Fractal Node 804
This tiny case offers a big feature list.
If you want Fractal quality but in the smallest possible form factor, this is the case for you. It can handle both micro-ATX and mini-ITX. Yet it still manages to act like a mini TARDIS, squeezing lots of features into a tiny amount of space.
For starters, there’s a whopping 10 fan mounts, which is simply crazy for such a small box, and three 120mm fans are included at purchase. A fan controller is included, so you don’t need to patch them all into your motherboard.
There’s also eight 3.5-inch drive bays, alongside twin 2.5-inch SSD bays, allowing for a huge amount of storage. Five expansion slots adorn the rear, though you’ll be lucky to find a micro-ATX board with that many PCIe lanes. Despite being smaller than other Fractal cases, it can fit a larger graphics card, at 32cm in length. Meanwhile CPU clearance is a little shorter, at just 16cm, so take care when choosing your air cooler. Radiator fans can jam a 280mm radiator at the top, or stick to the regular 120/240mm at the front.
There’s space enough also for a full-sized ATX power supply, while the left side uses a plastic window to show off the hardware within. Fractal’s trademark brushed aluminium face panel is present, and we love the look of this modern minimalistic style.
Being Fractal, you can expect to pay a premium for this box, but considering just how much you can pack into the tiny space, the slight increase in price over competing boxes is worth it for those who want the highest quality.
Verdict
Packing an impressive amount of hardware into such a tiny box is no easy feat, but Fractal has done it.