Last month saw the review of the Define R4, a big ATX tower that could easily double up as a small server case, with a lot of bells and whistles. This month we’re looking at the Node 304, also from Fractal Design, a small, Mini ITX case with a very minimal aesthetic. Don’t let appearances deceive you though, the Node can do a lot more than you’d think at a cursory glance.
The assembled case is very simple. The front is plain, satin black with the Fractal Design logo and a thin slit for the power light connected to a power button on the side of the front panel. Flanking this button are two USB 3.0 ports, along with headphone and mic ports. The sides of the case both have vents, the bigger one with a dust guard, allowing you to peak inside if you’re up close enough to the box. The rear obviously has a bit more going on, with the rear case fan above a horizontal I/O gap, and next to two PCI slots and a fan speed switch.