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

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First of all, CPU Cooler. You have the mainstream option which is the (Dont buy this) Noctua NH-L9i. While a Noctua NH-L12S HSF would have been my personal choice of heatsink for this chassis, the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 ( reviewed here) put up an equal fight in our testing. That said, depending on your processor, fan, voltage, and chiplet orientation, thermal paste, and the temperature of your room, your thermal results may vary. The Fractal Design Node 202, in many ways, is a superb Mini-ITX chassis. It offers a unique layout for SFF builders and will look the part in the living room or at the gaming desk. The vertical or horizontal versatility means there is space in almost any setup for this PC case.

Like the legendary NCASE chassis, the side panels on the Ridge use the same lovely ball joint clips (quiet and effortless unlike Sliger) to snap the side panels into place. If you wanted to simplify access to the internal components, I would recommend removing the captive screws on the side panels as these will perform just fine. 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.This small footprint is an intelligently built unit where extreme detail was placed into the design phase to get every line and spec in perfect harmony. With both horizontal and vertical orientation possibilities, the Node 202 can be placed anywhere in the house. The sleek design makes it very attractive next to the TV in the living room or on your desk in the office. On the graphics side of things the Sapphire ITX R9 285 idled at 41 degrees and rose to 78 degrees under extreme duress. There is absolutely no cause for concern with those figures.

Still not widely adopted on all ITX motherboards, this is the USB 3.1 Gen 2 header that enables the USB-C port at the front of the case. The Node 202 is a bit of a challenge to build in but the layout is logical and there is still a bit of wiggle room to manage your cables efficiently. Like most Fractal cases, the Node 202 is built from high-end materials and constructed to last.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 However I have found that the ID-COOLING IS-60 Paired with the Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM is a better option as the ID Cooling has more heatpipes. The Noctua fan sits right at the intake hole of the Node 202 case allowing it to pull in fresh air. It's the ideal choice IMO, But keep in mind, the cooler sits above the ram, so make sure you get some Low clearance (height) ram such as Corsair. As for thermal paste, Kryonaut all the way. The Node 202 suffers on the cooling front, however the same is true of most small form factor PCs. In this case the dual core Pentium G3258 starts at a relatively warm 44 degrees but the temperature only rises to 61 degrees under extreme load. No doubt a Core i5 or i7 would have got significantly hotter but that wouldn't have proved very much. The case’s default fan configuration is used to give an accurate interpretation of the out-of-the-box performance. 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.

As always, we highly recommend undervolting your components to maximize your cooling, save on electricity, and to configure custom fan profiles to reduce noise. The stand is made of plastic and not aluminum like the face of the chassis. Only the mounting points are metal

While this macro shot is heavily focused on the protruding lip of the 25mm fan, it helps to illustrate the sizeable gap between the GPU and the fans. 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.

Your results will also be drastically different if you’re planning to build an APU home theater setup that uses a 240 mm or a 280 mm radiator. The top of the case (when laying horizontal) is one entire piece that securely screws into the base plate. The sides are just airflow ventilation panels and don’t come off as you would see from a regular PC case. The sides are part of the entire top shell, which lifts off. Installed from the inside of the chassis, the case and the stand include provisions for the screws that are threaded into the stand. Showing off more of the chassis’ rear, you can see a C13 female for the internal power cord. Beware that it’s position might conflict with any motherboards that use an oversized heatsink over the rear IO (i.e. MSI Z390 itx) but for most boards that stay within the limits of the keep out zone, it shouldn’t be an issue. Instead of using a snap in design that can be a real bear to remove, they opted for a more premium design that is screwed into place with 2x screws that can be removed if getting to the 8-pin connector on the motherboard proves too difficult.

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If you’re still using the added clutter caused by 2.5″ SSD drives, you’ll be pleased to see that the Ridge hasn’t forgot about you, and that it supports 4x 2.5″ SSD drives in total. The case includes a tool less design for the installation of 2x SSDs which makes installing those drives a snap, the other 2x SSD installation points will require the use of screws. The build itself went off without a hitch once you figure out how to properly bend the bulky USB 3.0 cable and repair any bent pins on the motherboard (oops!). The lower cover can also be removed via the clips and has to come off if you are wanting to clean the magnetic intake filers for the GPU/PSU. The clips are a little fiddly again, with you having to unclip it one by one. The interior is incredibly easy to work with, despite its small form but Fractal Design has done away with 5.25” and 3.25” device support. Inside, there is a single drive bay that attaches to the inner frame with a single screw. You can mount two SSD drives to the inside but I’d advise going for an M.2 SSD drive if you can afford it. I used an M.2 with a single 2.5” SSD to support it, giving me a bit of much-needed room to stash cables in the drive bay. If you have fat fingers, removing the panel at the underside of the chassis makes the installation even easier.