Question 1

Would 6" SATA cables be long enough for this case?

I'm planning on using an ASRock E3C226D2I Mini ITX Server Motherboard.

Accepted Answer

Thanks Nathan.  The Sata ports look like they will lie almost directly below the connectors on the HDDs, so I'm guessing the HDDs closest will be fine with the shorter cables.  Those HDDs towards the outsides are truly where my concern lies.  I'll just have to wait for delivery to see about those lengths.  I have some old HDDs I can use for measuring until the new HDDs are acquired/installed.

Thanks for your input.

Question 2

Are the drive bays hot swappable?

Accepted Answer

This is a really, really small case.  I remember that some effort was made to make the bays removable, but to do this, you have must at a minimum take off the outer shell of the case and then contort your fingers around the nest of wires that quickly develops inside the case.

Would not recommend it.

Question 3

Will a : HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo video card (311mm / 12.24 inches) squeeze into this case?

Accepted Answer

yes, BUT....the problem you'll have will be the card butting up against the PSU. If you use a full-size ATX PSU, no you definitely can't use that card. but if you get a SFF PSU (Silverstone makes a very good 450W version that's quiet & Bronze 80 certified), you'll be able to fit that card. But there's the pickle. I've built many systems and one thing I can tell you is NEVER skimp on your PSU. If you're overclocking, running a high-end video card, and have a couple of 7200rpm hard drives, that 450W SFF PSU will not be enough juice. And I haven't seen a SFF PSU that goes much beyond 450W yet, although it's been awhile since I've checked. Hope this info helps. All the best!

Question 4

will this accommodate a micro ATX board?

Accepted Answer

No, it will not.  It has a strange layout, sort of like a NAS, with the board placed across the smaller dimension of the case.

Question 5

Can I fit a full size graphics card in this case?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can fit double width high end video cards with single GPUs in this case. Triple width cards will not fit. If you are looking at a double GPU card like the AMD 295x2 or Nvidia Titan Z you'll want to double check the exact dimensions and cooling capabilities.

Question 6

How do you install Windows on this if it has no optical drive? This may seem simple but please answer

Accepted Answer

Search for how to install Windows from a USB drive.  Alternatively, just connect a CD drive you have already sitting around to your motherboard/power and just leave it sitting on your desk for the duration of the installation.  You can unplug the CD drive and close up the case afterward.

Question 7

Can an SFX power supply ( SILVERSTONE ST45SF-G ) fit properly in this case?

Thanks

Accepted Answer

I'm guessing that pretty much any power supply will fit.  The issue is will it block the video card.  I had a 500W fanless supply that was too long and prevented the use of a GPU card that was any longer than the motherboard.  I replaced it with a Corsair CX430 which was shorter and allowed for a full sized card.

Question 8

Will a SilverStone SFX PSU fit in this case? Not by dimensions but as in lining up with the screw holes on the bracket. PCPartPicker says they are incompatible yet the dimensions more than small enough to fit inside it.

Accepted Answer

I know a lot of people have. Over in the forums, like ocn, there is a thread dedicated to this case and they talk about what works and what doesnt. Many people use sfx PSU but most people prefer the silverstone st55f-g or the seasonic g550 because of the location of where the wires plug into the psu. They are lower down on the psu than most units and this allows you to route the cables underneath of longer graphics cards in this case.

Question 9

If you use a taller CPU cooler (DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX 200T CPU Cooler 2 Heat pipes 120mm PWM Fan) will the internal drive bays be in the way? (If it matters it will be a Asus P8H61-I R2.0 Mini ITX LGA1155 motherboard)

Accepted Answer

I don't think the drive bays will be on the way. That cpu cooler will probably fit, now the concern is the drive cables. If you will be using 3.5 drives the power cables might get real close to the fan unless they are L-Type. My honest recommendation, go for the Corsair Hydro Series H60 for a high performance CPU or Cooler Master Hyper T2 for a low end.

Question 10

I want to build NAS/HTPC, can Node 304 support 6 hdd with EVGA GTX 1050  1.5 x 5.7 x 4.38 in ?

Accepted Answer

I Think it will only fit 4 like that...I think the card will be  tall enough that you can't use one of the hard drive brackets. If some of your drives are going to be sSD you might be able to mount them on the outside of the bracket since they are smaller

Questions & Answers