Fractal Design Node 804 Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on February 18, 2015 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- MicroATX
- Fractal Design
Introduction
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. Fractal Design is one of these companies. The Swedish manufacturer of cases, cooling, and power supply products quickly became globally known for their minimalistic, simple, and functional designs. Today we are looking at their latest cubic Micro-ATX case, the Node 804.
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? We will find out in this review.
12oz Coke can for size reference
| Fractal Design Node 804 Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | Slim Slot-Loading Optical Drive |
| Internal | 8 x 3.5" (internal drive cages) 2 x 2.5" (front panel) 2 x 2.5"/3.5" (chassis bottom) | |
| Cooling | Front | 4 x 120mm (one included) |
| Rear | 1 x 120mm (included) 1 x 140/120mm (one 120mm included) | |
| Top | 4 x 140/120mm (optional) | |
| Left Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| Radiator Support | Front | 240mm (both chambers) |
| Rear | - | |
| Top | 240mm (both chambers), 280mm (right chamber only) | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 160mm |
| PSU | 260mm | |
| GPU | 320mm (290mm if intake fans are installed at the front) | |
| Dimensions | 307 mm × 344 mm × 389 mm (H×W×D) 12.09 in × 13.55 in × 15.32 in (H×W×D) | |
| Prominent Features | Highly effective dual chamber case layout for best possible cooling. Minimalistic design with an elegant brushed aluminum front panel Three Fractal Design Silent Series R2 fans included All intakes feature removable dust filters providing a dust-free interior. Featuring a window side panel to show off your set up in style. Fan controller included. Five expansion slots that allows for multiple GPU setups. | |
| Price | $92 at the time of this review | |
Packaging and Bundle
The packaging of the Node 804 pretty much resembles the focus of the company – minimalism. Externally, it is just a brown cardboard box with a simple schematic of the case printed on it. Inside the box however, the case is protected by oversized Polystyrene foam pieces, providing more than ample protection during transport.
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.
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Samus - Thursday, February 19, 2015 - link
I tried to sell a bookcase on craigslist awhile back, and all people commented on/emailed about was how big my Maine Coon was (she was intended to be used for scale, but after what happened, that backfired in making the bookcase look tiny)http://i62.tinypic.com/1o3afr.jpg
just4U - Friday, February 20, 2015 - link
(GRIN) thanks for sharing Samus,My girlfriend and I also have one. Great cats!
Murloc - Friday, February 20, 2015 - link
my maine coon is quite small. But she ticks all the other maine coon boxes.Gigaplex - Thursday, February 19, 2015 - link
Except coke cans vary in size based on region. Especially regions that use metric units.E.Fyll - Thursday, February 19, 2015 - link
That's true; the cans in the US are 355ml (12oz) while most of Europe and Asia is using 330ml (11.2oz) cans. The one pictured is a 330ml can.The difference however is small, it is just 0.54cm shorter and 0.15cm narrower than its US variant.
It is not easy to find something readily available to everyone globally to use as a scale. And I'm allergic to kittens too.
romrunning - Thursday, February 19, 2015 - link
Love having the Coke can there - it's really easy to see at a glance the relative size of the case.barleyguy - Thursday, February 19, 2015 - link
The caption below the picture says it's a 12 oz can. If it's a 330 ml one, the caption is wrong.Murloc - Friday, February 20, 2015 - link
what about a BIC pen?CaedenV - Saturday, February 21, 2015 - link
Ya, it is nearly impossible to find something that could be used for scale. It would be great if we had international bodies dedicated to making measurement instruments that we could use to compare things. Maybe we should start such an organization and make a set of 'rules', and then we could make a measurement tool called a 'ruler' so that we no longer have to deal with regional differences. Heck, we could even make these 'rulers' things with multiple comparative standards on the same device to help multiple audiences make good understandable comparisons.We have some smart people in this community. Somebody get on that!
Kjella - Tuesday, February 24, 2015 - link
We've tried that:http://41.media.tumblr.com/47a2c8a02ffbe89e7737cb7...
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XS-JVzF_E0I/TB1R2uZJHsI/...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thum...
Do you see one country who just *has* to be different?