I remember the first LAN party that I ever attended in which I found myself hulking around my large and quite heavy steel mid-tower chassis. The experience was less than desirable, to say the least. Setting up a large bulky PC in your living room could have also been an eye-sore as well. Then the Mini-ITX form factor came along to rescue us from all of this peril. While all of this has been a long time coming, it has been most certainly worth the wait. Smaller, more powerful components are now available for the small form factor.
Over the years, the idea of building your own HTPC has increased in popularity and demand. It really is amazing the amount of performance we can now fit into such a tiny box and is a testament to the strides made in the technology used in our electronics.
Today we will be taking a look at the Node 304 mid-tower chassis from none other than Fractal Design, who is well known in the world of computer chassis, power supplies, and case fans. It will be interesting to see what the Node 304 offers over other chassis in a market saturated with so many options.
There are an abundant number of chassis manufacturers with an equally abundant number of chassis to choose from. Fractal Design has packed some really good features in with the Node 304, such as support for longer graphics cards, support for six SSDs or HDDs, cable management options, and much more as we will discover soon.
I will note here that there are two color configurations available for this chassis. The version we will be reviewing today is the white version. And without further delay, let us begin the review!
I would like to thank Fractal Design for providing the review sample. This is a snippet from what Fractal Design has to say about themselves on their website:
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Visions and Goals Without a doubt, computers are more than just technology – they have become an integral part of our lives. Computers do more than make living easier, they often define the functionality and design of our homes, our offices and ourselves. The products we choose represent how we want to describe the world around us and how we want others to perceive us. Many of us are drawn to designs from Scandinavia, which are organized, clean and functional while remaining stylish, sleek and elegant. We like these designs because they harmonize with our surroundings and become nearly transparent. Brands like Georg Jensen, Bang Olufsen, Skagen Watches and Ikea are just a few that represent this Scandinavian style and efficiency. In the world of computer components, there is only one name you should know, Fractal Design. The Path to Reaching Our Goals To attain our goal of providing functional, efficient and sleek Scandinavian designed products for our customers, we apply extreme focus, research and passion each step of the way. Taking pride and extra care from the brainstorming phase through to the planning, design and production phase, we are dedicated to bringing you reliable and quality designs. The Concept – Design The concept of Fractal Design is to provide products with an extraordinary level of design, without compromising the important factors of quality, functionality and pricing. Today’s computer has evolved into playing a central role in most homes, creating a demand for appealing design of the computer itself and its accessories. Our main product areas are computer enclosures, power supplies and related accessories. Designed and Engineered in Sweden All Fractal Design products have been carefully designed and tested in our Swedish headquarters. The well-known elements of Scandinavian design can be found throughout all of our product lines; a minimalistic, elegant and simple design, embracing the motto of ‘less is more’. We are True Listeners Year over year, the Fractal Design brand continues to grow and we pride ourselves on honestly listening to our partners and customers. All feedback is carefully considered and new revisions of products as well as new product line launches are a direct response to the demand and feedback received from the market. |
