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Fractal Design Core 500 Black Mini-ITX Small Form Factor Computer Case
See more "mini itx case"
In stock.
Ships from United States.
- Supports up to 2 radiators (Top – 1x 280, 240, 140 or 120 mm Rear - 1x 120mm)
- Magnetic Removable Dust Filters
- Supports ATX PSUs up to 160mm in length (modular PSUs)/170mm in length (non modular PSUs) (not included)
- Fully removable 5.25" drive cage
- Supports up to 7 drives (3x 3.5" HDD, 3x 2.5" SSD 1x 5.25" ODD)
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Overview
Specs
Reviews
Small footprint. Big potential
Core 500
Core 500
Core 500
The Core 500 is a small, compact chassis that lets you build your computer without compromising on component selection.
The case comes with one Silent Series R3 140mm fan which offers great cooling from the get go. For those who wish to expand their cooling ability there is room for an additional two 140 mm fans, water cooling radiators up to 280mm or air coolers up to 170 mm in height.
Additionally, with minimal compromise, the Core 500 can fit one 5.25" drive, three 3.5"drives and three 2.5" drives, allowing you to use every last square millimeter of this compact, 19.5 liter case.
Key features
- Brushed aluminum-look front panel with a sleek, three-dimensional textured finish
- Very compact case with a volume of only 19.5 liters
- Extremely good water cooling support for its size, supporting radiators up to 280mm long
- Smart drive bay placement allows you to fit up to three 3.5"drives, three 2.5" and one 5.25" drive simultaneously
- Supports Mini-ITX motherboards, ATX power supplies and graphics cards up to 310mm in length
- Supports tall CPU cooler towers, up to 170mm in height
- Featuring a Fractal Design Silent Series R3 140mm rear exhaust fan for great cooling
- Big magnetic filters for the side and top air intake together with a PSU filter ensure a dust free interior

Specifications
- Mini ITX motherboard compatibility
- 2 expansion slots
- 3 - 3.5" HDD positions
- 3 - 2.5" dedicated SSD/HDD unit positions
- 1 - 5.25" bay (removable)
- CPU coolers up to 170mm in height
- ATX PSUs, up to 170mm in length (non modular PSUs); ATX PSUs, up to 160mm in length (modular PSUs)
- Graphics cards up to 310 mm in length
- Colours available: Black
- Case volume: 19.5 liters
- Case dimensions (WxHxD): 250 x 203 x 367 mm
- Case dimensions - with feet/screws/protrusions: 250 x 213 x 380 mm
- Net weight: 4.4 kg
- Package dimensions (WxHxD): 285 x 335 x 450 mm
- Package weight: 5.3 kg
Cooling system
- Rear: 1 – 120/140 mm fan (included is 1 Fractal Design Silent Series R3 fan, 1000 RPM speed)
- Top: 2 - 120/140 mm fan (not included)
- Dust filters: Magnetic filters on side and top panel, PSU filter
Water cooling compatibility
- Top – 280, 240, 140 and 120 mm radiators. (Thickness limitation of 100 mm for both radiator + fan) (240 and 280 mm radiators require removal of the ODD bay) (280mm radiator can be maximum 325mm in length)
- Rear – 120 mm radiator (not compatible with the rear 3.5" HDD position)
Front interface
- 2 USB 3.0
- Audio in/out
- Power button with LED (white)
- HDD activity LED (white)
- Reset button
Package contents
- Core 500 computer case
- User manual
- Accessory box
Additional information
- EAN/GTIN-13: 7350041082644
- UPC: 817301012645
- Product code: FD-CA-CORE-500-BK
- Available for System Integrators
Warranty & Returns
Warranty, Returns, And Additional Information
Warranty
- Limited Warranty period (parts): 1 year
- Limited Warranty period (labor): 1 year
- Read full details
Return Policies
- Return for refund within: 30 days
- Return for replacement within: 30 days
- This item is covered by Newegg.com's Standard Return Policy
Manufacturer Contact Info
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Pros: An ITX case with all the standard user-friendly Fractal Design touches: sturdy, fairly quiet, classic understated look, comes with dust filters to keep maintenance down, relatively easy to build in. Really a fan of the faux brushed aluminum on the front. I know some people have said they've had trouble with the cover, but I didn't run into any. Lots of capacity -- swallowed an ATX build, including a full-size GTX 960 and a DVD drive, with nothing changing except the motherboard. Admittedly required a lot of difficult and unattractive cable management, but half of that's just me being bad with cables, and my temps ended up being all right anyway. The case is well ventilated (intake and exhaust slots for PSU, GPU intake slot, three 120/140mm mount points on the back and top), and looks awesome with a 120mm Rosewill blue-LED fan in one of the top slots. Also, it just feels a lot nicer than having a big fat ATX tower hogging the desk in my small room.
Cons: Power and reset buttons feel cheap, in contrast to the rest of the case. The power supply mount (in which the PSU lives at the front of the case and is connected to a plug on the back using an internal extension cable) is slightly annoying, because it means you have to remove the cover to turn the PSU itself on and off. HDD activity light is bright enough to be distracting in day-to-day computer use. I also wasn't a huge fan of the expansion card mounting mechanism, which uses a sliding piece of metal on the outside of the case to push down on a card's mounting brackets (there are also holes for screws, but I had trouble with the included ones) -- it's fiddly and doesn't seem to keep the card very secure. None of these are big issues, but they do add up to one egg off.
Overall Review: I'd recommend this if you have a lot of hardware (especially a DVD drive), want a small (although not tiny) ITX case for less than $75, and don't mind a couple of hours in cable-management purgatory. I picked it because I wanted a case I could carry on an airplane in hand luggage, which should be possible with a duffel bag and some judicious packaging. I managed to strip the screws on the expansion-card bracket. In their place I used some spare SSD screws, which worked well. Update: I work with the computer on my desk immediately to my left, and the level of the PSU exhaust means that it blows warm air directly onto my left hand when I'm typing. Not really a problem, but worth noting when you're thinking about setting up your workstation (although, in these New England winters, it might actually be helpful!). Second update (6/6/2016): Confirmed: this case is great for portability. Brought my build on a four-hour bus ride, took it through Boston airport security in a padded duffel bag as a carry-on, flew to another state with it in the overhead bin (the airplane was an A321, which isn't huge), and got it home with absolutely no trouble or damage. The luggage's total size was technically slightly larger than the permitted carry-on dimensions, but temporarily removing some padding from the bag would have fixed that if necessary. Although I can't promise that no airport security officer will ever be concerned about this case, in my situation all I had to do was take it out of the bag to be X-rayed, just like a laptop. In the bag with all my parts installed, it probably weighed about twenty pounds, and was easy to carry if a little bulky. Hopefully this is helpful for any other people who find themselves, for one reason or another, looking to build a PC they can take on a plane. I'd recommend a duffel bag (a little larger than the case's dimensions, maybe an extra inch on each side to allow for padding) and some kind of durable shipping foam, then some kind of protective film (I used packing tape, lol) applied to the plastic parts for protection and placed over the vents to prevent dust and foam bits from getting in. I might not even risk it on the next trip and just take Amtrak or drive, but hey, now I know that this is an option.