Conclusion and Verdict
The Node 304 chassis from Fractal Design is a solid offering that blends the best of working and functional features, modern looks, solid construction, superb build quality, and space that has been almost non-existent in other competition. Many of the features that are included with the Node 304 such as, support for tower CPU coolers, longer graphics cards, and support for up to six storage drives are a definite welcome taste to the small form factor saga. The included cooling system performed well in keeping our AMD APU gaming system in acceptable temperature ranges while remaining fairly quiet on both low and medium fan controller settings. All of these attributes will surely attract many potential customers looking to build their next HTPC, Steambox, or fileserver. I have to give credit where credit is due and this chassis improves upon the Mini-ITX form factor so much in fact that it has earned a spot in my living room!
That said, there are a couple of items that could be improved upon in future iterations such as implementing a completely tool-less feature for storage drives and adding a reset button. It is a toss-up when it comes to the lack of an external drive bay. Let’s face it we live in a time when streaming our movies is more prominent than it used to be, however some consumers may still need that optical drive for other reasons as well.
Overall, I am really impressed by the design and layout of the Node 304. This base design has a strong foundation to build upon and I cannot wait to see what Fractal has in store for us in the future.
The Fractal Design Node 304 Chassis can be found online at various e-tailers for $89.99 USD.
Pros:
- Sturdy construction
- Superb build quality
- Durable paint finish
- Quiet acoustics
- Spacious for small size
- Support for up to six HDDs or SSDs!
- Filtered Ventilation
- Built-in fan controller
- Simple yet appealing looks
- Intelligent use of space
Cons:
- What reset button?
- SSD installation not completely tool-less
- External drive bay still needed by many consumers
Final Thoughts:
What we have here readers is a solid offering in the Node 304 chassis from Fractal Design. If you have a need for a simple yet appealing Mini-ITX chassis that has many great and modern features without the restrictions typically associated with the form factor, then look no further than the Fractal Design Node 304. Thanks and have a Funky Day!
