Fractal Design Node 202 - Black - Mini-ITX Slim Profile Compact Small Form Factor Computer Case – Modular interior - USB 3.0

Product Information

Things like the number of cores, the temperature of your room, etc etc, will all provide different results. For custom 3D Print options, you could always print some custom parts for your Node 202: https://www.yeggi.com/q/node+202/ Buying 2 of these fills the whole top THOUGH, I did need to cut the end of one of them to make it fit. Example: https://imgur.com/a/CdABB0W

Despite being quite old and small, the Node 202 still comes with a few key features. Like most Fractal Design cases, the Node 202 has excellent build quality, with high-end materials and solid construction. This is quite a versatile machine made for both the living room and computer desk. The Node 202 can stand it vertically with the use of the stand and lay down horizontally for the home theatre setup. So believe it or not, it CAN be entirely possible to Watercool your GPU, ONLY if you get a SFF Card such as: (Hopefully newer SFF Cards come out soon) If you can't water-cool (Trust me, it might not be worth it), air fans are always much more reliable. I was able to fit these under my GPU to allow for more airflow:Fractal Design is a well-known Swedish designer of PC cases. Most of their ITX designs are not an exception to the aforementioned rule, sacrificing volume for component compatibility and performance. However the company wanted us to take a look at their smallest ITX case, the Node 202. It is a slim case that physically resembles many other designs that were created for HTPC use, but, despite its very narrow chassis, the Node 202 can hold a full size video card, allowing the creation of very small but powerful gaming systems. Fractal Design Node 202 The power button has a solid tactile feeling and its functionality is predictable. It not hit or miss, it doesn’t wiggle, and it’s not squishy to press on. The Ridge chassis is shipped inside a brown box where its simplicity practically screams “Product of Sweden”.

Here is a closeup of the captive screws. They aren’t spring-loaded like a server chassis, which is fine, but at least they can be threaded all the way out if ever you need to replace them or prefer not to use them.The case also doesn’t include any magnetic fan filters so if you’re in the market for some, be sure to keep an eye on Demcifilter as I’m sure they will release them. The Node 202 comes with no fans. A common mod people do is to add two Notcua fans to the top, so the CPU is have some sort of exhaust. You can find just the right spot to screw them in. Here you can see where the motherboards 8-pin connector is buried when the motherboard is installed. Small Form Factor – The Node 202 stays true to the form factor and is truly a Mini-ITX chassis. This features a 10.2-liter volume and is incredibly slim, much like a console. This may only support SFX power supplies and Mini-ITX motherboards but it can still fit a full-sized GPU(up to 310mm). The Node 202 is the ultimate PC case for those looking for a beautifully designed, compact chassis that can house a capable gaming build.

Once the graphics card is installed you connect the various cables and here we wish that Fractal Design would include two short SATA cables to help keep everything tidy.

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The riser card sits flush with the top of the GPU mounting bar for a clean installation but it won’t matter much since there is no window option. If you look closely, you can see how the power light on the Fractal Ridge is neatly hidden and diffused behind the mesh face, just above the IO. Motherboard manufacturers have been trying to combat this issue by creating highly advanced and fully featured Mini ITX motherboards specifically designed to be the heart of powerful gaming systems. Recent energy efficient CPUs also reduced their cooling requirements, allowing the use of smaller and quieter coolers. Still, most of the ITX cases that became available were not nearly as small as a console, as manufacturers had to compensate for the width of expansion cards and the size of optical drives. However with their newest Mini-ITX design, the Node 202, Fractal Design is looking to change this, producing a bare-minimum sized case specifically designed for building a gaming PC. Introduction