More mini ITX madness from the Swedish chassis manufacturer
Fractal Define Nano S - yup: $80. That’s 80. Not 140, not 100—80. How on earth has Fractal managed to build such a good-looking, feature-rich chassis for such a low price? We’ll be honest—we’re not sure, nor are we here to comment on Fractal’s (clearly impressive) manufacturing and marketing strategy. We’re here to soak up the gloriousness of this clean-cut chassis, to appreciate this case’s expanded liquid-cooling support, and to fall in love with the fact that this tiny tower is available for less than it costs to spray-tan yourself orange and buy a blonde toupee.So, where to start? Well, let’s take a look at the chassis from the outside. It’s not the gaudy, pointed, LED-littered affair of a gaming chassis. It’s sophisticated, classy. The sharp lines synonymous with Fractal’s minimalistic design style work wonders on the Define Nano. It’s a box— yeah, we get that—but, at the same time, it’s more than that. It’s a container that will house all your expensive hardware, your pride, your joy, and sit merrily on your desk for the next two to three years.
For cooling, you’re graced with a choice of up to four 140mm or 120mm fans (two in the front, two in the roof), and a final 120mm in the rear. On top of that, thanks to the Nano’s particularly barren interior layout, water-cooling in this little beauty should be a dream. You can easily fit two of EKWB’s PE 240mm radiators in this thing, and still have room to maneuver, thanks to all that space.
Additional features aren’t exactly lacking, either. You can mount two 3.5/2.5- inch drives, there are some lovely rubber grommets (one up on NZXT’s Manta), Fractal’s personalized Velcro straps for cable management located in the rear of the chassis, a very swanky magnetic sliding underside dust filter, a magnetic door latch dust filter in the front, a ModuVent cover on the top, to allow for more airflow and cooling options, and, of course, sound-dampening material embedded into that rear panel as well. And last, but not least, pre-drilled holes for pump and reservoir mounting.
So, yeah, there’s all that. Overall build quality is pretty sound, too. Of course, you’re not going to find any crazy rigid steel and aluminum external panels, certainly not at this price point, but the plastic front is slick enough, and has the advantage of not being a fingerprint magnet, as opposed to the metal alloys of the more premium, pricier cases out there.
WINDOW SHOPPING
What is there to dislike about the Nano? Not a lot, to be honest. If you’re not particularly keen on the window, you can opt for a version without—you’ll also gain more sound-dampening because of it. One thing we do miss is the PSU cover, found in the likes of chassis such as the Manta, and the window does feel as though it could have been just a touch bigger, considering how empty the visible interior is of hard drives and the like. It also has slightly rounded corners, which contrast starkly against the sharp lines of the rest of the design. And lastly, similar to the Manta, it still has compatibility issues when it comes to which motherboard you use. In reality, mini-ITX boards are just a nightmare, and unlike their ATX brothers, they’re simply not designed to mount vertically in a case. It’s a shame—hopefully, with Kaby Lake, we’ll begin to see more premium ITX motherboards, designed in a similar manner to the ATX masterpieces. But until then? You’re stuck with around three different mobos to choose from. –Zak StoreySPECIFICATIONS
- Form Factor ITX
- Dimensions (W x H x D) 8.0 x 13.5 x 16.2 inches
- Cooling Front: 2x 120/140mm; Top: 2x 120/140mm; Rear: 1x 120mm
- CPU Cooler Clearance 6.3 inches
- Graphics Card Max Length 12.4 inches
- Storage Support 2x 2.5/3.5-inch
- Power Supply Support ATX
