Fractal Design NODE 804 Review 6

Fractal Design NODE 804 Review

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Value & Conclusion

  • The Fractal Design NODE 804 sells for under 80 euro including taxes or 90 US dollars excluding them.
  • Well priced
  • Can hold a slimline ODD
  • Space for up to ten 3.5" hard drives
  • Two dedicated SSD placement possibilities in the front
  • Can hold a 120 mm tower cooler of up to 160 mm in size
  • Long GPUs and PSUs will easily fit
  • Excellent liquid-cooling possibilities
  • Includes 3 fans right out of the box
  • Fan controller for 3 fans included
  • Large window to show off the parts
  • Well constructed
  • Dust filters on all intake areas
  • Large cube for a mATX cube chassis
  • Only slot-loading ODD
  • No possibility to connect USB 3.0 to 2.0 out of the box
  • Embedded I/O in front would be better off attached to the case instead, for easier assembly
  • Not the smallest mATX cube chassis out there
The Fractal Design NODE 804 is part of a small bunch of enclosures offering a cubed two-compartment approach. It competitors stem from the Corsair Carbide Air series or the Cooltek W line. Even though these companies really do try to get your attention with enthusiast features, mostly at a refreshingly low price, none have managed to offer that perfect balance between size and compatibility yet. Corsair has gone for two separate cases, with the Air being mATX but only allowing compact CPU coolers unless liquid cooling is used. Fractal Design has, instead, gone for that middle ground: The NODE 804 may be larger than the Air 240 while costing the same, but it offers functional benefits in exchange. Unlike the Air 240, you may install a large CPU cooler of up to 160 mm in height, and you may stuff the chassis full of 120 mm or 140 mm fans if you feel so inclined. On top of that, it takes the crown by offering up to 12 hard-drive-mounting possibilities, essentially fusing features important to enthusiasts and gamers with those for a storage power house. But Fractal Design has not stopped there: You also get a slimline slot-loading ODD bay. Sure, such a combination really reduces the choices you have, but having that option alone may sway some toward this chassis. The Fractal Design NODE 804 is, ultimately, big and bulky - call it is the Sumo ringer of mATX cube cases. But it can hold a ton of hardware - you may even run out of components to install before the NODE 804 breaks a sweat.
Editor's Choice
Budget
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Apr 25th, 2024 06:30 EDT change timezone

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