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Getting the PSU in is also a bit of a tight squeeze; our test PSU is 180mm with modular connections, essentially longer than the Node 304's spec. As a result, the PCIe slot is rendered essentially unusable to cards longer than the motherboard itself. The problem is that a modular power supply is practically essential for a case like this as there simply isn't anywhere else for the cables to go. I don't think this is a dire situation, but it's one of the places where I feel like the SFX power supply standard really needs to proliferate and would be more ideal. You just don't need a full ATX PSU in a case this size, and space is at a premium. The problem is—I’ve gotten married since the last time I built a PC, and I really like hanging out on the couch with my wife. So, gone are the sloppy bachelor days when I could just plonk down something like an NZXT Phantom 820 in the living room. No worries, though, because this is where the Fractal Design Node 304 comes in. yyrkoon - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link May as well call it 300W peak after adding a HDD, and optical drive. a Tad more with an SSD in addition. May I use nonECC memory for Supermicro X11SCL-iF + i3-9100F? I've heard that it's possible to use nonECC memory with i3, and it's impossible with Xeon, is it true? I just don't want to spend more money on memory than CPU+Motherboard cost.
Case suggestions - alternatives to Node 304? : r/sffpc - Reddit Case suggestions - alternatives to Node 304? : r/sffpc - Reddit
We’re happy to award the Fractal Design Node 304 our Stamp of Approval for a product we’d recommend for those looking to build a clean and non-intrusive Mini-ITX build. The Fractal Fan controllers are just simple passive devices with a 3-speed switch. On my Define R4 the three positions are labelled 5V, 7V and 12V I haven’t built a PC in 10 years. I’ve gotten tired of the dismal gaming performance of my MacBook Pro, however, and decided I needed a change. We've said it before but it bears repeating: desktop systems are getting smaller. ATX is becoming less and less necessary, and mini-ITX-based machines more and more offer the same performance and features that their bigger brothers do. That's just the direction of the technology industry as a whole, cramming everything we need into a space half as large. What's specific to cases is their own evolution running parallel with the technology we're putting into them. Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central) You should buy this if ...Befitting the Fractal Design Node 304's simple aesthetic is an equally simple assembly, but there are definitely measures that could've been taken to make it easier still. In its own way this is par for the course with Fractal Design's cases; they're easy to build but they could've optimized things even further. I want to build with 6 HDDs, but I am concerned that the 304 is too small and the passively cooled C27540D4I may not get sufficient airflow with all 6 drives installed. I'm also interested in any comments on typical power consumption for this build. You can immediately see from the photo that some things are missing. Fractal Design has ditched the optical drive bay entirely and saved a lot of space in the process. You may not have noticed that there's also no reset button; HDD activity and power are both handled by the same single blue front LED. Ventilation is pretty minimal, too. Fractal Design took their usual aesthetic and a lot of chutzpah and produced something remarkably unique. Fractal Design Node 304 Specifications The same rules apply if you take out two of the drive cages to squeeze in a 310mm graphics card. To get anywhere near a tidy build in the Node 304 a modular PSU is a must.
Fractal Design Node 304 Black Mini ITX Case - Scan
The long hard drive activity LED is diffused somewhat, making for a pleasant blue glow. The white power LED underneath the bezel shines brightly downward like a spotlight and is blinding when viewed directly. We recommend leaving it disconnected.When it comes to choosing a power supply and GPU there are a few things to be aware of. The case supports graphics cards up to 160mm long but by removing one of the drive cages you can squeeze in a card that's 170mm - but only if you use a shorter power supply. While the maximum size support for motherboards is microATX, you can get a good deal on older boards that work with powerful Intel processors for running Plex Media Server, virtual instances, and other server-related tasks. There are also some good gaming motherboards in this segment that will make for great PC foundations.
Fractal Design Node 804 review: The perfect PC case for Fractal Design Node 804 review: The perfect PC case for
First things first: I know next to nothing about what constitutes a good cooling system besides the fact that I want positive air pressure. There's room for CPU coolers up to 165mm tall, which allows for some quite serious third party offerings, though a liquid chiller may make more sense. Inside - undo the four thumbscrews and remove the cover - are three white drive cages each holding two drives in either 3.5 or 2.5-inch formats. Yes, that's right, an ITX case that can support six hard drives. The 3.5-inch drive mounts have rubber grommets fitted to help dampen down any noise. The PSU is installed on its side and the one thing to note is that the case supports PSUs up to 160mm total depth for non-modular designs; for modular designs, you need to find units of a maximum of 140mm deep.Against other mini-ITX cases housing our four drive server configuration, the Node 304 measured the loudest but the difference was small compared to the BitFenix Phenom and Chenbro SR30169, and the Node 304’s noise increase from the one to four drive configuration was modest. Also, vibration effects were substantially worse with the Lian Li PC-Q18 and BitFenix Phenom, to the point where this factor was more annoying than the airborne acoustics. The Node 304 also boasted the second lowest hard drive temperatures. Cooling 2 x 92mm front fan mounts (fan supplied), 1 x 120/140mm rear fan mount (140mm fan supplied) Front: 2 x 92mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fans, 1300 RPM speed (compatible with 80mm fans) – included I am building for a file / media server at home. My two key goals are that the file server can comfortably saturate a Gbps link and that energy use is as low as possible.
Fractal Design Node 304 case review « Icrontic Fractal Design Node 304 case review « Icrontic
Has anyone used the passively cooled C2750D4I with 6 drives in a Node 304? Thermals OK or a bit marginal? What about power consumption - is a 360W supply too much for this setup? Whether you're looking to build your very own NAS or a more compact cube PC, the Fractal Design Node 804 is a solid choice. It has excellent cooling performance thanks to its array of vents and countless fan mounts. The ability to install up to 10 3.5-inch drives is also a highlight feature, especially for servers with a lot of data to hold. But, with clever placement, this PC case can blend into almost any living room. It might even fit into your entertainment center, though it’s quite a bit taller than most components. Still, it’s not much bigger than it needs to be. Conclusion The front two come with filters and there is a filter for the PSU as well, and they're all removable. All three case fans can be connected to the three-speed fan controller which comes with the case.Case: Fractal Design Node 804 (yes, I got that 304 brings a pain with cable management and air flows) Rear: 1 x 140mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fan, 1000 RPM speed (compatible with 120mm fans) – included Having been away from the PC market for a long while, I’m used to cruddy things stamped out of sheet metal with sharp edges and twisty angles that assured you’d shed some blood at some point during assembly. The last machine of comparable size I dealt with was a Shuttle mini-barebones system, and I think I still have at least one scar from tinkering around inside there. Nothing of the sort happened with this case, and I was continually surprised with how much room I had to play with, even despite initial worries about PSU depth vs graphics card length.
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