Maximum radiator configuration: 1x240mm, 1x280mm and 2x120mm radiators simultaneously. Front interface On the main side of the Node 804 is a nice big plexiglass window so users can easily show off all of the goodies they put inside the case. As this is a dual-chambered case it will offer even novices a chance to have a clean, well-put-together-looking build and will, of course, result in it is worthy of being shown off. Overall, it’s one of my favorite NAS cases that you can use because of the hard drive storage options (with 8 drives being more than enough for most) and the relatively small form factor.

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 While the total hard drive storage locations are ultimately the most important factor of any good case, there are other key things that must be taken into consideration. First, you need to determine the type of motherboard you’ll be using before actually buying a case. Taking a look at the Node 804 itself from the front and it features a nice brushed aluminium design, which goes over great with me. Users will also note the Fractal Design logo on the right-hand side and the nice big vented area across the bottom to make sure users are taking advantage of all the great cooling features. Please keep in mind that while the cases below may support many hard drives, your motherboard must have enough SATA ports to actually use that many hard drives. Please consider purchasing a PCIe SATA/SAS Controller Card if you need additional SATA ports.Ultimately, it’s important to highlight that you can use any case you’d like and the cases below are not the only cases you can use. However, the options below are known to be some of the best options for DIY NAS builds. What Should You Look For in a Case? It might also be what pre-built NAS devices have done to people’s perception, but when you use the Node 804 to build a NAS, it feels like you’re building a NAS. Nothing against more traditional cases, but the Node 804 is large enough to provide the hard drives needed for a NAS, and small enough to throw in the corner and not think about. I love this case. Today I will be taking a look at one of their PC cases by way of the Node 804. The Node 804 is a dual chambered cube case that offers quite a few differences over those of similar design from competitors. Designed for Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards the Node 804 is not short on space or features. It has enough room for 8x 3.5″ hard drives and 2x 2.5″ dedicated hard drives. There is also plenty of space for fans and room for up to 4x 240mm water cooling radiators (one of which can be 280mm). Whether you're looking to build your very own NAS or a more compact cube PC, the Fractal Design Node 804 is a solid choice. It has excellent cooling performance thanks to its array of vents and countless fan mounts. The ability to install up to 10 3.5-inch drives is also a highlight feature, especially for servers with a lot of data to hold. For our thermal performance tests we use all of the included fans that come with the case except for 1 x rear exhaust. We remove the pre-installed rear exhaust fans to install a Corsair H80I all-in-one liqud CPU cooler to keep our results consistent.

There is an access hole in the inner case frame which makes bringing in the 8 pin 12v EPS cable to the top of the motherboard much easier. Nice touch, Fractal.When you’re looking to build a NAS, you really have to try and understand what your goals are first. Network-attached storage cases can have special features like hot-swappable bays, small form factors (mATX or ITX), or even tons of hard drive bays. We’ll focus on the best NAS cases to use in this article. Getting to the fun part and it’s time to start taking things apart. This is a look at the top without the vented panel attached. As you can see there is room for a 240mm radiator in either chamber, though if you want to put it in the second chamber you will need to remove the hard drive cages which is easily enough done. If water cooling isn’t your thing you could also just add some fans for a bit better airflow throughout the case.

Cases for NAS devices are generally smaller form factor, meaning they’re either designed to be extremely small (in the case of ITX-only cases) or look more like a cube so they can maximize hard drive space. I used this case to build a NAS earlier this year and found that it’s not up to the normal Fractal design standard. Having built my last computer in a Define R5, the Node 804 seems to have some badly thought out features. 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. It doesn’t need to be removed to clean them out, but you will need to gain access here for managing the SSD bay and fan/radiator mounts. Up to four 120mm fans can be installed up front, as well as up to two 240mm radiators for enhanced cooling capacity. Side inside view of the Fractal Design Node 804. (Source: NAS Master) From that perspective, the JONSBO N2 isn’t a great value, but from the perspective of offering the overall best form factor you can buy, potentially being a low-powered unit (depending on the other components), and looking and functioning like a rebuilt NAS, the JONSBO N2 is an awesome option.The flexibility of this case really gives the users the possibility to create their optimal system build. Dimensions The JONSBO D500 is a great mix between a massive case like the Define 7 XL, and a more traditional, PC case that simply holds 4-5 hard drives. As we can see both chambers can house 2x fans on the front and come with separate dust filters per chamber. Fractal Design did not cut any corners when it came to making sure the Node 804 offered optimal airflow and cooling features. There are cheaper options, there are smaller options, and there are bigger options, but the JONSBO D500 is the case that sits in the middle of all those to provide a great experience. It’s hard to review this case without mentioning just how large it is. So let me summarize it like this – this case is for people who do not care at all how their case looks, how portable it is, or how much room it will take up.

It needs to be an inch taller. In the hard drive compartement using a standard 800ish Watt ATX power supply with hard drives (seagate 8tb ironwolves) installed, there’s hardly any room for hard drive data and power connectors. This is even worse if you’re using a sas card with break out cables. You really need right angle connectors in here. There is not a lot of room to work within the area behind the front cover, and fully populating it with drives will be somewhat difficult due to all the cable routing. Jun 10:43:00 - [warn] [node-red-bluemix-nodes/tcp] ‘tcp request’ already registered by module node-red The side panel for the 2nd chamber is plain and has nothing going on. Towards the front though we can see the front IO which consists of 2x USB 3.0 ports, audio inputs, power button and space for a slimline optical drive.I have a love/hate relationship with Mini-ITX cases. On one hand, they provide the smallest form factor you can realistically build. On the other, they’re extremely expensive in comparison to just about anything else, as the motherboard and power supply will provide fewer total connections (SATA, USB, etc), but cost more. The most common types of Motherboards are ATX, though Micro-ATX (mATX) and Mini-ITX (mITX) motherboards are extremely common as well. In rare cases, E-ATX Motherboards are used as well, but they’re generally less common than ATX, mATX, or mITX.