Fractal Node 804 Review

yo mama so fat....

| Source: Fractal Price: £77.60 Author: Tom Logan





Introduction

I'm not sure if brand recognition through a simple word works the same for everyone but if you said 'Fractal' to me I instantly think R3/R4, low noise cases, the 302 and snow ball fights. We have always been fond of Fractal here at OC3D, in the TTL towers office we are still using an R3 filled up with a bank of 2TB hard drives as the home/office server, so it should speak volumes when a reviewer or review team not only say they like a product but actually continue using it.



When we saw the original concept drawings for the 804 land in our inbox so long ago we have to admit that our nerd glands became a little excited and inflamed about what goodness we could squeeze inside. Today with a rather lengthy video review we finally got to find out.....







Key features



Highly effective dual chamber case layout for best possible cooling.

Minimalistic design with an elegant brushed aluminum front panel

Unique hard drive mounting system, fitting up to 8 x 3.5″, 4 x 2.5” or up to 10 x 3.5”, 2 x 2.5″ drives HDD/SSD

Three Fractal Design Silent Series R2 fans included with the case and space for an additional 7 fans.

Excellent water cooling support with space for up to 4 radiators simultaneously.

All intakes feature removable dust filters providing a dust-free interior.

Featuring a window side panel to show off your set up in style.

Additional space in the front to mount a slim optical bay drive and 2 x 2.5″ drives.

Fan controller included.

Five expansion slots that allows for multiple GPU setups.



Specifications

Micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboard compatibility

8 - 3.5″ HDD positions

2 - 2.5″ dedicated SSD unit positions

2 - Extra positions for either 3,5″ or 2,5″ drives

5 expansion slots

10 - Fan positions (3 x 120mm Silent Series R2 fans included)

Filtered fan slots in front, top and bottom

CPU coolers up to 160 mm in height

PSU compatibility: ATX PSUs up to 260 mm deep

Graphics card compatibility: Graphics cards up to 320mm in length. Graphics cards up to 290 mm in length may be installed if a fan is installed in the lower position in the front.

Velcro strap for easy cable management

Clear Window side panel included

Colors available: Black

Case dimensions (WxHxD): 344 x 307 x 389 mm

Net weight: 6 kg

Package dimensions (WxHxD): 370 x 468 x 412 mm

Package weight: 7.7kg



Cooling system

Front: 4 – 120mm fans (included is one hydraulic bearing 120mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed)

Rear: 1 - 120/140mm fan (included is a hydraulic bearing 120mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed)

Rear: 1 - 120mm fan slots (included is 1 hydraulic bearing 120mm Silent Series R2 fan, 1000 RPM speed)

Top: 4 - 120x140mm fans (not included)

Fan controller: 1 - Integrated fan controller for up to 3 fans (included)

Water cooling compatibility

Front (right chamber) - 240 mm radiator configurations up to 60 mm thick (with fans) and 278 mm tall are allowed.

Front (left chamber) - 240 mm radiator configurations up to 60 mm thick (with fans) and 278 mm tall are allowed. Using a radiator in this position prevents the use of a fan in the top position just next to it.

Top (right chamber) - 240/280 mm radiators up to 130mm thick (with fans) may be fitted if the HDD drive bays are taken out or placed elsewhere. No limitation to thickness.

Top (left chamber) - 240 mm radiator configurations up to 130 mm thick (with fans) will fit. Radiators in this position limits the height of memory modules to 48 mm tall.

Maximum radiator configuration: 1x240mm,1x280mm and 2x120mm radiators simultaneously.





Video Review









Conclusion



So have Fractal managed to deliver again? The simple answer is yes to almost every question, its Ace card was having the rear section the width of a normal PSU allowing radiator options back there. You can fit radiators in both the motherboard section and the rear section but please refer to the video for what options you have. Due to the compact nature of the case, it's not quite as simple as fitting 4x 240mm radiators like many of you probably dreamed of from the original pictures. In the real world you are looking at 2 with fans fitted to the case to help it breathe too.

Fractal have clearly spent a long time trying to make sure there are as many options for mounting, fitting or moving things around as much as possible and when you take the time to appreciate this, the effort Fractal have put in on the 804 really shines through. Even something as simple as the user manual which with a lot of brands it is just a waste of paper to please a n0000b, Fractal manages to turn theirs into some kind of masterclass.... After flicking through it and my jaw hitting the desk I went back and read it cover to cover!

For £77 I honestly do not believe there is anything more you could have asked from Fractal and its for this reason they have won our OC3D gold award..... If it had been 30 or 40mm longer so you could have radiators in the front AND the top at the same time then we could have seen the white gold award for only the second time in the history of OC3D today..... EPIC epic little case!





Thanks to Fractal for sending in the 804, you can discuss your thoughts and your dreams in the OC3D Forums.

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