Fractal Design Announce Chassis, Coolers And More At Computex

Node Small Form Factor designs, Kelvin closed loop liquid coolers and the Integra 450W SFF PSU are all showcased at the Taiwan trade show.

Node Small Form Factor designs, Kelvin closed loop liquid coolers and the Integra 450W SFF PSU are all showcased at the Taiwan trade show.

‘Tis the season to announce new products and Fractal Design are joining the festivities with a host of new and updated lines to tempt the Grinch-iest PC users. New Node SFF are complemented by the Integra SFX 450W PSU, a new small footprint Core chassis is launched, and the Kelvin cooler has been revised to upgrade both cooling and user sound level customisation. Lets take a look.

Node 202 – Size Matters

The Node has for a while been Fractal Design’s premier small form factor lineup. Eschewing garish aesthetics, Node SFF models try to capture elegance in design, making them ideal in a living room or more formal office space without taking up much of that space. The Node 202 is just the latest design; a compact enclosure featuring sleek understated looks but with the potential to house powerful hardware inside.

Key Features:

* Featuring a sleek and elegant design that will fit in any space or room
* Extremely small footprint with a volume of only 10.2 liters
* A highly versatile case that can be set up both vertically and horizontally
* Supports Mini-ITX motherboards, SFX power supplies and graphics cards up to 310mm in length
* Provides a smart thermal interior design highlighting separate motherboard and graphics card chambers
* Strategically placed air filters for a dust free interior

Node 202 & Integra SFX 450W PSU

Ideally complementing the Node 202 is the Integra SFX 450W PSU. A compact power supply that’s only 64mm tall, it nonetheless provides 450W to hardware which could include high performance discrete graphics solutions as well as overclocked CPUs. Furthermore it is certified at an 80PLUS Bronze efficiency rating, nipping just a little more cost from running your system.

The Integra SFX PSU is equipped with 24-pin ATX connector, 12-Pin CPU Power connector, two 8-pin (6+2-pin) PCI-Express connectors and two SATA power connectors, making it idea for size-limited MITX systems that nonetheless demand performance hadware. On the flip side, it is also designed for low-noise operation, especially when under low load, which is important for any living room or office space.

The Node 202 along is priced at $79.99 / € 89.99 / GBP £64.99. A package including both Node 202 and Integra SFX 450W PSU is priced at $139.99 / € 159.99 / £114.99.

Core 500 Chassis – Small footprint. Big potential.

Fractal Design’s Core series drives innovation to the budget chassis sector, rolling out many of the features seen in higher-spec Fractal chassis down to a more affordable price point. The latest Core chassis revealed today is the Core 500, an enclosure for mini-ITX motherboards which nonetheless can house ATX PSUs, tall CPU coolers, closed loop liquid cooling radiators up to 280mm, and comprehensive storage options.

Although the 19.5-litre volume Core 500 occupies a sub-£50 price point there are still clear nods to aesthetics such as a brushed aluminium effect fascia and general unobtrusive exterior. Three filters should keep the out the majority dust, whilst a 140mm Fractal Design Silent R3 exhaust fan should take card of much of the heat build-up. Support for CPU coolers up to 170mm tall (which includes many twin-tower designs) and 310mm-long graphics cards give some insight into the potential power of systems which the Core 500 can house.

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 big
* 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
* Big magnetic filters for the side and top air intake together with a PSU filter ensures a dust free interior
* Supports tall CPU cooler towers, up to 170mm in height
* Featuring a Fractal Design Silent Series R3 140mm rear exhaust fan for great cooling

The Core 500 chassis has an MSRP of $59.99 / € 69.99 / £49.99.

Kelvin Series – Revised

The Kelvin water cooling series debuted in July of 2014 and today undergoes its first major revision, all with the aim of improving performance and convenience whilst also reducing noise. Outwardly similar to other closed loop liquid coolers, the Kelvin adds expandability to its repertoire through the use of standard fixture sizes and a dedicated fill-port, just in case you decided to add new waterblocks and radiators to the loop. Updates to the series include Dynamic GP-12 PWM fans for higher air flow as well as low-noise operation modes, improved fill-port, PH2 radiator screw heads, and a 9V speed adaptor for the pump.

Series Updates:

* Upgraded to Dynamic GP-12 PWM fans for quiet operation with significantly large airflow; Wide PWM speed range, 500-2000 RPM, providing accurate and better fan speed control with quieter operation
* 9V speed adapter now included with purchase to help control desired speed and noise level for the pump
* Improved dedicated fillport design and quality: Extra strong fill port that can be accessed by hand, with an allen key or with a coin for easy and durable handling.
* Radiator screws updated to PH2 heads for simple management with screw driver. No allen key required.
* PWM splitter does not include mesh to match the updated fans

The Kelvin series is currently available in three models: the T12 with thick 120mm-radiator, S24 with slimline 240mm radiator, and S36 with 30mm thick 360mm radiator.