Reviewed: Fractal Design Core 500

Final Thoughts

Pricing

I liked the price almost as much as the case itself – $95 is great value and may mean being able to stretch for a slightly better CPU or graphics card. For reference, the Node 304 is $149 so this option is $54 cheaper for a similar footprint.

Conclusion

If you’re pressed for space, this case doesn’t take much of it. The Core 500 should satisfy the reasonable expectations of all system builders with the component compatibility and neutral aesthetics.

This is an ideal case for LAN rigs or compact gaming systems where space is at a premium. High end, overclocked systems with water cooling or 140mm tower coolers will work in the Core 500. Given that most ITX motherboards have 6 SATA ports for hard drives, the drive capacity of the Core 500 is well thought out and despite the decline in optical drives, the option of installing a DVD or Blu-Ray drive in the front of the case will be desirable for some people. Kudos to the design team – this is a great example of an ITX chassis that makes the most of the space available.

After working with this case for over 2 months, I shuffled our LAN rig components from the Node 202 into the Core 500. As much as I really liked the Node 202, the versatility and cooling performance of the Core 500 made it a better option for LAN gaming. The Fractal Design Core 500 is awesome.

	Fractal Design Core 500
PROS	Can fit up to a 310mm graphics card Easy to build in or upgrade Highly configurable in terms of CPU cooling, drive options and an optical bay if you need it. Versatile: Compact high-end Gaming, HTPC or study/office workstation. Great Value @ $95 Deceptively spacious inside
CONS	– Not as ‘sleek’ as the Node series
Awards