Fractal Design Node 304 - Black - Mini Cube Compact Computer Case - Small form factor - Mini ITX – mITX - High Airflow - Modular interior - 3x Fractal Design Silent R2 120mm Fans Included - USB 3.0

Product Information

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=480&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=64&g=spec Rear: 1 x 140mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fan, 1000 RPM speed (compatible with 120mm fans) – included Front: 2 x 92mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fans, 1300 RPM speed (compatible with 80mm fans) – included First things first: I know next to nothing about what constitutes a good cooling system besides the fact that I want positive air pressure.

Fractal Design Node 304 case review « Icrontic Fractal Design Node 304 case review « Icrontic

The final major piece to my build was a Diamond Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card, which fit with room to spare. This is where the concern over power supply length comes into play: Had that PSU extended much farther, or had I used a modular PSU, there might not have been enough room for this card—or a larger card, should I decide to upgrade in the future. But, this turned out fine, and as mentioned earlier the case housing offers a vent grille right next to the fan for this card. My sweet spot is something not as small as Node 202 and not as large as Corsair 250D (26L). My build is going to be a mini ITX with an ATX PSU (150 mm modular) and a 10 inch GPU.

If I fully load all 8 cores and fully load the drives, temperatures stabilise at about 55 C for Mobo and 75 C for CPU. Drive temps don't change 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. It might be a little unfair, because I hid the PC on top of the sub-woofer for our 5.1 receiver. And, well, also because I took cruddy pictures with my phone.

Node 304: What size CPU coolers will fit in my Node 304? Node 304: What size CPU coolers will fit in my Node 304?

With an Intel i3 (around 54W max. TDP) and an COOLER MASTER Hyper TX 3 with the fan removed the CPU gets 70°C at maximum when running some programs which make full use of the CPU. Putting your media in your HTPC is folly. The HTPC should by as tiny as other requirements permit and your files should live on another computer in the house. Gigabit or Wireless N are perfectly capable of handling 1080p streaming requirements. Maximum during spinup with 6x6TB Reds is 126W for HDDs only. On top of that I would allocate another 40W* for the board/cpu itself on 12V. Combining that we'd be at circa 14A @ 12V which the PSU has to cough out at a minimum. To be safe I'd grab at least 18-20A on 12V.http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=561&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=spec

Fractal Design Node 304 review | TechRadar

charlie89 - I hadn't realised the case itself has a fan controller. Can the fans be controlled by way of mobo headers (i.e. variable speed), or only by the fan speed switch in the case (fixed speed)?

Overall, I’m a fan of this case. I wanted a small, elegant PC with a focused set of hardware inside—and that’s just what this case let me build. If this is the kind of thing you’re looking for, I’d highly recommend the Node 304. I think it’s worthy of at least 1.5 thumbs up, though I’d throw up the second if there were better options for cable management and fan speed. The node is designed for front intake and rear exhaust, so yes, the way you have planned it is the best way. The best Noctua fans you can get (although you don't have to get Noctua, there are plenty much cheaper fans that will do almost as well) are the NF-A9 and NF-A14. The Hyper 212 is a very good cooler for the money, but if you're going to be spending that much money on fans alone you might as well get an NH-D14 or NH-D15, although I'm not sure if they'll fit, it depends on your motherboard. 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. 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.