An elegant aluminium brick of a HTPC
case
This case is aimed squarely at the HTPC
builder. It supports all motherboard formats, from full-sized ATX down to teeny
mini-ITX. This is just as well, because if you want to add an optical drive,
you can only do so by using a mATX or smaller board.
Where
the Fractal Design Node 605 excels is in the same place Fractal Design
typically excels: external design.
Measuring 445 x 164 x 349mm, the Node 605’s
frame is constructed from steel, with an 8mm thick brushed aluminium front
bezel. The whole thing is finished in black, with white bard drive mounts,
expansion plates and cooling fan blades for contrast.
The power button is the only thing visible
on the front bezel, but a flap at the bottom opens to reveals the I/O panel
consisting of an integrated flash card reader (Compact Flash, SD and microSD),
a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a FireWire port and headphone and mic ports. At the
other end of the panel is the slot for a slim-line optical drive, the mounting
kit for which is included in the accessory box.
The
power button is the only thing visible on the front bezel
Assembly required
A screwdriver is needed from the off,
because the case doesn’t have any tool-free features. The top is held in place
by two screws, and lifts away to reveal a layer of sound deadening material on
the reverse. You’re then faced with the case cross member/brace, which also
holds the two drive cages. Undoing the four screws holding this unit in place
and removing it gives you full access to the interior. To get to the expansion
plates, you must undo another screw in the back of the case to open a flip-down
cover. You can then access the screws securing the plates. So yeah, screw driving
skills are necessary.
The
sides of the Node 605 both feature 120mm vents; two of these vents conceal 120mm
intake fans, while one conceals a mount and the fourth is for cooling the power
supply.
The two drive cages can hold two drives
each either standard 3.5in or 2.5in drives. The 3.5in mounts have rubber
grommets fitted, which help cut down noise from vibration.
When it comes to power supply and graphics
card selection, things get a little complicated. With both hard drive cages in
place, the maximum length of power supply is 180mm. with only one cage fitted,
this increases to 190mm. where the PSU sits is a circular ventilation grill,
which can be removed to allow more air to circulate around the PSU. This might
help the power supply but does nothing for the case aesthetically.
Similarly, there are a number of
restrictions to the size of graphics card that can be used, depending on how
many drive cages are fitted. With both drive cases in place there’s a 180mm
length is flexible depending on how many cages are fitted and which Mobo slot
the card is sitting in.
there
are a number of restrictions to the size of graphics card that can be used,
depending on how many drive cages are fitted.
It might be tricky to set up, but once your
machine is built into this elegant, sturdy chassis, you’ll never want to change
it.
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Vital
Statistics
·
Price: $210
·
Manufacturer: Fractal Design
·
Web: www.fractal-design.com
·
Motherboard support: ATX, mATX, mini ITX, DTX
·
Expansion slots: 7
·
Fans: 2 x 120mm
·
I/O ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x FireWire,
headphone/mic
Verdict
·
Features: 8/10
·
Performance: 8/10
·
Value: 8/10
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