX power supplies, and heck there's even space for a normal sized dedicated graphics card. Oh did I mention already that it's only sized  (W x H x D): 250 x 210 x 374 mm ?

Next to rather cool small and compact design, the looks are just great. An aluminum front bezel, USB 3.0 connector, it even has a three step fan controller for the included three fans. You'll receive two front mounted mounted 92mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fans rated at 1300 RPM as well as a  rear mounted 140mm silent fan. But let's have a look at some of the specifications first.

Features

  • Compact, modular interior
  • Minimalistic design with an elegant aluminum front panel
  • Unique new modular mounting system that accommodates up to 6 hard drives
  • Accommodates tower CPU coolers and single-fan water cooling systems
  • Filtered air intakes ensure a dust-free environment for internal components
  • Three Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fans included
  • Excellent cooling for all components
  • Accommodates ATX power supplies
  • Fan controller for all fans included
  • USB 3.0 for fast file transfers

Technical specifications

  • Mini ITX, DTX motherboard compatibility
  • 2 expansion slots
  • 6 – supports either 3.5" or 2.5" HDD / SSD
  • ATX PSUs, up to 160mm in length (To fit in combination with a long graphics card, PSUs with modular connectors on the back typically need to be shorter than 160 mm)
  • Graphics cards, up to 310mm in length, when 2 HDD brackets are removed (Graphics cards longer than 170 mm will conflict with PSUs longer than 160mm)
  • Tower CPU coolers, up to 165 mm tall
  • Case dimensions (W x H x D): 250 x 210 x 374 mm
  • Case volume: 19,5 Liters
  • Net weight: 4,9 kg

Cooling / ventilation

  • 2 - Front mounted 92mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fans, 1300 RPM speed (compatible with 80mm fans) – included
  • 1 - Rear mounted 140mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fan, 1000 RPM speed (compatible with 120mm fans) – included
  • Removable air filters for front fans and PSU
  • Fan filter for graphics card
  • 1 - fan controller for all 3 fans included

Front interface

  • 2 - USB 3.0 (Internal 3.0 to 2.0 adapter included)
  • 1 - 3.5mm audio in (microphone)
  • 1 - 3.5mm audio out (headphone)
  • Power button with LED
  • HDD LED
Now should you not utilize six HDDs and can life with only four then you can remove a mounting bracket that allows long graphic cards, additional airflow or more space for organizing cables. Featuring hybrid functionality, the Node 304 case is ideally used as a cool-running file server, a stylish and quiet home theatre PC. 


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