Характеристики Node 804
Среди ключевых характеристик стоит отметить, прежде всего, что корпус-то достаточно большой: 344х307х389 мм. По размерам он сопоставим с сабвуфером домашнего кинотеатра, и выглядит так же. По начинке — это просто эйфория:
- место для 10 жестких дисков формата 3.5 дюйма + 2 SSD 2.5 дюйма
- место для 10 вентиляторов диаметром 120 мм (три штуки в комплекте) с регулировкой скорости Lo-Med-Hi
- 5 слотов расширения (на 1 больше, чем у MicroATX плат — для установки 2-слотовых видеокарт в нижний слот на материнской плате.
- отдельное место для оптического привода типа slim 12.7mm со щелевой загрузкой как в старых Macbook-ах, без лотка
- пылевые фильтры везде, где только можно
совместимость:
- системы водяного охлаждения с 240-мм радиаторами (можно поставить до 4 радиаторов)
- блоки питания длиной до 260 мм
- кулеры высотой до 160 мм
- видеокарты длиной до 320 мм (290 мм если установить спереди вентилятор)
Но есть и то, что портит общую гармонию — это окно в стенке корпуса. К чему оно здесь, я понять не могу, и ведь самое обидное, что у Fractal Design нет варианта Node 804 без окошка.
Fractal Design Node 804: Competition
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central)
There aren’t too many cube PC cases out there. This is more of a niche category, much like a small form factor chassis. Thermaltake’s Core V21 is another fine cube case that would also make for a good NAS box or gaming PC case, but it doesn’t support as many 3.5-inch drives as the Node 804 from Fractal Design.
Then there’s the SilverStone Technology SUGO 14, which like the Core V21 doesn’t support as many drives for high-capacity server use, but is a slightly more compact chassis, allowing one to set up their own home NAS in more restrictive positions. All of these cube cases support microATX motherboards and larger GPUs, so it largely comes down to price, storage requirements, and design.
Packaging
As Fractal Design typically does, they ship the Node 804 in a plain brown box with black printing applied to help keep unneeded costs to a minimum. On the front, the product name takes over the top of the box, with an outline of the included chassis below that. The bottom offers the snowflake logo, along with their website address.
We see here the product name is still at the top, but this time, in the rendering, they are highlighting the slide out trays for 3.5″ drive storage that will house up to eight drives in the right side of the chassis.
In case our explanation and the chart of specifications provided were not clear enough, under descriptions of key points, we find a fully exploded view of the Node 804 to show potential customers what all is included in this design without much hassle trying to figure it all out.
The last panel offers us the specifications and cooling system charts that we had just covered on the last page. While not presented in exactly the same way, most of the same information is offered, including all limitations imposed by design or use.
Inside of the box we find the Node 804 surrounded in a thin layer of plastic to protect the finishes and components from rubbing against the thick Styrofoam caps used to keep the chassis safe. Both the box and the inner packaging were free from damage, and in both instances, the Node 804 inside arrived without damages or defects caused by shipping.
Final Thoughts
Fractal Design is continuing on a tradition with the Node 804 that past customers, and even us as reviewers, have come to expect. For one, we like that they seem to always try to rid designs of their basic looking fronts. With the Node 804, not only do we have curves and a mix of plastic and steel mesh, but everything is made to look sleek and simple in any situation; even down to the brushed texture, the tiny name next to the LED, and the front I/O being around the side. Of course, this chassis is geared more for the gamers and enthusiasts that are planning to go all out with water cooling on a Micro-ATX, or Mini-ITX based system, but because of its more compact size and sleek aesthetics, there is no reason this couldn’t find a home as an HTPC, or Media Storage box on the network. The Node 804 will look just as good in any environment you choose to use it in.
I know many of you out there are thinking this is essentially an Air 540 that has been made slightly more compact, and has lost ATX compatibility, and in many ways you are spot on. We knew when we initially saw that chassis that it wouldn’t be long until others took a similar angle to make their mark. While Fractal is sort of on the same plane as that chassis, as we stated way in the beginning, being fractal Design, they have accomplished what they wanted while adding style and grace to the exterior, and doing things their own way on the interior. Fractal Design was also able to deliver a system with three fans run from one controller, and even when power is maximized, their sound level into the office was almost negligible. Even with just three of the ten possible fans installed, we found it was enough airflow to allow us better than average CPU temperatures. As for the GPU, well, due to the CPU cooler making us drop the card a slot on the board, it was now drawing air through the floor, and running cooler than in cases with more room under them. So, even with this trio of fans, and the passive air flow they draw, even our single HDD was kept chilly during testing.
All of this gloating about what the Node 804 can do, and we haven’t even touched on the water cooling aspect of things yet either. Essentially, there are five, possibly six, locations for radiator placement potential, but not all at once. The roof of the chassis can house radiators on either side, and is plenty for a CPU and GPU in one loop. Depending on what is used, you may also want to look into radiators in the front of the chassis, where again, we can have one on either side. Then, if you look into single radiators, there are two fans in the back as well, and with the right gear, there is no reason why they couldn’t go there too. As we said, with careful planning, and making sure you have all the right gear, the CPU and motherboard could be on one loop, and there is still room for more to cool an SLI or Crossfire setup too.
If you aren’t that picky when shopping, you may find yourself paying the nearly $130 price tag it requires to own this chassis from about ninety-nine percent of the places we looked. At that price point, we still feel that the Node 804, and all it offers, is well worth this above average pricing. However, the savvy shopper will find that there is a much better deal to be had, and we might as well take any advantage we can get when buying a chassis. The savings that can be had if you buy this Node 804 right is the difference between a new pump, a thicker radiator, or the cost of four averagely priced fans to fill empty holes. Any way you look at it, cheaper is always better, and when it comes to the Node 804, you get your money’s worth. For those who don’t need ATX support, this chassis is one that can start life off simple, allowing you to graduate to bigger and better builds as your wallet limits and skill set increases, making that investment stretch further and further. As you can likely tell, even if the basic idea has already been seen, and there will be more to come for sure: We find that Fractal Design really did their homework, and offers some serious contention to the market with the Node 804.
PRICING: You can find the FRACTAL DESIGN NODE 804 MICRO-ATX CHASSIS for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.
United States: The FRACTAL DESIGN NODE 804 MICRO-ATX CHASSIS retails for $100.00 at Amazon.
Canada: The FRACTAL DESIGN NODE 804 MICRO-ATX CHASSIS retails for CDN$171.22 at Amazon Canada.
You shouldn’t buy this if …
- You have a larger motherboard than microATX
- You want hot-swappable drive bays
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.
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.
I would have loved Fractal Design to alter the design of the HDD cages to allow the removal and installation of drives without needing to take them out of the case, but this is a minor complaint. The Fractal Design Node 804 is one of the for putting together your own NAS.
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Fractal Design Node 804
Bottom line: Fractal Design’s Node 804 isn’t only a good PC case, but it’s also suitable for use as a NAS chassis thanks to the 10 3.5-inch drive bays.
Внешний вид
Я скажу так — я не вижу Node 804 как компьютер на рабочем столе, или под столом. Можно согласиться на место в тумбе под телевизором, если мы все-таки собираемся на нем играть, но скорее всего удел этого корпуса — кладовка. Так вот если бы я устанавливал его в кладовку, я бы направил на него какой-нибудь светодиодный спот-светильник из IKEA, потому что внешне он выглядит просто потрясающе: загнутые края, как у холодильника из 60-х годов, матовый черный цвет стали и сочетание алюминиевой лицевой панели со стальной решеточкой… это правда очень красиво. Хорошо, что дизайнеры не стали портить внешний вид никакими отсеками для DVD/BD привода. Хотите — можете поставить редкий и дорогой слим-привод, но ничто не выдаст его наличие, а щелочка загрузки диска — едва заметна.
Крышка корпуса — сплошная вентиляционная решетка на пластиковом основании. Свет от нее почти не отражается, так что даже на ярком солнце корпус не бликует. Да, кстати он совсем не бликовал бы, если бы не это несчастное окно в боковой стенке. Хорошо что боковые крышки можно поменять местами и развернуть корпус окошком к стене, тогда он выглядит как монолит.
У меня сложилось ощущение, что много где в этом корпусе можно было сделать покомпактнее, поближе, поуже и пониже, но скорее всего в этом вопросе разработчики на кон поставили именно дизайн. Будь Node 804 меньше хотя бы на пару сантиметров, мне кажется, он бы уже не смотрелся. А так, с какого угла ни взгляни — глаз ни нарадуется.
Есть, конечно, неприятные мелочи, такие как криво посаженная кнопка выключателя, или отличия по цвету корпуса алюминия, пластика и стали (хотя по задумке все должно быть однотонным). Светодиодный индикатор питания выглядит слишком ярко, навязчиво.
В общем, если бы я оценивал внешний вид корпуса по 10-балльной шкале, то Node 804 я бы поставил 7 баллов. Я считаю, что Node 605 достоин 10-балльной оценки, а в Node 804 пластиковая верхняя крышка наверняка со временем начнет отличаться по цвету от стали слева и алюминия спереди, да еще боковое окно заставит вас либо серьезно наводить порядок в корпусе с прокладкой кабелей и подбором красивых комплектующих, либо ставить его так, чтобы внутренности компьютера в глаза не бросались.
Inside the Node 804
Removing the bezel just takes a tug, and it will pop right off, but be careful because the wiring is attached. On the front of the Node 804 we see room for four 120mm fans, and the dual filters covering them. Inside of the bezel, you can attach a slot load optical with a bracket in the hardware, and there is also room for a pair of SSDs to mount on the raised plastic section to the far right.
Our first glance in the left compartment of the Node 804 shows the real size of what we are dealing with. Things look a bit cramped when first looking at this, but once we start installing the gear, we find quite a bit of room is available in this design.
Inside of the front we see the first of three 120mm fans supplied in this chassis. We can also see a hint of the hole for wire management of the front I/O, as well as having room to power SSDs, and an ODD. There is also plenty of room inside the bezel for hiding a bit of wiring as well.
The motherboard tray has a very large cooler access hole, and all but one of the standoffs still needs to be installed, but the lower left one is permanent. While there are a few tie points around the tray, most of the wiring is intended to run in the large spaces to the right, and at the bottom.
As we mentioned before, the floor on this side of the chassis can support two fans, but looking closer, we also see more key holes. These are used to allow this space to be used to install a pair of 3.5″ hard drives, in case needs require the removal of the other eight bays; this way there is still an option to use them.
The back shows the second 120mm fan included in the chassis, and we can see the PCB above it for the fan controller. This offers three 3-pin connections, and is powered via a SATA power connection. Below the fan we find five expansion slots that utilize thumbscrews to secure the ventilated covers for future video cards.
The right compartment in this case offers room for fans up front, the pair of HDD racks at the top that use thumbscrews to secure them in place, and we see the third 120mm fan at the back. The hardware box is where most of the wiring will be, as the PSU sits to the right.
On the floor we find those two Velcro straps to keep the wiring from the PSU low and tidy. Where the PSU sits, there are rubber pads to raise the PSU off the floor, and there is a large filtered area for any sized PSU to draw cool air though easily.
Our last stop before we move on to the wiring is this look at the top of the chassis. With the mesh cover removed, we can now see that most of the top is cut away to allow for four fans, or a pair of radiators. We can also see that each side is slightly offset from the other.
The wiring has enough length to easily reach across the motherboard if needed, and all of it is black, so it blends into the chassis. We are given connections for the HDD LED, power LED, power switch, HD Audio, and of course, the large native USB 3.0 connection.
Fractal Design Node 804: Price and availability
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central)
The Fractal Design Node 804 is designed for use as a server as well as a microATX PC, resulting in a price that can range between $100 and $200, depending on demand and chosen retailer. This chassis is only available in black. Find a full list of specifications in the table below.
| Category | Fractal Design Node 804 |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | microATX, ITX |
| I/O | 2x USB-A 3.01x headphone audio jack1x microphone jack |
| Expansion | 5x horizontal |
| Storage | 12x 2.5-inch SSD/10x 3.5-inch HDD |
| PSU | ATX |
| Included fans | 3 |
| Front fans | 4x 120mm |
| Top rads | 4x 140mm |
| Rear fan | 1x 120mm, 1x 140mm |
| Bottom fans | 2x 120mm/140mm |
| Front rad | Up to 240mm |
| Top rad | Up to 280mm |
| Filters | Front, top, bottom |
| Clearance | GPU: 320mmCPU: 160mm |
| Dimensions | 12.09 x 13.55 x 15.32 inches(307mm x 344mm x 389mm) |
| Weight | 13.2 pounds (6kg) |
| Materials | Steel |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Color | Black |
Case Build and Finished Product
Even with a 160mm limitation, we found plenty of room for an air cooler. We like that we are able to add in the HD7950 as well with no issue at all. Of course, for those wanting to water cool, card length may become an issue, but there are three other locations for radiators if you plan to use longer video cards.
Looking at the rear end of the chassis, we find it filled out nicely. The PSU aligns without issue, and we had no issues snapping in the dust shield, or getting the card mounted.
With our build we only needed one HDD, so we left out the left rack to show some of the space left for optional parts like pumps, or a reservoir. The Velcro may not work for every wiring run, but those that will run under it are tidy and held in place well; plus, it keeps them under the cutout so you won’t see them from the window view.
We chose this angle to minimize the reflection, but the point was to show the great view of the hardware inside that you are afforded in this chassis. Of course, there are the wire ends showing to the right, but once the right side panel is on, the view is of a clean and tidy build with the hardware in the forefront.
As we step back, before we power up the Node 804, we really like that nothing has changed except for the view through the window. Even if you do plan for an ODD, being slot load only, you don’t have to break up the sleek front with an obnoxious looking 5.25″ bay cover, or drive.
After turning on the Node 804, we had to look at the switch on the fan controller again to be sure we were set on the highest setting. Once we verified that, we were pleased to see this chassis only produced 33dB of noise in this setting. Medium fan speed takes it to almost inaudible levels, and in low we had to keep checking the fans to see if they were working, as they were impossible to hear from a foot away from the chassis.
Accessories and Documentation
Inside of that little brown box found in the chassis, we get a huge amount of screws. The handful at the top left is to be used with 3.5″ drive installation. To the right we see the socket and standoffs, as well as the two screws for the slot load ODD bracket. Then, at the bottom we have the PSU screws to the left, ODD mounting screws in the middle, and another handful of screws to mount the motherboard, and 2.5″ storage drives.
Here we have the slot load ODD bracket that holds the drive onto the front bezel of the chassis. Below that are a few wire ties, and in front of those are eight grommets to use if you plan to use 3.5″ drives on the floor of the left section of the case.
Under the layer of plastic the chassis shipped in, but outside of the case, we find the paperwork we see here. There is the larger user guide to take you through the installation and setup. Above that is a product catalog, which, with the use of a mobile application, will allow you to see those products in 3D as well.
Of course, the manual is very thorough in all of its installation steps, and it offers a parts list to be sure you are ready to go, but Fractal Design also offers handy things like this. Here we have a full dimensional drawing of the layout of cooling options, which is located in the top of the chassis under the mesh cover.
Fractal Design also provides the same thing for the front locations. These measurements give overall length, whole spacing, and everything one would need to go ahead and order custom water cooling components to fill these voids if that was the plan. You will be fully aware of what will fit.
Fractal Design Node 804 Chassis
The front of the Node 804 is really slick. They use plastic for the frame of the bezel, as well as the top brushed section, to give it the appearance of brushed aluminium, without the cost. The lower section is the intake, and is covered in a fine mesh with tiny round holes in it. Just above, and far to the right, is the Fractal Design name, and the power LED is just to the right of that.
The top of the chassis is rounded to match the curve of the front bezel, and there is just enough plastic framing around the huge mesh area in the middle to be structurally sound. Removing a pair of screws, and sliding this back an inch or so allows it to be completely removed from the chassis.
The left side of the chassis is much like the top in the aspect of offering just enough steel in the side panel to allow for the largest clear window, yet it is still structurally sound. We can also see that the front curves to the sides, and fits tightly together, keeping the body lines evenly spaced.
A look at the back gives the first hint to the dual sections of this design. On the left side we see a 120mm fan at the top, and under that fan is where the PSU is to be installed. The right section also offers a 120mm fan, but below that are five expansion slots, and some mesh to allow for a bit of passive air flow.
Just above the right side fan, and next to the rear I/O opening at the back of the case, is where Fractal Design has added the fan controller. Via this controller, three fans can be powered and switched from low, to medium, and then again to a high speed of 1000 RPM.
The right side panel on this chassis is just an expanse of steel with the same textured black paint application we found on all the other steel components. At the front of the chassis, where the bezel wraps around to the side, we see the slot load optical drive slot, and the front I/O panel.
This front I/O panel offers 3.5mm jacks to connect a microphone, and headphones just above the unmarked power button. Below, in the mesh section, there are also a pair of USB 3.0 ports.
Under the chassis we find smaller, yet rubber padded feet far out into the corners for sturdy footing. On the left we find a removable dust filter covering optional fan locations. On the right we can see the Velcro straps near the front, and the smaller dust filter for the fan on the PSU.
